[RA-Equity] FWD>ASCD Education Bulletin

owner-edequity@tristram.edc.org
Thu, 22 Aug 1996 12:42:27 -0400


Fowarded Message

Gaea Honeycutt <edequity-admin@mail.edc.org>

TO: Regional Alliance lists,
I have been forwarding selected sections of the ASCD Bulletin to you for a
few months. At this point, you should have an idea of what it contains and
whether you are interested in it. Rather than having me edit and forward it,
you can subscribe directly if you think it's worthwhile (and I do).
Directions are contained at the end of this bulletin. Unless I hear a loud
outcry asking for continued selective editing of the bulletin, this will be
the last issue I will forward. This one is forwarded as a whole for your
review.
Hope your summer has been enjoyable and productive.
Mark Kaufman
--------------------------------------
ASCD EDUCATION BULLETIN August 16, 1996
*******************************************************

Stories in this issue:

NETDAY96 EXPANDS NATIONALLY

COMPUTER USE IN SCHOOLS ON THE RISE--OR IS IT?

GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH INTELLIGENT TUTORS (GETIT)

FIGHTING GENDER BIAS WITH FELLOWSHIPS

NEW BOOK TAKES A POSITIVE LOOK AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CHILDREN'S HEALTH, EDUCATION THE FOCUS OF NEW WEB SITE

TWO NEW WEB SITES PROVIDE COLLEGE INFORMATION

WEB WONDERS

READER PROFILE

*******************************************************

NETDAY96 EXPANDS NATIONALLY

NetDay96, a volunteer effort that installed computer and
network wires in 2,600 California schools, has recruited
private organizations, school districts, and individuals
nationwide to participate in another NetDay96 event
(Education Week, August 7, 1996). As many as 40 states will
choose a Saturday in October, when volunteers will install
wires in schools to link classrooms to the Internet and the
World Wide Web.

The organizers are asking schools to set a goal of wiring 20
percent of their sites--the equivalent, typically, of five
classrooms and a library. Organizers are also urging
corporate sponsors to donate the wiring kits needed to
complete the project, and are asking for volunteers from the
corporations to help in the installation process. Wiring
kits are available for purchase on the NetDay96 web site,
and cost is approximately $380.

To sign up as a participant, sponsor, volunteer, or simply
to find out more about NetDay96, access the web site at:
http://www.netday96.com/.

************************************************************

COMPUTER USE IN SCHOOLS ON THE RISE--OR IS IT?

Recently, 67,000 public and 22,000 private schools were
surveyed by Market Data Retrieval to determine how many U.S.
schools are using computers in their classrooms. The survey
concluded that 5.5 million computers are being used in K-12
classrooms, an increase of 200,000 from last year. Of the
schools surveyed, more than 85% indicated that they have CD-ROM
drives, 57% have videodisc players, and one-third of all the
schools are using the Internet for instructional purposes.

For more information about this survey, contact Kathleen
Brantley at (203) 926-4800.

In a conflicting story...

Quality Education Data, a private research firm located in
Denver, disputes many of the research findings of surveys
such as the one cited above (Education Week, August 7,
1996). They re-analyzed data collected from 84,851 U.S.
public schools, and found that, though the ratio of one
computer for every 10 students may be accurate, many of the
computers being used are old and do not have the technology
required to use CD-ROM and to access the Internet. QED's
findings concluded that only one computer for every 35
students was actually equipped with multimedia technology
that could be used in the classroom.

************************************************************

GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH INTELLIGENT TUTORS (GETIT)

Interested in participating in a project supported by the
Geological Society of America and the National Science
Foundation? The GETIT project will provide an integrated,
interactive, multimedia, computer-based earth science
curriculum for middle schools (grades 5-8). It will act as a
learning and exploration tool for students, allowing them to
explore real data and develop and test hypotheses, and it
will serve as a resource for middle school science teachers.

The goal of the project is to teach students about energy
transfer and the geosciences by focusing on Earth's internal
and external energy sources. It will also help students
learn a number of basic physical science concepts through
their application in geoscience. GETIT is designed to be a
self-paced, bilingual product that gives appropriate and
timely feedback and allows students to DO science rather
than just hear or see science.

GETIT is looking for a diverse group of educators to
participate in the review process. Members of the review
team will be paid upon completion of their evaluation. If
you are a secondary school science teacher and are
interested in participating, contact Cambrian Systems, Inc.,
at 6502 Bandera Rd., Ste. 206, San Antonio, TX 78238.
Tel: (800)898-4261. Fax: (210)680-7886. Email:
cambrian@flash.net or www.flash.net/~cambrian.

************************************************************

FIGHTING GENDER BIAS WITH FELLOWSHIPS

Women teachers dedicated to achieving gender equity in their
classrooms are invited to apply for an Eleanor Roosevelt
Teacher Fellowship, awarded by the American Association of
University Women (AAUW). According to the AAUW, the
fellowships are designed to enhance girls' participation and
achievement in math, science, and technology by providing
teachers with the resources to develop new strategies for
teaching girls.

Applications for the July 1, 1997 - August 30, 1998
Fellowship Year are now available. The application postmark
deadline is January 10, 1997. K-12 women public school
teachers who apply must have at least three years of full-
time teaching experience, with part of the teaching
assignment in math science or technology, or they must team
with a teacher with such an assignment.

For more information, write: AAUW Educational Foundation,
Department 92, 2201 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52243-4030;
or call: 319-337-1716, ext. 92.

************************************************************

NEW BOOK TAKES A POSITIVE LOOK AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

On September 10, 1996, Penguin paperback will release a book
entitled "Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in
America," by Mike Rose. Rose wrote this book after spending
four years visiting public schools across the country, where
he was searching for well-run classrooms. In his book, he
describes his experiences, and what he learned about how
teachers work, how children learn, and what schools
contribute to their communities.

Rose hopes that by sharing the positive qualities of the
classrooms that he visited, he can help change attitudes
about public education and renew faith in the public school
system. The book "Possible Lives: The Promise of Public
Education in America" is available after September 10 for
$12.95. For information on ordering, call Carolyn Coleburn
at (212) 366-2270.

*******************************************************

CHILDREN'S HEALTH, EDUCATION THE FOCUS OF NEW WEB SITE

News about the National Health & Education Consortium (NHEC)
can now be found on the World Wide Web. The NHEC homepage --
at http://www.nhec.org -- features information about NHEC
activities, an online newsletter, and information about NHEC
publications. The Web site is also is also linked to many of
the homepages of the 58 national professional education and
health associations (including ASCD) that make up NHEC's
membership.

NHEC was established in 1990 to promote collaboration
between health and education organizations. NHEC represents
national professional organizations with a focus on health
or education. These associations have affiliates in all 50
states and a Washington, DC-based representative to attend
meetings. While NHEC does not accept individuals as members,
those interested in receiving the biannual newsletter,
"Building Bridges," should send an e-mail message to:
nhec@iel.org. The message should include a name, title,
organization, address, and telephone/fax numbers.

************************************************************

TWO NEW WEB SITES PROVIDE COLLEGE INFORMATION

Two new sites on the Web are now available to assist high
school students, counselors, and parents of college-bound
students in planning and organizing their future. The first,
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, provides
information on college admissions, financial aid, and
entrance exams. This information can be found at:
http://easi.ed.gov.

The other Web site is from College Board, and allows
students to register for the Scholastic Assessment Test
(SAT), receive information on colleges and universities, and
offers financial planning. This site is at:
http://www.collegeboard.org.

************************************************************

WEB WONDERS--compiled by Carolyn Pool (cpool@ascd.org)

It's the last gasp of summer here in the Northern
Hemisphere, and the TV ads are already featuring the
carloads of school supplies awaiting hysterically happy
parents as the glum kids watch, knowing.... (Actually, those
ads make me mad--why aren't those kids happy at the thought
of a new school year??) ;-) Anyway, let's take one last
summer trip, travel all over, if only in our minds.

But first, here's a short multiple-choice quiz, to prepare
us:

What is ALH84001?

a. Carolyn's home phone no.
b. Bob Dole's home phone no.
c. The new James Bond movie
d. The Mars meteorite

Yes, (d) is correct. The excitement has reached Web Wonders!
If we can't go to Mars just yet, we can try these sites:

http://www2.ari.net/home/odenwald/cafe.html

The Astronomy Cafe, hosted by Dr. Sten Odenwald,
astrophysicist. He writes: "Have you ever wondered what it
might be like to be an astronomer, write a research paper
and to go observing? Do you have any questions that you
would like an astronomer to answer? Would you like to hear
the latest about hyperspace, black holes, time travel and
quantum cosmology? Well, you've come to the right place!" I
shamelessly followed a few links here, and found--

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/

The Mars Meteorite Home Page (JPL)--the real thing, from
NASA, of course. See pics of ALH84001 and its tubelike
bacteria fossils. Discover that the last Mars meteorite
found outside of Antarctica was the Zagami meteorite, which
fell in Nigeria in 1962 and is the largest on record.
(Faithful readers might not be surprised that I would find a
Nigerian connection here--since that's where I'm from!)

http://rogue.northwest.com/~golfman/travel.html

Golfman's Travel Links and Search Page has it all--except
trips to Mars, of course. But do you have London in mind, or
maybe Johannesburg, or San Francisco? Need to know currency
exchange rates? Have a favorite hotel? Need babysitting
services? An airplane ticket? An auto trip router? The local
weather? Check it out. The truly amazing Golfman is a dental
hygienist/Webmaster from Portland, Oregon, USA. Check out
his/her (couldn't find Golfman's first name!) link for
"inter/connections"--free Web page design and maintenance!

http://metroscope.com/

Metroscope has more than 5,000 links to cities all over the
world. Golfman includes this, too, but this is the
absolutely current address. Find out what's going on at the
Astrodome in Houston or what jazz festivals are being held
in Holland.

http://www.nic.surfnet.nl/nlmenu.eng/w3all.html

While you are in the Netherlands, maybe you need Internet
services? Check out the Alphabetical Index of Dutch WWW
Services, hosted by the editorial staff of Koninklijke
Bibliotheek. You may find other interesting links, such as
the Dutch National Union of Students, or the Netherlands
Research Institute.

http://metro.jussieu.fr:10001/bin/cities/english

Maybe I didn't search Golfman's page enough, but I don't
think he/she has this wonderful site listed. The Subway
Navigator will get you from point A to point B in many
cities all over the world, from Athens to Warsaw.

http://wri.org/

Before you travel, investigate! Where else but the World
Resources Institute, which has all the updated info you will
ever need about the world's environment and resources. This
site has the WRI '96-'97 report online, all 365 pages, full
of data. Its mission: "to move human society to live in ways
that protect the Earth's environment and its capacity
toprovide for the needs and aspirations of current and
future generations." (I helped edit one of these volumes
several years ago, and can attest to its thoroughness!)

http://www.miramax.com/

Real mindtrips, these, the movies... ah, here, read reviews
of Emma and Jane Eyre and Trainspotting... Is that a weird
combo or what? Well, between Jane Austen and George Eliot, I
don't know about you, but I have been doing a lot of
mindtrips lately into merry olde England. Here's more.

http://us.imdb.com/

Have to end this trip with more fun: The Internet Movie
Database, which provides searches, surveys, reviews,
locations of theater showings, quotes, and info about
actors. Do a search for "Emma," and this quote comes up:
"This summer, Cupid is armed and dangerous."

Well, we didn't get to Mars, but Cupid is close enough (go
back to your mythology!)...

*******************************************************

READER PROFILE: Cheryl Vitali

I am the Resource Specialist at Alta Elementary School in
California. When the school became locally networked over 3
years ago, I became the resident "techie" for the staff.
This led to a variety of undertakings over the past few
years. I became one of 424 local telementors involved with
the Telemation Project in California. The project I did with
my special education students was definitely the most
ambitious I had attempted in over 18 years of teaching.

At the same time, I also obtained a technology grant for 3
schools. Managing that became quite an undertaking with my
regular teaching responsibilities. This has led to some
exciting opportunities with training staff members. I have
been collaborating with California State University in
Fresno to offer some workshops. This year my goal became
obtaining a website for Alta, which led to participation in
the Cyberfair '96.

I really love the way I can expand my teaching through the
use of telecommunications, but I sometimes long for the more
tranquil pace I used to keep. Finding a good balance is a
challenge and a bit difficult when trying to pioneer many
new things. This is a very exciting time to be involved in
education.

Cheryl Vitali cvitali@telis.org


*******************************************************

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ASCD, so please encourage others to subscribe!

*******************************************************

TALK BACK

We welcome your reactions to these stories or comments
on other topics. Please send us feedback on "Education
Bulletin" by e-mail. Our address is bulletin@ascd.org

*******************************************************

About ASCD:

ASCD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education association
located in Alexandria, Va. We are an international
organization, although the large majority of our members are
in North America. We have approximately 200,000 members,
most of whom are K-12 educators. Our members include
principals, teachers, administrators, curriculum
specialists, superintendents, professors, students, etc.

Benefits of ASCD membership include our journal,
*Educational Leadership*, and two newsletters, *Education
Update* and *Curriculum Update*. ASCD also produces
books, video and audio tapes, and other publications on
education topics. (Not to mention an online newsletter.) We
also provide professional development training. Each year we
hold a huge Annual Conference.

For information on joining ASCD, visit our Homepage at
http://www.ascd.org or our Gopher Site at gopher.ascd.org.
Or send e-mail to member@ascd.org.

************************************************************

About *ASCD Education Bulletin*:

This online newsletter will include short items of
interest to people who care about K-12 education (including
early childhood). We will cover topics of continuing concern
to ASCD, including curriculum, instruction, assessment,
technology, equity, diversity, and maintaining strong
support for public schools. Some articles will reflect the
Association's goals, such as promoting high-quality
education for children in poverty and supporting the
self-renewal of schools and school systems.

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Subject: [RA-Equity] FWD>ASCD Education Bulletin
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