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Hello again iEARN-USA Teachers!
I hope this note finds you enjoying the first hints of spring, as we
are here in New York today. In the office we are busily preparing for
our April Master Trainer Workshop, which will bring educators from
around the world together for one week to share practices, learn more
about iEARN, and build new friendships. We will be having a number of
activities to celebrate their arrival, so if you're in the New York
area, please stay tuned!
We are also beginning to make our arrangements for travel to Senegal
this summer, to participate in the Annual iEARN Conference in July!
You'll find new information on flights and fares below, and we will
continue to send information along as we get it. We hope to see many of
you there!
Below is issue 6 of the US newsletter, which I hope you find useful and
informative. As always, drop me a line if you have items you'd like to
submit for inclusion, or suggestions for what more you'd like to see.
And if you need anything-- passwords, help finding a forum or choosing
a project, or anything else-- feel free to call or email me at any
time. I love to hear from you!
Warmly,
Mariam
IEARN-US Newsletter, Issue 6
February 16, 2005
IEARN-US NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Scholarships available for BRIDGE Learning Circles course
2. Subscribe to the US Forum
3. Flights from the US to Dakar, Senegal
4. iEARN in language classes
5. Global Youth Service Day is April 15-17!
6. Connect with schools in Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Palestine & Syria
7. Join us at the 2005 YouthCaN conference this April!
8. Share your stories of collaboration with teachers from the Middle East or South Asia
9. Learning Circle Registration
10. Online Course Registration closing next week
11. Seeking US teachers for Video Exchange Online Course
12. iEARN seeking placement for World Education Corps
AWARDS & OPPORTUNITIES
1. Grants for Tolerance and Youth Activism Projects
2. Thomas Day Institutes expenses-paid summer K-12 workshops
3. Share your "Sage Advice" with Edutopia readers
4. Design a book cover with 30,000 copies in print
5. One-year International Ed internship for recent grads
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IEARN-US NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1. Online course scholarships available for BRIDGE Learning Circle
Learning Circles are about communicating and sharing information. This
online course is for US educators who wish to participate in the iEARN
BRIDGE project and other international teachers. There are five
scholarships available for the course, which runs from March 7th
through May 8th. Teachers will learn how to build and promote
cross-classroom collaboration through the Internet. You will work in
small groups (simulating a Learning Circle) and develop skills to teach
your students to gather and organize information for publication in
print and on the Internet. For more information: http://www.iearn.org/professional/learningcircles.html
To request a scholarship form and enroll, write to onlinepd@us.iearn.org
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2. Come one, come all and subscribe to the US Forum!
What have you missed in the US-Center discussion forum?
http://foro.iearn.org/.f112f83/
* Share your opinion about report cards
* Global Youth Service Day (Free materials)
* Free country study guides and
videos (first come first serve!)
* Time Time and Time as a problem
* Nominate top online educators for
Innovative Teaching Magazine
* Social Studies time getting squeezed
* Professional Development
Workshops on Multicultural History
Send an e-mail to dmidness@us.iearn.org to be subscribed to receive
messages by e-mail so you will not miss important deadlines for some
great opportunities. As a special incentive, the first 5 people who
sign up will receive a multicultural CD and activity kit! Do it today!
We want you!
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3. Flights from the US to Dakar, Senegal:
We are negotiating with airlines
for a lower group fare to Dakar, Senegal for the 2005 iEARN
International Conference and Youth Summit. So far, the lowest
fare is on Air France. The round trip fare from JFK (NYC) is
about $988, plus $215 in airport and other taxes. The departure
from JFK would be at about 6:00 pm on July 16th, arriving in Dakar the
evening of the 17th (time for exploring Paris for a few hours!), in
time for opening ceremonies the morning of the 18th. The
Departure from Dakar would be in the evening of the 24th, arriving back
at JFK the morning of the 25th. We are also talking to Air France
about departures from Chicago and Los Angeles.
The airline requires a $50 deposit to be paid before a seat is held, with the balance of the fare to be paid by April 1, 2005.
We need to know how many might be interested in participating in this
group. Of course, the more in the group, the more it might be
possible to negotiate an even lower rate. Please send a message
to dakar@us.iearn.org to tell us whether you are 1) definitely
interested; or 2) possibly interested.
See you in Senegal!!!
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4. iEARN in language classes
Ann Tollefson, an iEARN educator in
Wyoming who some of you met in Slovakia last summer, is seeking some
examples of iEARN projects involving language teachers/students that
she might use in an ISTE book as an example of how teachers can use
iEARN to reinforce and enrich language instruction. If you would
like to provide examples from your own experience, contact Ann at:
<annt@bresnan.com>
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5. Global Youth Service Day is April 15-17!
Global Youth Service Day is quickly
approaching and will be here before we know it! If you already have
activities planned, please let us know by writing to
mhabib@us.iearn.org. And for help in planning your GYSD celebration,
order free toolkits from Youth Service America, complete with planning
booklets and colorful posters. To send for a kit go to http://www.ysa.org/nysd/material/rfmform.cfm
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6. Connect with schools in Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Palestine & Syria
Relief International - Schools Online
has asked iEARN to help identify US schools to connect with schools in
the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia.
Collaborative projects last 3-4 weeks (approximately 1 activity
per month). The themes of activities range from worldwide electoral
systems, recording of oral history, gender empowerment, to cultural and
religious holidays; thus allowing teachers of multiple subjects to get
involved. The overall program is designed for an entire school year;
however, teachers are welcome to join the program at any time and for
limited number of online projects. Teachers and students start the
international dialogue through a well-written and guided series of
lesson plans. Those who develop a strong relationship with their
foreign counterparts are welcome and encouraged to continue the
cooperation beyond the topics selected for the program.
To join or for more information, contact Liliana Vazquez at liliana@schoolsonline.org or 650-486-2431.
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7. Join us at the 2005 YouthCaN conference this April!
Please join us for this gathering of
600-1000 students, where youth run the show! Your students can share
their environmental projects through a variety of presentation
formats. If you have questions, please call or e-mail us at
212-769-5039 or holmes@amnh.org.
For more information about the whole YouthCaN project visit:
http://www.youthcanworld.org
For conference info visit:
http://www.youthcanworld.org/confs/nycconf/ycnycconfhome.html
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8. Have you worked with friends in the Middle East, South Asia, or Uzbekistan?
We want your stories!! If you have
collaborated online with teachers and students from the following
countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia,
India, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan and
are willing to share your experience, please let us know. The
Department of State is interested in learning what impact their support
of the BRIDGE program has had. If you are willing to share your
experience, please send Tina Habib <thabib@us.iearn.org> your
contact information and a brief summary of the collaboration you have
been involved in.
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9. Did you miss the deadline for Learning Circle Registration?
Classrooms worldwide have just
embarked on a new session of Learning Circles
(http://www.iearn.org/projects/project_learning.html) - highly
interactive, 14 - week, project-based partnerships among a small number
of classroom located throughout the world. Though some US
classrooms are participating, we would like to see more!!! If you
missed the deadline and would still like to get your class involved,
email Lisa Jobson <ljobson@us.iearn.org> as soon as possible.
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10. Last chance to enroll for February 2005 iEARN Online Professional Development Courses!
Nine week interactive online courses
begin February 21 - April 25th, 2005. Early enrollment is recommended,
as courses fill up quickly. Professional development credits are
available for teachers in New York City, Delaware, Rhode Island, and
Washington State. Course listings and information on each course are
available at http://www.iearn.org/professional/index.html. Questions? Contact <onlinepd@us.iearn.org>.
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11. Seeking US teachers for Video Exchange Online Course
iEARN and Interactive FrameWorks, Inc
are seeking fifteen US schools to work with peers worldwide in Moving
Voices, a global video exchange project and online course. Each
participating US teacher or school will be asked to make a $100
contribution to support the running of the course, and involvement of
peers globally. Scholarships are available for a limited number
of participants outside of the US. For more about Moving Voices,http://www.iearn.org/professional/index.html/.
To enroll in the Moving Voices Online Course, or to learn more, contact
Losira Okelo <lokelo@us.iearn.org> by March 1, 2005. The
course is open to teachers worldwide.
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12. iEARN seeking placement for World Education Corps
iEARN has partnered in a new
initiative to bring enhanced educational opportunities to schools and
communities worldwide. The program will use volunteers, typically
recent college graduates, in a spirit of service similar to the Peace
Corps. Unlike the Peace Corps, however, the W.E.C. will draw its
volunteers from all over the world. Starting in August 2005, the
W.E.C., in partnership with iEARN, will send volunteers to sites in
iEARN Centers in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa,
Jordan, India, Pakistan, China, and the United States. iEARN-USA
is aiding in the recruitment process, and is currently seeking a US
volunteer - ideally an individual who is already familiar with iEARN's
programs, to serve for one year in one of the countries listed
above. Interested? Contact Ed Gragert
<ed1@us.iearn.org> for more details and an application, and visit http://www.worldeducationcorps.org/.
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AWARDS & OPPORTUNITIES
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1. Grants for Tolerance and Youth Activism Projects
The Teaching Tolerance project of the Southern Poverty Law Center
offers grants of up to $2,000 to K-12 classroom teachers for
implementing tolerance and youth activism projects in their schools and
communities. Grants are awarded for small-scale, resourceful,
student-focused projects that promote acceptance of diversity,
peacemaking, community service or any other aspect of tolerance
education. K-12 classroom teachers throughout the U.S. are eligible to
apply. Applications from other educators, such as community
organizations and churches, will be considered on the basis of direct
student impact. Applications are accepted throughout the year. More
information at http://www.tolerance.org/teach/expand/gra/guide.jsp
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2. Thomas Day Institutes offering expenses-paid summer K-12 workshops
The North Carolina Museum of History,
in partnership with the Thomas Day Education Project, is offering a
series of professional development workshops for K-12 educators
nationwide entitled, Crafting Freedom: Thomas Day and Elizabeth Keckly,
Black Artisans and Entrepreneurs in the Making of America." This
professional development opportunity to selected educators will have
most expenses paid. We are especially eager to make this opportunity
available to you and your colleagues. As there are 150 openings we
especially encourage you to apply and/or to share this information with
your colleagues and others in your school system!
Applicants must complete and submit their applications by March 21st
(postmark deadline March 15) to be eligible. For full information on
the application process and on the content of the workshops, please
look for the "Crafting Freedom Workshops" link on our website,
www.thomasday.net , or contact us by phone at 919 405 2326 or toll free
at 877 438 1599, by email at tdek05@aol.com, or by US mail at Crafting
Freedom Workshops/ Box 12888/ Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
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3. Share your "Sage Advice" with Edutopia readers!
Edutopia, The George Lucas Educational Foundation's new magazine, is
looking for reader voices and comments for their next issue. They'll be
featured in an ongoing department called Sage Advice in which our
audience suggests solutions to problems we throw out there. (Think of a
reverse Dear Abby.)
You can see a few of the many notes we received in response to our last topic at http://www.edutopia.org/sageadvice.
The question for the next issue is:
Report cards rarely give the full picture. What else do you use or do
to give parents a snapshot of how their kids are performing?
Send your 25- to 100-word replies, or even suggestions for future
questions, to sage@edutopia.org, or visit Sage Advice on the Web at http://www.edutopia.org/sageadvice.
(The fine print: Deadline is February 16. Be sure to include your name,
location, and title or affiliation. Responses may be edited for length
and style.)
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4. Design a book cover with 30,000 copies in print!
Attention Exchange Students! Each year, CSIET (Council on Standards for
International Educational Travel) evaluates U.S.-based high school
exchange programs and publishes the results of this evaluation in the
Advisory List of International Educational Travel & Exchange
Programs. This book is then sent to every high school in the United
States so that schools, families, and students can identify reputable
exchange organizations. Each year, over 30,000 copies of the Advisory
List are distributed.
CSIET is pleased to announce its third annual cover design contest.
High school exchange students inspired by their experiences are
encouraged to submit artwork representing the spirit of youth exchange
and their personal experience with exchange. The winner's artwork will
be featured on the cover of the 2005-2006 Advisory List. The final
cover design will also be featured on the CSIET website. The artist's
name will be mentioned in the Advisory List. In addition, the winner
will receive a cash prize of $500.
For more information, visit: <http://www.csiet.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=749>
5. One-year International Ed internship for recent grads
The International Education Internship is an initiative of the Watson
Institute's Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown
University. This full-time internship enables one recent college
graduate each year to spend a year working as part of a team focused on
strengthening international content and civic learning within the core
curriculum at the secondary level in the United States. The deadline
for applications for 2005-06 is March 15, 2005.
The internship and application materials are posted on the Choices Program web site at <http://www.choices.edu/intern.cfm> or from Susan Graseck, the project Director, at 401-863-3155 Ext 1.
Mariam Habib
iEARN-US Membership Coordinator
Connecting Youth, Making a Difference in the World!
t: (212) 870-2693
f: (212) 870-2672
--
__________________________________________________
iEARN (http://www.iearn.org)
International Education and Resource Network
Connecting Youth...Making a Difference
Join us at the 12th Annual iEARN World Conference,
July 17-23, 2005 in Dakar, Senegal
__________________________________________________
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