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E-Blast for June 11, 2009
In this E-Blast
- Leadership
- The Science Matters Network in Michigan
- MDE Science
- K-12 Science
- Year of Science - The Month of June Features Our Oceans
- NSTA New Position Statement on International Science Education
- ExploraVision Awards Program Offers K-12 Students Opportunities to Shine
- 21st Century Learning Symposium
- Space Available for the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
- Michigan High School is a Winner of the Internet Science and Technology Fair
- MSTA Science Educator Awards
- High School Science
- Middle School and High School Science
- Middle School Science
- Elementary and Middle School Science
- Elementary School Science
- June Contest
- Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Deadlines
Here are your science education resources and announcements for June 11, 2009 provided by Building a Presence for Science. These science education highlights are emailed to Key Leaders, Points of Contact and State Partners. Please forward them on to other science educators in your school. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to:
David Bydlowski
Michigan Coordinator - Building a Presence
bydlowd@resa.net
http://nsta.org/bap
http://www.msta-mich.org/bap
or
Sue Campbell
MSTA Representative
sue@ucia2.com
http://www.msta-mich.org
1. Leadership
At a time when we should be opening doors to the future, we are fossilizing a curriculum and a kind of teaching that seemed to make sense in the 1950's.
Thomas Sobol
Thank you to Herm Boatin, Science consultant and lecturer, University of Michigan-Dearborn, for contributing this leadership quote.
2. The Science Matters Network In Michigan
Thank-You and Have a Great Summer
Thanks for all your help this school year keeping the Science Matters Network (formally Building a Presence) alive and working smoothly. If you find that you are switching buildings, retiring or moving could you please recommend a science teacher at your building to take over the your duties for next year? We would hate to lose contact with the teachers at your building. If you have any changes, just send an email to your local Key Leader or send an email to the State Coordinator, David Bydlowski at:
bydlowd@resa.net
Please keep in mind that the e-blast will only come out once in June and once in July, before we go back to our regularly twice a month schedule. Thanks again and have a wonderful summer!
Your Certificate of Appreciation for 2008-2009 is Ready for You to Download!
Are you a Building a Presence/Science Matters for Science Super Key Leader, Key Leader, or Point of Contact? You can now print a certificate of appreciation for the 2008 - 2009 school year. Just go to the following link, select your certificate type, and print! Thanks for all the work you have done to promote Building a Presence for Science.
http://www.msta-mich.org/bapcert/
MDE Science
MEAP Fall 2009 Estimated Times
MDE has recently released the estimated testing times for the Fall 2009 MEAP Assessments. It is estimated that each part of the science test should take 50 minutes. This means that the total time for the 5th grade science MEAP assessment is 100 minutes (includes part 1 and 2). The same estimate is true for the 8th grade science MEAP assessment. The initial test date for science is October 22, 2009.
K-12 Science
Year of Science - The Month of June Features Our Oceans
How are YOU connected to the Ocean? Take two breaths. One came from the ocean. It's true! Roughly half of the oxygen we breathe is produced by phytoplankton, tiny single-celled plants that live in the sea. That fact alone means that you and all life on Earth, depend on the ocean for survival every minute of every day. In fact, no matter how far we may live from the coast, the ocean is important to our daily lives in countless ways. The ocean stabilizes our climate and weather patterns and is vital to the global cycle that supplies us with clean drinking water. It provides seafood to millions of people, and studying the wild diversity of life beneath the waves has helped us produce medicines and other important products. For those who live near the water, the ocean offers direct opportunities for employment, transportation, and recreation. To celebrate the ocean and water, please visit:
http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/celebrate/
NSTA New Position Statement on International Science Education
The National Science Teachers Association, NSTA, Board of Directors recently adopted an NSTA position statement promoting and encouraging international science education because of its ability to improve the teaching and learning of science. The statement gives recommendations for teachers of science; science teacher educators; school leadership; policy makers; and science-related organizations, associations, agencies, and businesses to embrace and support international science education. This new statement replaces a previous version adopted in 1996.
To view and download this new position statement, please visit:
http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/international.aspx
To view all NSTA position statements, on topics ranging from laboratory science to the nature of science, please visit:
http://www.nsta.org/about/positions.aspx?lid=tnavhp
ExploraVision Awards Program Offers K-12 Students Opportunity to Shine in Science
Join in on Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 to 8:00 pm Eastern time, for a free web seminar on the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program. This web seminar, will be led by teachers who have coached regional and national winning teams in recent years. Learn what the impact on student interest in science is after participating in the awards program and how teachers have had great success in motivating and guiding students in this endeavor. Now in its 18th year, ExploraVision encourages K-12 students at all levels of interest, skill and ability to create a vision of future technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science. During these live web seminars, presenters will answer participants' questions. To register for this web seminar, please visit:
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/ExploraVision/webseminar5.aspx
21st Century Learning Symposium
You are invited to an event that will stimulate your thinking and deepen your understanding about the emerging practices, technology tools, and approaches that educators across the country are using to engage learners and prepare them with 21st Century skills. Please consider attending on August 6th, 2009 at Port Huron High School to learn from national, state and local presenters who are successfully leading efforts to enhance learning with technology, Web 2.0, and online learning among other strategies. Among our presenters are: Will Richardson, Author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for the Classroom; Dr. Bryan Setser, Executive Director, North Carolina Virtual School; and Elliott Soloway, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Dept. of EECS, College of Engineering, University of Michigan.
The "Learning to Change Changing to Learn" video (Pearson and CoSN) has been a conversation starter for our work. It can be found at:
http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/pg5.6.html.
They hope to provoke conversation around the goal of creating technology-rich environments where learners are prepared to be confident, creative problem solvers, and global citizens who care about their culture. Last year, over 300 people attended the first symposium. We hope you will join us in the conversation this year. For registration information, please visit:
http://www.sccresa.org/calendars/
Space Available for the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
The Original deadline to apply to the West Michigan GLSI has been extended. This is a great opportunity for K-12 teachers who want to incorporate water resources and place-based education into their curriculum. Participants earn a $400 stipend and have access to $1500 mini-grants for place-based projects. For more information, contact Melissa Maxson at: 231-767-7336
The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is a unique model that connects schools with their communities to create learning experiences for students that have lasting impact on the environment. Through regional hubs, teachers receive professional development to better facilitate inquiry-based learning and problem solving. Collaboration between schools and communities provides students with the opportunity to address local environmental issues. The resulting vibrant, hands-on learning experiences are designed to increase student achievement and help young Michigan residents become lifelong advocates for the Great Lakes.
Michigan High School is a Winner of the Internet Science and Technology Fair
During fall of 2008, one hundred and fifty eight elementary, middle and high school student teams were enrolled to participate in the 2008-2009 ISTF Program. Following the preliminary round of judging, 60 teams advanced to the final round. Eight student teams emerged to capture top awards in the 12th annual Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF). The ISTF program challenges students to research the use of National Critical Technology (NCT) applications as they solve real-world problems using information technology tools. Students develop critical thinking skills as they work on-line with practicing professionals and publish their final research findings in a webpage format for preliminary and national rounds of judging.
One of the eight teams that received the highest honors is the Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology, Dearborn Public Schools, where a high school student team researched the possible use of an "implant that would be inserted into the eye and it would communicate with a contact lens/camera to send visual messages to the brain, allowing the patient to see." To view more information, please visit: http://istf.ucf.edu/Winners/
MSTA Science Educator Awards
Look around you! Are you working with someone whom you consider an excellent science educator? Does this person do an excellent job in the classroom and/or in your school district? Does this person contribute to the profession by taking leadership roles within the educational community and show a willingness to share ideas with colleagues by presenting seminars and workshops, publishing science related articles in professional journals, etc.? If you know someone who exhibits these attributes, then please nominate him/her for one of the following categories:
- Teacher of the Year (Elementary, Middle Level, High School or College)
- Teacher of Promise
- Administrator of the Year
For full information and the application, please go to:
http://www.msta-mich.org/awards
The deadline to submit is July 1, 2009.
High School Science
Summer Opportunity for Secondary Science Teachers
The Michigan Mathematics and Science Centers Network is seeking secondary Mathematics and Science educators to jury assessment items and possibly gather or write additional aligned assessment items for inclusion in a Michigan-specific student assessment tool that will be available to benefit all Michigan teachers in 2010. Training and jury work will occur in the Gaylord, Michigan area on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 and Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Participants will receive reimbursement for roundtrip mileage and a stipend of $400. Two nights lodging and all meals will be provided at no cost to participants.
Successful applicants should:
be an active or retired Michigan secondary Mathematics or Science educator, professor, consultant, or administrator, have at least 3 years teaching experience in secondary Mathematics or Science courses, be familiar with the Michigan Department of Education High School Content Expectations for the area of your expertise, have documented experience writing assessment items beyond classroom tests, have experience validating assessment items, possess current Michigan Teacher Certification, and be a NCLB "Highly Qualified" teacher for secondary Mathematics or Science courses.
To obtain application materials, please contact:
Janet Ordiway, Project Director
P.O. Box 124
St. Joseph, MI 49085
janet@einstein-coaching.com
269-932-5900
Interested educators should apply no later than Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Successful applicants will be notified during early July.
AAPT Summer Meeting 2009 in Ann Arbor
"Discovering the Universe: Democritus and Galileo to Fundamental Particles and Cosmology"
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) next meeting will take place on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Committee meetings, sessions, and workshops will occur across the grounds at UM. You can find conference information and registration details at:
http://www.aapt.org/Events/sm2009/registration.cfm
Middle School and High School Science
Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction
As the lead Federal Agency for research on substance abuse and addiction, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is launching a FREE education video on the effects and risks associated with nicotine use among teens. You can view it at:
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_nicotine3.php
In honor of World Tobacco Day, NIDA provides a FREE video on nicotine abuse with NIDA scientists Gaya Dowling, Ph.D. and Redonna Chandler, Ph.D. as they educate youth about the physiological affects of nicotine use, especially the long-term consequences that nicotine use has on the brain. This video is part of a new video-education series provided by NIDA.
Middle School Science
ISS EarthKAM Summer 2009 Mission
Middle school educators are invited to join NASA for the International Space Station EarthKAM Summer 2009 Mission on July 7-10, 2009. Find out more about this exciting opportunity that allows students to take pictures of Earth from a digital camera on board the International Space Station. ISS EarthKAM is a NASA-sponsored project that provides stunning, high-quality photographs of Earth taken from the space shuttle and International Space Station. Since 1996, ISS EarthKAM students have taken thousands of photographs of Earth by using the World Wide Web to direct a digital camera on select spaceflights and, currently, on the International Space Station.
For more information about the project and to register for the upcoming mission, visit the ISS EarthKAM Home Page at:
http://www.EarthKAM.ucsd.edu
If you have questions about the EarthKAM project, please e-mail ek-help@earthkam.ucsd.edu
Elementary and Middle School Science
Teacher Training in Great Lakes Environmental Science
June, 23, 24 and 25, 2009
Three-Day Workshop
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day
Cost: $45.00 - includes Lunch, Snacks and Materials
1.6 SB - CEU's and Graduate Credit are offered by Madonna University
Please consider joining a three-day workshop on Great Lakes Environmental Science. You will learn how to use the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Water Quality Unit in the classroom (targets Grades 6-8), as well as Project FLOW curriculum (targets Grades 4-8). Local experts will offer presentations on water quality monitoring, aquatic invasive species and the endangered Lake Sturgeon found in the Detroit River. The Institute is located in the headwaters of the Rouge River watershed; on Wednesday, you will monitor the Rouge River on campus using chemical tests, observations and a benthic macro-invertebrate survey.
To register, please visit:
http://science.cranbrook.edu/educational/teacher/
and scroll down to the workshop advertisement. For more information or questions, please contact:
Lisa Appel
Coordinator of Watershed Education
LAppel@cranbrook.edu
BioKIDS
It is increasingly important for all American students to become sophisticated thinkers of science. The BioKIDS/DeepThink research group is engaged in educational research to improve science learning in high-poverty, urban, elementary and middle school classrooms, with particular focus on the Detroit Public Schools. Their work centers on the fourth through eighth grades, a period when the performance of American students in science falls behind that of students in other countries. They work in two areas: the development of curricular units and associated technologies to promote students' deep understandings of current science topics, and the exploration of new ideas in educational assessment leading to tests that evaluate students' complex reasoning with science.
Please visit:
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/
to use their critter catalog and field guides. This is a wonderful way to provide an opportunity for kid's inquiry of diverse species.
MEECS Training
On June 17 and 18, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will be hosting two Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support workshops at the Air and Waste Management Association annual conference in Detroit, Michigan. The workshop on June 17 will cover the Energy Resources unit and the workshop on June 18 will cover the Air Quality unit. Registration is at 8:15 am, with the workshops taking place between 9:00 am and 1:30 pm.
The registration fee of $25 includes attendance of the workshop, a classroom unit kit for that unit, lunch, and access to the presentations and exhibits at the Air & Waste Management Association Conference.
To Register, visit the DEQ website at:
http://www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops
and click on Upcoming Workshops.
Elementary School Science
Summer Activity for Kids
Play the Wild Weather Adventure Game:
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/goes/wwa
This online game has the look and feel of a real board game. It actually started life as a printed board game, created by The Space Place Team. Then they reincarnated it online, staying faithful to the original, but adding a few bells and whistles. The game board is a map of the world. In your own weather research blimp, you travel the world, have adventures, make rescues, solve problems, and strive to beat your opponents to the Finish. This game can be played by up to four players. If you are playing alone, your opponent is the computer, and you can even choose how smart your opponent will be! Some turns present the player with a question about weather, other Earth science topics, or geography. For geography questions, players can consult a reference map and find the answer. It's a fun learning tool for all ages.
June Contest
This month we have six wonderful prizes to give away this month. Each prize is an iTunes Gift Card.
To win one of these prizes, send an email to:
David Bydlowski
bydlowd@resa.net
State Coordinator for Building a Presence
You MUST INCLUDE your name AND mailing address AND your school name/district.
You may only enter once and only one entry per email address. Respondents 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, and 51 will receive a prize. We will post all of the winners in our next E-Blast. Good luck to you and thank you for being part of the Building a Presence Network.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- January 1-December 31, 2009: The Year of Science. For more information, please visit: http://www.yearofscience2009.org
- June 15, 2009: Deadline for High School Students to submit a message for the World Climate Conference to be held in Geneva, Switzerland. To submit entries, please visit: http://www.globe.gov/fsl/pdf/GLOBE-WMO_announcementMay2009-5.pdf
- June 15, 2009: Deadline to apply to present at the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education Conference to be held in October at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. For more information, please visit: http://www.michiganenvironmentaled.org/
- June 16, 2009: Early Registration Deadline for the 2nd Annual Michigan Joint Education Conference to be held at Holt HS in Holt, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.mijec.org
- June 16-17, 2009: Workshop for Middle School Teachers on GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8 to be held at Central Michigan University. For more information, please send an email to gems@cmich.edu or visit: http://gems.cmich.edu
- June 24, 2009: Michigan JOINT Education Conference at Holt HS in Holt, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.mijec.org/
- June 25, 2009: Michigan No Child Left Inside Summit at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops and click on upcoming workshops.
- June 27, 2009: Great American Backyard Campout. For more information, please visit: http://www.nwf.org/BackyardCampout/about.cfm
- June 30, 2009: Deadline for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year science teachers to apply for the 2009 NSTA New Teacher Academy. For more information, please visit: http://www.nsta.org/academy
- June 30, 2009: Deadline for High School Students to apply for the NASA Inspire Project. For more information, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project.html
- July 1, 2009: Deadline to nominate science educators for MSTA's science education awards. For more information, please visit: http://www.msta-mich.org/awards
- July 11-16, 2009: The 2009 Michigan Youth Policy Summit on Greenhouse Gas Reduction, to be held at Western Michigan University for 11th and 12th Grade Students. For more information, please contact: Annemarie Fussell at Keystone (afussell@keystone.org; 970-455-4231) or Susan Grammer at WMU (susan.grammer@wmich.edu; 269-387-8642).
- July 25 - 26, 2009: American Association of Physics Education Summer Meeting in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.aapt.org/Events/sm2009/registration.cfm
- August 2-6, 2009: ChemEd Conference in Radford, Virginia. For more information, please visit: http://www.radford.edu/chemed2009/
- August 16-22, 2009: World Water Week. For more information, please visit: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/
- September 25, 2009: Michigan Green Chemistry Conference "Green Up." For more at the Downtown DoubleTree Hotel in Detroit, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops
- September 29, 2009: 2nd Annual Aquatic Academy for Teachers hosted by the Muskegon Watershed Assembly. For more information, please download: http://www.mrwa.org/repository/pdf/brochure.pdf
- October 8-10, 2009: The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education will be held at the University of Michigan, Dearborn Campus. For more information, please visit: http://www.michiganenvironmentaled.org/index.html
- October 22, 2009: Initial Test Date for the 5th and 8th grade science MEAP assessments.
- October 24, 2009: MDSTA Fall Conference at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI. For more information please contact Kelvin Wise at: wisepill@aol.com
- November 5, 2009: YES! Expo 2009 for middle school and high school students at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.yes.mtu.edu/
- November 18, 2009: Fall Science Update at Grand Valley State University from 8:00 - 3:00. For more information, please contact Margo Dill at: dillm@gvsu.edu
- March 4-6, 2010: MSTA Conference in Lansing, MI. For more information, please visit: http://msta-mich.org
To subscribe to the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please visit: http://nsta.org/bap
To unsubscribe from the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please contact your Key Leader or email David Bydlowski, Michigan Coordinator for the Building a Presence Science Network, at bydlowd@resa.net.