Contra Costa County Office of Education

                June 20, 2012 

STEAM Masthead
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Teacher Opportunities and Professional Development
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Greetings!

 

Summer is officially here, and with that there are some wonderful STEAM opportunities for students and educators. Please share this newsletter with interested colleagues.

Teacher Opportunities and Professional Development

Shape, Strength, and Stability: Bringing out the Builder in All of Us

The Contra Costa County Office of Education is pleased to partner with KQED and Lawrence Hall of Science to provide a FREE, two-day workshop for K-2 educators interested in integrating STEAM into their classroom lessons that are aligned with the California Common Core Standards.  Program participants will engage in hands-on activities to explore concepts of shapes in construction and everyday life.  Daily breakfast, lunch, and resource materials will be included.

 

This program will be held August 7 - 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the CCCOE Stewart Building, in Pleasant Hill.  For more information, contact Nancy Yamamoto at (415) 553-2282 or visit the program's website; participants can register at this Web page.

 

The National Marine Sanctuary's LiMPETS Program   
This summer, learn how to get your students involved in authentic, hands-on scientific investigations at your local beach or tidepool. This two-day workshop is for teachers (grades 6 - college) and educators who are interested in participating in the
LiMPETS' programs. This workshop is being offered in partnership by the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.
 

 
After completing the workshop, attendees will be eligible to use BEN biotech hardware and purchase consumables for all the labs presented (and more) at a very reduced cost.  

 

LiMPETS Introduction to Sandy Beach Monitoring:

When: Wednesday, August 1, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Where: Seymour Center and Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz  

When: Thursday, August 2, 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Where: Seymour Center and Natural Bridges Rocky Intertidal, Santa Cruz 
 

The cost is free, but there will be $50 deposit to hold a spot, and is returned upon completion.  Continuing education credits available through California State University, Monterey Bay.  For further information, questions, or to apply, contact Abby Nickels at (415) 561-6625, ext. 304.

 

Integrated Learning Summer Institute 2012 

The Alameda County Integrated Learning Summer Institute cuts to the core of quality learning and the opportunities provided by the shift to Common Core Standards and new performance-based assessments.

Join K-12 teachers, administrators, content-specialists, and teaching artists for three days of dynamic speakers, workshops, and leading-edge practices that will help you to:

  • Get a handle on how to implement new Common Core standards for a rich and rewarding teaching and learning experience
  • Address diverse-learning needs and boost achievement through differentiated-instruction strategies
  • Improve student and teacher engagement using arts-integration tools, action research, and service-learning strategies

The Institute will be held August 7-9, at the Chabot Space and Science Center.  The fee is: $150.  For more info, contact Sierra Falcon at 510-670-4557, or visit their website.  

 

Biotechnology Teachers Workshop 

GetBiotechSmart.com is hosting its third annual Biotechnology Teachers' Workshop that is focused on re-energizing teachers' classrooms with biotechnology resources, while learning from scientists and fellow teachers!  This year's program will be held July 25-27, Des Moine, IA.

 

United Soybean Board, the workshop's sponsor, will cover all hotel and food expenses in Des Moines, and will provide a $750 honorarium to help offset travel costs to attend.  As part of the honorarium, sponsored attendees will be asked to participate in a pre-workshop conference call and do a follow-up activity, in which you'll develop up to two lesson plans.

 

To register, download and complete this application Applications are due by June 27.  For more information, contact Aruna Deen at (317) 415-0551.  

 

Technology Classes this Summer at Krause Center for Innovation (KCI)

Take a FASTtech class at the KCI's state-of-the-art facility located on the Foothill College campus this summer. These low-cost short courses enable educators to learn and enhance technology skills to support their curriculum and further inspire and engage their students!  You will learn to use a variety of computer software for both your personal and professional use and can earn professional development units!  


FastTech Classes being offered this summer include: 

  • Photoshop Tips and Tricks - July 2-3
  • Adobe Illustrator I - July 9-10
  • Video Podcasting I - July 11-12
  • Adobe InDesign I - July 11-12
  • Adobe Illustrator II - July 16-17
  • Tech in the Classroom (Google Tools) - July 16-17
  •  Web Page Design with Free Online Tools - July 8-19
  • Video Podcasting II - July 25-26
  • Technology Hardware in the K12 Classroom - July 30-31
  • Using Digital Images I - August 6-7
  • Integrating 21st Century Skills Into Your Curriculum - July 2-August 10 ONLINE
  • Open Education Resources - July 2-August 10 ONLINE                    (All on-site classes run  6:00-9:00 p.m.)

Participants pay a once-per-quarter $35 basic fee, plus $15.50 per half-unit tuition. The first class you take this summer is $51 and each additional class is only $15.50.  For more information about the courses, and to register, visit:their website.  

 

New Science Teacher Academy 

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is accepting applications for the New Science Teacher Academy, a cost-free program that provides professional development and mentoring to secondary science teachers.


Co-founded by the Amgen Foundation, the academy is a professional-development initiative created to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence, and improve teacher content knowledge. The academy provides mentoring and other professional development resources to support science teachers during the often challenging, initial teaching years and to help them stay in the profession. Two hundred teachers will become part of the 2012-13 academy. The program provides each teacher with a year-long, discipline-specific mentor; Web-based content development courses and other resources; membership in the NSTA; and an opportunity to attend the National Conference on Science Education.

For complete program information and the application form, please visit their website.  The deadline to apply is August 24.

 

Student Opportunities
Cardburg 2012: The Super Track!

Visit the Lesher Center for the Arts newest exhibit: Cardburg 2012: The Super Track!  The Cardboard Institute of Technology (C.I.T.) has deconstructed the spectacle of car racing, challenging mainstream notions of competition and cooperation. C.I.T. invites you to take part in their unique brand of racing: form a pit crew, race in teams, and sabotage your opponents.  The exhibition will include several open makes, during which visitors can come to the gallery and build their own cardboard car. 

 

This very special exhibition will be held at the Lesher Center of the Arts, in Walnut Creek, From June 14 through August 12.  Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for youth (13-17), free for children (12 and under).  For more information, please visit their website.

 

The CCCOE STEAM enews is published regularly, highlighting news, events, and resources that enhance STEAM education for all students.  If you received the STEAM enews from a colleague, please join our mailing list to continue receiving updates. This publication does not signify the Contra Costa County Office of Education endorses the event or program mentioned.

 

For more information regarding CCCOE STEAM, please visit our website.

Sincerely,

 

Hilary Haugen Dito
CCCOE STEAM Coordinator

 

CCCOE Logo

 

Associate Superintendent, Pamela Comfort, Ed.D.

925-942-3358

 

STEAM Coordinator, Hilary Haugen Dito

925-942-3396

 

Published by the Communications Office of the Contra Costa County Office of Education

Layout/Design, Diane Morrell; Web Developer, June Stephens;
Writer/Media Relations, Jonathan Lance