Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Chamber’s VALUE Series professional development events to start June 27

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of its popular VALUE Series professional development sessions, a press release said. The series is sponsored by David Vudragovich of UrLocalAgent.com.

The first session, titled “Understanding Benefits for Employees,” will take place at the Chamber on Tuesday, June 27, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the press release said.

VALUE stands for venture, achieve, learn, understand, and evolve, the press release said.

Upcoming offerings include the following: [Read more…]

Three Oak Ridge teachers named outstanding educators by Humanities Tennessee

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Benjamin Fowler and Julie Golden of Oak Ridge High School and Scot Smith of Robertsville Middle School have been named as Outstanding Educators for 2017 by Humanities Tennessee. Three of this year’s six recipients of the award are from Oak Ridge Schools. According to Humanities Tennessee, the Outstanding Educator Awards recognize teachers who have demonstrated excellence in teaching the humanities and who encourage the humanities to be an important part of their students’ lives. Each of the recipients, selected from a pool of nominees from across the state, receive a $2,000 fellowship to further their professional development in the humanities; their schools receive $1,500 for humanities programs and materials, a press release said. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts SciGirls Training Saturday

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The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will host a SciGirls Professional Development Training from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, March, 21, for educators interested in teaching science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM.

“SciGirls” is a PBS Kids television series that aims to change how middle school age youth think about STEM. In each episode, bright and curious girls put STEM to work. The show’s web site offers games and projects to connect students in a safe social networking environment. [Read more…]

Archer named president of Tennessee County Trustee’s Association

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Rodney Archer

Rodney Archer

Anderson County Trustee Rodney Archer has been named president of the Tennessee County Trustee’s Association. Archer was voted into the office during an annual business meeting last week at the County Officials Conference in Chattanooga.

Archer has been Anderson County trustee since 2006, and he has been an active leader in the Trustee’s Association, a press release said. He previously served as the secretary of the statewide organization and was also recognized as Outstanding Trustee for the East Tennessee division in 2010.

The Association is not just a network; it is also an essential component of professional development for trustees across Tennessee, the press release said. [Read more…]

Area teachers go ‘back to school’ at ORAU for interactive STEM courses

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ORAU GPS Teacher Workshop

Daryl Sibble (center), graduate student working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), demonstrates to area teachers how GPS can be incorporated in the classroom and for outdoor lessons. Teachers in photo include Eric Good from William Blount High School (left), Sherilyn Dawson from Concord Christian School and Judy Pearson from Heritage Middle School (back to camera) during last week’s workshop at ORAU’s Center for Science Education. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

 

Teachers participate in GPS workshop

More than 190 elementary, middle school, and high school educators from East Tennessee gathered in ORAU’s Center for Science Education last week to participate in a variety of technology professional development workshops. The free workshops offered educators the chance to enhance their STEM knowledge and curricula through hands-on experiences.

One of last week’s workshops focused on how GPS could be used during an outside exercise. Workshop participants took an excursion outside for a hands-on activity where the first three participants to locate a hidden GPS device using provided coordinates actually won a GPS device.

“I learned a great deal about GPS, because I was a total stranger to GPS before this workshop,” said Arnold “Rocky” Warren from Morgan County Career and Technical Center. “I have some GPS devices in my classroom, but I did not know all the ways I could use them. Now, I feel confident I can instruct my students on how to use them in my physics class.”

The workshops are designed so teachers can take the information back to their students and use it immediately. The Twitter Workshop proved popular as well. [Read more…]

Teaching Climate Change workshop part of ORAU professional development series

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Barry Golden at ORAU Workshop

University of Tennessee Assistant Professor Barry Golden, right, discusses data with a group of educators during ORAU’s Teaching Climate Change workshop on Thursday. (Photo by Sara Wise)

 

On Thursday, Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Center for Science Education hosted the Teaching Climate Change workshop as part of their Summer Technology Professional Development series of workshops.

ORAU’s summer workshop program hosts 13 STEM-based lectures offered free to K-12 teachers.

ORAU Program Manager Meiko Thompson said the organization “sees a benefit in making sure that local educators have the opportunity to get professional development” outside of the typical school system offerings.

“One thing I know is that just because you’re a scientist doesn’t make you a good teacher,” Thompson said. “So, what I would really like for them to do is really know how to engage their students.” [Read more…]

Applications being accepted for Australia Endeavour scholarships, fellowships

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

Study, research or professional development opportunities available for appointments ranging from one month to four years

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has partnered with the Australian government to seek U.S. and Canadian applicants for Australia’s Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, an internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program that provides up to $272,500 Australian dollars ($254,500) for study, research, or professional development opportunities between Australia and the world.

Applicants may apply through June 30, 2014, for the following opportunities: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools seeks to become top STEM district in country

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Bruce Borchers Introduces Discovery Education

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers introduces Discovery Education to members of the PTA Council on Thursday, April 10. (Photos by Sara Wise)

Superintendent: ‘It’s a big deal nationally’

Oak Ridge Schools is attempting to become the premier district in the nation for science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, education. Superintendent Bruce Borchers has a $3.4 million plan to make that happen using Microsoft Surface tablets and Discovery Education. The money will be spent over a five-year period.

Borchers calls the needed changes a “digital transformation” that will, he hopes, bring a tablet to every student in the school system. This is especially important in Oak Ridge, a district with a free and reduced lunch rate of more than 50 percent. The digital transformation would allow every student in the district to have the same educational opportunities, regardless of income.

The first of three steps toward transformation is to create a technological infrastructure capable of handling all the tablets. Those improvements have a $1 million price tag that the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the city have already approved. Borchers hopes for the upgrades to be completed before students return to school in the fall. The upgrades are projected to last until at least 2022. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools announces six-year digital learning, STEM partnership

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

On Wednesday, Oak Ridge Schools announced a new collaboration with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, to create authentic digital learning environments in classrooms district-wide. Through a six-year partnership, Discovery Education will support Oak Ridge Schools’ plan to implement a 1:1 learning initiative with engaging digital content and sustained, customized professional development.

This new partnership also supports Superintendent Bruce Borchers’ recently announced plan to transform Oak Ridge Schools into the premier preK-12 STEM school district in the nation. The district’s goal is to become a leader in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education through continuation and expansion of Oak Ridge’s already well-regarded educational opportunities for students along with additional enhancements to technology infrastructure, professional development, and access to devices, which will place dynamic digital content in the hands of each student.

As part of this new collaboration, all K-12 classrooms will have access to Discovery Education Streaming Plus. Discovery Education Streaming Plus features more than 155,000 dynamic digital learning objects that support all subject areas and learning styles, including videos, skill builders, games, audio files, images, writing prompts, and encyclopedia articles. It also includes hundreds of model lessons and instructional exemplars. [Read more…]