If you are interested in volunteering please send your name, school district, subjects/grades that you teach and time slot that you are interested in to Shelley Santora Jones

Thursday, February 12th
4:00 ET
5:00 ET
6:00 ET
7:00 ET

Tuesday, February 17th
5:00 ET
6:00 ET
7:00 ET
8:00 ET

All participants will receive a copy of the four-DVD set of When We Left Earth:  The NASA Missions.

As always - we appreciate your help and support!

Do you know a middle school student who is eager to explore the wonders of science?  Discovery Education and 3M announce a call for entries in the 2009 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (YSC), the nation’s premier science competition for students in grades 5 through 8.  Ten finalists will be selected to receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to compete in the final challenge in October.  The winner will receive $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds ($25,000 cash value) and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Research shows that science test scores start to drop in middle school when interest in science begins to wane.  In an effort to foster the development of our nation’s next generation of scientists, Discovery Education and 3M have teamed up once again to reward students for their science acumen and curiosity, while encouraging them to share that passion by creatively communicating their findings.

Underlining the importance of communication skills in the science field, the competition challenges middle school students residing in the United States to create a one- to two-minute video about a specific scientific concept that relates to innovative solutions for everyday life.  Evaluated by a panel of judges, all video entries for the 2009 competition will be assessed based on creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability and overall presentation.  Videos will not be evaluated on production skills and may be recorded on cell phones or simple digital cameras.  All video entries must be submitted online at www.youngscientistchallenge.com by May 20, 2009.

The video entry should use science to create an innovative solution to one of these everyday problems:

1. How can I play my music system for my own enjoyment, without disturbing the rest of the house?
2. What can I do to the soles of my shoes to make them better perform when I skate board?
3.  What can I do to reduce the glare on my television when I’m playing video games?
4. What device or method can I create which might help lower my family’s heating or cooling bills?

For more information on the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, including submission guidelines and examples of entry videos, go to www.youngscientistchallenge.com.

On his way to the office, President Obama utilized a huge a variety of 21st century tools - including things like Twitter, blogs, Facebook, texting, and more - to mobilize his base and get his message out.

During his campaign he stated, “I will recruit new teachers and make new investments in rural schools, we’ll connect all of America to 21st century technology and telecommunications.”

In fact, ComputerWeekly.com has billed President Obama as our nation’s first Digital President.

As an educator with access to Discovery Education streaming you can celebrate the fact that you already have access to a myriad of digtal tools.  Discovery Education streaming is jam packed with editable videos, sound effects, songs, speeches and more.  For example you can type in the keywords “Video Yearbook” to find an extensive editable video almanac.  This video series is filled with primary source material going as far back as 1938!

Feeling a litle overwhelmed?  Don’t worry the Discovery Educator Network  is here to help!  This community is chock full of educators who are passionate about sharing their ideas and resources with each other.  In fact, next month we’re getting together at the VSTE conference to explore different ways to tell a digital story - check it out - this pre-conference event is free to anyone who wants to attend!

If Powerpoint is more your speed - we’ve got you covered too.  Check out the Bird House page on geekybird.com to find step-by-step instuctions on all things DE streaming.

So join our new digital administration and incorporate a 21 century tool in your lesson plan today!

Today I’d like to sing the praises of the DE streaming help page.  If you haven’t checked out this page I encourage you to give it a look-see. 

Once there you’ll see three tabs.  The first tab, “Most Recent“  includes the most recent updates to the Help section.  The second tab, “Top Issues,”  dives into the top issues identified by users - and lists their solutions!  The third tab, “Top Guides,” provides quick access to different user guides found on the site.

You’ll also find the phone and email of our support team listed within the Help section as well as self-service tools like finding your username/password or what to do if you’ve changed schools.

Finally, you can type in keywords into the search box and find technical support answers relevant to your search terms!

Now you can see why I’m singing about our Help section.

The March 15 Deadline for Entries Quickly Approaching!  And we’re hosting January Webinars to Help Adult Advisers Engage Students in Sustainability 

Now in the final months for entries, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is encouraging middle school students across the United States to kick off 2009 by “going green” and implementing environmental change in their local communities. The website for this entirely web-based challenge, www.wecanchange.com, is host to lots of kid-friendly activities such as virtual interactive labs, an eco-footprint game, an environmental IQ quiz, online journals, video clips—plus many more resources for both students and adult advisers.

Teams of two to three students in sixth through eighth grade, under the mentorship of a teacher or adult supervisor, will identify an environmental issue in their community, research the issue using scientific investigation, and create a replicable green solution using web-based curriculum tools powered by Discovery Education.

Teachers and adult supervisors are invited to participate in any of Discovery Education’s January online webinars, which will provide additional information about the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. Webinars will be offered Tuesday, January 13, at 4:30 PM (ET); Wednesday, January 14, at 5:30 and 6:45 PM (ET); and Thursday, January 15, at 5:30 PM (ET). To register, go to https://discoveryed.webex.com and click on “Events Center” at the top, then click on “List of Events” at the left and scroll down to “Other Events.” Lastly, click on a “Register” link for your p referred webinar.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge submissions from middle school students will be accepted through March 15, 2009. A total of 51 teams representing each state and the District of Columbia will be selected as state finalists and an additional 50 teams will be eligible for honorable mention awards. Three of the state finalist teams will be selected as national finalists, and one of those will be named the inaugural grand prize-winner. State finalist and national finalist teams will be announced in Spring 2009.

All student teams entering the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will receive prizes for their participation. Top-performing teams, as judged by a panel of environmental experts and science educators, will earn cash, teacher education materials and unique “Discovery Experience” trips. The grand prize-winning team will receive a comprehensive prize package, whic h includes an appearance on Planet Green, Discovery’s 24-hour eco-lifestyle network and a once-in-a-lifetime Discovery Adventure Trip, accompanied by a Discovery TV personality.

The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have partnered on the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge to educate, empower and engage students, teachers and communities to become “Agents of Change” in improving their communities nationwide. The initiative expands to elementary schools in 2009 and to high schools in 2010.

Prizes Include Once-in-a-Lifetime Discovery Adventure Trips with a TV personality, an Appearance on Discovery’s Planet Green TV Network and Savings Bonds

Five Winning Schools Given the Opportunity to Expand Educational Technology and Learning Resources for Students and Teachers

VERNON HILLS, Ill., and SILVER SPRING, Md. – January 5, 2009 – CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation and leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to educators and governments, and Discovery Education, the leader in digital video and multimedia-based learning, today announced the opening of the seventh annual “Win a Wireless Lab” sweepstakes.  The program gives K-12 schools nationwide the opportunity to win a 21st-century classroom, complete with tablet or notebook computers, wireless cart, interactive whiteboard, student response system, projector, printer and document camera.  CDW-G and Discovery Education also provide on-site training to all Win a Wireless Lab grand-prize winners.  The 2009 program will award five grand-prize winners.

To date, CDW-G and Discovery Education have awarded wireless computer labs to 18 schools, helping to increase teachers’ and students’ access to state-of-the-art educational technology.  Nearly 70 percent of past grand-prize winners noted that teachers have developed new projects and lessons that incorporate tablet computers and other technologies into their classrooms, according to a recent survey conducted by CDW-G. 

Previous winners also highlighted the important role of teacher professional development in integrating technology effectively into the classroom.  Bonnie Gambler, first grade teacher at Central Manor Elementary School (Pa.) noted, “We have in-service professional development training in the summer to update teachers on the latest technology, and teachers offer continuous professional development to each other throughout the school year.  For example, teachers have shared how they use unique applications like Moodle with the tablet computers to develop class Web pages, and MindMeisters, a Web-based mapping tool.”

“As CDW-G and Discovery Education enter the program’s seventh year, we are just as excited to award the 21st-century classroom as we were in 2003,” said Bob Kirby, senior director, K-12, CDW-G.  “Feedback from previous sweepstakes winners underscores the wireless lab’s positive impact on teaching and learning.  Win a Wireless Lab increases students’ access to the latest technology and supports alternative approaches to learning to help students achieve their educational potential.”

Previous winners are using the technology in myriad ways to advance learning.  At Central Manor Elementary School (Pa.), first graders are using the tablet computers to practice reading, writing and math skills, and third-graders are studying weather patterns with Discovery Weather.  Students at R. A. Jones Middle School (Ky.) researched the presidential candidates’ campaign platforms and conducted a mock election.  Students at St. Michael’s School (Pa.) are communicating with students around the world, sharing projects and learning about other cultures. 

In addition to the technology hardware included in the 21st-century classroom, Discovery Education will award a $5,000 digital media grant to the five grand-prize winning schools to help them more fully utilize the technology and engage students in learning.

“Effectively incorporating educational technology into the everyday classroom is crucial to developing students’ 21st-century learning skills,” said Mary Rollins, director, Discovery Education.  “Through Win a Wireless Lab, Discovery Education and CDW-G are helping schools prepare students for higher education and beyond.”

The sweepstakes opened January 2, 2009 and entries will be accepted until May 1, 2009.  CDW-G and Discovery Education encourage public and private school teachers, administrators and school and district technology specialists to enter by filling out an online form at http://www.discoveryeducation.com/cdwg.  For each prize drawing, winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries received.

Each of the five grand-prize winners will receive a 21st-century classroom valued at approximately $45,000, including:

Ø      Discovery Education digital media grant

Ø      20 notebook or tablet computers from HP, Lenovo or Toshiba

Ø      3 wireless access points from D-Link, Linksys or NETGEAR

Ø      1 Bretford mobile cart

Ø      1 interactive whiteboard from Promethean or PolyVision

Ø      20 Student Response Devices from Promethean or PolyVision

Ø      1 video projector from Epson or NEC Solutions

Ø      1 document camera from AVerMedia

Ø      1 laser printer from Epson or HP

Ø      1 video camcorder from Sony

In addition to the five grand-prize winners, CDW-G and Discovery Education will award:

Ø      Ten first prizes of a video projector from Epson or NEC Solutions

Ø      Ten second prizes of a notebook computer from Acer or Sony

Ø      Five third prizes of a digital camcorder from Canon

Winners will be announced in July 2009.  A complete list of rules is available online at http://www.discoveryeducation.com/cdwg.

About CDW-G

A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation, ranked No. 34 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies, CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G) is a leading provider of technology solutions for federal, state and local government agencies, as well as educational institutions at all levels. The company features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs.  The company’s technology specialists and engineers offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers can assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions.  Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.

For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options, service and solutions, call 1.800.808.4239, email cdwgsales@cdwg.com or visit the CDW-G Web site at CDWG.com.

• Find any image from the site -  my favorite image is called “Federal Troops at Rest”
• Once you find the image, and it is displayed in the blue media player box, open up a program like Word or Powerpoint
• Minimize that program.
• Then go back to your DE streaming image, left-click on the image inside the blue box and simply drag (be careful to not let go of your mouse button) the image into your Word or Powerpoint program.
• Once the Word or Powerpoint program opens on your screen, move your mouse up into your Word doc or PowerPoint slide until the cursor turns into a plus symbol
• Then let go of your mouse.
• Give it a second and you will soon see your image embedded into your Word or Powerpoint slide.

Pretty cool right?!?  I love this trick!

First you’ll need to find the Discovery Education Interactive Atlas.

To find the atlas log into Discovery Education streaming  and then click on the “Teacher Center.” 

Next, click on the “Discovery Education Atlas” in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

Finally, click on the blue “Launch Atlas” button to find videos about various different cultures, histories, governments and natural habitats from around the world.  

Once you have chosen your video, and it begins to play,  simply right-click (on pc) or command-click (on Mac) on the image so that you see a menu bar.  Hover over the word “Zoom” and then choose “Full Screen.”  And that will do the trick!     

Within the new reports you now have the ability to see who is creating and accessing Writing Prompts, Quizzes, and Assignments, sound files, and images- all at the user, school and district levels!  In addition you can run a report to see what the top non-video assets are being accessed by the school and district level.

And if that isn’t the cat’s meow, you can also see the top video and video segments streamed and/or downloaded accessed at the school and district level.

As an Administrator - how cool are these reports?  How easy will it be to walk the halls and know that in classroom 2A they are probably working on a writing prompt or watching a video on xyz?

By the way, for those keeping score at home, within DE streaming we have one full video, one video segment, one article and three images related to the keyword search “xyz.”  And you wonder why I have the name Geekybird?

All of these reports can be generated to in web-based, pdf, xls, csv and rtf formats.

Of course I’ve created a ppt for you to that will walk you through the “how to’s” of  creating and running these reports.  I’ve posted it within the Bird House but also made it available to you right here :->Running Reports Within Admin - New and Improved!

Enjoy and happy reporting!

During this webinar, students will have the opportunity to hear directly from Max live and in real time. They’ll be able to ask him questions about his experiences and learn what it’s really like to be both a U.S. Air Force Major as well as host of a TV series.

The only hardware required to participate is a computer and speakers. Or connect a projector and sound system, and share it with other classes in the school auditorium! Previous Discovery Connect webinars have been attended by thousands of students form around the world.

To attend this webinar, with or without your students, simply follow this link and register!