Filed under: Educational Materials, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities
Are you a K-12 teacher of STEM disciplines? Are you looking for a way to enhance your instructional skills, meet your professional development goals, or find new and exciting resources to use in your learning environments? Then NASA’s Electronic Professional Development Network (ePDN) is for you!
NASA’s Learning Environments and Research Network (LE&RN) and the Georgia Institute of Technology have teamed up to create the ePDN, a new initiative dedicated to preparing teachers to engage their students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through the use of NASA-developed learning materials and resources.
The ePDN Offers:
• Free certificate programs (52 hours) in robotics, mathematics, Earth/space science, and technology integration.
• Flexibility to take individual courses within a certificate or the entire certificate program, both for CEU credit.
• Resources that teachers can use in the classroom or for personal development.
Applications are now open for the Robotics certificate, which begins in January, 2010. To apply, please visit http://www.nasaepdn.gatech.edu/certificates.php
For more information on the ePDN, visit http://www.nasaepdn.gatech.edu/
Filed under: Astronomy, Educational Materials, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Workshop
Teacher Training Opportunity: Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope Program
The Lewis Center for Educational Research announces an opportunity for K-12 teachers to participate in a unique program. The Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope Program, or GAVRT, is an education partnership involving NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and LCER. The program is a K-12 project using radio astronomy to provide an opportunity for students to experience real science and to learn that science is an ongoing process and actual discovery is possible. Using classroom computers, 32,000 students have taken control of a 34-meter, 500-ton, nine-story-tall radio telescope located at NASA’s Deep Space Network at Goldstone, Calif. There are currently 473 trained teachers at 283 schools in 37 states across the United States and at American schools in 14 countries and three U.S. territories.
What is in it for the students? They learn how to gather data, understand what the data mean and how to follow through with analysis. Students and teachers team with scientists to conduct cutting-edge research leading to discovery. GAVRT is exciting for students while accomplishing educational and scientific objectives.
In 2010, the teacher training program will also include Radio JOVE. Radio JOVE is a hands-on educational activity that brings the radio sounds of the sun, Jupiter, the Milky Way galaxy, and terrestrial radio noise to students, teachers and the public. This program targets students in grades 6 – 14 and involves building a simple radio telescope, making observations, and sharing results with other participants and with professional radio astronomers.
To bring the GAVRT program into the classroom, teachers must attend a five-day class. Teacher training classes are scheduled to take place at the Lewis Center on March 8-12, July 19-23, and Oct. 25-29, 2010. The program strongly recommends that at least two teachers attend the training from each school or area. While this is not a requirement, it will definitely help in program support once back in the classroom. The cost of the five-day class is $745. Teachers interested in participating are invited to apply online at http://www.lewiscenter.org/gavrt/opportunities.php
For more information about GAVRT and Radio JOVE, visit http://www.lewiscenter.org/gavrt/ and http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov
Filed under: Astronomy, Conference, Educational Materials, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities
Join NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Education Office for an education conference being held Oct. 17, 2009, near Pasadena, Calif. The conference will celebrate the most prominent and vital feature in solar system, the sun.
During this day-long conference, experts from the Voyager, Ulysses, Genesis, STEREO and Earth-exploring missions will be on hand to discuss the structure and content of the sun; current study of its composition; solar cycles; the importance of the sun to Earth; and the inner and outer heliosphere. The presenters will discuss and demonstrate activities that can be used in the classroom to promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of space exploration.
This conference is open to all formal and informal educators interested in Earth and space science and exploration. Students in high school and college can also attend.
Pre-registration is required. Participants must register by Oct. 5, 2009. Walk-up registration will not be possible for this conference.
For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/education/sunconf-20090921.html
Filed under: Astronomy, Educational Materials, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Workshop
Afterschool Universe is a hands-on astronomy program targeting middle school settings outside regular school hours. It explores basic astronomy concepts through hands-on activities and focuses on a journey through the universe beyond the solar system.
A free, two-day training workshop is being held on Sept. 10-11, 2009 in Oakland, Calif. This training will prepare participants to lead the program or train others to do so. This training workshop is being held in the Bay area just prior to the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html). So if you are already traveling to California, come out early and join us to expand your astronomy programming toolkit!
All attendees who complete the training will receive a printed and bound copy of the program manual at the end of the workshop. Most of the materials to run the program are easily available at grocery stores and craft supplies stores. Those who commit to run the program for the target audience will receive access to a password-protected Web site that has additional resources to help with the implementation.
This workshop is open to all who are interested in offering an astronomy program for 6th-8th graders outside regular school hours. Registration for this training session is due Aug. 28, 2009. Register by visiting http://universe.nasa.gov/au/register.html
For more information about the program, visit http://universe.nasa.gov/afterschool/
Filed under: Aeronautics, Astronomy, Conference, Environmental Science, NASA, Professional Development, Science
Join the Satellite Educators Association for an education conference being held Aug. 13-15, 2009, in Los Angeles, Calif. The annual conference is for educators interested in discovering ways to use satellites and related technologies in the classroom. Participants learn ways to help students appreciate and understand the complex interrelationships among science, technology, individuals, societies and the environment. Conference attendees also learn to develop and apply inquiry and technology skills to study authentic questions and problems.
The conference is sponsored by California State University Los Angeles, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Lockheed-Martin and Northrop Grumman.
For more information, visit http://www.sated.org/index.html
Filed under: Astronomy, Educational Materials, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Workshop
Afterschool Universe is a hands-on astronomy program targeted at middle school out-of-school-time settings. It explores basic astronomy concepts through hands-on activities and focuses on a journey through the universe beyond the solar system.
A free, 2-day training workshop is being held on July 23-24, 2009 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. This training will prepare participants to lead the program or train others to do so. All attendees who complete the training will receive a printed and bound copy of the program manual at the end of the workshop. Most of the materials to run the program are easily available at grocery stores and craft supplies stores. A free kit of a few materials that need to be ordered from specialized retailers is given to those who commit to run the program for the target audience (approximately a $50 value). Workshop attendees also receive access to a password-protected Web site that has additional resources to help with the implementation.
Registration for this training session is due July 17, 2009. Register by visiting http://universe.nasa.gov/au/register.html
For more information about the program, visit http://universe.nasa.gov/afterschool/
Filed under: Astronomy, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Workshop
Hands-on Astronomy and Earth-science Education Workshops for Grade 4-12 Teachers on Sept. 12-13, 2009
A weekend of hands-on workshops and informative science talks will be offered as part of the 120th anniversary meeting of the nonprofit Astronomical Society of the Pacific. These workshops will take place Sept. 12-13, 2009, at the Westin Hotel near the San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, Calif.
The program will include space science and earth science workshops for educators of grades 4 through 12, as well as sessions for educators who work in informal settings (such as museums, nature centers, amateur astronomy clubs, and community organizations.)
No background in astronomy will be assumed or required. Experienced educators from the Society’s staff, from NASA and NSF-sponsored projects, and from educational institutions around the country will be presenting. Only a limited number of spaces will be available, and, thanks to conference supporters, registration for each day of the workshop will be only $39.
Sunday afternoon will feature a special nontechnical lecture series about the search for life among the stars, with some of the leading scientists from the SETI Institute describing the scientific experiments now under way to identify life beyond Earth.
Thanks to the support of the Spitzer Space Telescope Science Center, a limited number of travel-support scholarships (of up to $300 per person) will be made available for educators.
For more information, visit http://www.astrosociety.org/events/2009mtg/workshops.html
Filed under: K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Workshop
NASA’s Beginning Engineering, Science and Technology Workshop on July 30-31, 2009
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon in July 1969. Do you remember the excitement you felt hearing and seeing that happen? Now zoom forward to the present and imagine bringing that same excitement to your children or grandchildren. Today’s students will watch humans return to the moon and even be a part of a living and working community on the moon. NASA wants to inspire this generation to be the engineers and scientists that make lunar exploration a reality.
For two days, NASA invites you to be a part of a unique, interactive, hands-on workshop that will teach all generations how NASA plans to return to the moon. Come make lunar maps, build a satellite and program a rover. This promises to be a fun-filled learning experience for all.
This multi-generational, two-day workshop event will take place July 30-31, 2009, in Point Lookout, Maine. Explore together, learn together and inspire each other.
For more information, please contact Dr. Marci Delaney at marci.delaney(at)nasa.gov.
Filed under: Educator Institute, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities
The NASA Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project awards one-year fellowships each year to over 40 current and prospective teachers.
Fellows take five online graduate courses, learning to apply research- based pedagogical strategies and cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) content in their classroom and becoming a part of a special network of like-minded educators.
Applications will be accepted July 1 to September 30. Selections will be announced before Thanksgiving 2009.
Endeavor Fellows will be awarded a NASA Endeavor Certificate in STEM Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition, 15 graduate credits are awarded from other regionally-accredited partners in higher education.
For more information, visit http://www.us-satellite.net/endeavor/index.cfm
Filed under: Higher Education, K-12, Professional Development, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is offering a series of seven-week online courses for middle and high school teachers. Courses combine geoscience content with an emphasis on current climate research, hands-on activities and group discussion.
For more information, go to http://ecourses.ncar.ucar.edu/
