June Header
Issue: #7 
June 2013
Welcome to the June edition of the VirtualJobShadow.com newsletter! It's the start of summer break for many students and teachers, and it's also a time for educators to fine tune lesson plans, and find new resources to keep teaching and learning exciting.

And, speaking of exciting, we are pleased to announce new educational partnerships in Parkway County School District in Missouri, and Pittsburgh Public Schools, PA.  Welcome aboard, Pittsburgh and Parkway County!

On the development front, we are working on cool new career education products, and new features for VirtualJobShadow.com users. Keep reading for a sneak peak!

We've also just released our latest video profile, on an Occupational Therapist! Many thanks to Liz Kolousek for sharing her insights and enthusiasm, and our friends at CarePartners.

Because science is always cool, we're curated some interesting and strange-in-a-good-way articles that you and your students might have missed.
 
Finally, since summer is definitely about fun times, eating, and kicking back, we are including a recipe for a simple and delicious summer salad.  Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Your friends at VirtualJobShadow.com
VJS News and Updates
A Big Welcome to Pittsburgh Public Schools and Parkway School District in Missouri!

VirtualJobShadow.com is pleased to announce that students in Pittsburgh's five public schools with CTE programs will have full access to our career exploration tools and resources starting with the 2013-2014 school year.
 
Pittsburgh has a diverse and growing economy, but like many cities faces a skills gap for filling current and future job needs, especially those that require STEM education. To help meet these needs, Pittsburgh Public Schools is focusing on preparing students for high demand careers, with a focus on those identified by the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board. Our high-quality digital videos, job profiles, and career interest tools will be a key element in helping Pittsburgh students be ready for college and career!
 
 
We are also very happy that Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Missouri has added VirtualJobShadow.com to its career guidance and exploration resources. Chesterfield is city undergoing a big boom in development, and Parkway wants to ensure that its high school students are college and workforce ready.
New Offerings and Features Coming This Fall
We are constantly working to make VirtualJobShadow.com the best career exploration resource available. We think it already is, but that doesn't stop us from wanting to add more tools and features!


This fall we will be rolling out some cool new offerings including:
  • An interactive, middle school career exploration course with an interest inventory, assessments, engaging media assets, and much more! The course is based on CTE Standards as well as Common Core Standards, and will be SCORM-compliant using the Moodle platform.
  • JIST's new digital Career Exploration Inventory EZ, a tool that helps students self-assess their career, leisure, and academic interests. 

 Also coming soon are awesome new VirtualJobShadow.com features!

  • Student and teachers Inboxes to enhance communication and help facilitate exploration of careers.
  • Fun quizzes for every digital job shadow to reinforce concepts and allow students to demonstrate mastery.
  • The ability for teachers to assign Play Lists to individuals or entire classrooms via Inbox messaging system.
  • Robust Admin reporting capabilities including the ability to create charts and graphs.
Please contact us for more information on all the new offerings and features!
Check out our Latest Blog Post

VirtualJobShadow.com is dedicated to helping young people make informed education and career decisions. Our new blog is another way to get the word out that STEM and STEAM education is important. Our latest blog entry focuses on the how learning never stops, even when it's time for summer vacation. Click here to access the blog.
Legislative News
STEM to STEAM STEM and STEAM Gaining Steam! 
 
On May 29th, Illinois Representative Bill Foster visited Aurora University to talk about the 21st Century STEM Competitive Jobs Act. This legislation would place even more focus on STEM education, and help provide grants to school districts that are helping to bridge the gap and connect students to employers.  Click here for the full story in the Chicago Tribune
 
In New Hampshire, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced the launch of the new Senate STEM Education and Workforce Caucus. Senator Shaheen is also the author of proposed legislation, the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program, which would boost STEM education throughout the U.S. through grant programs, and place new focus on STEM opportunities for women.  For more information see http://nashua.patch.com/articles/shaheen-announces-launch-of-stem-caucus.
 
In a recent visit to Mooresville, NC, President Obama announced that he wants to greatly increase access to online resources in the classroom. High-speed Internet service is key, and the President will be requesting that the FCC move forward with a program that funds broadband to schools and libraries, with the goal of 99% of students having access to faster Internet connections within five years.
From the Web

Science and technology are the drivers of our economy. And sometimes it can be downright strange (but very interesting!). For fun, check out these recent news articles you might have missed.

 

New Digital Job Shadow
Occupational Therapist - Liz Kolousek

An Occupational Therapist with CarePartners, Liz Kolousek loves helping people, and enjoys the challenge of solving everyday problems. OT is a field in high demand, and even more OT's will be needed in the future. In this video, Liz describes why she loves her job, and talks about the ways students can get on the path to this great career through education, summer jobs, and volunteering. Click above to watch!

All of our digital job shadow videos engage students in learning about careers.  The most popular vary from month to month. Here are the top five most-watched career profiles from May:

 

1. Radiologic Technologist 
2. Pastry Chef 
3. Manufacturing Engineer 
4. Police officer 
5. Conservationist
 
Visit our demo page to check out other examples, or request your free trial today!
Just for Fun - Watermelon and Tomato Salad
To help you beat the summer heat, and make the most of those delicious summertime tomatoes, try this great recipe from the New York Times.

Yield = 4 servings
Time
= 15 minutes

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, in 1-inch cubes or balls (cut over a bowl to catch the juice and reserve it)
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup finely diced or crumbled Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Maytag blue cheese
  • 1/2 cup minced scallions
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped
Directions
  1. Combine the watermelon, tomato, cheese, scallions and salt in a bowl.
  2. Whisk or blend together about 2 tablespoons of the watermelon juice, oil, vinegar and cayenne. To serve, dress the salad with this mixture and garnish with cilantro. Do not refrigerate and serve within 30 minutes.
  3. Note: leave some of the watermelon seeds in to add an interesting crunch with nutritional value.
Social Media and Website Links
Twitterverse
VirtualJobShadow.com is now on Twitter! Please follow us to receive info on workforce statistics, STEM & STEAM news, cool educational trends, CTE happenings, useful classroom technologies, the occasional musing within 140 characters, and breaking news related to VirtualJobShadow.com. You can't beat the tweet! 
 
Contact Us
VirtualJobShadow.com
C/O Strivven Media LLC
P.O. Box 5424
Asheville NC, 28813

Toll Free: (888) 908-4924
Direct: (828) 545-8260
Fax: (828) 348-1770

Email: [email protected]
In This Issue
Pittsburgh and Parkway Choose VJS
New Offerings and Website Features for Fall
STEM and STEAM Legislation
From the Web
New Digital Job Shadow!
Educators
 
Find out why Educators love our Product! Contact Candace Zlotnick [email protected]

Coming Soon
 
Job Shadows in Development:  

- Physical Therapist
- Medical Assistant
Climate Scientist
- EMT
- Many more!
Employers 
 
Find out how your employees can be featured on VirtualJobShadow.com!
Contact Ed Burgess at [email protected]
Link to Us
Educators can make it even easier for parents and students to access VirtualJobShadow.com by adding a link to your school's homepage.  Click here to access a webpage containing the HTML code, or give this information to your school's webmaster.