_____________________________________________________________________ Scott Fosseen - Systems Engineer -Prairie Lakes AEA http://www.aea8.k12.ia.us/en/technology/ _____________________________________________________________________ There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 _____________________________________________________________________
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Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 8:38 AM
Subject: BigDealBook Newsletter - 4/15/2005
BIG DEAL BOOK of TECHNOLOGY for K-12 Free Resources - Grants - Contests - Training - Web Sites
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BDB's biweekly E-letter Timely reminders, fabulous freebies, best sites & more "worth the surf"
GRANTS AND FUNDING
ADOPT-A-CLASSROOM
Teachers who register at the Adopt-A-Classroom Web site can be adopted by an individual, a business or a foundation. The maximum award is $500. All teachers at public schools established prior to August 15, 2001 are eligible for the grant.
Deadline: Ongoing
Web: http://www.adoptaclassroom.com
SCHOOL-HOME COMMUNICATIONS
Reliance Communications, Inc., makers of the SchoolMessenger(tm) family of parent-notification solutions, and Edline, provider of Web site and portal solutions that leverage parent involvement to raise student achievement, have announced grants valued at $70,000 aimed at increasing school-to-home communications.
Deadline: April 22, 2005; winners will be announced on May 1, 2005
Web: www.schoolmessenger.com/nplb
DAILY NUTRITION EDUCATION
The 3-A-Day of Dairy program of the National Dairy Council is designed to help empower youngsters to be advocates for healthy eating, including three servings of dairy a day, and an active lifestyle, which contribute to a healthy weight. A maximum award of $5,000 is available to individuals or organizations. Note: California, Wisconsin, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are not participating in the 2005 grant program.
Deadline: May 13, 2005
Web: http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/NationalDairyCouncil/Health/ThreeADay/grant.htm
FUNDRAISING OFFER
When it comes to school fundraising, many of today's parents and teachers prefer fundraising options that don't rely on unhealthful treats and rewards for children. Evan-Moor Educational Publishers has introduced a new preK-6 fundraiser that not only promotes a healthy body but also contributes to learning. By purchasing the company's popular Daily Summer Activities series, parents can help prevent summer learning loss and raise money for their schools at the same time. For more information, including how to sign up for the new fundraiser, visit the firm's Web site.
Deadline: May 15, 2005
Web: http://www.evan-moor.com/promo.asp
GRANT WRITING TIPS
Writing Grants from Teacher Created Resources offers practical tips to help educators identify needs, solutions and funding sources. Included are sample forms, worksheets, schedules, research tips, definitions, checklists, addresses and phone numbers as well as information on writing individual grants. Order the book online at eBookDestination.
Web: http://www.ebookdestination.com/EBK4645/estore/product/TCR2080
CONTESTS, AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
"WIN A WIRELESS LAB" SWEEPSTAKES
Final Reminder: CDW.G and Discovery Education have announced their third annual "Win a Wireless Lab" sweepstakes. Dedicated to improving the use of technology within the educational community, the two companies established the sweepstakes in 2003 to provide K-12 schools within the United States the opportunity to win a complete technology package for the classroom. This year the sweepstakes will award wireless labs to 3 grand-prize winners as well as prizes to 10 first runners-up, 10 second runners-up and 10 third runners-up, for a total of 33 winners. CDW.G and Discovery Education will also provide on-site setup and training to the wireless-lab winners.
Deadline: Sweepstakes run through May 1, 2005
Web: http://www.discoveryschool.com/cdwg
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Microsoft Corp. has launched its second annual You Can Make a Difference scholarship program, which challenges secondary school students around the world to design technology-based projects to benefit charitable organizations. The scholarship program will award a total of $50,000 (U.S.) in grants to 10 students-five male and five female-who create the best proposal for the project. Winners will receive a personal scholarship of $2,500 as well as a budget of up to $1,500 to implement the proposed project. A $1,000 technology grant also will be awarded to each winning student's school. In addition, the 10 finalists will be paired with a mentor from Microsoft to help them implement their project. Each student who submits a proposal will receive a free copy of Microsoft's award-winning Visual Studio(r) .NET 2003 Academic development tool. Entry proposals in English can be submitted via theSpoke.net, Microsoft's online community for technology students.
Deadline: April 30, 2005
Web: http://www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=5829
PRIZES FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
The Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Asia Society are seeking applicants for the 2005 Prizes for Excellence in International Education. Five prizes of $25,000 each annually recognize schools, higher education institutions, states and media/technology organizations that are working to "put the world into world-class education." The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes were created in 2003 to raise awareness of the growing importance of other world regions to U.S. economic prosperity and skills in American schools. Full eligibility and application instructions are available at this site.
Deadline: May 10, 2005 for higher education institutions, states and media/technology; May 17, 2005 for elementary, middle and high schools
Web: http://www.internationaled.org/prizes
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR EDUCATORS
The Horace Mann Companies is offering $30,000 in scholarships for public and private school educators to take college courses. Awards range from $500 to $5,000. To be eligible, educators must be employed by a U.S. public or private school district or a U.S. public or private college/university at the time of application and at the time the scholarship is awarded, and must have at least two years of teaching experience. The program is not open to residents of Hawaii, New Jersey or New York. Find more information on eligibility requirements at the site below.
Deadline: May 14, 2005
Web: https://www.horacemann.com/edscholarship/
FREE AND INEXPENSIVE RESOURCES
ONLINE TEST ITEM BANK
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has announced the development of the ETS Formative Assessment Item Bank, an online bank of more than 11,000 standards-based, math and language arts test questions for K-12 teachers to use in the classroom in order to improve learning. The item bank enables schools to use questions that are aligned to state standards to create custom formative assessments (tests or quizzes given throughout the school year). Read more about the ETS item bank on this site.
Web: http://www.educationnews.org/ets-develops-online-item-bank-of.htm
*******************************EBOOK DESTINATION*******************************
www.ebookdestination.com
Find fabulous resources at eBook Destination. Welcome spring into your classroom with these engaging digital books!
Math for Spring [title links to this page:
http://www.ebookdestination.com/EBK4645/estore/product/EMC0476]
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
(Primary)
Full-page math problems organized around a spring theme, which includes insects, flowers, rabbits, rain, field trips and more. Math concepts cover computation, number patterns, fractions, time, money and graphing.
Reading, Language & Math Activities: Spring [title links to this page:
http://www.ebookdestination.com/EBK4645/estore/product/TCR3890]
from Teacher Created Resources
(Primary)
Fun-filled learning experiences related to a variety of spring themes and holidays. Reading and language activities include writing prompts, letter matches, alphabetical order, sentence building and comprehension stories. Math activities include egg measuring, creating a calendar for each of the spring months and answering questions about a kite graph.
www.ebookdestination.com
*******************************EBOOK DESTINATION*******************************
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Songs create an emotional hook in the classroom environment and may be used as an instrument to introduce visual art, poetry, literature, historic documents, film, photographs and other primary sources. The interdisciplinary reference guide on this site will interest and engage both teachers and students as it examines the origins and inspiration for contemporary song lyrics. This multimedia resource can be used to facilitate meaningful classroom discussions, promote critical thinking and stimulate further inquiry. The variety of primary and secondary sources referenced in the guide enable teachers to differentiate instruction while preparing students for constructed response and document-based questions.
Web: http://www.wpe.com/~musici/Introduction.html
DIGITAL GALLERY
The New York Public Library now offers free downloads of a staggering 275,000 images from its celebrated archives. All are old enough to be public domain. Treasures range from covers of seminal sheet music to addicting collections of photographs documenting the history of both New York and the United States.
Web: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
ONLINE TOOL TO ASSESS PATTERNS OF RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION
The complexity of traditional school funding formulas makes it difficult to compare budget allocations among schools in a district. In urban districts, especially, the diversity of programs, student populations and funding streams can result in very different per-pupil dollars for different schools. Assessing Patterns of Resource Distribution (APRD) is a free online tool that allows district officials and other stakeholders to compare district spending for schools with different students and programs, pinpointing possible inequities. All you need to do is enter public data on spending and enrollment, and the tool does all the calculations.
Web: http://www.schoolcommunities.org/resources/APRD/welcome.php
ONLINE TOOL FOR CAREER AND COLLEGE EXPLORATION
My Road(tm) is a new Web-based tool from the College Board, which provides students with a way to explore career options, majors and colleges. It includes an online personality profile test that helps students discover their strengths, motivators and development opportunities, and can be used at the start of their career and college exploration. Other features include profiles of more than 175 college majors, the latest information on more than 3,500 colleges and universities and articles covering more than 450 careers. Counselor tools enable busy counselors to monitor and assist their students throughout the process. For more information, visit this Web site.
Web: http://www.myroad.com
OF SPECIAL INTEREST
FLEXIBILITY IN NCLB
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is here to stay, but states and local districts that show measurable student achievement will have more flexibility in how the law is implemented, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says. With newly announced changes, states still must demonstrate overall progress in student test scores. However, the Department of Education (DoD) is giving some states more flexibility in how they test students with disabilities. In this audio interview from National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," Michele Norris talks with Secretary Spellings about NCLB, the DoD's public image and the poor physical condition of some schools around the country.
Web: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4581560
See also: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/04/04072005.html
LAW DAY 2005
Law Day-celebrated on or around May 1 each year-offers teachers an opportunity to help students observe how important our laws and legal system are to our democratic society. The American Bar Association (ABA) is offering teachers a full-color Law Day poster as well as the ABA Law Day Planning Guide with lessons for every grade level, free of charge by calling (800) 285-2221. Ask for Source Code PPE5ALDP. There are also complementary lessons, program ideas and much more at the Law Day Web site.
Web: http://www.lawday.org
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
MENTOR TEACHER TRAINING
ETS's PATHWISE(r) Framework Induction Program prepares mentors to assist beginning teachers as they transition from the university or other environments to classroom practice. The program includes training for mentors and materials for both mentors and beginning teachers to guide the growth process. Find out more about the program at this site.
Web: http://www.ets.org/pathwise/mentoring.html
AP AND SAT WORKSHOPS AND INSTITUTES
The College Board offers content-rich professional development for teachers, counselors and administrators. Programs include Pre-AP training, AP workshops, SAT professional development and subject workshops in all disciplines, including the arts, sciences, history, social sciences, English language arts, mathematics and foreign languages. Offerings include on-site professional development as well as opportunities across the country to attend half-day, full-day, two-day and summer institutes. For more information, call (800) 999-9149 or visit the K-12 Professionals pages on the College Board site.
Web: http://www.collegeboard.com
REPORTS AND ARTICLES OF INTEREST
EDUCATION DEGREES
A recently released report by Columbia University's Teachers College finds the quality of administrator preparation programs woefully inadequate and unfocused. The study recommends eliminating the Doctor of Education degree, creating a professional-track program similar to an MBA and ending the practice of using financial incentives to encourage teachers to earn master's degrees in educational administration.
Web: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news/article.htm?id=4986
NCLB AT YEAR 3
According to the Center on Education Policy's third annual assessment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), 36 out of 49 states and 72 percent of the 314 districts surveyed report student achievement on state tests is on the rise, while the minority scores gap is narrowing. However, many state and district officials contend that the goal of universal proficiency in math and reading by 2014 is unreasonable, and they worry that they lack the funding and staff to help low-performing schools. Download the report, in PDF format, at this site.
Web: http://www.ctredpol.org/
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND NCLB
A U.S. Department of Education report to Congress on how states are meeting the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates for English language learners finds that states are making great progress in developing proficiency standards and aligning them with their academic content standards, but only in Alabama and Michigan have the students been able to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals. Find a downloadable PDF version of the full report on this site.
Web: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/oela/biennial05/index.htm
TECH FUNDING
According to a new report from the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA), schools will find it harder to meet the goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) if President Bush's proposed cut of the $500 million Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) block-grant program goes through. The study found that 100 percent of EETT recipients say they've used the money to help close the achievement gap, revamp data systems and provide teacher training in support of NCLB mandates. Read the report "National Trends: Enhancing Education Through Technology" at this site.
Web: http://www.setda.org/content.cfm?sectionID=185
"WORTH-A-LOOK" WEB SITES
FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM
The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) is a nationwide network that promotes economic literacy with students and their teachers. NCEE's mission is to help students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce and effective participants in a global economy. The organization provides teacher training and materials to instill an understanding of crucial economic principles for K-12 students. "Financial Fitness for Life" helps students apply economics and decision-making skills to the real world of earning and spending an income, savings, using credit, investing and managing money. This comprehensive K-12 program consists of teacher resource manuals, student workbooks, parent guides, interactive activities and a CD-ROM. Find out more about the program at this site.
Web: http://www.ncee.net/ea/program.php?pid=8
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN OF NASA
The Women of NASA interactive project was developed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in math, science and technology. Throughout history, women have made valuable contributions to these fields. The interactive project showcases outstanding women who are enjoying successful careers and demonstrates how these women balance personal and professional responsibilities. The main components of the project are the interactive events, which include weekly Live Questchats and Forums and offer participants the opportunity to dialogue with the featured mentor. You will also find the profiles and archived chats a rich source of information on the NASA women and their work.
Web: http://questdb.arc.nasa.gov/content_search_women.htm
VIRTUAL SCIENCE TEACHER
Students-and teachers-can easily get caught up in this site, which is both educational and fun. The Strange Matters Exhibit introduces youngsters to the field of materials science by letting them virtually transform carbon into spacesuit fabric, decide if Styrofoam is stronger than mozzarella cheese and examine a Coke can under a microscope. Explore the site for yourself.
Web: http://www.strangematterexhibit.com
ROBOTICS DESIGN
Science and engineering may not seem cool, but RadioShack is out to change that. In April the store will launch the Vex Robotics Design System, which includes a 500-piece starter kit that allows buyers to design and construct radio-controlled robots that can lift and throw objects and even move around the room. And, if RadioShack has its way, that room will be a classroom. Carnegie Mellon University helped develop a curriculum that teachers can use to incorporate 'bot building in their classes. Vex has also teamed up with FIRST, a nonprofit organization that promotes the sciences, to sponsor a robot-building competition; 20,000 students are expected to compete. Learn more about this new product and the competition at this site.
Web: http://www.vexrobotics.com
ONLINE MENTORING PROGRAM
Online mentoring programs, like the In2Books program used by Washington, D.C., and Chicago schools, appeal to busy professionals who find it difficult to commit to more traditional, time-intensive partnerships. In2Books, which costs half the price of traditional mentoring, matches adults with elementary school pen pals, who must pay attention to their language arts skills as they share their views about specially selected books. Find out more about the mentoring program at this site.
Web: http://www.in2books.org
CAREER-FOCUSED CURRICULUM
CareerPorts are high school curricula in which students learn and apply core curriculum content within a possible career pathway. Each CareerPort is a nine-week, hands-on immersion into a nationally recognized career cluster. Each cluster integrates math, science and language arts content that correlate to state and national standards. The self-paced, student-centered curricula are delivered online, making them accessible from anywhere the Internet is available. To learn more about CareerPorts, visit this site.
Web: http://www.careerports.com
TOP 1,000 BOOKS WORLDWIDE
Various editions of the U.S. Census rank as the most-held work among member libraries in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). At the end of 2004, OCLC Research published a list of the top 1,000 titles owned by member libraries-the intellectual works that have been judged to be worth owning by the "purchase vote" of libraries around the globe. More than 50,540 libraries in 84 countries and territories around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials. To access the full list of titles, visit this page on the OCLC Web site.
Web: http://www.oclc.org/research/top1000
"A TOUCH OF GREATNESS"
In the 1960s Albert Cullum rejected Dick and Jane for Shakespeare and Sophocles in his elementary school classroom, where students swam down the Mississippi River and hurled themselves from the walls of Troy-all without leaving school grounds. A Touch of Greatness, the PBS documentary of one of America's most influential educators, shows how Cullum ignited the imagination of a generation of children, teaching them how to find their own inner greatness. View videoclips from this profile of Albert Cullum and find out more about his lessons at this site.
Web: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/touchofgreatness/
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