[Scico-list] Earth Sciences Teaching Opportunity Spring Sem., E- Teaching Course, NOVA for Teachers, PEN Newsblast

Tue Nov 30 14:52:11 MST 2004

From: Terrence Moore [mailto:tmoore at ridgeviewclassical.com] 
Subject: One- Semester Earth Sciences Teaching Opportunity starting Jan. 2005. Please see description below.
Dr. Terrence O. Moore
Principal
Ridgeview Classical Schools
Fort Collins, CO
please do not hesitate to e-mail me or call at 494-4620, ext. 120. 
www.ridgeviewclassical.com <http://www.ridgeviewclassical.com/>
Teaching Opportunity
Ridgeview Classical Schools is looking for someone to teach a one-semester course in Earth Sciences for the semester beginning in January 2005. The course will concentrate on geology and meteorology but may also canvass aspects of oceanography and physical geography. The exact nature of the course will be worked out between the teacher and the principal. Ridgeview Classical Schools is a K-12 charter school in Fort Collins that has ranked second in the state of Colorado on the annual School Accountability Reports for two years running. The students are intelligent and hard-working. The students in the Earth Science class will be juniors and seniors. The candidate should have a strong background in the earth sciences and the ability to teach. Experience working with young people is an advantage but not required. Teaching certification is not required nor even preferred. Interested applicants should send a c.v. to the principal, Dr. T. O. Moore, at mailto:tmoore at ridgeviewclassical.com .
_________________________________________________________
From: Shawna Crocker
scrocker at colostate.edu
www.plt.org
www.coloradocorrelations.org
www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSFS/plt.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Sandi Sturm [mailto:ssturm at pobox.mtaonline.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 6:54 PM
To: ssturm at pobox.mtaonline.net
Subject: E-Teaching course for spring

Ever teach from a beach? We don't recommend it, but by adding a few skills to your resume you certainly could if you had to. 
Join us this spring for a 6 - week e-Learning course, "E-Teaching: Preparing successful online instructors." Classes begin January 31st and space is limited. January too soon? We have another that will begin in March. 
For more information, go to <http://www.creative-conservation.com/eteaching.htm>Or give me a call and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. 
Sandi Sturm 
PS: Please share with your networks who might benefit from this offering. 
Check out our Designing for e-Learning course offering!  <http://www.creative-conservation.com/designinffordistance.htm>
Online Learning Designer
Creative Conservation
PO Box 870898
Wasilla, Alaska 99687
Phone 907-373-7374
eFax 1-503-212-1001
<ssturm at creative-conservation.com>
<www.creative-conservation.com> 
"Conserving rural values through creative education and outreach." 
*********************************************************************

NOVA Presents "Dogs and More Dogs" (R)
Broadcast: November 30, 2004
http://www.pbs.org/nova/dogs/
(NOVA usually airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Check your local
listings. This program has one-year off-air taping rights.)

 NOVA, "Dogs and More Dogs," learn about the
story of dogs and how they evolved into the most diverse animals
on the planet. (Subjects covered: life science, animals,
evolution, genetics)

In the coming weeks:

Dec.  7 -- varies (check local listings)

Dec. 14 -- varies (check local listings)

Dec. 21 -- The Elegant Universe (R) (2 hours)
            http://www.pbs.org/nova/elegant/
Or visit:
     http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/schedule.html

Regards,
Karen Hartley
Teachers Editor
NOVA Web Site
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/
E-mail: NOVA_Teachers at wgbh.org
********************************************************

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CHARTER SCHOOLS FALL SHORT IN PUBLIC SCHOOL MATCHUP
A new study commissioned by the Department of Education, which compares
the achievement of students in charter schools with those attending
traditional public schools in five states, has concluded that the charter
schools were less likely to meet state performance standards. In Texas,
for instance, the study found that 98 percent of public schools met state
performance requirements two years ago, but that only 66 percent of the
charter schools did. Even when adjusted for race and poverty, the study
said, the charter schools fell short more frequently by a statistically
significant amount. The study added new data to a highly politicized
debate between charter school supporters, including senior Bush
administration officials, and skeptics who question the performance of the
publicly financed but privately managed schools. Deputy Education
Secretary Eugene W. Hickok minimized the report's significance even as he
released the results. But academics who have been critical of charter
school performance called it an important contribution, reports Sam Dillon
and Diana Jean Schemo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/23/education/23charter.html

HAWKING WHITE POWER AT SCHOOL: MUSIC BRINGS RACISM TO TEENS
Panzerfaust Records is a five-year-old company that has quickly become one
of the top "white power" record labels in the country. Hundreds of bands
in America and Europe produce such hate music. If Byron Calvert has his
way, their fans will soon be multiplying. In September he launched Project
Schoolyard, a plan to snag kids 13 to 19 by distributing 100,000 free CDs
of such bands as Day of the Sword, H8 Machine and Final War. Calvert cares
less about the melody than the message. "We hook 'em with the music," he
says, and then kids learn -- and buy -- more online. As his Web site
declares, "We don't just entertain racist kids, we create them!"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6542890/site/newsweek/

THE EDUCATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF DEBATE
Since the middle of the last century, interscholastic debate programs have
been common throughout the nation's more affluent public and private
schools. These programs have provided generations of more privileged
students the substantial academic benefits that result from training in
rhetoric, persuasion, organized communication, and argument. In debate,
the preparation and delivery of argumentation provides students with the
opportunity to think critically, develop their academic research skills,
improve their communication abilities, solve problems creatively, and
increase their self-confidence. Because students involved in debate
regularly engage in writing, information analysis, and in-depth library
and Internet research, they often receive higher grades than non-debaters
in high school, and are more likely to continue on to post-secondary
education. Debate enables students to express their views effectively and
to respond cogently to arguments with which they disagree. In addition,
debate students are often the most well read and well informed in their
grade level. The scope of their studies -- from the mental health care
crisis to curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction -- means that
debate students take part in a truly worldwide examination of the issues
facing all people. Urban Debate Leagues, now flourishing in low-income
schools, are designed to teach advocacy skills so that students are
empowered to be the architects of their own futures.
http://www.urbandebate.org/impact_education

A SHORTENING LIST OF FAILING SCHOOLS
As the latest report cards on schools and districts trickle out, they're
giving the public a snapshot not only of the nation's education system but
also of the successes and failures of No Child Left Behind (NCLB),
President Bush's landmark 2001 education law. So far this year, the
results have been better than many critics expected: Student achievement
is up, and the lists of schools on state watch lists because of poor
academic performance are getting shorter in nearly every state. None of
this means the nation's public schools have suddenly become Harvards
without the ivy. Some analysts, in fact, warn that the trend may be
deceptive: The shorter watch lists, for instance, may have more to do with
bureaucratic changes than academic gains. And next year, the target
achievement levels students need to reach under NCLB will jump in many
states. But others see the gains as an important sign that educators and
administrators are focusing their attention where they need to. At the
least, defenders of No Child Left Behind say, the dire predictions of
critics about large numbers of failing schools as a result of the law have
not come true. More important, reports Amanda Paulson, they see NCLB as
responsible for an important culture shift in the nation's public schools,
toward a reliance on hard numbers that offer a precise yardstick of how
schools are doing.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1123/p01s02-uspo.html

TO PREPARE YOUR TODDLER FOR HARVARD, START NOW
In certain places, writes Dave Barry, serious parents start obsessing
about Harvard before their child is, technically, born. They spend their
evenings shouting algebraic equations in the general direction of the womb
so the child will have an edge during the intensely competitive process of
applying for New York City's exclusive private preschools, where tuition
can run well over $15,000 a year. Why are these parents willing to go to
such extremes, and spend so much money, to get a child into a certain
nursery school? The answer is: They're insane.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/29/features/bar30.html

MIDYEAR MOVES AFFECT ACADEMIC LIFE
Schools are under orders to make sure no child is left behind, but that
can be tough to do when so many children are moving. At least four in 10
students change schools one or more times by the time they are 17, on top
of their normal progression from elementary and middle schools to high
school. The moves mean millions of children must adjust not just socially
but academically, particularly when they switch midyear and cross state
lines. Each state chooses its own curriculum, testing and definition of
success.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/11/10/moving.students.ap/index.html

HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCHERS FIND A GENERATION GAP
Groundbreaking research by high school students in five states has turned
up troubling discrepancies in how urban students and teachers view their
interactions with each other. The innovative What Kids Can Do organization
supported high school students from Chicago, Houston, Oakland,
Philadelphia and St. Louis as they designed and conducted in-depth
research in their urban high schools, surveying more than 6,350 of their
peers and 466 teachers. The students' insightful questions and accessible
language elicited responses that may surprise traditional educators and
policymakers, and suggest ways in which students can become actors in
improving their schools. Survey questions covered topics including
academic pressure, cheating, school safety, race relations, and tensions
between teachers and students. In all five sites, student research teams
presented their findings through workshops, retreats, and public "summit
meetings."
http://www.whatkidscando.org/studentsasalliesintro.html

WEB SITE HELPS SCHOOLS REDUCE LUNCHTIME WASTE
The New York State Department of Conservation estimates that a child
taking a disposable lunch to school will leave behind approximately 67
pounds of lunch waste per school year.  That equates to 18,760 pounds of
lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school, or 1.2 billion
pounds of lunchtime trash per school year for the estimated 64,000 US
public elementary schools alone. Fortunately, schools across the country
have started to reduce lunch waste by implementing waste-free lunch
programs. Parents, teachers, administrators, students, and custodial staff
will find a wealth of information on waste-free lunch programs, including
how-to step-by-step instructions, facts and figures, classroom activities,
success stories, sample parent letters, lunchroom posters, and links to
other waste-free lunch sites at:
http://www.wastefreelunches.org

KOREAN "GOOSE MOMS" MIGRATE FOR EDUCATION
The wives and mothers fly periodically between Korea where their husbands
live and the United States where their children are attending school. The
dads live in Korea because of their jobs and occasionally visit the United
States to have reunions with their wives and children. Families who do
this are called "goose families." The term "goose families" is derived
from the nature of the migrating birds who during the migration season fly
a long distance and have a special dedication to their youngsters. The
term emerged in the early 1990s when families in Korea began to send their
children in grade school to the United States. The families are the rich
and upper middle class who can afford to spend at least $70,000 annually
for their second home in America. Currently, about 6,000 goose moms are
reportedly making their second home in the United States, the majority of
them in Southern California. The parents in goose families, mostly in
their 40's and 50's, have decided to make personal sacrifices for one
purpose: to have their children educated in America. For that cause, they
are willing to suffer separation for five or six years. The families have
concluded that America provides for their children not only better
education, but brighter job prospects in the future.
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=1585a9d19045a34b8d1de6b0794735fb

|---------------GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION--------------|

"Grants Available for National Youth Service Day"
Youth Service America announced the availability of hundreds of grants to
implement community service projects surrounding National Youth Service
Day. With support from the U.S. Department
of Justice, the Constitutional Rights Foundation and CRF Chicago, Phi
Alpha Delta, the National Youth Court Center at the America Probation and
Parole Association, and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America,
Inc. are offering grants to support projects for National Youth
Service Day, April 15-17, 2005.
http://www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=5597

"Department of Education Forecast of Funding"
This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which
the Department of Education has invited or expects to invite applications
for new awards for FY 2004 and provides actual or estimated deadline dates
for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in
the form of charts -- organized according to the Department's principal
program offices -- and include programs and competitions we have
previously announced, as well as those they plan to announce at a later
date. Note: This document is advisory only and is not an official
application notice of the Department of Education. They expect to provide
regular updates to this document.
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html

"Information on Grants for School Health Programs & Services"
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/funding/index.htm

"Grantionary"
The Grantionary is a list of grant-related terms and their definitions.
http://www.eduplace.com/grants/help/grantionary.html

"GrantsAlert"
GrantsAlert is a website that helps nonprofits, especially those involved
in education, secure the funds they need to continue their important work.
http://www.grantsalert.com/

"Grant Writing Tips"
SchoolGrants has compiled an excellent set of grant writing tips for those
that need help in developing grant proposals.
http://www.schoolgrants.org/tips.htm

"FastWEB"
FastWEB is the largest online scholarship search available, with 600,000
scholarships representing over one billion in scholarship dollars. It
provides students with accurate, regularly updated information on
scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to their goals and
qualifications, all at no cost to the student. Students should be advised
that FastWEB collects and sells student information (such as name,
address, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and country of
citizenship) collected through their site.
http://www.fastweb.com/

"Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)"
More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make
hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to
find. The result of that work is the FREE website.
http://www.ed.gov/free/

"eSchool News School Funding Center"
Information on up-to-the-minute grant programs, funding sources, and
technology funding.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/funding/

"Philanthropy News Digest"
Philanthropy News Digest, a weekly news service of the Foundation Center,
is a compendium, in digest form, of philanthropy-related articles and
features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide.
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/

"School Grants"
A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators apply for and
obtain special grants for a variety of projects.
http://www.schoolgrants.org

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"School facilities must be secured of such amplitude and efficiency as
will in fact and not simply in name discount the effects of economic
inequalities, and secure to all the wards of the nation equality of
equipment for their future careers."
-John Dewey (educator/philosopher)

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