|
BDB's Biweekly E-letter
–
February 1, 2008
Timely reminders, fabulous freebies, best sites & more "worth the surf"
|
|
|
|
In Partnership With:
|
|
|
|
|
The
P. Buckley Moss Foundation Education Grants aid and support
teachers who wish to establish an effective learning tool using the
arts in teaching children with learning disabilities and other
special needs. Programs in the planning stages or in existence for
less than two years are eligible for the $1,000 award.
Deadline: February 29, 2008
Click Here for More Information
|
The
Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its 2008
Summer Teacher Institutes. The institutes provide
educators from grades 4–12 across the nation with the opportunity
to engage in intensive study and exploration of a specific topic
using the staff expertise and facilities of the Library of Congress.
Participants will develop strategies for teaching with primary source
digital content; engage in inquiry learning in hands-on workshops;
learn from Library of Congress subject matter experts; and network
with other teachers from across the country to share ideas and
experiences. The four sessions are Creating the United States
(June 16–20), Using Library Resources to Create Lessons
(July 22–25), Incorporating Primary Sources into the Teaching
Process (July 30–August 1) and Immigration (August
13–15).
Deadline: March 15, 2008 for applications
Click Here for More Information
|
The
Troxell Communications Education Scholarship/Grant Rebate Program
makes funding available to any qualifying educational institution
that purchases products made eligible for rebate by participating
vendor partners. An administrator, assigned by the school or
district, must register on the Troxell Communications Web site prior
to the purchase of products. Troxell administers the program by
displaying an accounting of earned funds, in real time, on each
participating customer’s password-protected Web page. There is no
limit on the number of rebates an institution can receive. Find more
details, FAQs and enrollment information on the company’s Web site.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here for More Information
|
EBOOK DESTINATION
NEW
Look! MORE Savings!
Join
the growing list of teachers enjoying the eBookDestination Rewards
Program. On the first day of each month, a digital coupon
(representing 5 percent of your total purchases in the previous
month) will be added to your shopping cart. You’ll then be notified
via email of the presence (and amount) of this coupon.
There’s
no application to complete, no points to collect, no cards to carry,
no codes to enter and (most important) no fees to pay. Quite simply,
you are repaid for your loyalty with a 5 percent credit toward future
purchases. It’s as easy as that!
Browse
the eBookstore now! You’ll receive an automatic discount
on some 3,000 ebook titles, many of which are bundled
with downloadable audio MP3 files, from major educational
publishers. Plus, there’s always a selection of the most popular
titles on sale!
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
|
The
2008 Best Buy Scholarship Program will award scholarships to
students based on their outstanding commitment to and involvement in
community service, along with a solid academic performance. To be
eligible, students must be graduating high school seniors currently
enrolled in an accredited U.S. school. Further, they must have plans
to enter a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited
two- or four-year college, university or vocational technical school
in the U.S. by fall 2008. This year 1,500 students will be selected
to receive awards of $1,500 each. An additional 51 students will
receive awards of $10,000 each.
Deadline: February 15, 2008 for applications
Click Here for More Information
|
Youth
aged 7–12 are invited to enter the Nature in the Winter
writing contest. Jane Kirkland, author of the award-winning
Take A Walk® Books, is looking for
students’ stories or poems about nature in the winter. To enter the
contest, students simply tell, in 50 words or less, what they see,
how they feel or why they like nature in the winter. As an
alternative, students can enter the Nature in the Winter drawing
contest by submitting a drawing of a plant, animal or landscape
of nature in the winter. Winning entries will appear on the series’
Web site, as well as in a new book, Take A Winter Nature
Walk, which will be published in the fall of 2008.
Deadline: February 20, 2008 for submissions
Click Here for More Information
|
The
American Young Ambassadors Program (AYAP) is a global
leadership program that recognizes the significant
accomplishments—academically, athletically or through public
service effort—of U.S. high school students. The youth selected for
the program will represent the United States as Young
Ambassadors-at-large at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
While at the Olympics, the Young Ambassadors will be volunteering at
various venues; hosting a youth summit; and hosting several
leadership receptions, including an International Sports Leadership
Reception with world-accomplished athletes and a World Leaders
Reception with heads of state and leaders of corporations.
Deadline: March 3, 2008 for nominations
Click Here for More Information
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
|
Nova
Southeastern University (NSU) awards associate’s, bachelor’s,
master’s, educational specialist, doctoral and first-professional
degrees in a wide range of fields, including Computer Science
Education, Early Literacy Education, Educational Leadership,
Educational Media and Urban Studies Education. Many of NSU’s
programs are offered through the Southern Regional Education
Board’s Electronic Campus, in full compliance with SREB’s
comprehensive set of Principles of Good Practice.
Click Here to Learn More About NSU's Programs
|
Beginning
in February, science and math educators can participate in Vernier
Software & Technology’s free hands-on
workshops. Attendees will learn how to integrate computer and
handheld data-collection technology into any science or math
curriculum. At each four-hour session, Vernier trainers and attendees
will explore the many ways that data-collection technology can be
used to enhance learning in any chemistry, biology, physics, math,
middle school science, physical science or Earth science classroom.
Visit the site linked below for the schedule in your area.
Click Here for Details and Schedule
|
Atomic Learning
offers Web-based software training and curriculum resources for more
than 100 applications that students and educators use everyday. The
short, easy-to-understand tutorial movies and a library of
curriculum resources can be used as an integral part of a
professional development program, a valuable curriculum supplement
and an anytime/anywhere training resource.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Looking
at Learning ... Again are free video-on-demand
workshops on how children learn. The Part 1
workshop series features seven leading educators who share
their ideas on how technology affects learning, how to elicit and
build on students’ ideas and how to develop strategies for
inquiry-based teaching. The Part 1 series includes eight one-hour
video programs titled “The Many Faces of Learning”; “Intellectual
Development”; “Conceptual Thinking”; “Inquiry”;
“Idea-Making”; “The Mind’s Intelligences”; “Design,
Construction, and Technology”; and “The International Picture.”
The Part 2 workshop series features different
educators’ learning theories and provides opportunities to discuss,
critique and apply the ideas presented. The Part 2 series
includes eight one-hour video programs titled “Behind the Design”;
“Mathematics: A Community Focus”; “Learning to Share
Perspectives”; “Conceptual Change”; “Infusing Critical and
Creative Thinking”; “Algebra and Calculus: The Challenge”;
“Children’s Ways of Knowing”; and “Learning to Listen.” A
Workshop Guide and Web site accompany each workshop
series.
Click
Here to Access Part 1 Workshops
Click Here to Access Part 2 Workshops
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
|
Rand
McNally Classroom contains more than 1,800 reference, special
topic and history maps that can be printed, viewed and saved. The
site’s new interactive history maps and its numerous
interactive games and activities will engage your
students, while the lesson plans and assessments will
help you implement all the site has to offer. A correlation search
tool shows you how the site’s content aligns with your state
standards and how to integrate the site’s features across the
curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies. Special
features include weekly current events articles and discussion
questions, as well as daily “Where in the World?” photo
features. In addition, “Traveling Teddies” photos
and postcards describe places in the world where a
traveling bear has visited, and “Ask the Geography Sleuths”
gives students the opportunity to submit their geography questions to
Rand McNally’s resident experts.
Click Here for More Information and Free Trial
|
A
new book from the International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE), Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your
Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age, offers
educators a practical guide for maximizing the benefits of
project-based learning in today’s technology-rich learning
environment.
Click Here for More Information
|
To
help everyone celebrate the recently announced ALA Awards (Newbery,
Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and others), Teachingbooks.net
is offering free access to original short movies
and readings by the award winners. The selected
interviews, discussion guides, book readings
and audio files help readers relate to the authors and
award-winning books in memorable, personal ways.
Click Here to Access Free Multimedia Resources
|
To
help teens better understand the risks associated with the Internet
and to educate parents, guardians and teachers, Sprint has
launched the 4NetSafety program in partnership with the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the
National Education Association Health and Information Network.
The initiative offers free resources designed to help
teens understand the impact of online decisions and the potential
dangers they face. The project also helps educators implement
Internet safety education and keep parents informed of potential
online risks. The teen resources address issues through comic
book–style characters who model safe online practices. The adult
resources include safety tips, suggested activities and
discussion ideas designed to accompany the teen resources. The
initiative also incorporates a free bimonthly newsletter
that provides information to help preteens navigate safely.
Click Here to Access Free Online Safety Resources
|
The
Innovations in Education book series, published under the
auspices of the U.S. Department of Education, provides
free books that include information on key education topics
such as online learning, engaging parental involvement in education
and creating strong supplemental service providers. The books are
intended to be resources for educators, parents, policymakers and
community leaders.
Click Here to Access Free Books
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
|
The
Encyclopedia of Educational Technology provides a
comprehensive collection of short, multimedia articles on a
variety of topics in the field of educational technology. Many
include links to supporting resources. Topics include “Active
Learning”; “Brain-based Learning”; “Cooperative Learning”;
“Metacognition”; “Multiple Intelligences”; “Using
Simulations to Facilitate Learning”; “Visual Perception”—and
much more. The online encyclopedia is a publication of San Diego
State University’s Department of Educational Technology.
Click Here to Access Free Multimedia Articles
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft’s
new online Innovative Teachers Network aims to help educators
better incorporate technology into classwork. The network enables
teachers to engage with a community of educators with similar
interests and activities, participate in the Innovative Teachers
forum, share ideas with trusted colleagues, and access and publish
resources. Simply fill out the online application form for free
instant access.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Plus: HP
and Microsoft recently introduced an online Teacher
Experience Exchange (TEE) project. The Web site provides
educators with a one-stop resource to discuss, share and learn with
other educators as well as access tutorials for teaching with
technology in the classroom. Preview the Teacher Experience Exchange
Web site and join the group of initial Teacher Advisors to provide
feedback on proposed content, or simply preregister to become a
member and see a panorama of features to come.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
ServiceVote
has launched an interactive Web site intended to engage young people
in the 2008 elections by providing news and information
on the candidates paired with key issues. The site also allows
for peer interaction and ongoing conversations through a discussion
forum that enables youth to post videos, images and audio files.
The hope is to increase the numbers of young people taking action in
the election and in the political process.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
The
Last Brain Thinking is a mental agility game show that
aims to make math and English fun for students. To
improve their brainpower, students simply enter the Last Brain
Thinking studios and play the single-player games. Once they’ve
fully trained their brain, they can test their mind against other
players in the multiplayer studios. There are three studios—easy,
medium and hard. Teachers’ notes are available to download
for use in the classroom.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Scrolling over objects
in this present-day classroom takes students back to Early
Imperial China. Pull down the projector screen, for
example, and view a slideshow about the building of the Great Wall.
Change the carousel and zoom in on the details of a brick found in a
burial chamber. Open a drawer and find pictures of silk, ceramics,
rice and tea from Imperial China along with an interactive that helps
students understand the production process. It’s all great fun—and
rich with information!
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Plus:
The “Staff Room” pages have been developed to help
teachers get the most out of the Web site for themselves and for
their class. The lessons are aimed at students aged 11–14.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Hearing
a speech can be fundamentally different from simply reading the text.
History and Politics Out Loud helps make that difference
concrete by providing audio recordings of hundreds of
important political speeches in a searchable archive.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
Complementing
the WGBH radio show of the same name, the Art of the States
Web site streams hard-to-find musical pieces in their entirety,
showcasing often-challenging examples of contemporary American music.
Art of the States provides access to hundreds of compositions and
will eventually house an archive of more than 500 pieces. Search
contents by composer, performer, time period, instrumentation and
genre.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
|
To forward a copy of this newsletter to a friend, please click here.
If you received a forwarded version of this newsletter and wish to subscribe for FREE, visit: http://www.bigdealbook.com. If you wish to unsubscribe to this email newsletter, please email info@bigdealbook.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject.
|
|
|
|
