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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Quote of the Day
"The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.."
Warren G. Bennis

Topics in This Issue
01. Expect Your ITEA Ballot on or About October 1
02. Tetterton/FTE Scholarship
03. ITEA in Louisville
04. It's Here! The Capstone Course You've Been Waiting For!
05. International News
06. Leadership Changes
07. Another Benefit of ITEA Membership
08. Call for Nominations - $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
09. Call for Presentations - Virginia Children's Engineering Convention
10. Interesting Articles About TSA Students
11. Opportunities
12. Kids' Science Challenge Begins October 1
13. Website of Interest to Teachers
14. NASA News
15. Ideas at Work
16. From IDSA's "Design Bytes"
17. GM and Weekly Reader Release Classroom Curriculum on Energy and Environmental Issues
18. Congress Launches the First National Research Program Focused on Technology and Learning
19. NCATE Proposes Next Generation of State Partnership Program

20. EnviroTech at Ball State University
21. JETS National Engineering Design Challenge



Expect Your ITEA Ballot on or About October 1

ITEA's voting membership will receive an electronic ballot for the ITEA Board of Director's election on or about October 1, 2008. You may not receive your ballot if:
  1. Your membership is not current on October 1 (renew your membership at http://www.iteea.org/Membership/membership.htm).
  2. ITEA does not have your correct email address (to update any/all of your contact information go to https://www.iteea.org/Forms/changeaddress.htm).
  3. Your email provider blocks ITEA's email (check your junk mail folder and confirm that you are able to receive email from ITEA).

If you still do not receive your ballot by October 5, contact ITEA for assistance 703-860-2100 iteea@iteea.org.

TETTERTON/FTE SCHOLARSHIP
Undergraduate Major in Technology Education

One-time award – deadline is December 1, 2008 – to be awarded at Louisville Conference in March 2009.
ITEA’s Foundation for Technology Education proudly announces the $1,000 Tetterton/FTE Scholarship in honor of Marshall O. Tetterton. The scholarship is for an undergraduate student majoring in technology education teacher preparation. The award is based upon interest in teaching, academic ability, need, and faculty recommendations.
For more information, including eligibility requirements and application information, go to: http://www.iteea.org/Awards/scholarshiptetterton.htm.

Are you interested in applying for this or another ITEA scholarship or grant? The December 1st application deadline is the date to keep in mind. Whether you are an undergraduate student, graduate student, or technology education classroom teacher, you will want to check out the scholarships and grants that ITEA has to offer (www.iteea.org/Awards/awards.htm). The application process has been streamlined this year—applications are being accepted electronically—so be sure to apply prior to the cutoff date. Absolutely no applications will be accepted after the December 1, 2008 deadline.

 

ITEA in Louisville

Author Alfie Kohn    Design Squad host Nate Ball    Dr. Lung-Sheng Steven Lee    Dr. Theodore Lewis

What do these respected individuals have in common?

They'll be in Louisville, Kentucky next March for Delivering the T & E in STEM” at ITEA's 71st Annual Conference
Everything you need to know about the 71st Annual ITEA Conference in Louisville is there for you at http://www.iteea.org/Conference/conferenceguide.htm. Whether you are looking for details on the compelling general sessions with author/educator Alfie Kohn or Nate Ball, host of the engineering reality-competition program Design Squad on PBS, details on the programming available for CTTE, TECC, TECA, EPT, CS, and Engineering byDesign™, information on the eight specialized preconference workshops, afternoon educational tours on Thursday and Friday, a glimpse at the exhibiting companies, registration, housing information, and details on NEW learning labs offered by EbD™ (see below)—it's all there for you on the conference website.

ITEA Confererence Housing will open October 1st, and the ITEA hotels (Marriott Downtown, SpringHill Suites, and Fairfield Inn) are offering rates from $109 to $149, the best you will find in the area. At these prices, the hotel room blocks will fill quickly, so don't delay in making your reservations. Specific details are available at http://www.iteea.org/Conference/housing.htm.

To stretch your budget money even further, be sure to take advantage of the special preregistration pricing. ITEA Professional Members will pay $279 for a full conference registration prior to February 27, 2009 ($319 on-site) and Student Members will pay $69 prior to February 27 ($79 on-site). Encourage your colleagues to become ITEA members to take advantage of these special prices (don't forget that nonmembers can take advantage of ITEA's membership promotion discount). Contact Lari Price at lprice@iteea.org for more information. (Nonmember conference pricing is $359 prior to February 27 and $399 after February 27.) 

This is one conference you won't want to miss, so mark your calendar and make plans now to attend.


NEW Engineering byDesign™ Labs in Louisville

The EbD™ labs are a new and exciting addition to the Conference venue, by popular demand. These labs are an excellent opportunity for teachers and other educators to experience one of the Engineering byDesign™ (EbD™) courses in a workshop environment. Comprehensive professional development is provided for each course or instructional component. A small fee ($15) is requested to cover supplies and can be paid through the conference registration form. Whether you are in a Consortium state or not, whether you are currently teaching an EbD™ course or just want to find out more—these workshops are not to be missed. These sessions are hands-on and minds-on, preparing teachers to return to their schools to implement the course. For complete titles and descriptions, go to http://www.iteea.org/Conference/ebdlabs.htm.


It’s Here – The Capstone Course You’ve Been Waiting For!

ITEA is proud to announce the availability of Engineering Design, Second Edition, the high school capstone course of the Engineering byDesign™ Standards-Based National Model Program. Engineering Design, Second Edition offers students the opportunity to understand and apply knowledge and skills required to create and transform ideas and concepts into a product that satisfies specific customer requirements. Students will experience design engineering in the creation, synthesis, iteration, and presentation of design solutions. Students will coordinate and interact in authentic ways to produce the form, fit, and function documentation, with appropriate models to completely define a product. Engineering Design, Second Edition is an interactive electronic publication.

The special September introductory price is just $69.00 ($62.00 for ITEA members). To order or for additional information, contact ITEA at 703-860-2100 (order code P222CD).

 

International News

PATT-20 Will Take Place in Israel November 3-6, 2008.

Theme: Critical Issues in Technology Education
Issues and trends related to educating a technologically literate citizenry are global. The pedagogical, political, social, and ethical issues that impact every person in every nation trying to build a technologically literate population are the focus of this international gathering of the world’s technology educators and researchers. The PATT-20 Conference, through its focus on issues and trends, will stimulate a new level of international discussion and sharing aimed at promoting technology education.

In addition to the scheduled conference sessions, there will also be a day of visiting schools to get a firsthand look at various fields of technology education in action. This study trip day will end with a visit to an Israeli winery, where we will taste good wine and enjoy a meal. There will be a sightseeing tour of Tel-Aviv, ending up at a Mediterranean restaurant on the Jaffa seashore and a few other surprises along the way. Join us at the PATT-20 Conference as we celebrate 60 years of Israel's independence and 60 years of the establishment of ORT Israel. Visit the PATT-20 Conference website at http://c3.ort.org.il/patt for complete information.

PATT-21 Call for Papers

Theme: Research on Teaching and Learning Technology and Engineering in a Multidisciplinary Context
The theme of the 2009 ITEA Annual Conference (March 26-28, 2009) is “Delivering the T & E in STEM.” For an international audience this can be translated into: how to teach about technology and engineering in the context of a curriculum domain in which science, technology, engineering, and math are brought together. There are similar ambitions with similar names in other countries. It has continuously proven to be a challenge to create such a learning area in which the constituting domains are really interrelated. Because the success of STEM (or whatever equivalent name is used outside the USA) is apparently by no means to be taken for granted, research studies can be a valuable contribution to find out where the barriers are and how they can be overcome. Such studies can be both theoretical (seeking out the nature of the contributing disciplines) and empirical (trying out in the classroom how to deal with the barriers).

PATT is an international community of technology education colleagues (researchers, teacher educators, teachers, etc.) interested in educational research as a support to developments in technology teaching. PATT is open to all. There is no membership. PATT sessions at the ITEA Annual Conference can be attended by all conference participants. Registration for PATT includes registration for the ITEA conference and offers special advantages, such as getting the PATT papers before the conference. Proceedings of previous conferences can be found at the ITEA website.

Paper proposals can be sent to Marc J. de Vries (m.j.devries@tudelft.nl) or submitted through ITEA’s conference website. Deadlines are the same for PATT-21 and for the ITEA Annual Conference. Registration is only available through ITEA.

 

Leadership Changes

TECC Welcomes Two New Board Members

Marlene Scott, TECC President, recently announced two new board members for ITEA’s Technology Education for Children Council. Sharon Brusic, a former board member and very active Council participant, has agreed to be TECC secretary. And Bob Claymier has been appointed to the position of VP for Programs on the TECC board. Congratulations Sharon and Bob! ITEA and the TECC board also wish to thank Patrick Jones for his service on the TECC board. He has recently resigned due to the demands of his administrative duties at his school.

Utah Technology and Engineering Leadership Change

Melvin Robinson has recently resigned from the Utah State Office of Education and returned to the classroom where he will be teaching at Viewmont High School. Melvin can be reached via email at merobinson@dsdmail.net or by phone at 801-402-4200. The new Technology and Engineering Specialist for the Utah State Office of Education is Darrell Andelin, who can be reached at darrell.andelin@schools.utah.gov or 801-538-7598.

Another Benefit of ITEA Membership

ITEA recently had a message from member Bob Tufte:

After 34 years with State Farm, I switched to Geico. Because my wife is a Federal employee, and I'm considered a NY State employee, and along with the ITEA discount, for the same coverage and deductibles for 4 drivers, we saved 41% per year on our auto insurance. It was even higher before the final adjusted price came in. So it pays to shop around.
                      
Bob Tufte

PS. We haven't even taken one of those driver safety classes yet, which can get more money off the bill.  

This is a great endorsement of ITEA's affinity relationship with Geico.

Call For Nominations – $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability

Now is the time to recognize inventors leading us toward a sustainable future. 

The $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability celebrates individuals whose inventions and innovations enhance economic opportunity and community well-being in developing and/or developed countries, while protecting and restoring the natural environment. The award seeks to further foster inventive work focused on sustainable challenges, and promotes inventive role models who can inspire young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. Nominate a candidate today – the nomination deadline is Friday, October 3, 2008.
http://mit.edu/invent/a-prize.html

Call for Presentations – Virginia Children’s Engineering Convention

February 12–14, 2009
Holiday Inn Select – Koger Center
Midlothian, VA
  • Do you have ideas to share?  
  • Have you written some really good design briefs that others could use?  
  • Have you experienced success in the classroom through children’s engineering?
  • Does your school have a children’s engineering component that has made a difference?

If you answered “YES” to any of the above questions, we hope you are thinking about presenting at the 2009 Virginia Children’s Engineering Convention!
 
Visit our website at http://www.vtea.org/ESTE/convention/. Click on Presenters to download the “Call for Presentations” form (pdf format, also available in Word by request). The address for mailing is at the bottom of the form. Deadline for submissions is October 30, 2008. Contact mcwhurst@cox.net if you have questions. 

 

Interesting Articles About TSA Students

Interested in good Public Relations about TSA students? Gary Wynn suggests the following websites:

 

Opportunities

This is just a small sample of a great list of opportunities that came to us through the IdeaGarden (ITEA’s Learning Community for Technology Education teachers – a teacher-to-teacher format for those in the know, and those who want to know more about teaching technology). You may sign up anytime by visiting the ITEA website at http://www.iteea.org/Networking/learningcommunities.htm. IdeaGarden is Free to ITEA members only.
  • K-12 Engineering Curriculum Award – Motivating students to become engineers comes in many forms. One form that will be awarded and recognized by the K-12 Engineering Curriculum Award is curriculum writing. If you are a teacher and write inspiring hands-on, real-world engineering curriculum, you can be recognized, win $1000, get a trophy, and receive an all-expense-paid trip (up to $1500) to NSTA, ITEA, or ASEE for your outstanding contribution! The deadline is October 15, 2008. Apply today at http://teachengineering.org/award.php.
  • 2008 Kids In Need Teacher Grants – These grants provide funds for classroom teachers who have innovative, meritorious ideas. Your project may qualify for funding if it makes creative use of common teaching aids, approaches the curriculum from an imaginative angle, or ties nontraditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating commonalities. Innovation and merit account for 40% of the evaluation. http://www.grantsalert.com/grants.cfm?id=4&gid=20700
  • 2009 Team America Rocketry Challenge Registration Opened September 3 – The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is the world's largest rocket contest. Approximately 7,000 students from across the nation compete in TARC each year. The current goal is to design, build, and fly a one-stage model rocket to an altitude of 750 feet, keep it aloft for 45 seconds, and return two raw eggs unbroken. The top 100 teams, based on local qualification flights, are invited to Washington, DC in May for the national finals. Prizes include $60,000 in cash and scholarships split between the top 10 finishers. NASA invites the top 25 teams to participate in its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. AIA member companies, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have sponsored additional prizes such as scholarship money and a trip to an international air show. http://www.rocketcontest.org/
  • Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award – The application deadline is January 16, 2009. Here are some excerpts from the web announcement: "In a continuing effort to recognize outstanding contributions by K-12 educators, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) in partnership with the Space Foundation and NASA, is pleased to present the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions made by technology personnel or classroom teachers to technology education. Programs that focus on aerospace and/or aeronautics will be given priority to other programs. Applicants must demonstrate how their programs ultimately benefit the students in a school or district. The Award will be presented at the 25th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado March 30–April 2, 2009. The winner will be flown to Colorado Springs, where hotel accommodations will be provided. The winner will receive a commemorative trophy with his or her name engraved and a monetary award of $500.” http://www.amfcse.org/Alan%20Shepard%20Award/alan_shepard_award.htm

Kids' Science Challenge Begins October 1

How do you get a ten year old turned on to science? By empowering her to create designs for a new skateboard, join SETI astronomers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, explore new ways to improve the quality of our drinking water, or invent a new candy flavor. Using an innovative range of new and traditional mediapodcasts, virtual communities, after-school activities, online games, and a nationwide competition, in addition to prizes like trips to visit scientists, skateboards, telescopes, encyclopedias, science toys, and activity kits—the Kids' Science Challenge will inspire third to sixth graders to discover a well-kept secret: science is cool! The Kids' Science Challenge involves a nationwide competition that encourages third to sixth graders to submit experiments and problems for a group of scientists and engineers to solve.

Information on how to enter the competition and track its progress is provided at www.kidsciencechallenge.com. The Kids' Science Challenge competition launches on October 1, 2008, and the first 1000 entries will receive free science activity kits. Downloadable entry forms are available online at kidsciencechallenge.com and Whyville.net, and online entries may be completed on imbee.com. Incentives will be provided to encourage kids to join the competition and to participate in each stage of the experiments. Prizes include trips to visit the scientists in their laboratories or in the field, a Celestron NexStar SE computerized telescope, SkyScout® Personal Planetarium® and digital microscopes, a visit from pro skateboarders, a week at Camp Woodward locations throughout the U.S., Gravity skateboards and CreateAskate kits, a Sea Eagle kayak, and World Book science libraries and reference books.

 

Website of Interest to Teachers

As you prep for the fall and beyond, be sure to keep BrainPOP's great new features in mind. Register for BrainPOP Educators, a new, free resource that supports our teacher community with shared tips, tools, and best practices (http://www.brainpop.com/educators/blog/). BrainPOP is now offering free movies and activities that deal with the election process, government, and democracy. For Grades 3 and up, BrainPOP Spotlight: Election '08 includes such topics as the Presidential Election, Presidential Power, Primaries and Caucuses, Voting, and Modern Political Parties, among others. K-3 content includes The President, Local and State Government, and more (http://www.brainpop.com/election/). BrainPOP has also released a movie that helps parents and educators address the difficult subject of the September 11th terrorist attacks upon us. The movie and related online features will be free throughout the month of September at http://www.brainpop.com/september11.

 

NASA News

Send Your Name Into Space on the NASA Kepler Mission

NASA invites you to submit your name to be included on a DVD that will be rocketed into space as part of NASA's Kepler Mission, scheduled to launch in February 2009.
The Name in Space DVD will be mounted on the exterior of the spacecraft in November 2008. A copy of the DVD with all of the names and messages will be given to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. A Certificate of Participation will be generated for printing when you register on the Kepler Mission website.

Those who want to participate in the Name in Space project should submit their name, the state or country they live in and, if they desire, a short statement (500 words or less) answering the question: "Why do you think the Kepler Mission is important?"

To submit your name and learn more about the Kepler Mission, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov/.
The deadline for submissions to the Kepler Mission website is November 1, 2008.

International Year of Astronomy Student Ambassadors Program

Application Deadline: Sept. 29, 2008
NASA's International Year of Astronomy Student Ambassadors Program is intended to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to participate in NASA’s IYA activities and to help generate excitement about NASA scientific discoveries in astrophysics, planetary science, and solar physics within their local communities and beyond. These students will serve as role models to others in the community.

Up to 52 students will be selected for a one-year award of up to $2,700. Students will receive a $2,000 stipend and up to $700 for reimbursement of materials, supplies, and travel expenses for the execution of their activities. Two NASA IYA Ambassadors will be selected to participate in the IYA Opening Ceremony in Paris, France in January 2009, and each will receive a travel allowance of up to $5000. Only undergraduate students are eligible for this component.

Participation is limited to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who are attending institutions that are current members in good standing of the National Space Grant network. Full details and instructions, including an online application form, are available at http://www.spacegrant.org/niya. The National Space Grant Foundation administers this program under a grant from NASA. Questions about this opportunity should be directed to webmaster@spacegrant.org.

Sally Ride Science Festivals

Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, invites 5th- through 8th-grade girls to join in upcoming day-long science festivals scheduled throughout the country. Sally Ride Science Festivals bring together hundreds of students for an exciting day of science and socializing. Each festival features a Street Fair, Discovery workshops, a raffle, and a keynote address by a noteworthy female scientist. Teachers and parents are welcome, and separate workshops are available.

Sally Ride Science Festivals will be held in the following cities:

  • Silicon Valley, CA.: NASA Ames Research Center, Sept. 27, 2008
  • Los Angeles, CA: California State University, Oct. 4, 2008
  • Houston, TX: Rice University, Oct. 18, 2008
  • Baton Rouge, LA.: Louisiana State University, date to be set

For more information and to sign up online, visit http://www.sallyridescience.com/festivals. If you have questions, visit http://www.sallyridescience.com/contact/Festivals.

NASA Videoconferences for Educators
NASA's Digital Learning Network presents a series of videoconferences to assist educators in staying current on NASA education resources and related products. During each event, product producers, authors, and experts will demonstrate their materials designed to optimize awareness and understanding of science concepts. Instructional objectives, accessing the materials, and primary contacts for the materials will also be discussed. During the videoconferences, participants will be able to submit questions to the presenter that will be addressed during the presentation. Remaining 2008 events are:

  • Hubble Space Telescope: Sept. 24, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
    With the completion of the recent shuttle mission to the International Space Station, the Mission to Hubble is next in line. Find out more about what is available to educators about this mission from Hubble's home base at Goddard Space Flight Center.  
  • Observing the Moon: Oct. 29, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
    Almost 40 years ago, humans walked on the moon for the first time. Revisit this history and put students in the driver's seat with Lunarnautics and Field Trip to the Moon. These featured products will help to inspire students as NASA plans to go back and explore Earth's satellite.
  • Student Observation Network: Nov. 19, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
    Discover answers to some of the questions that excite NASA scientists. Students will learn how to make their own observations and how to compare them with NASA data while discovering cutting-edge science. Join the adventure! 
  • NASA Image Archive: Dec. 17, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
    Explore the history of NASA through multimedia resources. Learn how to leverage these pieces of history to use in classroom presentations and student projects.

For more information about these videoconferences and to sign up online, visit http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/webcast/. Questions about these events should be directed to Caryn Long at caryn.long@nasa.gov .

Space-Flown Seeds Still Available
Remember the NASA Engineering Design Challenges where students designed lunar plant growth chambers and then planted seeds that had been flown with the astronauts in space? Here are some statistics from that event:

  • Registrants = 9,743
  • Seed Packets Requested = 64,358
  • Students = 1,038,117

Impressive! NASA has approximately 20,000 packets of seeds left, so you can still participate. http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/plantgrowth/home/index.html

 

Ideas at Work

Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy Puts Ideas to the Test
Science and engineering doctoral students, post-docs, and research faculty recently spent a week learning to recognize, develop, and bring to market green businesses built on their research. With founding support from the Kauffman Foundation, the Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy was held in Incline Village, Nevada, bringing students together with Academy faculty, investors, entrepreneurs, and industry executives to understand the path from laboratory to market, and the resources that are available along the way. Find out more at http://www.kauffman.org/items.cfm?itemID=1127.

Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Program's RFP is Now Online
The 2008-2009 Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Program's Request for Proposal is now online. The Kauffman Foundation will award up to 15 Dissertation Fellowship grants of $20,000 each to Ph.D., D.B.A., or other doctoral students for the support of dissertations in the area of entrepreneurship. Proposals must be submitted via the online application by 7:30pm. Central Time on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Recipients may use the grant to pay for costs associated with their dissertation, including data collection and analysis, databases, specialized hardware/software, and travel. The KDFP was begun in 2002. Since then, 78 fellowships have been awarded, totaling more than $1.2 million. Find out more at http://www.kauffman.org/kdfp/
.

Source: Ideas at Work, The Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation, August 13, 2008

 

From IDSA’s “Design Bytes” – 8/4/08

New World Water: Access to clean water and sanitation in developing countries is one problem that seems to be in continual need of new solutions. Scientists and nanotechnologists are working to make water remediation more efficient and cost effective. But is science enough? This article, we hope, has a couple of answers: http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=220.

Plenty’s Top 10 Eco-Innovations for a Better Planet: There aren’t too many surprises on this list of products and services designed during the last century, but these 10 items do represent a comprehensive guide for all the endeavors where sustainability is appropriate. http://www.plentymag.com/features/2008/08/greenlined_design.php

GM and Weekly Reader Release Classroom Curriculum on Energy and Environmental Issues

New activities examine 100 years of evolving technology
General Motors and Weekly Reader are distributing an updated version of their middle school classroom curriculum, “The Energy Highway – Solutions Ahead,” which aims to help students understand the energy challenges facing society today and some of the potential solutions to those challenges. To commemorate GM’s 100th anniversary, this year’s curriculum also features a new poster insert that explores noteworthy technologies of the last century as well as a look at future automotive technologies. The curriculum packet also includes a teacher’s guide with reproducible student activities, an additional classroom wall poster, and informational student/parent booklets. Online games for students are also available at gm.com/education.

Congress Launches the First National Research Program Focused on Technology and Learning

Congress has authorized a major new research center, the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, that will bring the same focused, sustained research funding to technology and learning that the federal government has funded for years in technology for health care at the National Institutes of Health and technology for energy at the Department of Energy. 

“This new National Center will help move schools, universities, and training facilities nationwide into the 21st century,” said Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, one of the proposal’s original sponsors. “America’s reputation as an international leader rests in the hands of our youth, and it should be among our top priorities to provide our students with the tools they need to maintain and build upon this standing. The National Center will help future American workers compete in the global marketplace.”

The National Center is part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, approved by Congress on July 31, 2008, and signed into law by President Bush on August 14, 2008. The National Center will be organized as a Congressionally originated 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation located within the Department of Education. Supporters are seeking a $50 million appropriation for the National Center for FY 2009. 

To learn more about the National Center, please visit http://www.fas.org/press/faq/nationalcenter.html.

Source: The Federation of American Scientists (www.fas.org)

NCATE Proposes Next Generation of State Partnership Program

The NCATE State Partnership Quality Assurance Initiative has begun a new phase in the NCATE State Partnership program. The purpose of the Initiative is to design and implement a plan to advance the NCATE State Partnership Program to its next phase, which will focus on ensuring that the quality and integrity of the state partnerships are maintained and enhanced. A preliminary work plan has been established by NCATE State Relations staff based on input from NCATE Accreditation staff and NCATE state partnership contacts. The initial “research phase” for the project is underway. A survey was disseminated to states to determine the frequency of state reviewer training, the requirements and selection process for reviewers, and to offer NCATE staff assistance with future training. A system for tracking NCATE-conducted state reviewer training has been designed, and State Relations staff has compiled the first round of data on this component. Enhanced online reviewer training resources will soon be available. NCATE values input from its state colleagues and hopes that you will contact them with your ideas for advancing this important project.
http://www.ncate.org/

EnviroTech at Ball State University

The Department of Technology at Ball State University (BSU) invites technology teachers to be a part of EnviroTech, a professional development project made possible through a grant by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

During the spring of 2009, participants will meet in five online meetings with experts to learn about environmental processes, technology assessment, and guided inquiry. In turn, these analytical, decision-making, and pedagogical skills will help EnviroTech teachers plan and implement activities to address Standards 5 and 13 of Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007).

Twenty applicants will receive an incentive package of $800 and 2.0 Continuing Education Credits. Graduate credit is also available. Learn more and plan to apply before November 21, 2008, at: http://envirotech.iweb.bsu.edu. Contact Mary Annette Rose at arose@bsu.edu or 765-285-5648 with any questions.

Submissions to Inside TIDE

To submit news or calendar items to Inside TIDE, email: kcluff@iteea.org.

End of Inside TIDE, Thursday, September 18, 2008

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