Educational Resources Digest – Week of May 25
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To Parents and Colleagues
There has been a burst of energy for curating, creating, and distributing resources and opportunities to support learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with regularly scheduled programming. We’ve created a digest of what has come through Washington STEM’s inboxes during the past week. As remote learning continues, we will provide additional resource lists as we find them.
Please note that we work with a diverse set of partners, and these opportunities and events are not tailored to any particular audience or partner. Please review each opportunity to decide if it’s relevant to your needs.
— Cheers and be well!
Upcoming Programs and Opportunities
Happening in May and June
CSTP recently received funding to develop quick-response online supports and resources for teachers in Washington. Phase 1 of the project creates an Ask-A-Teacher Help Desk and an online Learning Management Systems (LMS) Resource Guide between June-September 2020.
Specifically, we are looking to fill two opportunities with teams of educators for Ask-A-Teacher Help Desk Support and Learning Management Systems Resource Curators. Project descriptions for these opportunities as well as other information about the project can be found on our website.
Minimum Qualifications:
-practicing educator working in a Washington State public school or district.
-expertise and experience in one or more of the following learning management systems: Google Classroom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams, Schoology, or Seesaw
Timeline: The application will be open until positions are filled. We will review applications beginning Thursday, May 28, 2020, and strongly recommend applicants submit as soon as possible. We expect to fill positions by June 5, 2020.
6/5 Educator Focus Group on WA’s Public TV Stations Offer Educational Programs and Resources
When: June 3, 5pm PT
Educational programming for students in grades 6 – 12 is available daily 9am-2pm on the WORLD channel. See the OPSI website for a list of local stations.
Through a partnership with OSPI and former State Superintendent Terry Bergeson, Washington’s local public television stations are sharing resources to support distance learning during this pandemic emergency. These resources do not require students to have access to the internet!
Many of these programs (like NOVA and The American Experience) have supporting resources online for educators such as curriculum and discussion guides. You can access your local public television station and schedule of programs on OSPI’s website and then select your local public TV station.
OSPI, Dr. Bergeson and the public TV stations are interested in hearing teacher perspectives on the materials, resources and communications of this free and available information. A focus group of interested educators will be convened at 5 pm on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, to provide and collect feedback. Please sign-up if you are interested in participating in the focus group. If you’re unavailable to participate in the focus group and would still like to provide feedback, please do so here.
6/20 Free Course: Refugee Educator Foundations of Practice
When: Course begins June 20
Cost: Free
Flyer
The Center for Learning in Practice at the Carey Institute for Global Good has just opened registration for our Refugee Educator Academy online course: Refugee Educator Foundations of Practice. They are registering participants for cohort three, the final cohort in this pilot project. The course will start on June 20th, World Refugee Day.
Teachers, administrators, coaches, counselors, paraeducators, and other school staff are welcome. This is for a free PESB-approved 30 hour professional learning opportunity designed for K-12 teachers of students of refugee backgrounds.
Other Resources
Student Resources
Don’t let financial aid myths limit your options for the future
Think you can’t afford college or career education? Financial aid helps many students pay for education after high school, and more families in Washington are now eligible. Even if you didn’t qualify before, you might now!
Myth #1: My parents make too much money, so I won’t qualify for financial aid.
Fact: Applying for financial aid is the only way to know for sure whether you qualify. With the new Washington College Grant, an eligible student from a family of four making up to around $97,000 per year can receive some money for their education.
Myth #2: Financial aid only pays for universities. That takes four years—I need to start working now.
Fact: Financial aid can be used for many types of full-time or part-time education, including career and technical schools, community colleges, some apprenticeships, and yes, universities too. You have options!
Myth #3: I can’t apply for financial aid, because I don’t know what I’m going to do after high school.
Fact: You can complete a FAFSA or WASFA financial aid application before applying for college or training. You can make your final choice about whether and where to go later, and you’ll know more about what you can afford.
Learn more and apply for financial aid on the Washington Student Achievement Council website.
COVID-19! How Can I Protect Myself and Others?
The Smithsonian Science Education Center, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)—a partnership of 140 national academies of science, engineering and medicine—has developed “COVID-19! How can I protect myself and others?,” a new rapid-response guide for youth ages 8–17. The guide, which is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, aims to help young people understand the science and social science of COVID-19 as well as help them take actions to keep themselves, their families and communities safe.
Through a set of seven cohesive student-led tasks, participants engage in the activities to answer questions previously defined by their peers. The questions explore the impact of COVID-19 on the world, how to practice hand and respiratory hygiene and physical distancing, and how to research more information about COVID-19. The final task teaches youth how they can take action on the new scientific knowledge they learn to improve their health and the health of others. Each task is designed to be completed at home.
Educator Resources
Archived Instructional Materials that Support Equitable Science Instruction for All Students
Thursday, May 14 – ARCHIVED VERSION
Presenters: Audrey Mohan, Renee Affolter, Sarah Delaney
Explore how equitable instructional practices are central to the design of OpenSciEd materials. Learn about the embedded features and practices and take away strategies and materials that will support equitable science learning in your own classroom. Watch the archive at NSTA’s site.
Archived Staying Grounded While Teaching Remote
Tuesday, May 12th – ARCHIVED VERSION
Presenters: Bill Penuel, Shelly Ledoux, and Matt Krehbiel
In an effort to support educators while they shift to remote learning during school closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have created a series of Resources for Remote Learning. These resources are a collaborative effort of the University of Colorado, The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas, and OpenSciEd and were informed by feedback and guidance from educators. We shared these resources during an NSELA webinar on Tuesday, May 12th at 2PM CST.
Articles
Good news from around the world is just a click away on a map created by a Portland man
When he launched the free site – Good stories from the pandemic – a few months ago, Mark Lawton considered it nothing more than a hobby. He hoped, at best, he might get 50 or so hits on his page.
How Can We Reinvent Our Definition Of Success? (Video)
Former gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field led her team to victory by creating a supportive environment, instead of a cutthroat one. The impact of that decision, she says, echoes far beyond the gym. (12 min watch)