September is a month of planning for the 2008 workshop season. Again this spring, PFI plans to offer its distance learning version of the Earth and Environmental Science (EES) for Middle and High School Teachers workshop. It will run for eight weeks, during the mid-February to mid-April time frame, with the final dates yet to be set. Last year, this workshop was very popular, with 31 participants, but perhaps surprisingly, all participants came from North Carolina rather than more distant locations. Camp counselors and other professionals whose busiest time falls during the summer season were able to participate in the on-line version of the workshop offered in the spring.
During the summer season, PFI will again offer both EES for Middle and High School Teachers and EES for Elementary Teachers, our two longest-running workshops. We will also return with the very popular Forest Ecology workshop since it had a waiting list last year and not all who were interested in taking the workshop were able to participate. We’ll give those folks one more shot at it! These three workshops will all be 5-day workshops. We will also offer two 3-day workshops, structured so that they fall during the same week-long period. One will be Recycling and Composting, a modified version of a workshop offered previously by PFI. The other will be brand new: Forest Invasives. We have not yet finalized the dates of these summer workshops, but should have them posted on our website (www.pisgahforestinstitute.org) by the end of October.
Forest Invasives will examine invasive species of plants, animals, and fungi that have affected the forests of the southern Appalachians and altered their composition of native trees and other organisms. The most recent invader has been the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an aphid-like insect that attacks Hemlock trees, but several other adelgids have also affected forest systems. These tiny animals cause major change. Everyone recognizes that Kudzu is an invasive plant, but there are several other plants that are even more damaging to forest ecosystems. For example, Japanese Stilt Grass can invade shady, undisturbed forests, and Multiflora Rose can completely overgrow small streams and absorb most of their surface water. Fungal diseases have historically been problematic in the moist forests of the southern Appalachians, with Chestnut Blight a major source of forest change. Now we have Dogwood Anthracnose and other introduced fungi that will further alter our native forests. This workshop will teach participants to identify invasive species and describe ways to control them.
PFI's website is located at www.brevard.edu/pfi.
Pacific Forest Institute
. Pacific Forest Institute (PFI) staff met twice during the last month to analyze the comments from teacher/students and assess the results and costs of our 2007 workshops.
We are prepared to make additional adjustments to improve our 2008 activities, but in general are pleased with this past year’s projects.
William Jessup University (WJU) has implemented a new Education Department that will provide PFI an opportunity to work directly with new teachers on campus. The WJU staff has a direct communication with several of the county’s Superintendent of Schools that will enhance our workshop recruitment of teachers.
During one of our meetings with WJU staff members we explored expansion of our PFI classes to include carbon sequestration, an important issue in forest management and wildfire management, alternative energy sources and working with the Monterey Watershed Institute.
The utilization of biomass as an energy source for electricity is becoming more important by the month and we will continue to demonstrate those facilities during our Sierra Pacific Industries sawmill tours.
We believe that our close alliance with the new WJU department will assist PFI in obtaining grants, assisting in the establishment of a greenhouse and demo lab and to show specifically the positive results from good stewardship of our earth.
The staff discussed the opportunity to provide a “hands-on” education for teachers to become involved in the logistics and politics in the management of a nearby landfill.
Among other benefits, will be an opportunity to demonstrate that sawmills with biomass energy facilities are helping to minimize the waste wood products being left in land fills.
We have also reaffirmed the importance of the WJU Pond/Preservation that has been developed under the auspices of PFI. We have completed the planning process for the enhancement of the area and will be approving and constructing signage and structures to provide self-guided tours for view of the wildlife and pond habitat.
Our efforts are now focused on the preparation of a 2008 PFI budget. The program will be more difficult due to the change in the new 50/50 In-Kind Matching funds, but we are working diligently to develop a resolution.
PFI staff is looking forward to the November ERC conference at Mt. Hood as an opportunity to share information and to renew the friendships established last year during our successful trip to North Carolina.
For updated information on the Pacific Forest Institute, please visit our website at:
http://www.jessup.edu/academics/pacificforestinstitute
Keystone College Environmental Education Institute Keystone College Environmental Education Institute
KceeI held a one-day workshop on Saturday, September 29th entitled Fall Wildflowers. Dr. Jerry Skinner, Keystone College Professor, facilitated this workshop for 12 teachers. The day began bright and early at 7:30am with breakfast and registration at the Water Resource Center. Howard Jennings, Director of KceeI, gave an introduction to KceeI and an overview of the day’s activities. Dr. Skinner followed with informative PowerPoint presentations on flowers and ferns. After this, the group took a walk on Keystone’s trails to do some collecting and identifying of their own. It was a beautiful sunny and mild day – a perfect day to be outside!
After a few hours in the outdoors, the group went back to the Water Resource Center to identify some of their own samples they collected. This was followed by a demonstration by Dr. Skinner on how to press wildflowers and prepare museum quality herbarium specimens. After lunch, the group traveled to Lake Manataka, Keystone’s own Environmental Field Station, where they did some more field work collecting and identifying different species. Once back at Keystone, a brief wrap-up was given and evaluations were administered. The day ended at 4:00pm and each teacher received 8 Act 48 Hours.
In addition to this one-day workshop, KceeI has recently added a few more one-day workshops as well as set the dates for the 2008 summer courses. The one day workshops that will be held in 2007-2008 are: Pennsylvania Songbirds: October 24th, 2007; Project WILD: February 16th, 2008; Alternative Forest Products: March 15th, 2008; Amphibians and Reptiles: April 12th, 2008. One-day workshops are only available for Act 48 Hours. To view the workshops flyer online: http://www.kceei.keystone.edu/Documents/2007workshops.pdf.
KceeI will be offering two brand new courses in the summer of 2008. Geology of Northeast PA II will be an advanced field course based on the local Geology of the area. Participants who are interested will have to have taken Geology of Northeast PA I. Climate Change and the Energy Challenge is the second new offering. This course is currently under development but will focus on global warming and alternative energy.
The dates for KceeI’s summer courses will be: Geology of Northeast PA II: June 15th–June 18th, 2008; Astronomy: June 22nd-June 27th, 2008; Watershed Explorers: June 22nd-June 27th, 2008; Forests and Society: July 13th-July 18th, 2008; Climate Change and the Energy Challenge: July 20th -July 25th, 2008.
In addition to planning next year’s courses, KceeI has also been busy finalizing the 2007-2008 budget. We have been working very closely with the business office at Keystone College, especially Kevin Wilson, Assistant Vice-President of Finance and Administration. We would like to thank the many staff members who have helped make this process as smooth as possible.
KceeI is very excited about the upcoming second annual Director’s Conference being held at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon. We look forward to interfacing with the other institutes and sharing about our past year of courses. We would also like to thank the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas for planning this exceptional event.
In other news, KceeI will be attending the 17th Annual Evening for Northeast Pennsylvania’s Environment hosted by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on Thursday, October, 18th. This will be a very special night for KceeI given that Howard Jennings, Director of KceeI, will be receiving the prestigious Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award. The following is from a recent press release of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council:
The Thirteenth Annual Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award will be presented this year to: Professor Howard Jennings, Lackawanna County. Professionally, he has been an instructor and professor of biology and environmental science at Keystone College since 1968. Professor Jennings is also Coordinator of Environmental Science and Forestry at the College, and sits on the Board of Trustees as a representative of the faculty. He was instrumental in the establishment and operation of the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) and spearheaded the development of the extensive system of unpaved trails, located throughout the campus of Keystone College. This trail system promotes the forested “Woodland Campus” located along the banks of the South Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek. In partnership with local conservation districts and non-profit organizations he coordinated the development of the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Atlas. He was heavily involved in the creation of the Keystone College Environmental Education Institute (KCEEI), a teacher–training initiative launched in 2004. Since 1998 Professor Jennings has served as Director of the Countryside Conservancy, a local non-profit organization devoted to land and water conservation. Professor Jennings was also instrumental in the creation of the South Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition.
Congratulations, Howard!
Just a reminder…
- To view the continuous water quality monitoring sites , click on the following link: http://www.waterontheweb.org/data/index.html
- If you would like to view the Northeast, check out the live “Streaming Camera” at www.atlas.keystone.edu/video.htm
KceeI’s website is located at www.KceeI.keystone.edu
ERC BROADBAND
This week kicks off a great new chapter with ERC Broadband. First, Deborah Roberts has agreed to fill the role of Business Development Manager. This role will focus her skills on inside sales, project management for fiber builds, and greater operational management. "All of us at ERCB are very excited for Deborah to move into this new role," says Hunter Goosmann, General Manager. "Her skills allow her to transition easily and this move will fill a need, so it is a big win for everyone."
Deborah Roberts attended a "Meet the Media" seminar at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce on September 20th to learn from local media experts how to submit information and their policies on news releases, faxes, e-mails and photography.
Additionally, Mr. Goosmann attended his first meeting of the Buncombe County Economic Development Coalition. In his role as an Ex-Officio member, he is looking to expand his support for technological growth in the region. Mr. Goosmann also begins a state-wide Leadership program with Leadership North Carolina (www.leadershipnc.org).
Last, ERC Broadband was proud to support Netriplex at their Grand Opening on September 20 in Asheville. Netriplex (www.netriplex.com) operates data centers across the
Broadband website:www.ercbroadband.org
ERC NEWSLETTER – AAM REPORTS
09-04-07
AAM PROGRAM TRANSITION NEARLY COMPLETE
September marks the final phase of transition of the original Adventure of the American Mind program to the Library’s new Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program that began in the summer of 2006. At month’s end, all remaining AAM partner institutions outside of North Carolina will move to TPS.
So with this issue, we bid fond farewell to the wonderful staff and participants of all the AAM programs we have been privileged to work with: Barat Education Foundation, California University of Pennsylvania, The Center on Congress, DePaul University, Eastern Illinois University, the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, Furman University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Loyola University Chicago, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Northern Virginia Schools Partnership, Quincy University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USC Upstate, and Waynesburg College.
In addition, the Online Education Program, based in North Carolina, will conclude its activities during September. This program provided training and resources to more than 800 home school students and nearly 500 home school educators. In addition, program staff developed online student lessons and professional development tutorials focused on understanding and using primary sources in teaching and learning.
AAM programs will continue at five North Carolina colleges for one more year, then officially conclude in September 2008. These are Mars Hill College, Montreat College, Brevard College, Western Carolina University, and Fayetteville Technical Community College. As it happens, AAM began in North Carolina in 2000, then quickly grew to include partners in South Carolina, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. So the program has come full circle.
AAM is also grateful for the continued support provided by Library of Congress staff throughout the eight years of this project. This unique project allowed AAM partners to innovate and contribute local expertise to enrich professional development opportunities for educators and enhance the learning experience for students.
AAM is now in the process of collecting program data and will publish the final annual report in December 2007.
Western North Carolina
Mars Hill College
At Mars Hill College, Associate Director AnneMarie Walter has completed her M.S. in Instructional Technology from East Carolina University where she was named the 2007 Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year. Graduating with a 4.0 average, she has also earned a Distance Learning Certification.
For her MSIT capstone project, AnneMarie designed, developed, and implemented a professional development workshop to assist faculty members to use online video resources in their classrooms. In a series of workshops in August 2007, she and AAM administrative and technical support specialist Elizabeth Lang guided their colleagues in searching, saving, and using this burgeoning new media.
In the coming year, AnneMarie is looking forward to working with MHC faculty and pre-service teachers to develop learning objects that use primary sources to enhance student understanding.
Western Carolina University
The WCU-AAM partnership developed a list of AAM deliverables to be hosted on a WCU server for teachers, students and university faculty to access. The work towards online access of these deliverables and transitioning these and the AAM online education lessons and tutorials has begun. UNC-CH (Learn NC), NC State University (MEGA), WCU (Mountain Heritage Center – Educational Outreach to Schools) and the NC Department of Public Instruction have requested digital copies and permission to use and post online lessons, unit plans, how-to sheets, and activities.
Professional development workshops for WCU teacher education faculty will begin in September. Library of Congress online primary source sample activities are being developed and produced to share with the faculty during workshops. So far, six activities have been adopted by the WCU-AAM program for use.
Beth Coulter, WCU-AAM Director, is now working full-time with Swain Middle School as their Media Coordinator. She will continue part-time with the WCU-AAM program until September 30, 2008.
More information about AAM in WNC is available at www.aamprogram.org, www.aamlearning.org, and at the individual partner websites at http://www.mhc.edu/aamind/,
http://aam.montreat.edu/, http://aam.wcu.edu, and http://www.brevard.edu/aam/.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
The SIUE AAM program teamed up with Eastern Illinois University’s Teaching with Primary Sources program to hold a “Learning with Lincoln Institute.” The institute serves as a second level of development for in-service teachers who have already participated in a workshop series or AAM graduate course. After completing seminars at their respective schools, institute participants from both programs met at the “Learning with Lincoln” symposium at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.
Participants from both programs had an opportunity to collaborate and share their learning experiences (lessons). They also had the opportunity to engage in a special library tour and visit the museum. SIUE AAM and EIU TPS are planning to hold another institute next year. An article on the event can be viewed at: http://www.siue.edu/education/. The Learning with Lincoln Institute is proudly endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/.
Visit the “Learning with Lincoln Institute” page at, http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/lwli/.
The SIUE AAM team is proud to announce their future involvement in a Landmarks of American History and Culture grant from National Endowment of the Humanities that was awarded to Drs. Susan Breck and Caroline Pryor in the SIUE School of Education titled, Abraham Lincoln and the Forging of Modern America. The SIUE AAM team will present sessions in summer 2008 on using the digitized collections at the Library of Congress. The workshops will be open to teachers nationally. Read more about this NEH workshop at, http://www.siue.edu/education/news/index.shtml.
SIU-E’s AAM program Web site is located at:
http://www.siue.edu/education/aam
Waynesburg College
On August 20th, Waynesburg College announced that it has achieved university status and is now named Waynesburg University. This change is indicative of the recent growth in student population and expansion of degree programs offered. This announcement precedes only slightly the upcoming start of the Eastern Regional TPS Partnership pilot program, which begins in October. Waynesburg TPS staff is excited about the progress made in the local community, both as an institution and as a Library program, and the many possibilities that lie ahead.
Waynesburg University’s TPS Summer Institute 2007 concluded on August 2nd with presentations of lessons created by participating teachers. Topics for these lessons range from the little-known struggle of Jews during the American Civil War to remembering what Labor Day is all about. Check out the lessons that have been published at: http://tps.waynesburg.edu/teacher_projects/other.html. Additional lessons will be posted as they are ready for field-testing. Please email Nancy Wrick at nwrick@waynesburg.edu to report any field-testing experiences of Waynesburg University lesson plans.
By all accounts, the WU Summer Institute was a success, leading teachers to incorporate primary sources into their existing classroom curriculum. As part of the workshop evaluation, one teacher summed it up this way:
I never realized there was so much available at the LOC. I always kind of thought of it as a “stuffy library.” There is so much available there to help bring real history (primary sources) alive. I am very sure that I will use this resource again and again and will also tell my colleagues about it.
Another participant said that she learned “how to use primary documents, not as a gallery of pictures for students to look at, but as sources of information that the students can interact with and further the curriculum.”
Waynesburg’s AAM program Web site is located at: