|
|
 |
Bay District Science Council 
The Bay District Science Council (BDSC) is a local organization of science
teachers K-12. This organization sponsors several activities throughout
the year that support current curriculum trends and provide resources
for the classroom teacher.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are public schools, financed by the same
per-pupil funds that traditional public schools. Unlike
traditional public schools, however, they receive waivers that
exempt them from many of the restrictions and bureaucratic rules
that shape traditional public schools. The charter school
design is based on the following ideas.
- choice among public schools for families
and their children
- entrepreneurial opportunities for educators
and parents to create the kinds of schools they believe make
the most sense
- explicit responsibility for improved achievement,
as measured by standardized tests and other measures
- carefully designed competition in public
schools
Charter schools vary significantly
across and within states. Differences among charter schools,
and the way they are operated, are in part due to the unique
parameters of the state laws enacting them. Although many
charter schools exist within the state of Florida, none currently
exist in Bay County. Additional information regarding charter
schools can be found at the following web sites.
Education: Theory and Methods: Charter
Schools - http://dir.yahoo.com/education/theory_and_methods/charter_schools/ US
Charter Schools Web Site - http://www.uscharterschools.org
Dual Enrollment
The dual-enrollment program is an acceleration program for high
school students who are capable of doing college level work. The
state of Florida permits high school students to receive both high
school and college credit for approved courses that meet college
level competencies. Students in grades 10, 11, and 12 may dual enroll
in courses that meet the approval of Gulf Coast Community College
and the Bay District School Board. For further information on eligibility
and course offerings, contact your high school guidance counselor.
You may also contact Susan McWhorter, Resource Teacher, at 873-7156.
Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship Program
Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship Program rewards our state’s
highest-achieving and hardest-working high school graduates. Profits
from the state-run lottery games fund the scholarship program. Through
Bright Futures 75-100% of tuition and fees are paid for a qualified high
school graduate who enters an eligible Florida university, community
college, or certified vocational/technical program.There are three scholarship
types with different criteria. Florida Academic Scholars pays
100% tuition and fees + $600; Florida Merit Scholars and Florida
Gold Seal Vocational Scholars both pay 75% tuition and fees.
High school guidance counselors have specific information on eligibility
criteria including which courses are needed to qualify. You also may
obtain detailed information on the Bright Futures homepage at: http://www.firn.edu/doe/brfuture
or access the homepage from the Florida Department of Education’s
homepage via the hot button at: http://www.firn.edu/doe or call 1-888-827-2004.
MathCounts Competition
MathCounts competition is a national competition for seventh and eighth
grade students. Bay District Schools participates in local, regional, state,
and national competitions. MATHCOUNTS competitions promote student interest
in mathematics by making math achievement as challenging, exciting, and
prestigious as a school sport. More information can be found at http://www.mathcounts.org/.
Problem Based Learning
Problem Based Learning (PBL) is inquiry based, experiential learning organized
around the investigation and resolution of a real-world problem. (Torp
and Sage 1998, p.14) It is student centered learning with the teacher
acting as a coach/facilitator. Each PBL unit creates a learning environment
in which the coach guides students to the resources necessary to solve the problem.
Students use active research and collaboration with fellow students to
solve ill structured problems. (Torp and Sage 1998, p.14) Students, as a class,
may use a graphic organizer to establish "what they know" and "what
they want to know." From this point individuals or teams of students set
out to find the most logical solution to the problem. Consequently, there may
be more than one solution to the problem. This powerful, motivating opportunity
for learning provides students with an educational experience beyond learning
facts. Students are encouraged to use resources as a professional in the "real
world" would to solve problems. Students take responsibility for their own
learning and will internalize the skills necessary to get and share information.
PBL facilitates student learning through integration of curriculum and
showing how subjects connect instead of the usual segmented curriculum. Students
may no longer ask the time honored question, "how am I ever going to use
this in real life?" For further information, check out these web sites.
IMSA Center for Problem Based Learning - http://www.imsa.edu/team/cpbl/cpbl.htmlWinston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools PBL Project - http://mts.admin.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/NSF/PBL.html
Science and Mathematics
"Not so many years ago I began
to play the cello. Most people would say that what I am doing is "learning
to play" the cello. But these words carry into our minds the
strange idea that there exist two very different processes: 1)
learning to play the cello; and 2) playing the cello. They imply
that I will do the first until I have completed it, at which point
I will stop the first process and begin the second. In short, I
will go on "learning to play" until I have "learned
to play" and then I will begin to play. Of course, this is
nonsense. There are not two processes, but one. We learn to
do something by doing it. There is no other way." John
Holt
Science and Mathematics are in the spotlight with parents, politicians, and potentates.
We are challenged as never before
to meet "world class standards." There are many ways to stay in tune
with standards, benchmarks, curriculum, and reform issues. Here are resources
and suggested internet sites. Membership in Professional Organizations usually
include journal publications that will keep you up to date in your teaching field
and alert you to reform issues.
AIMS (Activities Integrating Math and Science) - http://www.aimsedu.org
American Chemical Society - http://www.acs.org/education/currmats/n01.html
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - http://www.ascd.org/
Florida Association of Science Teachers - http://www.sbhughes.com/fast99/
Florida Sunshine State Standards - http://www.firn.edu/doe/menu/sss.htm
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - http://www.nctm.org
National Science Teachers' Association - http://www.nsta.org/
Third International Mathematics
and Science Study (TIMSS) TIMSS is the latest research
by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement aimed at making systematic, cross-national comparisons
of education. It was conducted over a five-year period in 41 countries.
More than half a million students were tested. TIMSS includes achievement
testing in mathematics and science at primary, middle, and high
school levels; survey information about students’ backgrounds
and attitudes; analyses of curriculum documents and textbooks;
and a video study of teacher practices. More information about
the TIMSS report may be found at http://timss.enc.org/TIMSS/timss/guide/index.htm.
Downloadable Documents
Curriculum Hot-Spots on the WebThe
following web sites offer additional information regarding curriculum related
issues. Sites preceded by an * have been recognized by the Curriculum
Administrator for exemplary content, instructional design, quality
of interaction with the learner, and creative and effective use of online
technologies.
General Curriculum
Annenberg Project "Exhibits Collection" - www.learner.org/exhibits
Awesome Library - www.awesomelibrary.org
* Classroom Connect - www.classroom.com
Curricular Resources and Networking Projects - www.ed.gov/edres/edcurric.html
Education World - www.education-world.com
* Electronic Learner Portfolios - www.mehs.educ.state.ak.us/portfolios/portfolio.html
Library in the Sky - www.nwrel.org/sky2
* National Student Research Center - www.youth.net/nsrc
* The Global Schoolhouse - www.gsn.org
The Arts
ArtsEdge - www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org
ArtsEdNet - www.artsednet.getty.edu
Music Education Online - www.geocities.com/athens/2405
The Puppetry Home Page - www.sagecraft.com/puppetry
Sapphire Swan Dance Directory - www.sapphireswan.com/dance
*Visual Art Galleries - www.highland.k12.in.us
Language Arts and Literature
CyberGuides - www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
The English Teacher's Web Site - www.mlckew.edu.au/english
Links to Educational Resources for Teaching Writing - www.writeenvironment.com/linksto.html
Mathematics
* GBS Math - www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbsmat/gbsmat.html
The Geometery Center - www.geom.umn.edu
The Math Forum - www.forum.swarthmore.edu
MegaMathematics - www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math
* Student Math Projects - www.interlochen.k12.mi.us/math/advmath97.html
Science
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse - www.enc.org
Social Studies The History New - www.thehistorynet.com
OnLine Resources - www.socialstudies.com/online.html
Health / Nutrition / Physical Education
A Great Physical Education Site - www.educ.ubc.ca/dept/cust/pe
* The Eight Components of Coordinated School Health - healthierschools.org/index.html
Healthtouch Online - www.healthtouch.com
Kids Food Cyberclub - www.kidsfood.org
OnLine Curriculum Collections
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - www.capecod.net/schrockguide
Web Site for Busy Teachers - www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt
Sources for OnLine Projects
Adventure online - www.adventureonline.com
Electronic Emissary Project - www.tapr.org/emissary
Global SchoolNet Foundation GSN - www.gsn.org
International E-mail Classroom Connections IECC Projects - www.iearn.org
Internet Projects Registry - www.gsn.org/pr/index.cfm
NASA SpaceLink - www.spacelink.nasa.gov
Online Class - www.onlineclass.com
Quest: The NASA K-12 Internet Initiative Page - www.quest.arc.nasa.gov
SitesALIVE! - www.sitesalive.com
* Thinkquest - www.advanced.org/thinkquest or www.thinkquest.org
Libraries and Museums
Exploratorium ExploraNet - www.exploratorium.edu
Expo. WWW Exhibit Organization - www.sunsite.unc.edu/expo
Franklin Institute Science Museum - www.fi.edu
Hands On Children's Museum - www.hocm.org
Internet Public Library - www.ipl.org
Library of Congress - www.lcweb.loc.gov
National Holocaust Memorial Museum - www.ushmm.org
The Smithsonian - www.si.edu
WebMuseum Network - www.sunsite.unc.edu/louvre
Communications Media
Books A to Z - www.booksatoz.com
CNN Interactive - www.cnn.com
Discovery Channel - www.discovery.com
* The New York Times "Learning Network" - www.nytimes.com/learning
National Geographic Society - www.nationalgeographic.com
Newspaper Hotlinks - www.naa.org/hotlinks/index.asp
PBS Online - www.pbs.org
Publishers' Catalogs Home Page - www.lights.com/publisher
Sites for Kids
4Kids - www.4kids.org
* Bonus.com - www.bonus.com
Headbone Zone - www.headbone.com
Humongous Entertainment - www.humongous.com
Kids Domain - www.kidsdomain.com
The Kids on the Web - www.zen.org/-brendan/kids.html
Schools on the Web
American School Directory - www.asd.com
* Discovery Communication "Discovery Channel School" - www.discoveryschool.com
Fifty Ways to Build a Web Site - www.techlearning.com/web_schools.shtml
HotList of K-12 Internet School Sites - www.gsn.org/hotlist/index.html
School.Net Navigator - www.school.net/go/navigator |
|
