Archives: March, 2009

Join the DigitalForsyth team for a workshop on May 16th, 2009 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Wake Forest University to learn more about creating digital resource lesson plans. In compensation for participating in this workshop and completing a lesson plan, each teacher will receive a $150 honorarium and 1.0 technology CEUs.

DigitalForsyth is seeking applications from teachers to participate in a day-long workshop. During the workshop each teacher will create a lesson plan aligned with the North Carolina standard course of study using DigitalForsyth content. Prior to the workshop each teacher will participate in a self-paced tutorial and planning session that will introduce DigitalForsyth and define the work product expected on May 16th.

To apply for this workshop, send an email explaining your desire to participate. Include your contact information, qualifications, and any prior experience in creating lesson plans using digital materials. Supporting documentation such as lesson plans or references may be attached to your email.

Please email applications and questions to DFeducation[at]winstonnet.org by April 15th, 2009.

Just in time for the start of spring, we’ve published a new slideshow of high-resolution, close-up photographs that show the life cycle of the eastern black swallowtail butterfly. These amazing photographs by Kathryn Walbert show the egg, the emerging larva, the different instars or stages of growth of the larva, the larva becoming a chrysalis, and the newly emerged butterfly drying its wings. The accompanying captions tell you what’s going on at each stage. (And special thanks to Richard Stickney, the Butterfly Curator at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham, for checking our facts!)

Do you become suddenly quiet when others talk about distance learning? Are you interested in learning more about how to teach online? Do you teach online and want to enhance your skills and knowledge while connecting with other online educators? Do you want an engaging and unique way to obtain 3.0 CEUs for your teaching license?

The North Carolina Distance Learning Association will host the first K-20 Virtual Conference for Distance Learning April 20 - May 1, 2009.  This unique event offers four daily sessions spread throughout the day on a variety of topics, and is targeted at educators of all levels.  All conference sessions take place synchronously using the web-conferencing software Elluminate.  The conference features three major speakers in the field of distance education, conference sessions by experts from North Carolina and across the United States, access to archives of all conference sessions for up to six months, and an opportunity to join a virtual learning community devoted to online learning. What better way to improve your understanding of distance education than to be a part of this innovative approach to educational conferencing?

Registration is now open until April 12, 2009. To learn more, please visit www.usdla-nc.org or contact Bobby Hobgood. Come “Get Connected” to ideas, new skills, and fellow educators from around the distance learning world!

Enroll now in one of the 2009 Biotechnology Workshops for Educators sponsored for the 23rd consecutive year by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Learn how to teach activities that will engage your students while reinforcing state education objectives. North Carolina educators receive a daily stipend, room and board, technology or regular CEUs, and access to the Biotechnology Center’s Free Supplies and Equipment Loan Programs.

Five introductory workshops will be offered around the state for high school science teachers, and one workshop for middle school teachers. Special topics workshops will include one for CTE Agriscience teachers and two advanced workshops for high school teachers and college faculty who have previously completed an Introductory Biotechnology Workshop. We hope to see you at one or more of these workshops!

Summer 2009 Workshop Schedule

Teaching Genetics and Gene Expression Using Microarrays
Alamance Community College
June 15-19

Microbial Magic for Middle School Teachers
UNC - Charlotte
June 15-18

Introductory Biotechnology
Fayetteville State University
June 22-26

Introductory Biotechnology
Rowan - Cabarrus Community College
June 22-26

Marine Biotechnology
UNC - Wilmington
June 29-July 2

Introductory Biotechnology
NC Central University
July 13-17

Introductory Biotechnology
Carteret Community College
July 20-24

Biotechnology for High School Agricultural Education
NC State University
July 27-31

Introductory Biotechnology
UNC - Asheville
July 27-31

Complete information about the workshops can be found on the Biotechnology Center’s Web site. Space is limited, so register now.

LEARN NC’s Bobby Hobgood will present “Teaching in North Carolina: Free Web-based tools and resources to help you work smarter” at the Visiting International Faculty conference in Greensboro March 14. This presentation is appropriate for teachers of all subjects in grades K-12.

Presentation description:

Teaching is hard.  There is no script and the only thing predictable about students is their unpredictability.  LEARN NC, a program of the School of Education at UNC Chapel Hill, is your virtual assistant for working smarter and addressing the challenges of unpredictable students.  This session will not only introduce free, reviewed resources from LEARN NC, but will also give you strategies for engaging your students.  Participants will leave with a customized guide and strategies for using web-based resources to improve their teaching.   Come discover the virtual assistant that serves 30,000 educators each day!

The Teachers Institute, an interdisciplinary professional education development program of the North Carolina Humanities Council, brings K-12 educators together to study the history, literature, music, and art of North Carolina’s diverse communities and people.

Registration is now open for this year’s FREE seminars. More information about the Teachers Institute, application forms, and full descriptions of each seminar can be found on the North Carolina Humanities Council Website.

May 1-2, 2009 – Charlotte
The Levine Museum of the New South
North Carolina Textile Heritage: Stories of Mill Workers
Lead Scholar: Dr. Roxanne Newton, Director of the Humanities and Fine Arts Division, Mitchell Community College
Application Deadline: March 31, 2009

June 21-27, 2009 - Chapel Hill
The Culture of Textiles in North Carolina: Past, Present, and Future
Lead Scholar: Dr. James L. Leloudis, Associate Professor of History, UNC-Chapel Hill
Application Deadline: April 6, 2009

October 2-3, 2009 - Wilmington
The Segregated South Through Autobiography
Lead Scholar: Dr. Melton McLaurin, Professor Emeritus of History, UNC-Wilmington
Application Deadline: August 17, 2009

Credit renewal, stipends, and optional graduate credit are available to participants.

Contact Lynn Wright-Kernodle, Director of the Teachers Institute, for more information at lynnwk@nchumanities.org or 336-334-4769.

Just outside the walls of your classroom is an incredible resource for educators. Living things have the power to motivate students and allow them to truly experience learning.  Through UTOTES, teachers gain confidence and knowledge about their local environment and experience hands-on educational strategies to use with their students. Involving a group of 16 to 24 staff at participating schools, UTOTES helps to open eyes to the hidden magic on their school grounds.

Using The Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science (UTOTES) is an exciting teacher education project designed to help elementary schools enhance their grounds as wildlife habitats and hands-on learning environments.  Please check our website for more information, a brochure, a tentative workshop schedule, and the three-page application.

Cost of the UTOTES program
A fee of $1200 is payable to the Museum upon acceptance into UTOTES. This covers costs of materials given at each of the six sessions and materials for creation of a selected habitat.  Each school chooses the type of habitat best suited to their school grounds from a menu (butterfly garden, bird observation area, water garden); the museum instructor helps install the habitat feature with school staff and students.

How to Apply
Complete the three application forms no later than April 20, 2009.  Schools will be notified of the selections prior to the end of this school year.

Please mail hard copy applications to:

Mike Dunn
Coordinator of Teacher Education
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

Inquiries about the UTOTES program should be directed to Mike Dunn at 919-733-7450, extension 620; or Melissa Dowland at extension 613.

Bobby Hobgood of LEARN NC will speak at the Western Region Education Service Alliance Virtual Summer Leadership Conference on July 14. His presentation is titled “Professional Development Online: How e-Learning Addresses the Pitfalls of the Traditional Workshop,” and will be available worldwide to attendees of this free virtual conference.

For more information or to register for the Virtual Summer Leadership Conference, please visit the conference website.

Presentation description

While school calendars and budgets create barriers to professional development opportunities for educators, online professional development courses offer solutions that meet and exceed these challenges. This session for administrators explores the advantages of virtual learning for developing professional skills and knowledge, and provides insight into how educators can take charge of their learning. Participants will have an inside look into how learning occurs in online courses and how e-Learning for Educators partners (LEARN NC, NC DPI, UNC-TV, the Friday Institute, and NCVPS) are collaborating to address the needs of educators in our state.