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Keystone
Weekly This week's Key Points:
*Web Pick of the Week,* *PA
Governor's Institutes,* and *Scientist
Humor*
Web Pick of the
Week It's easy to say many good things about the web resources that the US Geological Survey (USGS) has to offer. They provide a wonderful balance of expert information and easy- to-use web design. You may have noticed that the Curricular Companions are studded with USGS links aimed towards professional scientists, lay persons, and even young learners. The depth and breadth of the their offerings are staggering, and yet their sites are very simple to navigate. The USGS Learning Web site linked above is "dedicated to K- 12 education and lifelong learning" and invites users to "explore things on, in, around, and about the Earth, such as land, water, plants, animals, and maps." There are sections designed specifically for students, teachers, and explorers (anyone who is curious about natural science). Along with all of the other general resources offered here, the teacher's section provides activities, plans, and classroom project suggestions. There are a lot of topics covered thoroughly; take a moment to get a sense of all that's there for you.
Pennsylvania Governor's
Institutes for Educators Kip Bollinger (see the After Standards, What Next? colloquium) sends us information about this summer's Governor's Institutes, and advises, "Many of the institutes are nearly full, so don't delay in applying!" The Pennsylvania Governor's Institutes for Educators are part of a series of summer professional education programs and resources designed to ensure the creation of challenging learning environments in Pennsylvania schools. The programs seek to "deepen subject area knowledge and include real- world experiences that help educators make the link to Pennsylvania's Academic Standards. . . [and] new classroom assessments and technology." Interested teachers may apply for a scholarship to attend.
While driving down a steep and curvy logging road, a biology field crew loses control of their 4-wheel drive and careen down the hill. The truck smashes up at the bottom of the canyon, and everyone aboard perishes. Surprisingly, they all go to heaven. At an orientation they are asked, "When you are in your casket and your friends and family are mourning about your death, what would you like to hear them say about you? The first guy, a well known botanist says, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the greatest botanists of my time, and left an eternal contribution to the botanical world." The second guy, an ornithologist, says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful birder and made a huge difference in the recovery of our bird populations." The last guy, a scruffy mammalogist, replies, "I would like to hear them say... "LOOK, HE'S MOVING!"
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| The Franklin Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the National Science Foundation and Unisys Corporation. | |||
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The Franklin Institute is the Demonstration Site for the
Eisenhower
Mid-Atlantic Consortium, providing science and math
resources for teachers.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9819641. © 2003. All rights reserved.
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