The Pisgah Forest Institute (PFI) staff expresses its appreciation
to Congressman Charles Taylor for his efforts to expedite the connection of Brevard College to the "computer super
highway" that the Congressman has brought to Western North Carolina. The availability by September of
the enhanced broadband will facilitate communication between PFI and the
teachers in WNC middle and high schools within WNC who enroll in the Earth and
Environmental Science (E/ES) Course that the Institute will be offering by
distance learning technology this Fall. The course material includes several
program components that will transmit much more efficiently through the
new linkage. A recent PFI survey confirmed that educators preferred to
take this course in the first rather than the last term when they are more
preoccupied with end-of-year exams.
Much of
PFI's success is the result of cooperative efforts involving
many agencies. For example, PFI Operations Coordinator Heather Cosby recently
had a highly productive session in Athens, GA, with Dr. Barbara McDonald, the editor
of the USDA Forest Service journal "Natural Inquirer", and her
Assistant Jessica Tanner. They were planning a presentation on
incorporating the scientific method in classes that will be part of the 2005
E/ES Workshop for Middle and High School Teachers. PFI actively promotes this Forest
Service publication in its course offerings.
The PFI
staff is pleased to relate that the hands-on course dealing with many aspects
of the forestry industry being offered in Asheville this Summer by the North Carolina
Forestry Association (NCFA), which has been heavily advertised by PFI, is
oversubscribed. The NCFA supplies PFI with the "Goods From The Woods"
boxes which are collections of a wide variety of household items made
in whole or part from forest products are distributed in several of the
Institute's courses.
PFI
receives its largest supply of booklets, posters and other teaching aids from
the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR).
The Institute is aiding NCDENR with putting on a workshop for teachers on the Brevard College campus in Summer 2006 that concerns
the use of environmental information as an integrated context for
learning.
PFI staff
played an active role in the 2005 Earth Day programs in WNC. Heather
Cosby, Distance Learning Coordinator Elizabeth Kampouris and
Operations Assistant Jessica Sharp put on a highly informative workshop on
lichens at a Transylvania County elementary school. Elizabeth also participated in a tree
planting program in Henderson County. Executive Director Bob
Sweeney led an assembly on the history of Earth Day at the Brevard Academy. During these experiences the
PFI staff distributed literature on the Institute's Summer 2005 courses as well
as the May 20-21 workshop on decomposition to the teachers and
administrators. Individuals interested in more information and enrolling
in these workshops should visit PFI' website, www.brevard.edu/pfi.
Several
individuals affiliated with PFI recently were recognized during the April
2005 Honors and Awards Ceremony at Brevard College. Assistant Jayne Hall was the
recipient of the Rachel Cathy Daniels (mathematics) and the first Omicron Delta
Kappa scholarships. Jayne, Jessica (who completed her dual Ecology/Environmental
Studies major in December 2004) and Intern David Funderburk achieved inclusion
in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Dr. Jim Reynolds, who
instructs geological subject matter in several PFI courses, was selected
as the outstanding professor in the Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and
Natural Sciences Division. Dr. Janie Sue Brooks, who is involved in planning
and instruction in PFI’s Elements of Nature workshop, garnered the
"top prize", the United Methodist Church Exemplary Teacher
Award. Congratulations to all of these well deserved
winners.
PFI’s
website is located at www.brevard.edu/pfi.
The Earth
Day activities went well last week. A
highlighted session was the Fourth Annual State of the
Tunkhannock Creek Watershed. The State of the Tunkhannock Creek
Watershed is an annual open forum to discuss the status of the Tunkhannock
Creek Watershed. Watershed partners discussed their activities in the
watershed; these partners include DEP, County Conservation Districts, Willary Water Resource Center, Countryside Conservancy, the
Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Associations, KceeI and Keystone College Water
Management faculty and students. The
forum fostered considerable conversation.
Dr. Robert
Cook unveiled the continuous water quality monitoring program, which contains
three stations: the South Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek, Ackerly Creek and a
groundwater monitoring well near Ackerly Creek.
Thanks to a partnership with the University of Minnesota, the Lackawanna Heritage Valley
Authority, and a grant received from the DEP Growing Greener Grant Program,
this data will be streamlined to the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Atlas where
users can interactively analyze it. To view this resource, you may click on the
only two sites in Pennsylvania: http://www.waterontheweb.org/data/index.html
Tim Eichner participated in another session of the Environmental Forum
last week. This session further
introduced the participants to the use of GPS units by participating in an
activity known as geocaching, a program in which you hunt down “treasures” or
caches of trinkets placed somewhere in the world. Students were given the coordinates to a
geocache site at Lackawanna State Park and, using their GPS units, they
had to navigate to this site and uncover their cache. All of the teams participating successfully
located their cache and had a great time doing so. For more information on gecaching visit www.geocaching.com.
The Forum
will be wrapping up on May 9th, with final presentations and a
luncheon. The seventeen teams of
students and teachers from twelve school districts: Elk Lake, Mid-Valley, Montrose, Mountain View, NEIU Learning Center, Old Forge, Riverside, Valley View, West Scranton, Western Wayne Middle School, Wayne Highlands-Honesdale High,
and Western Wayne High School. Participants will conclude their
year-long study with displays and presentations on scientific, historical,
recreational, geological, and ecological aspects of the watershed. The event will take place at the Scranton
Century Club Auditorium from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm.
KceeI
conducted a Herpetology Workshop, An
Introduction to Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania, on Thursday, April
28th. A total of 12 teachers
from the Scranton School District participated in the day-long
session. KceeI provided the teachers
with $250 in materials, breakfast, and lunch.
The day consisted of both field investigation and activities that teachers
can bring back to their classrooms. Tim Eichner, Dr. Jerry Skinner of Keystone College, and Walter Dietz of Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission were the instructors for the workshop. Howard welcomed
the participants and introduced them to KceeI.
The participants then went into the field and Dr. Skinner presented on
amphibian habitats, life history, and metamorphosis. Walter Dietz provided the teachers with a
curriculum activity sampler for PA amphibians and reptiles. After lunch, Tim and the teachers
participated in a dichotomous key exercise and learned some basic herb
terminology. Finally, the group ventured
outside to flip over rocks and logs in search of herbs.
The
participants received the following materials:
Eyewitness Amphibian Video, a CD (Voices of the Night: The
Calls of the Frogs), Reptiles and Amphibians National Geographic Video,
Hands-On Herpetology – NSTA Activity Book, GoldenGuides: Reptiles and
Amphibians, Stokes Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles, Newt and Frog Puppets, Assorted
Frogs, Snakes, and Lizards models, frog and turtle stamps, and Frog
Metamorphosis models.
A survey of
the workshop was handed out to the teachers so there will be comments to
incorporate into course changes for future sessions.
Just a
reminder, if you would like to view the Northeast, check out the live
“Streaming Camera” at www.atlas.keystone.edu/video.htm
KceeI’s
brochure may be viewed at its website in a printable Adobe PDF form www.kceei.keystone.edu/Workshops.htm.
KceeI’s
website is located at www.kceei.keystone.edu.
Mars Hill College
Since
returning from the AAM Director’s Meeting in Washington, Dr. Ed Shearin and AnneMarie
Walter are completing the special Digital Storytelling (DS) workshop series
designed for school librarians in collaboration with classroom teachers. The projects currently in development vary
from the Frankie Silver story to cultural change to heritage crafts.
At the same
time, Ed and AnneMarie are preparing for summer institute workshops at Mars
Hill and beyond. They are offering three
sections of DS Level I, including a series to be taught at Governor’s State University in Chicago.
They will offer three sections of DS Level II – Digital Video on the
Mars Hill campus. Registrations are
coming in daily, with some sections already filled.
A three-day
DS workshop has been offered to home school educators. If enough participants warrant, it will take
place in early May.
Mars Hill’s
AAM program website is located at: http://www.mhc.edu/aamind/.
Montreat College
The spring
semester has been a busy one for the Montreat partner; however, with the end of
another school year quickly approaching, the workshop series are winding down.
W.D. Williams Elementary, Erwin High School, and Pleasant Gardens have concluded their series with 21
teachers completing basic training and 12 teachers completing full training.
Nine teachers at Emma Elementary are half way through completing the advanced
digital storytelling series and are scheduled to finish in mid-May.
Montreat
staff was pleased to see the teachers’ use of the primary source materials.
Teachers from W.D. Williams blended local materials with national resources to
complete projects on the Swannanoa Valley, including the Beacon Plant, the
Cherokee Indians, and the original settlers in Old Fort. Some of the teachers from Erwin and Pleasant Gardens were working with the LOC website
for the first time and did a nice job building digital stories with the primary
source photos. Their projects ranged from a creative, first person perspective
about growing up in a Moravian township to a modified version of “Gone with the
Wind” which told the factual story of the Dust Bowl.
Montreat
has a new school beginning the primary source series on May 3rd. Marion Christian School currently has 10 teachers scheduled
to participate. This will be the first introduction to AAM and the LOC at this
school.
On April 19th
the Montreat partner hosted a videoconference session with the LOC for the Montreat College faculty. Due to some puzzling technical difficulties,
the session was delayed; however, with the technical expertise of Oran Mosteller working in the Montreat computer
lab and Angela working in the LOC videoconference room, the connection was
made. While attendance was lower than hoped for, those present enjoyed the
session and were very appreciative for the opportunity to talk with LOC staff
members. Another session is being
planned for the next academic school year when the faculty returns from summer
break.
The
Montreat partner is gearing up for a busy summer. The open admission Digital
Storytelling Summer Institute for June 28-30 is now full with 24 teachers
signed up. Registration is continuing for the Examining Primary Sources Summer
Institute on July 26-28. Currently, there are 13 teachers registered for the
Asheville City Schools Summer Institute series with registration continuing
through May. Last, but not least, 17 teachers are scheduled to attend the
Asheville Christian Academy Summer Institute.
Montreat’s
AAM program website is located at: http://aam.montreat.edu/.
Western Carolina University
Twenty-seven
teachers have completed basic AAM workshops. Evaluations from the two
participating schools show that teachers enjoyed the workshops and benefited
from them. Teachers also indicated they would use LOC primary sources and
local primary sources in their teaching and learning activities.
Additionally, teachers stated they wanted the advanced AAM workshops and would
recommend AAM activities to other teachers.
Currently,
WCU is working in five schools with an additional 82 teachers. Completion
of the workshops in these schools will be in May. Additional workshops
with other schools begin in May and June. The WCU Summer Institute will
be held during a two-week period in July. Elementary school teachers will
participate one week and middle and secondary school teachers will participate
the next week. All summer institute enrollees are from Jackson County.
Advanced
AAM workshops are being developed and are planned to begin late next
fall. These workshops will help teachers advance their knowledge of
searching the LOC by digitizing local primary sources, advancing in
instructional design that includes primary sources, and using Movie Maker to
develop instructional videos. Teachers will also learn how to help their
students use primary sources to make advanced projects, including videos.
Workshops will stress the importance of multiple intelligences, active
learning, student-centered learning, and learning styles.
Approximately
125 lesson plans have been submitted by four partner directors to be evaluated
and considered for the lesson plan database. These plans are undergoing
evaluation and will be considered for entry within the next three months.
Currently, there are 74 lesson plans and unit plans online.
WCU’s AAM
program website is located at: http://aam.wcu.edu.
California University of Pennsylvania
AAM Workshops
Canon-McMillan School District
AAM staff met
with Assistant Superintendent to conduct K-12 teacher professional education
needs assessment for the 2005-2006 school year.
Brownsville School District
On April
22, nine elementary teachers from Brownsville School District attended two separate AAM workshops: “Introduction to the
Library of Congress American Memory and Online Resources”, and “What are
Primary Resources”. This is the first
cohort of Brownsville teachers participating in AAM.
The cohort is scheduled to meet three consecutive Fridays to complete AAM’s 15-hour basic training
requirement.
Public
Libraries
AAM staff
gave a keynote presentation at Charleroi’s J.K. Tener public library. The presentation was part of a kickoff event
to celebrate the opening of a Genealogical Resource Center at the Library. The presentation was entitled, “Library of
Congress and Local History”. The staff
gave an overview of the Adventure of the American Mind and highlighted the
Library of Congress online resources.
Byron Holdiman, digital preservationist with a background in genealogy,
shared his experience with genealogical research and dispelled several common
myths about genealogical research.
Other
As a member
of the Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) advisory committee, AAM director Michael Brna is exploring
ways that LOC resources can be used to promote the FDI. He will be meeting with other advisory
committee members to explore the possibility of developing a workshop around
the Frederick Douglass Papers at the LOC.
FDI is to be a catalyst for the institutionalization of the concepts of
multiculturalism with special emphasis on race, gender, and liberty. The
Institute promotes the value of diversity throughout the California University community. It aims to further
understand the past, support advancement and achievement in the present, and
prepare for a more inclusive future.
Byron
Holdiman, Digital Preservationist, made a presentation to attendees at AAM’s semi-annual director’s meeting,
entitled “The Gettysburg Address Through Digital Storytelling”. The presentation demonstrated how Civil War
images from American Memory are combined with an audio recording version of the
Gettysburg Address to produce a PowerPoint presentation for use in the
classroom. Marita Decker, AAM Director, Barat Education Foundation, will explore the
possibility of placing the materials at the Abraham Lincoln Library for
teachers to use when they visit on student field trips.
AAM staff members have been working on a strategic plan for starting a
local Veterans History Project that will collect oral histories from local
veterans. The project, Veterans Oral
Histories Project at California University of Pennsylvania, will be a
multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to collecting veterans’ oral
histories and archiving them at the university’s Manderino Library for research
and learning purposes. The project is
multidisciplinary and includes cooperation from the following university
departments and offices: Library Services, History and Political Science,
Communications Studies, Art & Design, Veterans Affairs, Marketing &
Public Affairs, and Adventure of the American Mind. A local school district, Washington Area, will
also collaborate with the project as students there will collect and submit
oral histories for inclusion in the special collection at Manderino
Library. During the recent visit to Washington, D.C. for the semi-annual directors
meeting, Michael Brna met with Monica Mohindra at the American Folklife Center to lay the groundwork for
collaboration between California University and the Veterans History Project.
AAM staff met with Congressman John P. Murtha’s staff person, Gabrielle
Carruth, while visiting Washington, D.C. The purpose
of the visit was to update the Congressman on AAM progress and plans in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Joining the group were Barb Kirby and Amy Martin from the southwestern
AAM partner school, Waynesburg College. They also provided a progress
report for AAM at Waynesburg College.
Michael
Brna, AAM director, joined the AAM Director’s Meeting Planning
Committee, which will work together to plan the fall 2005 AAM meeting in Chicago.
CUP’s AAM
program website is located at: http://www.cup.edu/education/aam.
University of South Carolina Upstate
USC Upstate
has now completed its winter workshop series.
The Instructional Use of Digital Primary Sources workshops were held at
Sims Jr. High School in Union, SC; Dorman High School Freshman Campus in
Spartanburg, SC; O.P. Earle Elementary School in Landrum, SC; Woodruff
Elementary School in Woodruff, SC, and USC Upstate for Spartanburg School
District Seven speech teachers.
In March, Director
Bob Pettis visited several undergraduate U.S. history classes at USC Upstate and
introduced the classes to LOC digital primary sources. The class members were excited to discover
these resources.
AAM – USC
Upstate will begin its first digital storytelling workshop for the Spartanburg
District One U.S. History Grant participants.
After covering digital storytelling basics, the class participants will
take their knowledge and their new digital cameras to Washington, D.C., where they will gather images and
information. Upon returning to Spartanburg, each student will create a digital
story which addresses specific South Carolina curriculum standards.
USCS’s AAM
program website is located at:
http://www.uscupstate.edu/academics/education/adventure_mind.asp.
Northern Virginia Schools Partnership
This month
the Northern Virginia Partnership focused on art teachers along with the normal
interdisciplinary school-based programs going on at more than eight different
schools. More than 40 art teachers from several school districts enjoyed a
special tour of LOC and viewed several primary source pieces of art in the
Prints and Photographs Division. AAM NVA modeled a lesson for the art teachers
using Howard Gardner's Entry Points as a vehicle to get students thinking about
an art work available on the LOC website. Inspired art teachers have already
implemented lessons using LOC resources with students creating "Earth as
Art" scarves based on the Earth as Art exhibition, a study of the use of
line in photography from the collections in the Prints and Photographs
Division, and the use of graphic design rules in the WPA posters, just to name
a few. Art teachers have spent either a day or an afternoon working with AAM NVA
staff to uncover useful LOC primary sources for their classrooms.
In addition
to the specialty art program, AAM NVA staff presented at the Virginia Gifted
Educators conference in Fairfax, VA. There was standing room only in the AAM NVA session
with interested educators from all over the state who were anxious to learn
more about the AAM NVA model lesson, "Life in a Box", that looks at
the multiple facets of famous Americans using LOC primary sources.
Northern
Virginia’s
AAM program website is located at: http://www.aamnva.org/.
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