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Archives: September, 2008

Grants for math and science partnerships

Posted September 26, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in Bulletin board

North Carolina math and science teachers can team up to win math and science partnership grants. For 2009-2010, more than $5 million in federal funds have been earmarked for these grants, designed to bolster math and science knowledge through professional development activities for teachers.

The grant stipulates that these partnerships “must include a school district and mathematics and/or science faculty from an Institute for Higher Education.” Grant applications are due by January 9, 2009. For more information, you can read the Department of Public Instruction’s announcement, or contact Everly Broadway.

2008 election guide

Posted September 26, 2008 · by Emily · in New on the website

Bring the elections into your classroom with LEARN NC’s 2008 election guide. The guide contains tools and lessons that cover elections at the national, state, and local levels. Resources include information about the electoral process, political parties, candidates, issues, news, and more. Regardless of what grade level or subject area you teach, you’ll find suggestions for making the issues of the 2008 elections a part of your curriculum.

We’ll add more resources in the coming days, including information about local and judicial elections. If you have ideas or suggestions for resources we can add or areas on which you’d like us to focus, please email Emily Jack, Associate Editor.

Mandarin Chinese online: Yes, it can work!

Posted September 24, 2008 · by Emily · in On the road

On Saturday, Sept. 27, LEARN NC’s Bobby Hobgood and Ann Marie Gunter of the Department of Public Instruction will give a presentation at the UNC Global 2008 Symposium of Asia in the Curriculum at the FedEx Global Education Center at UNC - Chapel Hill.

The description of the presentation, entitled “Mandarin Chinese online: Yes, it can work!” is below:

Language teaching and learning online creates opportunities for students who can’t otherwise participate in traditional classroom settings. This session demystifies the process for teaching and learning a world language through online, asynchronous courses. The presenters will take you inside online language courses and how they function to move students toward proficiency and performance. As an example, we will explore the development of Online Mandarin Chinese courses developed by LEARN NC in collaboration with the NC Department of Public Instruction and the NC Virtual Public School. The session features a guided tour of Levels 1 and 2 Mandarin Online Chinese courses being taught to NC high school students. The presentation includes:

  • Demonstration of the technologies used to teach Chinese language online
  • An overview of the scope and sequence of this series of courses
  • A “walk-through” of a typical week of learning
  • An examination of the roles of the instructor, conversation coach, and distance learning advisor
  • Evaluation data from students and Distance Learning Advisors
  • Description of quality assurance components including instructor preparation and resources to prepare schools for including online language courses
  • Information about content to be shared from the courses
  • Announcement of online course Teaching World Languages Online: An Online Course for Developers and Instructors

Grade seven CareerStart lessons

Posted September 19, 2008 · by Emily · in New on the website

LEARN NC has recently published a series of CareerStart lesson plans for grade seven. The lessons help teachers draw connections between middle-school students’ future careers and core curriculum in English language arts, math, science, and social studies.

CareerStart is a schools and community capacity-building strategy that attempts to positively influence the educational trajectory for all students, but especially those at higher risk for school failure. CareerStart was developed as a partnership among the Schools of Education and Social Work at UNC - Chapel Hill, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district, and the Piedmont Triad Council of Government.

Grade six CareerStart lesson plans are also available, and lesson plans for grade eight are coming soon.

P–12 Distinguished Educator

Posted September 19, 2008 · by David · in Bulletin board

The School of Education (SOE) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill seeks to hire, for a three-year term (9-month/year), a public school educator for the newly created Distinguished P-12 Educator position. The Distinguished Educator’s primary responsibility will be to work with SOE faculty and the Dean to deepen and extend our collaboration with P-12 schools and districts and their communities. Start date for the position is July 1, 2009.

Responsibilities may include: meeting regularly with partner school administrators and teachers to ensure timely communication and mutually beneficial collaborative activities; participating fully in the activities of the School and keeping the School community apprised of partner school needs, perspectives, and activities; helping plan, coordinate, and oversee outreach activities that address the needs of P-12 partners and their communities; helping plan and coordinate productive practicum placements for educators-in-training; teaching prospective educators about current policies, issues, and opportunities in the P-12 world; bringing the concerns and issues of under-represented communities to the attention of the SOE community and ensuring that these are addressed; helping recruit, into teaching and leadership, students and educators from under-represented groups.

Qualifications: The successful candidate is expected to have: extensive classroom experience in high-need schools; experience in providing leadership in a school or district setting; the unqualified respect of educators and families in the schools and communities with whom the School partners; a commitment to improving learning opportunities for students and families in the most challenging settings; excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Applicants must have an active teaching license and a bachelor’s degree. We encourage educators from under-represented groups to apply.

The Application Process: To apply for the position, attach a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, names of and contact information for four references, and two writing samples that reflect your scholarly accomplishments using the online application at http://hr.unc.edu/jobseekers/. Four letters of recommendation as well as a list of the referees including their names, addresses, and telephone numbers/email addresses should be sent to: Dr. Cheryl Mason Bolick, Chair, Distinguished Educator Search, School of Education, CB#3500, Peabody Hall, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill NC 27599-3500. Application reviews will begin on or after November 1, 2008, and will continue until the position is filled. For more information, email Dr. Cheryl Mason Bolick (cbolick@unc.edu).

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

LEARN NC to present at Accessing Higher Ground Conference in Boulder

Posted September 16, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in On the road

Gail Burchfiel and Saroj Primlani of LEARN NC will present at the Accessing Higher Ground Conference, which takes place November 11-14 at the Millennium Hotel in Boulder, Colorado:

Developing Accessible Online Math and Science Courses

The University of North Carolina General Administration has partnered with LEARN NC to develop online programs in science and math as part of the Joint 2+2 Initiative, a collaborative effort between the NC Community College System and the University of North Carolina.

This presentation by the instructional designer on the project will focus on a specific aspect of this program: the problems and challenges encountered in developing accessible online math and science courses for delivery in Blackboard with faculty developers, limited time and resources.

Developing accessible content for these courses has involved much trial and error, experimentation, and frustration. It has been a learning process all along the way. We believe it will be helpful to share these experiences and what we have learned, and to show that accessible content can be developed, no matter what the hurdles may be.

LEARN NC to present at North Carolina English Teachers Association Conference

Posted September 16, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in On the road

LEARN NC’s Melissa Thibault will present a session on free online resources at this year’s North Carolina English Teachers Association Conference. The conference takes place October 23-25 at Twin City Quarters in Winston-Salem.

An abstract of Thibault’s presentation, “Prepare the Citizens of Tomorrow with Relevant, Technology-enhanced Instruction: Free Lessons and Tools from LEARN North Carolina,” follows:

Future-ready students need the skills and habits of mind that will prepare them for a job that may not even exist today. These 21st century skills are essential, yet lessons we choose must be reliable and aligned with the North Carolina curriculum. With LEARN NC’s resources, you don’t have to choose between preparing future-ready students and preparing for the test. Come discover how you can ensure students will be engaged in real-world activities that integrate critical, computer and information literacy, providing authentic opportunities for global understanding and developing collaborative skills.

LEARN NC to present at UNC CAUSE Conference

Posted September 16, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in On the road

LEARN NC’s Gail Burchfiel will conduct a presentation, “Developing Accessible Online Math and Science Courses” at the UNC CAUSE Conference in Greensboro. The conference will take place November 17-19 at the Greensboro Marriott Downtown.

Presentation Abstract

The University of North Carolina General Administration has partnered with LEARN NC to develop online programs in science and math as part of the Joint 2+2 Initiative, a collaborative effort between the NC Community College System and the University of North Carolina.

This presentation by the instructional designer on the project will focus on a specific aspect of this program: the problems and challenges encountered in developing accessible online math and science courses for delivery in Blackboard with faculty developers, limited time and resources.

Developing accessible content for these courses has involved much trial and error, experimentation, and frustration. It has been a learning process all along the way. We believe it will be helpful to share these experiences and what we have learned, and to show that accessible content can be developed, no matter what the hurdles may be.

LEARN NC to present at NC Charter Schools Conference

Posted September 15, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in On the road

Bobby Hobgood and David Walbert of LEARN NC will present at the North Carolina Charter Schools Conference, which takes place October 16-17 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Research Triangle Park:

Quality Resources for teaching and learning:  How to make the best of LEARN NC

Have you kept pace with the way in which the Internet has evolved? This session is more than an awareness of the new LEARN NC website. Instead, we’ll help you to understand how to maximize your time spent locating and collecting quality resources. We’ll explore techniques for easily identifying resources to create a new unit of study or to revise something you’ve taught for years that hasn’t kept pace with the current needs of your students. No matter your technological proficiency, and even if you’ve seen LEARN NC before, you’ve never seen it like this.

NC Library Media Association Conference

Posted September 15, 2008 · by Bill Ferris · in On the road

Step right up for LEARN NC presentations at the North Carolina School Library Media Association Conference October 29-31 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. LEARN NC presentations are as follows:

Global 101: Identifying content for making global connections

Bobby Hobgood with Dan Lewandowski

How do we navigate an enormous wealth of resources to identify content for making global connections? This session will help you define global education and develop a mindset for supporting a global curriculum. Participants will learn how to combine information literate practices with global education to bring the “real world” into the classroom.

Learning to see what’s not there: teaching media literacy with LEARN North Carolina

David Walbert and Melissa Thibault

Our culture is saturated with media, and students need to learn how to think critically about what they read and see – and about what’s left out of the story. We’ll demonstrate strategies and provide collaborative, interdisciplinary lessons for teaching students K-12 to consider the perspectives behind photographs, fiction, and nonfiction.

Collaborating, Caring and Communicating: Globalizing Your Media Program with LEARN NC

Bobby Hobgood with Phil Kaufman

Students need the “Three Cs” to become globally competitive. This session introduces a process for globalizing your program that promotes essential skills for global citizens. Participants will learn how to enhance their program using a S.E.A.R.C.H. strategy for making global connections.  Discover how this process prepares 21st century citizens!

Web-based Tools and  Online Resources to Build Your Media Program and Extending Your Reach with LEARN NC

Lesley Richardson with Emily Jack

Use the power of the web to get your students hooked on books. We’ll show you how to motivate kids to read using Web 2.0 tools like wikis and social networking sites, and how to use the LEARN NC website to find useful web resources for readers’ advisory