PFI executive director Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert participated in the
“Celebrating Our Common Ground” event, which was a reading of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold on
September 28 at the Transylvania County Public Library. Coordinated by Alice
Cohen-Goldstein and Cindy Carpenter, both USDA Forest Service employees with
the Cradle of Forestry in America, the event is part of the Leopold
Education Project, for which Alice is the state coordinator. Jennifer
read the essay “A Mighty Fortress,” which she selected because of its theme of
interrelationships in nature. The trees of Leopold’s forest support raccoons,
chickadees, squirrels, rabbits, honeybees, grouse, owls, and warblers, just to
name some of the animals highlighted in this essay. Leopold eloquently relates
how “dead trees are transmuted into living animals and vice versa.” As an
educator herself, Jennifer also appreciated the opening sentences of the essay,
in which Leopold relates that, “Every farm woodland, in addition to yielding
lumber, fuel, and posts, should provide its owner a liberal education. This
crop of wisdom never fails, but it is not always harvested.” A goal of PFI is to encourage educators to take
their students into the forest by teaching the teachers themselves about forest
issues, and we hope that the seeds we plant do grow and are harvested! During the reading, images depicting the
natural environment and human interaction with the environment were projected
into the auditorium. This community service activity drew members of the public
from the Brevard, NC area. PFI, the Cradle of Forestry in America, and the USDA Forest Service
displayed brochures and information for the public in the room in which the
event was held.
PFI is upgrading its website and registration database, with the goals of
both reaching a wider audience of potential participants and improving the ease
with which participants can register for workshops. Once the new website is up
and running (anticipated date of November 1), we will share what we have learned
from this process with the other PFI programs. We hope that by the date
of the director’s conference (Nov 9-12) at the ERC headquarters in Asheville, we will have something to share
with the other programs, although the true test will not come until
registration is in full swing for the summer workshops.
PFI's website is located at www.brevard.edu/pfi.
Once again KceeI is working
diligently toward closing out the 2005-2006 budget. This is no easy task. It is time consuming and tedious but we have
been cooperating as a team and with the Keystone College
business office to make this process as painless as possible. So far things are going as projected and we
will soon be working with the 2006-2007 budget.
As KceeI begins to plan for future
courses it is important that research be devoted to possible course
topics. In preparation for a future
course on Climate Change and the Forest Ecosystem, Tim Eichner, Assistant
Director of KceeI, and Dr. Robert Cook,
Keystone College Professor and KceeI facilitator, traveled to Bozeman, Montana from August 13th – 18th,
2006.
Here they attended the American Quaternary Association’s (AMQUA)
conference on “Teaching Climate Change: Lessons from the Past.” KceeI anticipates offering this new course in
the summer of 2008.
Howard Jennings, Director of KceeI, has been meeting
with Fran Langan, Director of the Governor’s Institute, and Charlotte
Ravaioli, Director of the Poetry Institute
to discuss the production of an informational piece on the various institutes
at Keystone
College. KceeI has also been busy updating the Dean’s
Council on the anticipated dates for 2007 and trying to facilitate the workings
between the college and the various institutes.
On September 27th, Tim Eichner conducted a
watershed delineation program during the kick-off session of the annual
Environmental Forum entitled “Community Connections to Our Watersheds.”
Approximately 80 students and 15 teachers learned about topographic maps,
delineated a small watershed, and determined its area during this day-long
activity. In addition to watershed mapping, participants also learned how
to monitor water quality, both biologically and chemically. Staff from
the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR),
Bureau of State Parks, instructed students on how to measure basic water
quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and sulfur, and how to
study aquatic macroinvertebrate communities as an indication of long-term water
quality conditions.
The Environmental Forum is an academic year-long
program sponsored by the NEIU-19, DCNR, Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority,
and KceeI. About every month, the Environmental Form exposes participants
to unique watershed and community features, focusing mostly on the Lackawanna
River Watershed. Students are required to conduct an investigation or
research project and present it at a final luncheon in May.
In
other news, KceeI will be conducting a session entitled Teaching Sound Science Using Our Natural World at the 2007
Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE) Conference, "No Child Left Inside". This conference is being held on April 12-15, 2007
Genetti's Hotel and Conference Center
in Wilkes-Barre,
PA. The focus will be on restoring a sense of the
outdoors in children and eliminating “nature-deficit” disorder from future
generations. It is going to be a great
conference with a wide variety of workshops, keynote speakers, exhibits, and
field studies.
Just
a reminder…
KceeI’s
website is located at www.KceeI.keystone.edu.
Pacific Forest Institute
The teacher evaluations for our Pacific Forest Institute (PFI)
workshops in July, 2006 indicate that their experiences were both educational
and fun. A summary of those comments are presented at the conclusion of this ERC
Newsletter. The experience for most of the
participants was enhanced by interesting field trips that followed the basic
classroom presentations reviewed in ERC
Newsletter # 141.
A trip to the Gap Fire was the first experience for many
attendees of the catastrophic impact of a wildfire. They could see the results
of some of the salvage logging in the area and the negative impact where
lawsuits prevented the removal of the dead timber. However, it was important
for the teachers to visit a current logging operation to see for themselves an
area before, during and after logging was completed. Most of the teachers were
amazed at the size and value of the equipment needed to perform all of the
steps in completing the logging operation. They were shown the preliminary
work, including contracts (federal, or private, depending upon the landowner),
the restrictions of operations near running water and even ephemeral streams,
the care in conserving the trees to be left, the soil erosion control (watering
of haul roads to prevent dust and the construction of “water-bars” on skid
trails) at conclusion of the logging operation.
We were shown the fire prevention measures (no logging on
high fire-hazard days, hand equipment on each piece of logging equipment,
automatic spray apparatus, if a piece of equipment should catch fire and a
“fire-watch” at the end of each day). There were some attendees who believed
that trees are just cut with no particular plan. The logging managers at the
two separate operations described how trees are selected, based on spacing,
species and long-term timber management plans.
During a field Fire Management tour teachers learned more
about the details discussed in the classroom and the redundant portions will be
re-evaluated for our next sessions.
Wildlife presentations by a private wildlife biologist
provided opportunity to review spotted owl and other species habitat and was of
interest to the teachers. As in all of the sessions, a considerable amount of
“hand-out” material, including good photographs of birds and animals for their
classrooms were appreciated.
A combined field class on silviculture (tree management) and
dendrology (tree identification) gave the teachers the opportunity to
distinguish between hard and softwoods and their uses in a manner that they
will be able to relate the significance to their students. The opportunity to
collect and label tree leaves and needles will be helpful in their classrooms.
One evening included a presentation by a representative of a
coalition of environmental groups. In some cases, this presentation was in
direct opposition to what had been presented by other professionals during the
field trips, but we believe that it is important for teachers to hear from
those who are opposed to forest land management. The teachers are then in a
position to determine the facts for themselves.
The last tour was of a very modern sawmill in Lincoln,
California, just minutes away from William Jessup University; our workshop
headquarters.
Our evenings included campfire activities that provided
opportunity for the teachers to socialize, show their musical talent and leave
with an appreciation that they had met new friends with common interests.
We requested evaluation sheets at the end of each workshop.
The two groups were decidedly different. The Hidden
Lakes
group was more athletic and out-going and seemed to enjoy the activities and
educational opportunity, even more than those attending Camp Ross Relles. The following
include some of those comments:
Food at WJU—Excellent
to “Wow” and “Awesome”.
Take-away material—“Enough
to keep students and myself busy for a long time.”
“Project Books have a lot of good
ideas.” “Liked the variety and usability.”
Transportation—all
good comments
Workshop
Content/curriculum—“Very informative, but over-whelming.”
“Not enough on
lesson planning.”
Organization of
Workshops—“Very Organized”. “Loved the variety of speakers.” “Liked
hearing from the dedicated experts in the field.” “Very smooth.” “Full days.”
Location/Settings at
Hidden Lake/Ross Relles—Everyone liked the setting and
facilities at Hidden
Lake.
Teachers were understandably less impressed with Ross Relles, since the rooms
were very rustic and one of the bathroom/shower facilities was less than
desirable.
Some left the workshops with a request to have a “graduate
class”, where certain topics could be pursued in greater detail. We are
considering how we can do that during two-day workshops that travel out to the
field from William
Jessup
University.
There were many other comments, but in general the courses
and facilities were well received. We will use the evaluations to improve our
future PFI
workshops and to determine where we will hold the 2007 field headquarters.
For updated
information on the Pacific Forest Institute, please visit our website at:
http://www.jessup.edu/academics/pacificforestinstitute.
On September
14, 2006 ERC
Broadband participated in the close-out session for the Atmospheric Science
Tools for Energy Conservation (ASTEC) program. ASTEC was funded for two years
through the Department of Energy and administered through Oak Ridge National
Laboratory. The DOE funding built upon the beginning of the ASTEC project which
was started through Library of Congress funding. Project partners at
UNC-Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) and
Baron Advanced Meteorological Services (BAMS) developed important weather
products such as haze modeling which is delivered to TV stations as part of
weather reports. A portable educational kiosk also utilizes the haze modeling
in an effort to educate the general public on the causes and effects of haze.
The kiosk also demonstrates the forecasting capabilities for specific areas
throughout the United
States. Haze is just a
small part of the ASTEC project.
ERC
Broadband support of ASTEC is continuing beyond the project period through
agreements with UNC-Asheville NEMAC and BAMS. The work that was begun through
the Federal funding will result in a number of important weather products
related to emissions testing, haze forecasting and how society’s use of energy
affects the atmosphere.
To learn more about ASTEC, please visit http://orgs.unca.edu/nemac/research/projects.html.
For more
information on ERC Broadband, please visit the website at: www.ercbroadband.org.
AAM
Partners Honored at Library of Congress
AAM
directors and staff representing most of the 24 AAM
partner institutions convened in Washington,
DC, on September
21 and 22 for a transitional meeting at the Library of Congress. In the AAM
close-out part of the program, presentations were made by several partners
showcasing a wide spectrum of successful AAM
delivery models. Partner directors –
including those representing Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, California University of Pennsylvania,
Illinois State University, the Western North Carolina Partners, Northern
Virginia Schools Partnership, Governors State University, and The Center on
Congress – spoke to the changing culture of learning in their communities and
the legacy of AAM. In addition, planned and spontaneous praise
of the national program, partners, individuals, and the Library and its staff
were expressed by many.
The four Western North
Carolina partners that are concluding their AAM
programs during the 2006-07 year – Mars
Hill
College,
Montreat
College,
Brevard
College,
and Western
Carolina
University,
together with the AAM
Online Education Program – were honored by colleagues and Library of Congress
staff and thanked for their groundbreaking contributions to the AAM
program. In addition, all partners were
honored with a framed letter of commendation from the Librarian of Congress,
Dr. James Billington, who also was on hand to graciously commend all in
attendance for their efforts to help realize his vision of bringing the
Library’s treasures to educators.
More about this meeting, plus video and photos, will be
available soon at the AAM
website at: www.aamprogram.org.
Western
North Carolina
PROPEL Workshop Series
On September 19, the “Optimize” workshop premiered
at Montreat
College.
Optimize is the third of six workshops making up the PROPEL series and
provides the school librarians with a variety of search strategies and
techniques for locating both primary and secondary sources. The central focus
of Optimize is to better equip school librarians with tools and tactics that
“optimize” their searches within the Prints & Photographs Division, the
Global Gateway’s International Collections, and the American Memory
Collections.
Wendy Fusco,
Montreat College AAM
Director, is the lead facilitator for the Optimize module. Wendy, in
partnership with Dr. Ed Shearin, Mars Hill College AAM
Director; AnneMarie Walter,
Mars Hill College AAM
Associate Director; and Brian Bartlett,
Montreat College AAM
Technology Support Specialist, introduces a mental thesaurus activity which
builds the foundation for completing activities that involve general Internet
search engines, the Library of Congress subject headings, the Library’s
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials, and the various divisions of the Library’s
website. Also covered within Optimize are techniques for inserting, resizing,
and printing the primary sources for classroom use.
Leadership Change at Mars
Hill
College
AAM
Program
AAM
announces the departure of Mars Hill College AAM
Program Director Dr. Ed Shearin on September 29. Ed has accepted a position as Director of the
North Carolina Wesleyan College Triangle Campus in Morrisville. NC Wesleyan College is an independent private
college in Rocky Mount,
NC, with a large
adult degree program and campus in the Research Triangle area. Ed begins his new duties in mid-October.
Ed started the Mars Hill AAM
program in early 2000, thereby launching the second of what would become 24 AAM
partner programs. Under his leadership,
the Mars Hill program delivered professional development opportunities to
nearly 700 teachers in Phases I and II, with another 500+ being mentored in
Phase I. The Mars Hill program was also
the first AAM
partner to introduce digital storytelling into the broader AAM
curriculum, a model which became the core of their Phase II program. Finally, Ed formed the task force of school
librarians and media specialists that conceived the model for the PROPEL
workshop series now being offered in Western North
Carolina.
AAM
is grateful for the Ed’s many contributions to this program and wishes him well
in his future position. Friends and
colleagues may reach Ed at ed.shearin@gmail.com.
More information about PROPEL is available at www.aamprogram.org and at www.aamlearning.org.
California University of Pennsylvania
AAM
Workshops
St. Patrick’s Catholic School
A total of 21 pre-school – 8th grade teachers
attended two separate AAM
workshops, “WebQuests: An Adventure in Online Learning” and “Bringing Adventure
to the Classroom.” The workshops were
delivered on-site at the school by Byron
Holdiman.
Summer Institute 2006
From June 26-30, 18 K-12 teachers and two representatives
from West Virginia
University
participated in California University of Pennsylvania’s inaugural summer
institute, “Teaching with Primary Sources.”
The purpose of this institute was to increase the ability of educators
to design student-centered, primary source-based learning experiences using
best instructional practices. AAM
staff was joined by exemplar faculty members from the Elementary/Early
Childhood and Secondary Education departments, along with faculty from the
History and Political Science departments.
Complete details about the summer institute are available at http://www.cup.edu/education/aam/index.jsp?pageId=1580830010421146978228257
Veterans Oral Histories Project at California
University
of Pennsylvania
The collection of oral histories in conjunction with the
Veterans Oral Histories Project at California University of PA continues to
grow with new submissions from local schools.
The project has extended to the middle school level as students from California
Elementary School
submitted four oral histories to the project in addition to 23 from Washington
Area
High School. AAM
staff is in the process of digitizing the oral histories for transfer to
Manderino Library for copying, cataloging, and archiving. To date, submissions have been received from California
University
students and staff, two area high schools and one middle school. The collection now totals 79 oral
histories. Most are available on the AAM
website at http://www.cup.edu/education/aam/index.jsp?pageId=1580830010421143853578538
Presentations
Byron Holdiman
gave a presentation, “The Adventure Begins: Digital Resources at the Library of
Congress,” to members of the Pennsylvania Library Association at a workshop in Harrisburg. The workshop, “Digitization: Here, There,
Everywhere,” was partially funded with Federal Services and Technology funds
administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and was attended by
librarians from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
AAM
in California
University
Classrooms
AAM
staff made a Teaching with Primary Sources presentation to 15 high school
teachers who visited campus to participate in the Cal U in the High School
program. The Cal U in the High School
program offers college credits to high school students who attend classes
conducted by teachers who design and implement curriculum in accordance with
standards set by Cal U faculty. The
intent was to make social studies teachers aware of university curriculum that
incorporates the use of primary sources in the classroom.
AAM
staff visited three university classes to familiarize them with AAM
initiatives, the Library of Congress website and related teacher
resources. The classes were for
pre-service teachers and included: “Teaching in a Multicultural Society,”
“Development and Organization of the Curriculum,” and “Student Teaching at the
Elementary Level.” A total of 65 students
and three faculty members received the presentations.
CUP’s AAM
program Web site is located at: http://www.cup.edu/education/aam.
Waynesburg College
“WebQuesting at the Library of Congress” began last week and
extends for eight consecutive Tuesday evenings. Topics range from cartooning to
careers and Pearl Harbor
to September 11. This week’s homework was to locate one or two Library
collections that will serve as resource materials for their students as they
reflect on the central question in the inquiry-based WebQuest activity. The
workshop will conclude on November 14 with a presentation of the new
teacher-created webpages designed to lead students on a learning adventure
analyzing and synthesizing information collected from Library primary source
documents.
WC AAM
staff will conduct two presentations with education faculty and students this
week. One will be to student teachers in the WC secondary education program and
the other will be to “Social Studies Methods in the Elementary Classroom.”
These participants, new to the AAM/TPS
program, will then be given handouts reminding them to take advantage of LOC
and AAM/TPS.
Coincidentally, WC Yellow Jacket reporter, Kristen Corbett, “got the scoop” and
was the first local publication to announce the Teaching with Primary Sources
program.
WC AAM
participated in the September 2006 Directors Meeting and look forward to a
smooth transition from AAM
to TPS. Karin Hedberg
at AAM
and Elizabeth Ridgway,
Vivian Awumey,
and George Daves
from the Library of Congress deserve a hearty “Thank You” for getting the
transition off to a great start!
Waynesburg’s AAM
program Web site is located at: http://aam.waynesburg.edu.
Online
Education
Nationwide Use of the AAM
Online Education Resources
During the past year, the AAM
Online Education Program has presented at 10 conferences.
These include local, state, and national conferences,
as well as one virtual conference.
Currently there are 2,425 subscribers to the electronic mailings, 1,592
registered participants for the online lessons. Since students do not have to
be registered in order to use the resources on the AAM
Home
School
and AAM
Online Education websites, another way to judge the use of the materials
offered on these sites is to look at the web usage. Between July 1, 2005
and June 30, 2006
there were 54,206 unique visitors to the AAM
Home
School
website. The average visitor viewed 6 pages and was on the site for 17 minutes.
Poster for AAM
Meeting at the Library of Congress
Dr. Pam Johnson
presented a poster summarizing the activities and lessons offered by the AAM
Home
School
and Online Education programs on Thursday, September 21st, during the luncheon
meeting at the Library of Congress. The re-usable poster was supplemented by
notebooks presenting screenshots of the video previews and introductory
activities for each of the 22 online lessons created by the AAM
Online Education staff.
A special thank you to Brenda
Mathers and Bonnie
Jensen for assisting in assembling this
poster and to Karin Hedberg
for transporting it to Washington.
Ed-U-Bits
Each month, the AAM
Online Education staff writes a short article on topics of interest for
educators who are using online resources as a part of their curriculum. We call
these articles Ed-U-Bits and include them with our monthly newsletters for home
school educators and public and private school educators. The September
Ed-U-Bit is Presentation
Building Blocks. The Ed-U-Bit includes suggestions and documents for
students to use in creating a successful presentation.
Farwell to Juanita Brady,
our Lab Assistant at Haywood
Community College
Juanita Brady
joined the AAM
Home School Program in January 2002 as the lab assistant at Haywood
Community College.
During the past 4 ˝ years she has assisted more than 175 home school parents
and students, completed her Associate Degree from Haywood Community College,
had both daughters graduate from college and get married and worked part-time
at Waynesville Gas Company. Nita left the part-time position with the AAM
Online Education Program to move into a full-time position with Waynesville Gas
Company. We appreciate all Nita has done to help home school families in Western
North Carolina and wish her the best of luck.
The AAM
Online Education program Web sites are located at: http://www.aamhomeschool.org/
http://aamonline.org/.