Direct Education Scheduler
A Masterpiece in Baton Rouge
This week, the Department of Education released a video about a remarkable public elementary school that combines the art of learning with the learning of art.
Produced for ED by the History Channel, the new video tells the story of Forest Heights Academy of Excellence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—an award-winning public magnet school where students excel in both academics and the performing and the visual arts.
In addition to the standard academic curriculum, Forest Heights students have the opportunity to study instrumental music, visual arts, drama, dance, and vocal music. Their arts curriculum is comprehensive and is based on national, state, and local standards. Kids learn everything from costume design and stage lighting to jazz and tap dance, and the school also has a modern, high-tech theater and arts facility.
At Forest Heights, students also learn math, science, language, and social studies through their study of the arts. Thus, kids encounter mathematical principles through music and learn lessons about history while they work on theatrical productions. <
Hands-on GIS Education: Learning by Creating
The September 2010 issue of GeoInformatics (p 40) features GIS in education through a short article entitled, “Learning by Creating”:
“When geospatial technology was identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of thenation’s three fastest-growing workforce needs, Atlantic Cape set out to meet the demand. The school won a Department of Labor grant to start a new program, and hired Luis Olivierito assist in the development and management of the project.”
Learn more online at: http://www.geoinformatics.com/
Gearing Up for College
Earlier today, Secretary Duncan and Congressman Fattah headlined a live, national event that celebrated and encouraged the work of GEAR UP projects across the country. GEAR UP is a grant program that assists students in obtaining a secondary school diploma as well as preparing for and succeeding in postsecondary education.
The event was held at Friendship Public Charter School (FPCS) in Washington and included video and audio connections with GEAR UP projects in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Texas.
Fun With GIS #59: Hurricanes, the Web, and STEM Careers
For the “coterminous US,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says “Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.” So, the bulk of hurricane season has passed. But storms continue to appear, and letters of the alphabet are waiting to be used.
Naturally, teachers and students can use GIS to explore these events. It’s possible even in a web browser. Here are three sites that demonstrate the spectrum from “basic capacity and focused view” to “significant exploratory and analytical power” in a browser. They rely on more or less similar data sets, including both static and dynamic content. If you step back to think about it, these maps demonstrate a vast range of STEM-related careers, around acquiring, managing, analyzing, modeling, and presenting data, of ever-expanding volumes.
Because each of these maps rely on Javascript, rather than Flash or Silverlight, each can also be accessed from an iPad or even an iPhone (though, of course, a larger display makes life easier).