L ead science literacy and science education group in your area

Interested in leading science literacy and science education for your school, your community, local area, region, country, or continent? Please contact Dr. J at shipmanjs(at)gmail.com

What's involved?

1. Let others know about www.read-about-it.blogspot.com
2. Submit posts and/or encourage others to submit posts at this site (E-mail to Dr.J to post). Also, create and post a sub-group here: http://www.oneclimate.net/group/wwwread-about-itblogspotcom-international-science-literacy-and-science-education
3. If you would like to, you can arrange for a workshop on higher order thinking skills in science education, or other workshops for your own local group (for a fee). Contact Dr. J for details. Specify workshop/ subject area of interest. Example: click here.
   
4. Benefactors are needed so that these workshops can reach schools that otherwise could not afford them...air fare forpeople leading the workshop, scholarships for attendees, training materials for teachers, workbooks and supplies. If you are interested in being a sponsor, contact Dr. J or your local or community school.
   
5. This local or regional or national or continental science literacy and science education leader is a volunteer position unless we can come up with sponsors.
   

Fun and Learning: Google Games---Seeking Top Performers for work...relating that to science and math education.

Here is a story about Google Games, a day of engineering- and math-heavy challenges. This particular story, by Wade Rousch, is about challenges that took place in 2008. It is about a recruiting method that can be adapted to science and math education. It is about the joy of learning. It is about being surrounded by others who want to learn and who learn recreationally.

Read the article here, then, think about what you can carry away from it to apply to science education situations.

Math team, chess teams, science fairs, bridge-building competitions and other venues blending learning and fun may foreshadow this type of recruiting. Do you feel joy from participants at these events? Do you feel joy from students in your science and math classes? Are your top students challenged? Are all students challenged at appropriate levels?

Do you remember finishing all the math exercises and science problems in the text books within the first two weeks of school because they were fun to do, and then being bored in class? Today, as a student, one can go to the internet and use Google (or other search engine) and find math and science challenges (For example, the MIT courses in the left hand column of this blog...). Neither work, nor, education, should hold people back from reaching their full potential, and being happy. Maybe we need a "Google Games," open to the whole public...pre-K through age 160+. Hmmm!

Fundsnet Portal

http://www.fundsnetservices.com/educatio.htm

Here is a link to grants and funding for education. You may perhaps find funding for your innovative science education and science literacy ideas.

Here are links to NSTA--National Science Teachers Association

Table of Contents for NSTA Week of October 26, 2009

http://www.nsta.org/

STEM Education Focus of PCAST October Meeting Education Secretary Duncan Calls for Reforms in Teacher Education 2009 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Winners Meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Science Education in Fort Lauderdale, Nov. 12–14 NSTA Offers Conference Rate Online for Buy a Brick … Build a Legacy Program "Stuffing" the November Calendar with Web Seminars for Middle and High School Teachers Real Answers to Real Science Questions Members' Choice!

Science Education: Giving hope for a bright future.

Here's a quote that is waving a flag to get our attention:
“Things don’t just happen to one species in isolation,” notes Frazier. “People are beginning to look at bees and their decline as an example of what we are doing to our environment. To some degree, the honey bees could be seen as an indicator species telling us what’s out there and what pollinators are being exposed to, as well as being a potential canary in the coal mine, if you will.” Source: http://www.physorg.com/news145721503.html, Accessed 10-24-09.

In science education, part of the teacher's role is to convey that all hope is not lost. One person can make a difference. In fact, a science educator can influence several students that then use science to resolve problems. Each person can spread hope. Then, when we have hope, confidence that we have the knowledge, we can tackle and resolve problems. That's it. That's the message for today: Even if we have seemingly unsolvable problems, we have the hope that we can resolve them through science education and confidence that we can.

Blog title changed to encourage increased international participation

I have changed the blog title from

Read about it

to

Read about it: International Science Literacy and Education.

People visit the blog from all over the world. I have had some entries from Japan and a few comments here and there.

One visitor today was from San Sebastian, Pais Vasco. Other recent visitors have included people from:

			United States
			United Kingdom
			Israel
			Australia
			India
			Unknown	-
			Indonesia
			Thailand
			New Zealand
			Turkey
			Singapore
			Sri Lanka
			Cote D'ivoire
			Philippines

List of countries of people visiting on 10-26-09:
(In order of greatest number of visitors to least number of visitors)

			United States
			United Kingdom
			India
			Canada
			Nigeria
			Australia
			Russian Federation
			Nicaragua
			Philippines
			Norway
			Djibouti
			Japan
			Egypt
			Austria
			Bhutan
			Germany

I would like to encourage more participation. Please leave a comment, or e-mail with information you would like to post and I will review it and try to post your content. You can post in your own language and I will try see about translations, or, send a translation, too.

Science literacy and science education contribute to a more informed global population, and, I believe will lead us to preventing, alleviating, or solving problems.

Scientists cooperate internationally and are a good role model for leading to World peace. Please let us know what you are doing, as a parent, teacher, school administrator, business, industry, museum, botanic garden, zoo, or other special interested person or party.

Dr. J. S. Shipman
shipmanjs(at symbol)gmail.com

Science Teacher Education--Global network

http://tts.imtranslator.net/2IvM

If you are interested in science teacher education, please send an e'mail to shipmanjs@gmail.com. Specify your area of interest or your question. Put, `Read about it,` sci ed,` in the `Re:` line. Thank you. Dr. J

4-H National Youth Science Day

"On October 8, 2008 the 4-H Youth Development Program is launching the first annual 4-H National Youth Science Day to help build America's future science, engineering, and technology workforce."

Click here to learn more (This is the old link. new one below).

Movie clip 2008

2009 Link: National Youth Science Day

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
4-H Reveals National Science Experiment
to be Featured [during]
Upcoming 4-H National Youth Science Day
"Chevy Chase, Md. (September 8, 2008) –
National 4-H Council today announced details of the first-ever National Science Experiment (NSE), the designated science activity of 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD) to be held October 8, 2008.

The National Science Experiment will focus on the environment and will use science principles to teach youth across the country about the importance of water conservation.

Science education expert Steve Spangler worked closely with 4-H and Dr. Bob Horton, 4-H science education specialist for The Ohio State University Extension, to create the NSE and related activities, which will be made available to the 6 million 4-H youth plus parents, teachers, students, and youth organizations nationwide.

# # #
For more information, please contact:
Karyn Barr
Karyn@allisonpr.com
202-223-9260
-or-
Allyson McMahan
amcmahan@fourhcouncil.edu
301-961-2915

Allison & Partners National 4-H Council

My Father planted a Forest

My Father planted a Forest
When my father was young, 4-H friends of his got several young trees (He recalls, "one or two thousand...") to plant. They were twig-like. At first they dug very slowly and tucked each tree into the ground gingerly. But, they had only one day to plant the trees. The boys that signed-up for the tree project didn't get very far, so the 4-H leader got my dad and some other 4-Hers involved. Someone came up with the idea of using a broad pick-axe to dig one hole after another and then a kind of assembly line planting occurred....Dig, lift, put in the twig, stomp the ground on top, repeat. Today, there stands a magnificent forest in Hamptonburgh, New York (Near Campbell Hall...) that is a result of this 4-H project. I think we will go and look at the forest again soon.

You, too, can save the environment and plant a forest...
Join 4-H or be a 4-H leader. 4-H is a national organization that works with similar groups in other countries. Originally 4-H was mostly farm youth, but now it has membership encompassing farm, sub-urban, and urban youth, too. There are many projects on computers, science, engineering, nutrition, home economics, wood-working, environment, and more. 4-H is well worth checking out.

I came across the following video and it reminded me of the above story and of my own adventures in 4-H. The video is more, "art," than, "science," yet, it triggered me to write this post. I hope the post encourages you to plant or care for a forest.