Online professional development that meets your needs!

OPEN NH Spring 2010 Session Course Offerings

Spring 2010 Courses  run from  April 6 – May 25

The following courses are scheduled to run in the Spring 2010 Session.
This list will be amended as courses are canceled or added.

• *BP-02 Being an Effective Mentor
• *BP-07 Using an Online Professional Learning Community to Support Teacher Leadership Development
• *BP-08 Using Reflective Writing to Develop Metacognition in the Classroom
• BP-09 Learning and Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools
• *CE-04 Meeting the New Standards for School Approval
• *CE-06 Recognizing and Developing Extended Learning Opportunities
• LA-04 Making the Most of Adolescent Literature
• *HE-02 New Hampshire Health Education Guidelines and Assessment Project (HEGAP)
• LT-02 Supporting Literacy Development in Lower Elementary Classrooms
• *LT-07 ESOL Literacy Development 2 – Writing
• MA-03 Using Patterns to Develop Algebraic Thinking
• MA-04 Using Read Data in the Math Classroom
• SC-02 Designing a Virtual Field Trip in Science
• *SC-07 Cycles and Systems: Basic Concepts of Science Literacy 3
• *SC-08 Understanding the Science of Life: Characteristics, Classification, and Cycles
• SS-04 Differentiating Instruction to Accommodate Learning Styles in Social Studies
• *SE-01 Teaching and Assessing Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Resources for National Wildlife Week

National Wildlife Week
March 15 - 21, 2010

Roar into National Wildlife Week with Thinkfinity!  Just in time for the National Wildlife Week, Verizon Thinkfinity has launched a new feature highlighting free educational resources to bring the excitement of the animal kingdom to the classroom.

Students will love learning about animals as they turn investigator and conduct animal research in Animal Inquiry and Observation. In this resource students observe the habits and habitats of animals using webcams broadcasting from zoos and aquariums across the country.

In all, more than a dozen educational resources including lesson plans, podcasts and student interactives available in the National Wildlife Week Feature at http://www.thinkfinity.org/National_Wildlife_Week.aspx

Visit the National Wildlife Federation website for more details on National Wildlife Week.

National Lab Day Coming in May

National Lab Day is more than just a day…it is a continuing process.  NLD is an all volunteer effort to bring together K-12 STEM educators with volunteers from the STEM community at large.  Across our nation schools and teachers have been encouraged to register their STEM projects through the NLD website (http://www.nationallabday.org/).  Teachers use the website to request specific resources such as volunteer scientists, equipment, or funding. Once registered a description of K-12 STEM projects can be viewed through the website using a database that is sortable by state and subject matter. Volunteers interested in working with the project can contact the teacher through active links on the project site.

The goals of National Lab Day are to:

• Increase the involvement of STEM professionals in K-12 education through a volunteer opportunity with a low barrier to entry and a direct path to more extensive engagement.
• Provide schools with an opportunity to assess their current infrastructure to support STEM inquiry and to take concrete steps toward improving it.
• Upgrade lab facilities (including computer labs) in middle schools and high schools across the country in a dramatic volunteer based effort.
• Establish more project-based learning opportunities into high schools nationwide.

National Lab Day is a national effort supported by more than 200 leading companies, foundations, non-profits and science and engineering societies representing more than 6.5 million science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals. The first NLD is tentatively set for the week of May 8, 2010 as part of the President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate.” campaign to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in STEM.

In addition to the teacher portal the NLD website features portals where scientists and engineers can register to get involved in projects as well as a portal for people who may not be STEM professionals but interested in volunteering to help.  Organizations can also sign up to offer resources to support K-12 projects.  Once registered the NLD database will match STEM volunteers to existing projects in your area based upon your expertise and interests. 

STEM volunteers do not have to have teaching experience.  NLD provides the outlet where talents and skills of STEM professionals can be shared with educators to build relationships and strengthen our schools.  Scientists, engineers, information technologists, STEM higher education professionals, graduate STEM students, mathematicians, and a host of other professionals from the New Hampshire STEM community can make a positive and permanent difference in the lives of our students by sharing a few hours to support these projects.  Volunteers from the STEM community would bring much needed expertise to improve inquiry-based science experiences in our schools providing inspiration and excitement to our students

During the week of May 8, 2010 innovative NLD projects at the local, regional, and national level, which include strong student involvement and transcend disciplinary and school boundaries, will be highlighted. NLD events will also celebrate and recognize the contributions of National Lab Day volunteers.  We hope that New Hampshire will be well represented in these events.

All New Hampshire STEM organizations, and their employees, are invited to participate in this important effort.  It is our belief that National Lab Day will provide the catalyst to mobilize citizens and citizen scientists to build the ongoing, long-term collaborations with schools that we need in order to improve labs and discovery-based science experiences for our children. We can all work together to give New Hampshire students well-equipped labs and the access to professional scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who can inspire them to do great things.

For more information on how you can help strengthen STEM education in New Hampshire schools by participating in National Lab Day, please visit the NLD website at http://www.nationallabday.org.

Participate in the Webinar Series on New Media Literacies

You are cordially invited to participate in an 8-part webinar series!

WHO
A team of New Hampshire educators, supported by grants from the NH Department of Education, have begun working with staff at the New Media Literacies (NML) Project to facilitate a year-long professional development initiative using new media literacies as a springboard for developing innovative curriculum.

WHY
In a white paper titled Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, Jenkins et al (2006) outline the social skills and cultural competencies inherent in new media use. The goal of NML is to help foster a broader perspective of what it means to be media literate in the digital age and provide tools for translating the skills and competencies into meaningful and engaging learning experiences in the classroom and beyond.

You can download the white paper at:
http://www.newmedialiteracies.org/files/working/NMLWhitePaper.pdf

You can download the skills at:
http://newmedialiteracies.org/blog/2008/11/10/NMLskills.pdf

NH educators are exploring the urgent challenges that 21st Century learners face and also expanding their own learning experiences using a participatory, digital model of professional development. Educators are practicing their own skills as teachers by “creating, collaborating, connecting, and circulating” with one another in an interactive, multi-media environment. While the NH team is developing new materials for their own schools and districts, they are also assisting in the development of an 8-part webinar series focused on a comprehensive, practical understanding of the NML skills for the larger educational community.

Join us in the webinars to learn more about the framework of social skills and cultural competencies which shapes the work of NML. You will observe illustrations of the skills by looking more closely at learning through such cultural phenomenon as computer game guilds, YouTube video production, Wikipedia, fan fiction, SecondLife and other virtual worlds, music remixing, social network sites, and cosplay. Each webinar will closely examine new curricular materials which have emerged from New Media Literacies, Global Kids, Harvard’s GoodPlay Project, Common Sense Media, the George Lucas Foundation, and other projects which are seeking to introduce these skills into contemporary educational practices. Participants will leave the webinars with plenty of opportunities to take the materials, information, and methods back into their classrooms.

WHEN
NML and the NH team will host the first webinar on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 7PM EST. The focus of this first session is on the new media literacies of judgment and appropriation and the importance of copyright, fair use, and creative commons.

To join the February 11th session, go to the Elluminate Meeting Room using this link:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=voffice&password=M.0D40B502DA193CDA7C5579F7D8173A

If you have never used Elluminate before, please visit this tutorial page for a quick reference on setting-up your audio and internet connection speed:
http://www.elluminate.com/support/docs/9.5/participant.jsp

WEBINAR SCHEDULE

February 11, 2010 at 7pm EST — Judgment, Appropriation & Copyright Special guests Erin Reilly and Flourish Klink .

UPCOMING WEBINARS

• March 11, 2010 at 7pm EST - Networking and Negotiation
• April 8, 2010 at 7pm EST - Transmedia Navigation
• May 13, 2010 at 7pm EST - Collective Intelligence
• June 10, 2010 at 7pm EST - Performance and Play
• July 15, 2010 at 7pm EST - Distributed Cognition
• August 12, 2010 at 7pm EST - Simulation and Visualization
• September 9, 2010 at 7pm EST - Multitasking

Resources for Exploring Black History

USDOE Conducting Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Online Courses for Secondary Students

You are invited to contribute to an important study about the effectiveness of online learning for high school students. The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Online Courses for Secondary Students, which will include a series of rigorous studies to determine the effectiveness of different models of online learning relative to traditional face-to-face courses.

The study is seeking nomination of states, districts or other educational authorities that have:

1.  potential interest in participating in the research study,
2.  multiple assessments of student learning (e.g. course grades, standardized tests, etc.),
3.  both online and face-to-face options for completing credit-granting courses in core academic subjects,
4.  at least 400 students who have enrolled in and completed these courses (preferably at least 200 in online learning and 200 in face to face courses)

The study is also seeking nomination of states, districts or other educational authorities that do not meet conditions three and four, but have significant educational need with regard to particular courses (e.g., not enough licensed teachers for a high demand course) and willingness to implement online learning in School Year 2010.

Please visit our wiki, www.oll-c.wikispaces.com, for more information about the study. Specific requirements for participation will be negotiated with individual sites meeting the initial qualifications listed above.

We need your help immediately, as site selection and recruitment will be completed this Spring! Self-nominations are welcome. Please send your nominations to Austin Lasseter (austin.lasseter@sri.com) including:
- Site name
- Site address
- Site contact information (name and email or telephone number)

We appreciate your help in carrying out this valuable study. Sincerely,

Austin Lasseter
austin.lasseter@sri.com
Research Analyst, Center for Technology in Learning
SRI International

OPEN NHWinter 2010 Session Update

 The OPEN NH Winter Session is running from February 2nd through March 23rd.

Registrations are still being accepted for courses.  To find the status of your course, or to find a course to take, please refer to the lists below.  Watch list courses have enrollments that are not quite enough to run effectively, but holding them open may provide an opportunity to attract more registrations, or have those registered for canceled courses to switch into.

OPEN NH Winter 2010 Session Course Status

These courses are RUNNING:

*BP-03 Data Driven Teaching
*BP-06 School Policies for 21st Century Learning
BP-09 Learning and Teaching with Web 2.0
*BP-13 Homeless Children and Youth: Ensuring School Access and Academic Success for Our Most At-Risk Students
LA-01 Best Practices for Vocabulary Instruction in the Elementary Classroom
LT-01 Reading First: Supporting Early Reading Instruction with Technology
*LT-06 ESOL Literacy Development 1 – Reading
MA-02/Sc-04 Differentiating Instruction to Accommodate Learning Styles in Mathematics/Science
MA-07 Algebraic Thinking in the Elementary School
SC-01 Science 2.0: using Web Tools to Promote Inquiry based Science
*SE-02 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Special Education, but were Afraid to Ask

These courses have been CANCELLED:

*BP-07 Using and Online Professional Learning Community to Support Teacher Leadership Development
*CE-04 Meeting the New Standards for School Approval
*CE-05 Developing Competencies for High School Courses
*LT-09 Literacy Coaching for the 21st Century
MA-06 Using Models to Understand Fractions
*SC-06 Atoms and Galaxies: Basic Concepts of Science Literacy 2
SS-02 Integrating Primary Sources into the Social Studies Classroom

Resource for Education Questions

The Reference Desk quick-response service at the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands is available immediately to answer your education questions.

What are the key education issues facing your state, district, and school?

High-school redesign? Assessments? District consolidation? Curricula? Literacy?

The Reference Desk provides quick-turnaround responses, based on available evidence, to your research-related education questions.

And it’s completely free.

Ask Your Education Question today!

The Reference Desk is further available to help you make the best decisions, based on evidence and research, around spending of stimulus funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Learn more about the Reference Desk.

What is The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands?

REL-NEI’s mission is to help pre-K–16 educators — at the state, district, and school levels — use the best available evidence to make decisions leading to improved student achievement and reduced performance gaps among student groups. It serves New England, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The region includes over 5 million students, nearly 10,000 schools and 2,000 districts, from rural settings to New York City. REL-NEI is funded by a contract from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

For more information, contact REL-NEI Maine State Liaison Kathy Dunne: kdunne@wested.org

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$25,000 Award for Schools of Distinction

Intel Schools of Distinction

Does your school demonstrate 21st century teaching and learning environments that promote excellence in math and science?

Enter the 2010 Intel Schools of Distinction Awards and your school could win up to $25,000. 18 finalists will win $5,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. Six winners selected from the eighteen finalists will receive an additional $5,000 from the Intel Foundation and more than $100,000 in products and services from the program award sponsors.

Application deadline is Feb. 17, 2010 - submit your completed application early and you may win a Netbook. Early bird drawings held every week in January.

The application can be downloaded online:
http://www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdi…htm?iid=CAG6150

Youth Science Camp Applications Accepted

To:       Secondary School Administrators

From:  Virginia M. Barry, Ph.D., Commissioner of Education

Re:      National Youth Science Camp

The National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) is an innovative and highly successful summer science honors program for two high-achieving high school students from each state in the nation and others around the world. The 2010 NYSC will be held at Camp Pocahontas in the Monongahela National Forest near the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the eastern mountains of West Virginia. Delegates to the 2010 NYSC will arrive in Charleston, WV, on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, and will depart on Friday, July 23, 2010. Delegates must participate in the entire NYSC program.

The NYSC is an all-expenses-paid program. The National Youth Science Foundation will arrange round trip transportation from an airport near the delegate’s home to Charleston, West Virginia. Incidental expenses are not covered.

Each year, the governor of West Virginia invites the governor of every other state to initiate a process to select two delegates to attend the NYSC as his/her state’s delegation. In New Hampshire each high school may submit one candidate. An intent to apply survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DJ8NYT2.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be candidates for high school graduation between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010;
• Must demonstrate superior academic proficiency, including recognition in mathematics and/or the sciences;
• Must demonstrate an application of leadership abilities and social maturity through involvement in both school and community activities;
• Must demonstrate skills and achievements outside the realm of science and outside the realm of academic pursuits; and
• Must demonstrate a curiosity and an eagerness to explore many and varied topics.

Applications and more information can be found on the NH Department of Education’s Web site (www.ed.state.nh.us).

Please send completed applications to:

Lori Temple

NH Department of Education

101 Pleasant St.

Concord, NH  03301

Applications must be received NO LATER THAN Wednesday, February 3, 2010.