Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/124458
Resources and Opportunities eLearning Delaware! now enrolling for spring 2013 classes There is no $ cost associated with the eLDE online courses. The only "cost" is your time and effort. The courses are designed to take 4-5 hours per week or 30 hours total to complete (you will receive re-licensure hours upon successful completion). Plus, the courses are entirely online (no face-to-face sessions). Each facilitator-led course runs for seven weeks with an orientation week followed by 6 weeks of content where there are specific readings, activities, and an online discussion each week. Registration is currently open for the SPRING 2013 session which runs from Wednesday, April 3, 2013 to Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Although the start date of April 3 is in the middle of spring break for many Delaware schools, this first week of the course is an orientation week. The main reason for starting April 3 is so the course will end before Memorial Day . eLearning Delaware is offering the Intel Teach Elements: Designing Blended Learning course for the first time. This course provides an opportunity to learn how to combine face-to-face methods with technology-enhanced learning to form an integrated instructional approach. The following courses are being offered in the Spring 2013 session: - Beyond Your Schoolyard: Google Earth & Geospatial Technologies - Designing a Virtual Field Trip - Introduction to Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom - Maximizing the Power of the Interactive Whiteboard - Intel Teach Elements: Designing Blended Learning - first time offering - Intel Teach Elements: Educational Leadership in the 21st Century More information, including a syllabus for each course, can be found at http://www.dcet.k12.de. us/elearning. Registration on PDMS (https:// login.doe.k12.de.us to login to IMS and get to PDMS) closes on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 5:00PM. Course offerings are dependent upon minimum (12) and maximum (24) enrollments. Class trip web site www.classtrips.com worth a look With all of the pressure and requirements placed on principals and teachers today, do class trips seem way low on your list of priorities? There's a web site that's trying to make class trips possible. At www.classtrips.com, you can see information on hundreds of trips, including both fee and free trips for all grades and curriculum. You can search by state (Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), curriculum, distance you want to travel, day and overnight trips, and free trips. You can even pull up a map to find out how to reach your destination. Over 25% of the listings offer free admissions. For Delaware alone, there are 88 field trip locations listed, with complete information to help you decide if they meet your needs, as well as the information you need to plan the visit. You can also access lesson plans geared toward each type of trip, with recommendations for pre and post activities. There's even information about fundraising programs and products. Items described on this page are not always endorsed by the Association, but are provided for your information. 22 March/April 2013 DSEA ACTION! Kids In Need Foundation announces third annual Elmer's Teacher Grant Program The Kids In Need Foundation, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to economically disadvantaged school children and underfunded teachers, is launching its third annual teacher grants program sponsored by Elmer's Products Inc., an industry leader in adhesives, arts and crafts, office and educational products. Visit the Kids In Need Foundation website at www.kinf. org/elmers/index.php to apply for an Elmer's Teacher Tool Kit grant that can range from $100 to $500. The grants will be given to certified K-12 teachers who wish to conduct classroom projects from the Kids In Need Guide to Award Winning Projects, a catalog of project plans previously funded by the Kids In Need Foundation. Applicants will be asked to register for the Elmer's Teacher Club, which offers special features and benefits throughout the year for teachers. This year, 270-300 grants sponsored by Elmer's will be provided to teachers nationwide. Grant awards will be based on financial need and how well the chosen projects meet the educational needs of the applicants' students. Special consideration is given to first-year teachers. Questions? Contact Penny Hawk, Kids In Need Foundation, 937-2961230, ext. 303 or by email at pennyh@kinf.org. Giant ant hill exploring, tree climbing, and more at Hagley's NatureFest 2013 on May 4 Hagley Museum and Library presents their second NatureFest on Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. NatureFest's 2013 theme is Earth. This family event provides a fun learning opportunity for kids and encourages them to explore the environment. Admission is $5 for children six to fourteen, free for members, adults, and children five and under. Use Hagley's Buck Road entrance off Route 100. This outdoor event is held rain or shine. Play and learn with exciting "Earth-themed" hands-on activities brought to you by local community partners. While learning how ant societies function, kids can pretend to be an "ant for the day" at the giant ant hill which is new this year at NatureFest. Search for signs of spring on guided nature walks as the early du Pont family did each year. Hagley's knowledgeable gardens and grounds staff will give tours of E.I. du Pont's formal French Garden and the Eleutherian Mills Greenhouses. Kids will be able to adventurously scale an oak tree using a climbing harness. Many other activities and crafts will be offered. Please note that nature hikes are not suitable for strollers or people with difficulty walking. Additional hands-on activities, experiments, and displays will be provided by the American Chemical Society, Girl Scouts of the USA, and Master Gardener Hetty Franke. The Belin House Organic Cafe will be selling picnic food items. Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. For more information, call 302-6852400 weekdays or visit www.hagley. org. www.dsea.org