Apply for Library REACH Grant

The Fund for Public Schools is pleased to announce its fifth annual request for Library REACH (Revitalizing Education for Adolescents and Children) proposals. Library REACH is a privately-funded grant program that allows New York City public schools to apply for funding to improve their libraries. The goal of Library REACH is to support library programs that enhance teaching and learning. Since the spring of 2003, the Fund has awarded more than 150 grants totaling more than $1 million.

For eligibility criteria and an application, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/FundForPublicSchools/AboutUs/KeyInitiatives/Libraries/default.htm. The application deadline is November 21.

Happy Halloween from the Bronx OIT!

"Zombies in Plain English" by the Commoncraft Show

WEBINAR: Is your classroom technology increasing student success?

If you're not getting the most out of the technology you currently have, the answer is No.

This complimentary webinar sponsored by SMART Technologies will help you identify your current inefficiencies and show you how a few small enhancements can drive significant gains in learning outcomes and a return on your investment (ROI). Our speakers will show you how improvements to your classroom technology can do the following:

• Increase your students' success
• Boost your ROI and drive down your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Improve the effectiveness of teachers and administrators

When: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time

Tabula Digita Designs a Science Curriculum Game

Tabula Digita, the developers of the award-winning DimensionM math and algebra game has formed a partnership with Monsanto Fund and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to create a brand new curriculum-based science game for students.

The content for the web-based games will be provided by the ISTE. Product creation and testing has started and will be followed by extensive market testing and education sector review. The software is expected to be released next year at ISTE’S annual National Education Computing Conference, in Washington DC, June 28-July 2, 2009.

Apply Now for 2008-2009 Field Trip Grants

Target will award 5,000 Field Trip Grants of up to $800 each during the 2008-2009 school year. That adds up to 5,000 more opportunities for students to explore more of the world outside the classroom.

Visit the zoo. Go backstage at a local theater. Tour a museum. Explore more with a Field Trip Grant from Target.

Ready to get inspired? It’s easy — complete a Target® Field Trip Grant application online anytime between now and Nov. 1, 2008. Only one submission per applicant, please.

Apply NOW!

Wiggio Makes it Easy to Work in Groups

Are you having trouble getting your students excited about working in groups? Try Wiggio.com, a website designed to help students to work in groups. It was developed specifically for the student market and the functionalities were chosen based directly on student input.

Wiggio’s free, web-based tools allow students to manage and keep track of all of their groups from one place. The site’s features and functions are what students want and need to be able to work effectively in groups, the announcement states. Features include the following:

• Messaging—Send mass text messages, emails, and voice messages to group members.
• Calendar—Shared calendar keeps track of all group meetings, events, deadlines, etc. Opt in to get text message and email reminders about upcoming events.
• Folder—Access and save documents in one place and avoid the hassle of sending attachments back and forth.
• Meeting—Set up free group conference calls or group chat sessions.
• Polling—Get group members' opinions quickly and easily.
  

Created for students by students, Wiggio hopes to change the way students work in groups by creating an easier and more efficient way for students to collaborate and communicate. Investigate for yourselft, go to http://www.wiggio.com/.

Digital Youth: Call for Submissions

"The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publisher of Edutopia media,
including Edutopia video, Edutopia magazine, and Edutopia.org, has received a
grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to produce ten
multimedia portraits of youth ages 8–18 who are deeply immersed in digital
media of all kinds: blogs, social networks, virtual environments, games, media
making projects, and so on.

These portraits are intended to provide an in-depth look at how young people are using new media for learning, socializing, and entertainment, giving adults insight into the new generation's digital lives. The portraits will feature a range of media, produced by Edutopia staff as well as the youth themselves, including

• short (less than ten-minute) documentary segments that explore how young people are using new media in their homes, schools, out-of-school activities, and informal learning environments, and with their peers.
• interviews with youth to gain their reflections on these experiences.
• interviews with their parents, educators, and others.
• expert interviews commenting on and interpreting specific behaviors in the portraits.
• articles and text commentary placing the portraits in the larger context of digital-learning initiatives.
• examples of work these young people have produced, including photos, slide presentations, videos, podcasts, music, games, essays, blogs, media diaries, and Web sites.

The portraits will be published on Edutopia.org, and articles about them will appear in several issues of Edutopia magazine and on the Web site beginning in February 2009."

For more information, visit: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-youth-video-multimedia

WHAT IS "C-SPAN StudentCam"?

C-SPAN StudentCam is an annual documentary competition that encourages students to think seriously about issues that affect our communities and our nation.

StudentCam is open to all middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) in the United States as individuals, or teams of students. Teams are limited to 3 students. The competition is also open to international students and there will be one $500 prize for the best international entry. Videos must be the original work of students, however, teachers may provide guidance and critiques.

For more information, visit: http://www.studentcam.org/

Announcing Tech4Learning's Webinar Series

Tech4Learning will be hosting twice-weekly webinars to help get you better acquainted with their products and learn successful integration and implementation strategies for your classrooms. The folks at Tech4Learning hope you will explore the list below to find a Webinar that meets your needs.

Visit http://tech4learning.webex.com to learn more, explore upcoming webinars, and register for the one that meets your needs.

Use the Webinars to:

• Explore ideas for curriculum connections
• Get an overview of software features
• Learn strategies for successful implementation
• Discuss resources and lessons plans
• Learn strategies for engaging your students

Upcoming Webinars:

• Oct. 28, 2008 Introduction to Pixie
• Oct. 30, 2008 Introduction to Frames
• Nov. 4, 2008 Introduction to WebBlender
• Nov. 6, 2008 Chroma Key with Frames
• Nov. 11, 2008 Using Pixie with a Whiteboard
• Nov. 13, 2008 Thanksgiving Lessons with Pixie

Register Today!

Adobe Software Donation Program

K-12 Schools in the US and primary and secondary schools in Canada may request a software donation from Adobe through Gifts In Kind. Please go to Tech Soup for more information about Adobe's North American Nonprofit Software Donation Program and to how to apply.

Products Offered

• Acrobat Pro
• Contribute
• Dreamweaver
• Flash Professional
• Fireworks
• In Design
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Premiere Pro
• CS Design Premium
• CS Web Premium
• CS Production Premium

Investigate for yourself. Click here.

NASA First Robotics Competition Sponsorship

NASA is very excited that teams are planning to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) this year. Participation is choosing to provide your students with the opportunity to use their minds to accomplish an incredible task: starting with a bunch of unrelated parts and the ideas that exist only in the minds of your team members and then creating a functioning robot in only six weeks. Wow! As you get started with the process of applying for sponsorship from NASA, they want to explain a few things to you.

(deadline October 20; apply for grants of up to $6,000 to help fund your team)

Click here for more information.

free online resources if you are looking to boost your middle and high school professional development offerings

The Ohio Resource Center's AdLIT Program for adolescent literacy has some wonderful free online resources if you are looking to boost your middle and high school professional development offerings. Their online modules include short, provocative readings, excellent up-to-date booklists, and thoughtful workshop suggestions. For example, their "Knowing the Resources" module is perfect for sparking staff discussions about how to match students to books. Investigate it for yourself, click here.

Free Search Engine for the Visual Learner

Move aside Google - if you are a visual learner, you are going to LOVE the new "Search Me" search engine. Type in any phrase like "literacy coaches" or an author like "Jane Yolen," and up pops a stack of actual web page images, rather than a linear text-based list. There are also icons below the search box to narrow your findings. The engine is still in beta testing, but you really have to try this one out to appreciate the WOW factor.

Visit: http://www.searchme.com/

ISTE Webinar Series: Blogging in the Classroom—for Beginners

TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Blogging in the Classroom—for Beginners

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
1 pm Pacific / 2 pm Mountain / 3 pm Central / 4 pm Eastern

In this introductory session, learn how blogging can help integrate Web 2.0 technologies into your curriculum. Experience how this form of interactive publishing creates authentic learning experiences, regardless of your content area. By the end of this webinar, participants will know the basics of setting up a WordPress blog, have rationale for using blogs as a powerful, motivatonal tool to promote meaningful student learning, as well as how to use blogging as a form of potent professional development.

Webinar Pricing:
$50 ISTE Members
$125 Non-Members

Free Online Stopwatch for use in your Classroom!

Everybody needs a stopwatch at some point -- and there's never one around!
Well... Now there is! Online Stopwatch!
A Simple, Fast Flash Online Stopwatch and Online Countdown timer always available when you need it.

Applications Now Being Accepted for 2009 Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards

Applications are now being accepted nationwide for individuals who implement creative learning programs in their communities, helping to push education progress to new heights. The annual Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards recognize outstanding educators, administrators, policymakers, and other leaders at the forefront of innovation in education.

The application and nomination period opens Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at www.LeadersInLearningAwards.org (this is an online-only process). The application period for educators and for nominating policymakers closes December 17, 2008.

Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards recognize a broad array of innovators, including:

Highly inventive classroom educators, administrators, community leaders, and policymakers who are transforming education from kindergarten through high school.
Those who have had a major impact on educating youth both in and out of the classroom.
Those who have adopted innovative learning practices that have transformed an aspect of education on a large or small scale.

In addition to national and local recognition, winners receive:

• A $3,000 cash prize
• An all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC in June, 2009
• While in Washington, award recipients will visit with members of Congress to talk about their award-winning programs.
• Winners will attend an awards ceremony with policymakers, government officials, leaders of the national education community, cable industry executives, and other VIPS.

Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards, administered by Cable in the Classroom, recognize innovative programs in several categories including: General Excellence, Cable Partnerships for Learning, and Media Literacy Education.

For more information on the awards and categories, to hear podcast interviews with previous winners and to apply online, please visit: www.LeadersInLearningAwards.org.

Teachers Can Apply for Teachnet Institute

Teachers Network is currently seeking applications for membership in the Teachnet Institute, a professional social network for New York City teachers, combining both online and face-to-face communication to foster 21st-century skills for educators. Participants will collaborate with members on technology projects, solutions, and communications; write and publish technology curricula; advocate for the use of technology in education; and come together as a group for the exchange of innovative ideas.

Applicants must submit an online application no later than Sunday, November 2.

To learn more and apply online, visit www.teachersnetwork.org.

LEGO Education Grant Services

LEGO Education's Grant Service grant listing features foundations that are particularly interested in helping the disadvantaged and those who would drop out of school. Recipients of these funds will have a series of responsibilities including increasing attendance, securing parental involvement, and securing academic success - all with the end goal of attaining high school completion. The folks at LEGO want to enable anyone to become a star within the LEGO® Education galaxy by lending assistance to a constantly evolving, solution-seeking audience of educators. The grant giving foundations are listed below:

• Ford Foundation
• Annenberg Foundation
• David & Lucile Packard Foundation
• Annie E Casey Foundation
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• Bank of America
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• GE Foundation
• JP Morgan Chase Foundation
• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
• ExxonMobile Foundation
• Walton Family Foundation
• Heinz Endowments

For more information on how you can find underwriting for robotics, simple machines, or other LEGO Education products, visit Grant Resources on our homepage, www.LEGOeducation.com, or call 800-362-4308.

WIN A "GREEN COMPUTER LAB" FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

INSPIRE your middle and high school students to be leaders in the Green Schools movement--and your school could win a state-of-the-art computer lab! The "Green Light Contest" essay competition, sponsored by PC Mall Gov, in partnership with HP, InFocus and T.H.E. Journal, is seeking entries from students in two categories: grades 5 - 8 and 9 - 12. In essays of 1,000 words or less students are asked to describe how they and their teachers can utilize technology to protect the environment, with the grand-prize-winning composition being awarded a 30-seat "green" computer lab for the author's school. Two additional first place winners (one from each grade-level category) will each receive a "green" laptop. Winning essays will be published in T.H.E. Journal and winners will be recognized at FETC, January 21 - 24, in Orlando, FL.

***APPLICATION DEADLINE is December 1, 2008. Winners will be announced at FETC, January 21 - 24, 2009, and notified by mail no later than January 31, 2009.

***Complete essay and submission criteria are available online at:
http://www.1105info.com/t.do?id=1685344:13589656

The Woogi World Solution

Through their safe, and engaging virtual world, www.woogiworld.com, elementary age children worldwide are becoming responsible Internet users and goodwill ambassadors, learning and implementing the character traits that are helping them be good influences in their homes, schools, and communities—ultimately leading out in the global "Woogi phenomenon" of kids driving good works. Their goal is to be the "tool of choice" that parents and educators use to teach elementary children:

1. Proper, positive character traits and skills that include:
• Internet behavior and safety
• Leadership
• Service to others
• Proper health and nutrition
• etc.
2. Balance between time on and off the Internet
3. The value and benefit of actively participating in the community

Investigate for yourself. Visit http://www.woogiworld.com/.

2009 Verizon Tech Savvy Awards

What are the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards?

The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards recognize outstanding educational programs that demystify technology for parents so that they may better support their child’s academic and social growth in an increasingly complex 21st century.

Goals of the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards

• To provide an incentive for grassroots, community-based nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools to include information communications technology literacy for parents as a component to enhance existing literacy programming
• To promote and support programming that empowers parents and subsequently their children to utilize technology-based resources and tools for literacy and language learning
• To encourage intergenerational applications of technology that improve the literacy and life skills of both parents and children
• To recognize innovative programming that prepares families for success in the 21st century through the use of digital media
• To help parents be active participants in all facets of their children’s education

The Awards

One national award of $25,000 and four regional awards of $5,000 will be given to organizations that have developed and delivered exemplary programs in information communications technology literacy for parents and children. The awards will be presented at the 2009 National Conference on Family Literacy in Orlando, Florida.

Nominate your organization, click here.

Fundamental Aeronautics Student Competition High School Division: 2008-2009 Academic Year

The Supersonics Project, part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, has identified a set of key technical challenges that are barriers to success for practical supersonic cruise vehicles. Some of these barriers include:

• Efficiency challenges, including supersonic cruise efficiency. There are two principal elements to supersonic cruise efficiency—propulsion efficiency and airframe aerodynamic efficiency—and these must be treated as an integrated challenge.
• Environmental challenges, including airport noise reduction, sonic boom modeling, and high-altitude emissions reduction.

For this academic year challenge, we offer two levels of the contest for high school students.

Regular curriculum students: Offer a detailed look at what needs to be accomplished in order to have supersonic commercial flight by 2020. Present your documented review of the pros and cons of supersonic flight, the challenges and the solutions. Include your informed description of the potential customers for this new service and how the service may fit with existing airport traffic.

Advanced curriculum students: Offer your designs for a highly efficient, environmentally friendly, low boom, commercial aircraft with an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of 2020.* Your design should addresses the efficiency, environmental and performance goals described below.

• Cruise speed = Mach 1.6 to 1.8
• Design Range = 4000 nautical miles
• Payload = 35 – 70 passenger range (mixed class)
• Fuel Efficiency = 3 passenger-miles per pound of fuel
• Takeoff field length <>

For details on eligibility, due dates, notice of intent, submission requirements, paper format, evaluation criteria, and awards, consult the pages on this web site.

• Notices of intent due December 15, 2008
• Final papers due March 15, 2009
• Results announced on or before May 1, 2009

For more details visit http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/competitions_high.htm.

Tech4Learning New York City DOE News

The folks at Tech4Learning have been very busy at this summer! They have a New FAMIS Contract and Catalog. If you have visited any of the Tech4Learning web sites recently, like their company page, Pics4Learning, or the Trading Post, you have seen some of the work we have been doing.

They also have a new contract number for our software tools on FAMIS.

Vendor Information
Vendor Code: TEC052
Contract Number: B060302
PD Contract Number: 9701236

Contract information is also available on our web site at http://www.tech4learning.com/contracts/nyc_products

Fall Professional Development Listings from Teaching & Learning

Fall professional development offerings from the Division of Teaching & Learning are now available online at http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/TeachLearn/PD/default.htm. Click on "Instructional Technology" to find our latest professional development offerings.

Applications now open for GTA NY 2008 - Apply by October 10th!

The Google Teacher Academy is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region.

Applications now open for GTA NY 2008 - Apply by October 10th!

The PBwiki Back to School Challenge continues....

The Back-To-School Challenge brings PBwiki to your classroom with:

• A FREE Gold Premium PBwiki upgrade ($250 value)
• Gifts like $1,000 of school supplies, as well as books and games from donors like LEGO Education (learn more about these gifts)
• Plus, get a free online professional development course just for signing up!

How The Back to School Challenge Works

• Join the Challenge
• Earn points by learning to use your wiki and sharing it with others.
• Join the Winner's Circle at 100 points, and get your free upgrade. But don't stop there--keep going to earn gift certificates for your classroom (including the $1,000 shopping spree grand prize), books, and other great educational resources.

Click here to take The PBwiki Challenge

T3 Regional Conference: "Creative Teaching in the Modern Classroom"

The T^3 (Teachers Teaching with Technology) Regional Conference will be held at The College of Staten Island, City University of New York on Saturday, October 25th from 8AM to 5PM. If you are using Texus Instruments equipment in your classroom, you don't want to miss this opportunity to meet with other educators and receive training on the technology you want to learn. Sessions include:

• The New TI-Nspire Technology
• Geometry with Cabri Jr.
• TI-84 Plus
• TI-Navigator
• Apps for the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus families
• TI-SmartView Emulator Software

And more...

Tentative conference program is now available by clicking here. Click here to register.

IXL #1Math Practice Site

Practice makes perfect, and IXL makes math practice fun. With unlimited math questions in more than 1,000 topics, students improve their skills and confidence and always have new challenges to meet. Click a here to get started!

Digital Wish Grant - DEADLINE SEPT 30, 2008

Digital Wish is a website designed to help educators find funding for classroom technology. Teachers register, create profiles and shop for much-needed technology products, similar to a wedding registry. Wish lists stay posted online and teachers can then elect to use their profile to fundraise for donations from parents, the community, or administrators. Digital Wish also runs a monthly grants program. Anyone who has registered and created a profile is automatically entered to win one of 43 Digital Wish technology grants. Check out the monthly Digital Wish grant schedule here: http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grants_sched.

Register for Educational Software Exposition

The Office of Instructional Technology, along with the Divisions of Contracts and Purchasing and Instructional and Information Technology, invites school teams to a software exposition to learn about resources and best practices for integrating technology into classroom instruction. School teams will have the opportunity to attend workshops, hear prominent speaks, and preview 11 award-winning instructional software titles offered at steep discounts off list prices. The exposition will be held at the Brooklyn Museum on October 6-7. Each day will offer two sessions: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. You can register until 5:00 p.m. on October 1 at www.learningtimes.net/nycdoeshowcase/register.

For more information, contact Software@schools.nyc.gov

Free Online Math Tutoring for Students by Students

StudyBuddy, the free online tutoring service provided by the National Science and Technology Education Partnership (NSTEP), is now accepting registration for tutors and tutees. High school students who have taken three years of math (with a B average or better) can enroll as tutors and may receive community service credit from their schools; middle and high school teachers can enroll their students to receive tutoring. All work is done online.

Participants will be given their own electronic notebook, called a ViewBook, where they can keep track of their sessions, access math worksheets, videos, and use the graphing calculator and equation editor. Interested math teachers should e-mail studybuddy@nstep-online.org or visit www.nstep-online.org.

For more information, contact Dr. Stevan Peters at speters@nstep-online.org.