The Website KidsOutandAbout.com is a great resource for any parent looking for some fun and educational ideas for their child. The website has an extensive events calendar that is sure to have something for every family. It also has a list of places to take your children which includes a list of the top twenty places to take your kids as well as a master list for the Rochester area, seasonal activities, and kid friendly shops and restaurants. Another resource is the Classes and Camps section which lists extracurricular and summer programs including science programs. You can also sign up for their weekly newsletter which lists and reviews local events and activities. This is without a doubt an valuable resource for parents who want to explore new activities with their children that are both educational and entertaining. Be sure to take a look at their website for some great ideas! http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/

At the 2009 STEM Collaboration Event we received feedback from attendees who want to continue to collaborate with their fellow educators in the region throughout the year. Here are some of the responses we got to the questions as to how to continue the conversations around Lesson Study, PLCs and creating a culture of collaboration:

• Continue to do lesson study-open it to other schools-doing public lesson- and invite others in order to educate and learn from each other
• Link people with similar interests
• Set up monthly meeting times at universities
• I would like to follow up & see how others have moved forward with their PLCs, share successes & barriers, and continue to discuss how to make progress.
• Presenters on the site to answer /input/support
• Identify & celebrate successes
• Opportunity to share more activities & class management ideas
• Create panels of experts from various disciplines in STEM to present or answer question
• Encourage our peers to come in and watch the students and try to find out where their struggles occurred

We at RAC-CEMS would like to honor these requests as best we can.  A short-term goal would be to creat an online community for participants to connect with each other. There are three simple ways we can do this.

Since RAC-CEMS is hosted by Nazareth College we have the privilege of using a program called Blackboard, which is a distance-learning tool that enables electronic communication and sharing.  RAC-CEMS would register those interested on Blackboard so that they could use this program. Three features that are part of Blackboard are a Discussion Board, a Chat Room and Listserv.

A Discussion Board allows users to create “posts” at any time and have other users answer them. It is similar to a chat room but the users do not need to be present at the same time. A disadvantage is that posts can go unanswered or not receive a reply for quite a while.

A Chat Room allows users to chat in real time with each other.  A disadvantage is that in order to carry on a conversation the users must be online at the same time. an advantage is that is is a real-time live conversation and outside guests, such as conference presenters, may join in the chat.

the third option is a ListServ which sends email to all those subscribed. an advantage of this is that you need not log into Blackboard or any other site to participate; just open your email inbox. A disadvantage is that it is difficult to carry on a discussion and if you are not interested in the discussion you will still get the emails.

We would like to know what your preferences for communication would be and if you would be interested in participating in such discussions. Please vote in our poll for the option that you prefer and if you would like, leave a comment.

First Place 2009: University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL

ExploraVision is a science competition program which encourages K–12 students of all interest. Students who enter the competition will have the opportunity to explore a vision of future technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science. All inventions and innovations result from creative thinking and problem solving. That’s what ExploraVision is all about.

This is a great program because it can help students who are not high achievers become interested in science and technology. It is a great way for students to learn how to work collaboratively as a group for a project. ExploraVision can be the beginning of a lifelong adventure in science, students should be learning while having fun!

More Details on Eligibility and Prizes

The Teacher Chronicles author Natalie Schwartz interviewed more than 50 teachers, and The Teacher Chronicles dismantles the misconception that teachers have benefits of working til 3 p.m.,  low-pressure jobs, and they get to enjoy summers off.

In fact, teachers have to deal with an array of behavioral issues in their classrooms. This article is about the 7 biggest challengs teachers face, and 7 different experiences from teachers throught the country.

The 7 biggest challenges are:

First challenge: Students with bad behavior

Secondchallenge: Unhealty environment

Third challenge: Out of touch policy makers

Forth challenge: Difficult parents

Fifth challenge: Office politics

Sixth challenge: Lack of time

Seventh challenge: Emotional stree

View Article

A recent article by Sean Cavangh from Education Week talks about how more students who are in the STEM field end up leaving the field. They “don’t last in graduate studies and the workforce” and this is not due to a lack of talent either. The assumption made by officials and policymakers is the schools in the States are not grooming enough students with sufficient talent to make it in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math); however, the new study shows that top-tier high school students choosing STEM dropped from 29% to 14% between the 1990s and 2000-2005.

Are STEM jobs no longer attractive to students for some reason? Or is it because non-STEM jobs such as business and law and health care are more stable, higher paying, and more prestigious? What are your thoughts?

ING Unsung Heroes Program offers Grants for K-12 Educational Projects.  Every year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes grant by describing projects they would like to pursue. Each project is evaluated on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students.

One hundred finalists will be selected to receive a grant of $2,000 each, payable to both the winning teacher and his or her school. The deadline for this year is April 30, 2010. Please see below for more information.

More details

How to apply

Environmental education increases public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues or problems. In doing so, it provides the public with the necessary skills to make informed decisions and take responsible action.

The Grants Program sponsored by EPA’s Environmental Education Division (EED), Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education, supports environmental education projects that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. EPA awards grants each year based on funding appropriated by Congress. Annual funding for the program ranges between $2 and $3 million. Most grants will be in the $15,000 to $25,000 range.

Brockport Central School District was awarded with $4,849 in 1999. Many schools were awarded in the past few years.

Details of EE Grants Awarded in New York

The deadline for applying for a 2010 environmental education grant is December 15, 2009.

How to apply

After months and weeks of preparation, the 3rd Annual Rochester Educator Collaboration Event finally arrived! On October 6th, 2009 more than 120 educators from the Rochester area bright eyed and bushy tailed at the Rochester Science Museum to begin a day of workshops and discussions to help improve math and science learning from grades kindergarten up through college.

The day started out with breakfast and keynote speaker speech by Dr. Jim Stigler. Then, the educators broke off into 3 different tracks (A, B, and C) to start their workshops. Track A was on lesson study, Track B on culture of collaboration, and Track C on professional learning communities. There were also plenty of vendors at the this event that featured everything from textbooks, to graduate school programs, to laboratory equipment and materials. My favorite is still the skull with the removable top and mobile jaw.

The recognition luncheon not only offered great food, but it also announced the winner of the Excellence in STEM Teaching Award. Finally, the networking at the end of the day offered everyone to reflect on what they had learned in their tracks that day. We look forward to hosting this even again next year and hope to see you all again!

  David Ebersole                  Cary Burke                         Bob Dedrick

The Excellence in STEM Teaching Award recognizes those teachers who have used innovative and creative ways to engage their students in Math, Science, and Technology. Travel scholarships of $2000 each will be awarded to 5 finalists and a $10,000 classroom makeover prize will be given to one grand prize winner. On October 6th, there will be a Recognition Luncheon for them at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Congratulations to David Ebersole, one of the finalists of the 2009 Excellence in STEM Teaching Award! He teaches Science at Athena Middle School in Greece and has been a teacher for 19 years. Using creative interactions with his students, David turns science into a classroom activity and a group learning experience. On October 6th, 2009, there will be a recognition luncheon for David Ebersole and the two other finalists at our Third Annual Rochester Educator Collaboration Event.

The STEM Award honors David’s activity of teaching student how two systems (respiratory and circulatory) worked together in order to help them understand the ILSPET exam.

The activity is set up in a large room (either a gym or classroom), using colored tape, diagrams, and objects to represent arteries, veins, lungs, heart as well as oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules. Students need to walk the path of a red blood cell as it travels through the lungs to pick up oxygen and drop of carbon dioxide, to the heart, through arteries, then veins, and back. This activity can be made as simple or as complex as needed based on the grade level.

At the end of Mr Ebersole’s activities, his students were not only able to show a better understanding of body systems, they also had fun and enjoyed class. Because this activity can be used at a variety of grade levels, it’s an extremely useful tool for any teacher looking for creative ways to help their students understand a topic.

Once again we would like to congratulate David Ebersole for winning the first round of the Excellence in STEM Teaching Award!