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 As part of iEARN's 20th Anniversary Celebration, iEARN-USA is pleased to share a special printable 20th Anniversary issues with highlights from the year. Click here to download.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Get Ready Celebration of Teaching and Learning 2009:
The next Celebration of Teaching & Learning, will take place on March 6-7, 2009, at the Hilton on 6th Avenue (between 53rd and 54th Streets) in Manhattan. Last year's 8,500+ attendees gave the professional development conference rave reviews, and 2009 is shaping up to be even better. Read more
iEARN Workshop at NECC: Get ready for the 2009 NECC conference on June 28-July1 in Washington, DC. iEARN would love to host a workshop prior to the conference to provide resources and discuss themes important to you. Please take a moment to take a survey so we can design a workshop that works best.
If you are planning to submit a proposal for NECC and need materials or support, please contact Diane Midness.
In July 19-25, 2009, iEARN Morocco (MEARN) will be hosting the 16th Annual iEARN International Conference and 13th Annual Youth Summit - “Innovative Technologies and Cross Cultural Dialogue For Quality Education.”
Join Us In Morocco:
Check out iEARN Morocco's official website for conference information, youth summit details, and registration forms. Register early!
Foreign Language Survey for Disabled Students:
National surveys show high school students with disabilities, while increasing in numbers enrolled, still lag behind their non-disabled peers in the percentages taking foreign language courses.... Are you a person with a disability who is interested in taking a survey about foreign language learning and disability? The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange seeks your and other individuals with disabilities input and experiences. Take survey
Upcoming Events:
- January 30-May 18, 2009: iEARN will have the 1st session for Learning Circles.
Learning Circle Placement forms are due on January 15, 2009.
- January 21-24, 2009: FETC, one of the largest, most successful conferences in the United States devoted to educational technology will be held.
- January 17-19, 2009:
iEARN USA will participate in International Studies Schools Association (ISSA) Conference - in Tampa, Florida.
- April 16-18, 2009: iEARN USA will have presentation in the 56th Annual Northeast Conference “Engaging Communities: The World Is Our Classroom.”
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Michigan High School: Michigan high school teachers received $101,000 to use to "prepare students to function effectively in a culturally diverse, technologically complex and economically competitive global society." Teachers will have a one-day iEARN workshop on December 8th, and teachers attending will receive an iEARN membership for their school. The grant also will pay for teachers’ participation in iEARN online courses. Participation in iEARN will enable students and teachers to design and participate in global projects as part of their regular classroom and after-school activities. iEARN projects will help internationalize all curriculum areas, help build and improve 21st Century Skills, encourage civic participation as active global citizens, promote teamwork and cross-cultural awareness, and provide opportunities for students to use world language skills.
 US Teachers Visiting Nepal for Four Rivers, One World Project: Two teachers from the New York City area traveled to Nepal at the end of September on scholarships from the U.S. State Department as part of the Four Rivers, One World project. The teachers conducted water testing at several points along the Bagmati River with Nepalese students and teachers. The teachers also visited several schools to get an idea about how the education system works and visited many cultural sites to learn more about Nepal. For more information about the Four Rivers, One World project, please click HERE.
Publishing and Sharing PDF Portfolios Online Using Fireworks CS4 and Acrobat.com
Ruth Kastenmayer, iEARN Teacher
"In the United States, current educational reform legislation emphasizes the importance of leveraging the power of technology in all areas of K-12 education - from reading to science to special education. To achieve information literacy, students must learn to access, evaluate, and synthesize information and then have the capability to use that information productively. The Internet offers a powerful worldwide set of digital technologies, making it an ideal environment to ensure that every child reaches this goal..."
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Explore these wonderful iEARN projects and connect with teachers and students
around the globe.
 Machinto - "Do You Hear a Little Bird Crying?" This
popular project fills up fast - so join NOW. Based on the picture book “Machinto” and the exhibit catalogue 'They Still Draw Pictures, Children’s Art in Wartime," participants of the Machinto project explore what kind of wars have taken place in modern times after Hiroshima/Nagasaki, and where armed conflict continues to destroy the lives of children.
Students will learn about a little bird still crying somewhere in the world, in these areas where war threatens civilian lives creating innocent victims. They learn what wars bring us, and discuss what together we can do for this little bird. They will make creative picture books to present for those little birds in the world.
Read more
 Join the "Christmas/Holiday Card Exchange Project" - Teachers and students prepare an envelope with Christmas cards to send
to the other participants prior to Christmas. Students that do not
celebrate Christmas are encouraged to join the project. The project may
be called the Greeting card exchange and students would send Chinese
New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Eid greeting cards. Each school will be
placed in a group with approximately seven other schools and will
prepare either handmade or purchased cards (decorations may be
included) to send to each of the other schools. Read more
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Register NOW for Spring Professional Development Online Courses - Courses bring together participants from around the world, and will run from February 23 - April 26, 2009. Each course is designed so that by the end of nine weeks you will have outlined how you will use a standards based iEARN project in your classroom.
Courses include: Creative Arts, Language Arts/Writing, Social Studies, Science/Technology/Math, Teaching of Foreign and Second Languages, Learning Circles, Moving Voices (making digital documentaries), and PEARL (integrating journalism skills into the classroom). Read more and register now to save your spot here.
Online Course Scholarship Opportunity
- iEARN-USA has received financial support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State to encourage educators in the US to increase interaction with peers in countries with Muslim populations. As part of the DDFIA grant guidelines, you will engage in collaborative projects with educators and students in the following countries: Morocco, Tunisia, West Bank/Gaza, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Yemen. Through the ECA grant, you will be involved in online projects with educators and students in the following countries: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Oman, Sierra Leone, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.Throughout your interactions, you will have access to iEARN’s entire global network of educators and online projects. You will also be required to submit a brief report highlighting your collaborative project work at the end of your annual membership. If you are interested in applying for any of these scholarships, please contact Anindita Dutta Roy.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ING Unsung Heroes® Call for Applications: Are you an educator with a class project that is
short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking
for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas
into reality for students.
For more than 10 years, and with $3.0 million in awarded grants, ING
Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The
program’s “alumni” have inspired success in the classroom and impacted
countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to
receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of
those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000,
$10,000 and $25,000.
Applications for the 2009 awards are now available. The application deadline is April 30, 2009. For more information and to access the
online application, please click HERE for details and more information.
The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education 2008 Call for Applications: The Goldman Sachs Foundation State Prize will recognize a state or one of the 100 largest school districts that is actively promoting the development of international knowledge and skills on a wide scale through the creation of robust policies and specific programming initiatives. For a district, applications must have the approval of the superintendent/CEO of the district. For a state, applications must come from a governor's office, the chief state school officer, or the state board of education.
State
Prize Applications are
due December 1, 2008. For more information and to access the
online application, please click HERE for details and more information.
iEARN-USA is a member of iEARN
(International Education and Resource Network), the world's largest
K-12 non-profit global network that enables young people to use the
Internet and other new technologies to engage in collaborative
educational projects that both enhance learning and make a difference
in the world. To learn more about iEARN USA click HERE.
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