A Deadline is Approaching... and the Curriculum Deserves a Review as Well!

Where will you go in life? Your journey awaits you—apply now and invite your friends to apply by going here: http://roadtripnation.com/participate/apply.php. 

Last spring I had the honor of sitting at a table at a full day meeting with one of the creators of Roadtrip Nation.  At the time I didn't do my homework and go back and do research.  Completely my loss!  However, there is no time like the present, and while educators may have some time to do some exploring over the next couple of weeks I am hopeful they will take the time to see the resources I have recently fallen in love with on Roadtrip Nation.

The curriculum is rooted in 21st C skills, school to work, drop out prevention, career readiness.... all those things we want our graduates to have... and can be to be woven into discussions in homeroom or advisory periods, social studies or English.  There are career segments that can fit as well if you do keyword searches.   It is natural for high school and a consideration for middle school.  There are contribution opportunities for online interaction.  There are streaming video segments and connections to what students may see on AZ-PBS if they are channel surfing late on a Saturday night.  The new season is underway and applications are even being accepted for the 2011 Roadtrip!

http://roadtripnation.com/conversations/

The screencapture shows how, with a free login as an educator you can set up a course and have your students participate with you! Or, if you simply want to just watch portions of the show and read comments and post anonymous quotes with your students, you can do that as well.  Your level of participation is up to you.  http://roadtripnation.org/rtnexperience/ 

Learn more about the curriculum and bring it to your school and district.  Download a brochure as a start...  No matter what roadtrip your holiday takes you on this season - enjoy!  Consider sharing it with PBS and pass the application for a 2011 trip opportunity on to a worthy young adult in your life.

a professional development stocking stuffer?

I don't know if you are a geek like me... but this just arrived in my inbox... and I got a little bit excited.  Ok... I won't lie because someone down the hall will tell you the truth.  I got a LOT excited.  PBS TeacherLine is going to be offering a course in partnership with THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS in 2011! 

Is your Christmas shopping done?  Is your Holiday wish list already filled?  Have you REALLY bought everything for yourself?  I bet you treated everyone but YOU!  Invest in yourself and consider putting one more item under the tree that will help you this next year and your students...  Special discounts for ASSET Educator members on PBS TeacherLine courses.

INST342 Teaching with Primary Sources from the Library of Congress
Description: Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific, and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people who lived during that period. Bringing young people into close contact with these unique, often profoundly personal, documents and objects from the Library of Congress can give them a very real sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era and can contribute to a new understanding of the present. Teaching with primary sources can facilitate student engagement, the development of critical thinking skills, and the construction of knowledge, while bringing the content to life. This course will demonstrate how teachers can engage students and have them think critically and construct their own learning through analyzing primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Classroom Link: Yes
Grades: 3-12
Duration: 6 weeks
Hours: 45
This course was produced in collaboration with the Library of Congress.

So...  after all the children are nestled snug in their beds... and the grades are filed... and the cookies have been baked...  why not consider enrolling?