iEARN-USA - The International Education and Resource Network

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1. New iEARN 2004-2005 Project Book is Ready!
2. iEARN Online Course Registration ends September 23rd
3. International Education Week is November 15 - 19!
4. New iEARN Travel Opportunities for US teachers and students!
5. iEARN in Print in latest issue of Educational Leadership Magazine
6. New iEARN partnership with the Daniel Pearl Foundation
7. Teachers in Uzbekistan want to meet YOU!
8. Work with classrooms across the border in Canada!
9. iEARN-USA Selected as a Laureate for Tech Museum Award
10. Sage Advice Sought by Edutopia Magazine
11. Your website could take you to Jamaica!
12. Small grants available for gatherings supporting debate on US Foreign Policy
13. Nominate a teacher for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award!
14. Fulbright Opportunities
15. New "Gallant" column in Highlights seeking stories of youth making a difference

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1. New iEARN 2004-2005 Project Book is Ready! See
http://www.iearn.org/projects/projectbook.html to download a copy. Hard copies of the Project Book will be sent to all member schools/teachers in October.

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2. Register Now! iEARN Online Courses begin October 4th-
Registration ends September 23rd

Interactive nine-week courses are being offered by iEARN for teachers wanting to learn how to integrate an online collaborative project into their teaching. The courses are step-by-step guide on using international collaborative projects in the classroom. Participants will complete hands-on activities, discuss related readings and collaborate with partner teachers. Each course has twenty-five teachers from the U.S. and around the world. The course is facilitated by two
experienced iEARN online educators. Professional development credit is available for New York City, Delaware, and Rhode Island educators.

Courses run October 4th - December 5th, 2004. Enroll now at: http://www.iearn.org/professional/index.html

For information about iEARN Spanish online courses, see http://www.telar.org.

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3. International Education Week is November 15 - 19!

As many of you know, International Education Week is fast approaching, and we want to know what your plans are! Please let us know what you will be doing to celebrate the week, and be sure to also register your events in the IEW database. To access it, go to http://exchanges.state.gov/iew.

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4. New iEARN Travel Opportunities for US teachers and students!

We are pleased to announce that there will be a number of hosting and travel opportunities for US schools this year to collaborate with students from countries with significant Muslim populations! Delegations consisting of four students and one teacher will arrive from each of the following countries: Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, & Tunisia. Host schools will provide families for students to reside with and plan social and cultural activities for the duration of their stay. In addition, US delegations (also consisting of four students and one teacher) will have the opportunity to travel to each of the following countries and remain for three weeks: Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. When possible, iEARN will pair US & International Schools for both parts of the exchange. If interested, please contact Tina Habib at chabib@us.iearn.org. This opportunity is made possible by a generous grant from the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the State Department.

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5. iEARN in Print in latest issue of Educational Leadership Magazine

The September issue of Educational Leadership (ASCD journal - http://www.ascd.org/) has a theme of "Teaching for Meaning" and includes an article by Stone Wiske entitled "Using Technology to Dig for Meaning." Her article references and draws from the book she co-authored with Kristi Rennebohm Franz, a longtime iEARN teacher, and it features work from the iEARN Water Habitat Project.

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6. Is one of your students a buddingjournalist? Join in a new iEARN partnership with the Daniel Pearl Foundation

The Daniel Pearl Foundation is partnering with iEARN to set up a web-based international news service run by secondary school students from around the world. Participating students will select the issues to be reported, and write, edit and publish their articles on an online news service called PEARL World Youth News. We are looking for schools to participate in the project as Editors for the news service, especially those with prior experience in student journalism. Four schools will act as section Editors, one each for News, Features, Commentary and Entertainment. The project will have one Managing Editor school, which will be responsible for the final selection of articles to be published on PEARL World Youth News.

For more information, see http://www.iearn.org/pearlproject and contact Anindita Dutta Roy, anindita@us.iearn.org.

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7. Teachers in Uzbekistan want to meet YOU!

Teachers from many schools in Uzbekistan are searching for US schools to partner with in the "Get to Know Others" project. You can also find some of them in the Local History Project, and many others. Below, a message from Karligash Ishanova of Nukus:

"We are writing you from far remote school-Gimnasium No. 1 in Nukus city of Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan. We are the team of students studying in 8th - 10th grades, members of English club led by the English teacher Karlygash Ishanova (site http://ikarligash.narod.ru/). We are searching for a US partner school to start an exciting project "Get to know others" in order to exchange history and cultural traditions.

Please join them! For more information about partnering with teachers in Uzbekistan, contact Diane Midness dmidness@us.iearn.org or Lisa Jobson ljobson@us.iearn.org or join directly in the Uzbek Forum: http://foro.iearn.org/webx?NodesByDateD@@.ff26bae

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8. Work with classrooms across the border in Canada!

Dear Friends in iEARN,

I want to create a project that will look at the many links that exist between Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. As a part of this project I am hoping to find a grade five class in the U.S. and the UK that can explore these links from an American and British perspective, as we will be doing the same from a Canadian point of view.

If you are interested in such a project, please visit our new class Web site at
http://www.coolclass.ca and contact us through the "Contact Us" mail form link, or post a message in the Teachers Lounge Forum.

Yours in friendship, learning and iEARN,

Bill Belsey, bill@iearn-canada.org
Grade 5 Teacher, Calgary, Alberta Canada

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9. iEARN-USA Selected as a Laureate for Tech Museum Award

We are pleased to announce that iEARN-USA has been selected as one of five "Laureates" for the 2004 Tech Museum Award in the Education category. Over 300 outstanding candidates from 60 countries were nominated in the field of Education, representing "the best of the best technologists whose innovations benefit humanity."

The Award Judges will select 1 Laureate within this group who will receive $50,000 on November 10, 2004. All Laureates will be honored during Awards week and will receive an Award Trophy at the Gala event. The 5 final Prize Laureates will be revealed at the Gala. For more information on the awards, see: http://techawards.thetech.org

Regardless of what happens in the award competition, congratulations to all of us, and thank you to all the teachers who are the heart and soul of iEARN!

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10. Sage Advice Sought by George Lucas Foundation Edutopia Magazine

"Edutopia," The George Lucas Educational Foundation's new magazine, is looking for reader voices and comments for their second issue. Submissions will be featured in an ongoing department called Sage Advice in which readers suggest solutions to problems chosen by the editors. (Think of a reverse Dear Abby.)
You can see a few of the many notes we received in response to our first topic, "How do you make Election Day relevant to students" at http://www.edutopia.org/sageadvice.

The question for the next issue is:

Childhood obesity is a growing problem. Who or what do you see as the primary culprit? And what do you do to combat it?

Send your 100- to 300-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.

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11. Your website could take you to Jamaica!

Some of you may have met Tanya Eddowes of Childnet Academy at this year's iEARN Conference in Kosice. She wrote in to share this opportunity:

Children's charity Childnet International has launched its global Childnet Academy program for 2005 which it runs in partnership with Cable & Wireless. The Academy competition is for young people 18 years and under who have developed online projects or have a new idea that will benefit other young people around the world. Children and young people can enter individually or as a school project using the online entry form found on the academy website http://www.childnetacademy.org. There is also a special category for young people who have an idea for an internet project but are yet to start developing it. This category is called New to the Net.

Winners of the 2005 Academy will win a trip for two to Jamaica to participate in the Academy week program. The week will bring together like-minded young people from all over the world with internet experts and mentors who will support the ongoing development of their projects.

For further information please email academy@childnet-int.org.
To enter visit: http://www.childnetacademy.org/enter/entryform.aspx

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12. The People Speak - Small grants available for gatherings supporting debate on US Foreign Policy

IDEA-USA is happy to announce that it is joining in an international effort to promote discussion of U.S. Foreign Policy. This international effort is backed by a nonpartisan coalition of groups including the United Nations Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institute and the Open Society Institute.

The three topic areas for the 2004 The People Speak are: American Power and Global Security, Prosperity in a Global Economy, and Energy Choices and Environmental Challenges. Qualifying events include public debates, panel or roundtable discussions, lectures with breakout sessions, etc, and at least 350 of the mini-grants are reserved for US schools or community
organizations.

To qualify for a mini-grant of $250, an organizer must commit to hosting an event that will involve 50 or more participants. To qualify for a mini-grant of $500, an organizer must commit to hosting an event that will involve 100 or more participants.

Those wishing to apply for a grant may apply online at http://www.idebate.org/thepeoplespeak/application.asp. Additional information on The People Speak may also be found at http://www.ThePeopleSpeak.org. If you have any questions about The People Speak or how to get started planning an event, please contact a member of The People Speak team at (212) 548-0185.

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13. Nominate a teacher for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award!

Do you know a young educator who achieves excellence and equity in teaching and learning? Nominate him or her for the ASCD Outstanding Young Teacher Award! Fall nominations will run from April 16, 2004, to October 15, 2004, with two finalists announced in November. In December, the annual winner will be chosen from among the four finalists.

In addition to receiving an ASCD Institutional Membership for his or her school or district, the winner will receive a check for $10,000 and will be profiled in Educational Leadership magazine and honored during a general session at the 2005 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show in Orlando, Fla.

The ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award nominee is an education professional, 40 years of age or younger, who demonstrates exemplary commitment and exceptional contribution to the profession. This person's creative and innovative accomplishments within the classroom, school, district, state, or region have had a significant impact on student performance and achievement over time and provide an ongoing model of excellence in encouraging all learners to succeed. The educator's body of work consistently proves leadership among colleagues.

Visit http://www.ascd.org/oyea for more information. Deadline October 15.

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14. Fulbright Opportunities

Here are two upcoming opportunities for educators from Fulbright:

Educators are invited to apply for the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program provides opportunities for educators and administrators with responsibilities for curriculum development in fields related to humanities, languages, and area studies. The program is geared towards those educators with little or no experience in the host country that demonstrate the need to develop and enhance their curriculum through short-term study and travel abroad.

Seminar locations for the summer of 2005: China, Cyprus/Greece- June 1-July 5, 2005, Ecuador, Mexico, South Africa/Botswana.

Complete information can be found at http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpssap/sapfacts.html. Deadline October 19.

Fulbright also offers an exchange program for current teachers and administrators. Since 1946, the Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program has helped nearly 23,000 teachers and administrators contribute to mutual understanding between the United States and countries around the world. If you are a full-time U.S. teacher or administrator, you may be eligible to apply to the program. The application deadline is October 15, 2004 for the 2005-2006 academic year.

For further information, please go to http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org.

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15. New "Gallant" column in Highlights seeking stories of youth making a difference.

Highlights magazine will soon be starting a feature called Gallant Kids. Every couple months or so, they'll be featuring a student who has done a service to the community--something unique and admirable but on a scale moderate enough that other kids wouldn't be totally overwhelmed. To nominate a student particular children (no older than 12) to be featured, contact Joelle Dujardin, Associate Editor at jmdujardin@highlights-corp.com or 570-253-4538.

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Mariam Habib, US Membership Coordinator
International Education & Resource Network (iEARN)

475 Riverside Drive, Suite 450
New York City, 10115

Phone: 212-870-2693
Fax: 212-870-2672
www.iearn.org

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Mariam Habib, US Membership Coordinator
International Education & Resource Network (iEARN)

475 Riverside Drive, Suite 450
New York City, 10115

Phone: 212-870-2693
Fax: 212-870-2672
www.iearn.org
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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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