From MIT - look at these free classes: ( four years at MIT cost about $100.000.00) You get everything but the paper and staff contact. The future is here today!!!...

Welcome to MIT's OpenCourseWare:

A free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world. OCW supports MIT's mission to advance knowledge and education, and serve the world in the 21st century. It is true to MIT's values of excellence, innovation, and leadership.

MIT OCW:

* Is a publication of MIT course materials
* Does not require any registration
* Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
* Does not provide access to MIT faculty


900 Courses Now Available


With the educational materials from 900 MIT courses now available, the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative is halfway to its goal of publishing virtually all of MIT's courses by the year 2007. These courses range across all five of MIT's schools and 33 different academic disciplines.


http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html


To learn more about Building a Presence for Science,
please visit our website: http://www.nsta.org/bap


The California Science Center has recently posted the position of Deputy Director of Education. Click HERE for the job flyer.


Attached is the flyer for the Magical Rocks Workshop, which is rescheduled for November 4, 2004. There is still room so sign up ASAP!


$1000 SCHOLARSHIPS From F.R.E.E.


Dear Educator:

I am the former Science and Math Coordinator for the Irvine Unified School District in Orange County, California, and am now a consultant with astronaut Sally Ride's exciting organization, Sally Ride Science. I am hoping that you will be able to disseminate information to your colleagues and to grade 5-8 girls about the upcoming Sally Ride Science Festival at the University of California, Irvine on Saturday, November 20th from 10:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.

The purpose of the Festival is to support girls in grades 5-8 in their interest in science and in possible science-related careers. The girls will hear a keynote speech by Dr. Ride, America's first woman astronaut in space, enjoy a hands-on science Street Fair, attend Discovery Workshops on a variety of science careers, and enter a drawing for prizes. There will also be workshops for parents, teachers, and other interested adults. The cost is $18 for students or adults ($25 on-site), and includes the keynote, lunch, snack, workshops, and the Street Fair. Pre-registration is strongly recommended; many of the prior Festivals have sold out in advance.

Further information on the Festival, including a registration form and full description of the event, is available at www.SallyRideFestivals.com, or by calling 1-800-561-5161.

We have Sally Ride Science Festival posters which we’d love to get to all elementary and middle school classrooms, as well as flyers that can be distributed to parents. To arrange for delivery of the posters or flyers please send an e-mail to Sally’s sister, Bear Ride, at bears@usc.edu.

Thanks so much for your help in letting your colleagues, students and their parents know about this exciting event for girls in science.

Sincerely,

Dorothy J.T. Terman, Ph.D.


Welcome to Edutopia News, the biweekly electronic newsletter from The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Each issue features original stories on K-12 topics and practices, as well as editorial highlights from other news sources.


FYI


The American Museum of Natural History provides a free, easy-to-navigate online database of the museum’s extensive collection of scientific and cultural educational materials. This site is a collection of activities, articles, evidence and analysis and more, for educators, families, students and anyone interested in teaching or learning about science. There are currently 814 resources in the database. Simply go to

http://www.amnh.org/resources

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EPA has announced the annual Environmental Grant Program for educational institutions, environmental and educational public agencies, and not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations supporting environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship. The Grant Proposal Deadline is to be postmarked by November 15, 2004; funded projects should begin no sooner than July 1, 2005, and cover one year of activities.

Grants for less than $50,000 are submitted to regional EPA offices. Grants for $10,000 or less have a reasonable chance of being funded (30% or better chance). Grants larger than $50,000 go to EPA HQ, and have much lower chances of being funded (about 5%). All proposals require 25% in non-federal matching funds. (e.g., a $10,000 grant requires $3,333 in matching funds for a total project funding of $13,333).

Website below has all the necessary information. You can also contact Diane Berger, EPA, at (202) 564-0451

http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants_sol2005.html

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The Education and the Environment Initiative directed the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Integrated Waste Management Board, in cooperation with the Resources Agency, State Department of Education, State Board of Education, and Secretary for Education to:

* develop education principles and concepts for the environment for elementary and secondary schools.
* ensure that the education principles and concepts for the environment are aligned to the academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education and do not duplicate or conflict with any academic content standards.
* incorporate education principles for the environment in criteria developed for textbook adoption in Science, History/Social Sciences, Mathematics and English/Language Arts.

This Initiative also includes processes for input by teachers, non-profits, and the public. For more details, go to the website
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/education/AB1548/GetInvolved.htm

As part of that input, Field Review Meetings for K-12 educators & Orientation Sessions for environmental education providers are currently being scheduled and held. The current schedule is

Field Review Meetings: External review by Educators and Administrators
Five regional meetings will be conducted with K-12 educators during October and November 2004.

Orange County ; Date TBD; OCDE/National U
Los Angeles; October 26, 2004 (4:30-6:30 p.m.) ; LACOE
San Diego ; November 04, 2004 (4:00-5:30 p.m.); SDCOE
Sacramento ; date and location TBD
Bay Area; November 10, 2004 (3:30-5:00 p.m.); Lawrence Hall of Science

Orientation Sessions: Outreach to Environmental Educator Providers and NGOs
Three regional sessions will be held for environmental education providers and members of non-profit organizations during October and November 2004. The purpose of these sessions is to bring stakeholders up to date on the progress made thus far on implementation of the Education and the Environment Initiative.

San Francisco; November 09, 2004 (2:30-4:00 p.m.); Crissy Field Center
Los Angeles; November 12, 2004 (10:00-12:00 p.m.); LA River Center
Clovis; November 16, 2004 (10:00-11:30 a.m.); Center for Advanced
Research Technology

To register to attend the Field Review and/or Orientation Sessions, please register online at the website

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/education/AB1548/GetInvolved.htm

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You may have heard about the video showing recent graduates of Harvard and MIT providing false and off-the-wall answers to basic science questions such as the cause of the seasons or where the mass in trees comes from. Besides being entertaining, these videos illustrate some basic issues in science education. A DVD version of these videos (“A Private Universe” plus “Minds of Our Own”) is now available free to science educators. To receive a copy send your name and address to Matt Schneps, Director, Science Media Group, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

_____________________________________________

If you have information of interest to California science educators that you would like posted, please contact Art Sussman via e-mail at asussma@wested.org


The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (12 October 2004)


Teachers Invited to Apply for ING Unsung Heroes
Awards Program

Deadline: April 30, 2005

The ING Unsung Heroes awards program is designed to
recognize classroom heroes who "take teaching to new
heights and make learning fun." Through the program,
financial services company ING annually presents a total
of $240,000 in awards to one hundred K-12 educators across
the United States to help further their projects within
their school or school system. The program is managed by
Scholarship America ( http://scholarshipamerica.org/ ).

All K-12 education professionals are eligible to apply.
Specifically, applicants must be employed by an accred-
ited K-12 public or private school; full-time educators,
teachers, principals, or paraprofessionals; or classified
staff with effective projects that improve student
learning.

All awards must be used to further projects within the
school or school system. Each of the hundred finalists
will receive an award of $2,000. At least one award will
be granted in each of the fifty United States, provided
one or more qualified applications are received from each
state. Of the hundred finalists, three will be selected
for additional financial awards: $25,000 (first place),
$10,000 (second place), and $5,000 (third place).

For detailed program information and/or to download an
application form, visit the ING Unsung Heroes awards
program Web site.

RFP Link: http://ing.com/unsungheroes/

For additional RFPs in Education, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_education.jhtml


FREE Workshop, Curriculim, Grant Opportunities etc.


Upcoming "Teaching Bilingual Student Science Workshop" (Project Learning Tree
workshop too)
at San Bernardino County Superintendant of Schools,
601 North E Street, San Bernardino, CA. 92410.
November 5, 8am-4pm

Learn how to teach your bilingual students science using curriculim like
Project Learning Tree. To view the flyer on this event click HERE.

For more information please contact
Micah Justice
(951)386-2797
micah_henderson@sbcss.k12.ca.us
www.creec.org/region10