TIGblogs - Group - TIGed

Introduction - Program Assistant (Remote)

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:14:00 EST

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Hey! I#39;m Didi and I#39;m one of the Program Assistant and I#39;ll be logging in remotely from Washington, DC. In 2010 I recevied my BA in Sociology from Rutgers University. nbsp;I#39;ve spent most of my professional career working with underrepresentive populations in the US and it excites me that I get to continue to work for an organization that focuses on addressing today#39;s pressing issues. Please let me know how can I be of help. nbsp;I look forward to connecting with all of you! nbsp;

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Introduction – Programs Assistant

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:08:00 EST

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Hello! My name is Sunniva Vann (but Sunni suits me better) and I#39;m lucky enough to have just started as one of the new Programs Assistants for TIGed. I have my HonBA in Journalism and International Development from the University of King#39;s College in Halifax, although I#39;m originally from Elora-small-town-Ontario. I#39;ve spent the last year working abroad ndash; first as the Fairtrade Officer of Oxfam New Zealand, and then working on a fairtrade project for an NGO called Awamaki in the Peruvian Andes. I can#39;t wait to get started here at TakingITGlobal and to learn how to become a supportive part of the global community. Please let me know if there#39;s anything I can do for any of you!

Introduction- Marketing and Promotions Assistant

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:06:00 EST

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Hi everyone,

I just wanted to take some time out to introduce myself to the team. My name is Dalia Rashid and I am the new Marketing and Promotions Assistant for TIGed. I am a recent graduate from the University of windsor with a degree in Communication Studies, and a background in advertising and film.nbsp;

I look forward to working with you all and contributing in any way I can, as well as to learn as much from the team as possible. To be able to work in a professional environment, that allows me to learn the marketing ropes whilst being able to make a difference is an absolute treat ! and I cant wait to get started! Please feel free to start throwing work my way :)nbsp;

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Kate :)

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:16:00 EST

Hi Everyone!

My name is Kate, and I am so excited to be one of the newest members of the TIGed team, as the TIGed Program Assistant. For the next few months, I am responsible for member support (TIGeducators: have questions? I#39;ve got answers! E-mail me at education@takingitglobal.org, or visit me during my virtual office hours), community engagement (you may see me poking about at a conference near you!), sharing research and information with TIGeducators on our Twitter account (@TIGed), and providing other administrative support for our amazing team.

I am also managing a project in collaboration with a great organization called Youth Voices Research Group (http://www.youthvoices.ca/) to launch Youth 4 Health#39;s Navigate This!, a toolkit website designed to empower newcomer youth to become quot;health navigatorsquot; for their families and local communities. Read more about Youth 4 Health here: http://www.youthvoices.ca/node/126.nbsp;

To learn more about me, visit my TIG profile: http://profiles.tigweb.org/kathrynlang9

I am so excited to be part of this amazing online community, and look forward to seeing you online!

Kate :)

Teacher at Sea Program - Applications being accepted now until 31 December

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:43:00 EST

The (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Teacher at Sea program is now accepting applications for its 2010 field season.

The program seeks to give teachers a clearer insight into our ocean planet, a greater understanding of maritime work and studies, and to increase their level of environmental literacy by fostering an interdisciplinary research experience. It provides a unique environment for learning and teaching by sending kindergarten through college-level teachers to sea aboard NOAA research and survey ships to work under the tutelage of scientists and crew. Then, armed with new understanding and experience, teachers bring this knowledge back to their classrooms.

All costs are covered by the program. To learn more, or to apply, please visit http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov/.

Love Letters to the Future Time Capsule Soon to Close! Vote Now!

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:21:00 EST

A time capsule containing 100 love letters to the future, to be opened 100 years from now, is about to be closed ... AND you have the opportunity to vote on which letters should be included.

www.loveletterstothefuture.com has been collecting video, image, and text format messages that people around the world would like to share with future generations, providing a creative, personal way to express feelings, fears and hopes with respect to climate change.

You are invited to browse through the collection of powerful clips, gripping images, and moving messages to vote for your favourites. The 100 most popular letters will be shared with the ultimate stakeholders in the fight to address climate change: our children's children and their children.

The time capsule will be sealed at a free party that is being held in Copenhagen on December 13th. All are invited to the event, which features Danish actor Thure Lindhart reading a selection of letters projected on to a giant screen.

To learn more, and to vote, visit: www.loveletterstothefuture.com

Announcing the Imprints Art Contest

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:00 EST

From now until December 3rd, your students have the opportunity to exercise their creativity to reflect on humanity’s current ecological footprint and/or what it should look like in order to guarantee a sustainable common future! The Imprints art contest is on!

Submissions may include digitized drawings, paintings, collages, sculptures, and photography, as well as video, flash animation, and more.

People of all ages, worldwide, are invited to participate, and youth aged 13-30 are eligible to win one of several amazing prizes.

Contributors will have their work included in a special collection of TakingITGlobal’s online global gallery, and select submissions will be displayed at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009.

To learn more, please visit www.treadlightly.me or the art contest homepage.

This week's office hour cancelled

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:04:00 EDT

Hi all,

Sorry to do this but I have to cancel tomorrow's 10-11am EST virtual office hour as I am not well and will be taking the day off to rest.

Best,

Kat

Announcing the Tread Lightly Climate Change Education Initiative!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:35:00 EDT

In the end, we will protect only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught.

~ Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet and naturalist

TIG is pleased to announce the launch of the Tread Lightly climate change education initiative, made possible through the generous support of the Staples Foundation for Learning®. Developed to help global citizens to lighten the load they place on planet earth, it features:

* An interdisciplinary secondary school curriculum that explores climate change through the lens of ecological footprints - a measure of the toll humans are placing on the planet;
* "Imprints" - an international ecological art contest;
* A global 40-day footprint challenge.

Teacher Toolkit
Available now, free of charge, in both French and English, this educational resource for secondary school teachers around the world was developed to support curriculum objectives across a wide range of subject areas. Tread Lightly lesson plans are specifically designed to run in parallel with global climate change events leading up to and including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December in Copenhagen, Denmark. Included in the Tread Lightly program is the complimentary use of TIG virtual classroom communities, allowing students to collaborate globally with other participating schools and classes!

Imprints Art Contest
If you could visualize your ecological footprint, what would it look like? What do we need to do in order to ensure a greener future? How does your footprint compare to people on the other side of the planet? Tread Lightly invites individuals worldwide to share their perspectives on ecological footprints and climate change through the "Imprints" Art Contest, launching on the International Day of Climate Action, October 24th.

40-Day Challenge
You are invited to join the Tread Lightly 40-Day Challenge, which also begins on the International Day of Climate Action. On October 24th, join thousands of people around the world in demonstration of the need to hold global leaders accountable to the latest climate change science (please see www.350.org for more information). Then, over the next 40 days, use tools available on the Tread Lightly website to adopt, track and maintain as many of the 40 ecological commitments as possible.

To Learn More
Email info@treadlightly.me or visit www.treadlightly.me. Thank you!

Going on Vacation!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:28:00 EDT

Dear TIGeducators,

This is a quick note to let you all know that I will be going on vacation from August 20th to August 31st, inclusive. I will try to check my email occasionally during this time, but please note that I may not be able to provide support until I return to my desk on September 1st.

Thank you!

Katherine

New TIGed Community Search Feature Launched!!!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:42:00 EDT

TIGed is pleased to announce that we have implemented a new and improved search functionality, which incorporates and replaces the old collaboration and project idea databases.

The TIGed community search allows you to search for teachers, classes, and schools, and to narrow your search results to certain subjects, grade levels, countries and regions, and keywords. We have also made it possible to search for teachers, classes and schools that are using specific thematic classrooms so that you can utilize them in partnership with students and teachers in other parts of the world!

Go to the TIGed Community page to fill in your collaboration details in order to let other TIGed community members know what you and your students are interested in and how you would like to collaborate!

We hope this new feature will help you all make connections to take your classrooms global!

Are you attending NECC '09? ..... So are we!!

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:23:00 EDT

TIGed will be presenting two sessions at the 30th annual National Educational Computing Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the International Society for Technology in Education (http://www.iste.org/):

* Creative Connections: Online Expression as a Means to Global Understanding (Sunday June 28th, from 7-8:30pm, East Registration Lobby, Table 20)

* The World in Your Classroom: Online Global Education and Collaboration (Wednesday July 1st, from 9-11am, East Registration Lobby, Table 24)

Please drop by and say hello! If you'd like to arrange another time to meet over the course of the conference, please email katherine@takingitglobal.org.

June 8th is World Oceans Day!!

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:29:00 EDT

In 2008, it was decided by the General Assembly of the United Nations, that from 2009, the 8th of June would be designated by the UN as "World Oceans Day". Although many countries started celebrating World Oceans Day after the 1992 UN Conference on Environment Development, this is the first year of its official UN status! This official designation presents an opportunity to raise awareness of the essential role that oceans play with respect to the health and survival of all life on the planet. The theme of the inaugural observance of World Oceans Day is "Our Oceans, Our Responsibility."

To learn more about the relationship between oceans and food security, biodiversity, and the climate, and how to incorporate learning about oceans into your classroom, please visit the following websites:

The World Ocean Network

The Ocean Project (Especially the section on "Celebration Ideas.")

Ocean Sciences Teaching Videos

Upcoming Virtual Office Hours

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:54:00 EDT

TIGed will be holding the following virtual office hours over the next three weeks:

Friday June 5th, from 1:30 to 2:30pm EST (To join, please visit www.tigurl.org/voh5jun09).

Wednesday June 10th, from 4-5pm EST (To join, please visit www.tigurl.org/voh10jun09).

Thursday June 18th, from 6-7pm EST (To join, please visit www.tigurl.org/voh18jun09).

We aim to hold virtual office hours about once a week so that educators can ask questions and seek support for using TIGed. Participants do not need to be members of the TIGed community or have TIGed virtual classroom licenses to take part.

If you plan on taking part in one of these sessions, please be sure to join at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time in order to configure your audio settings and ensure that you have a compatible version (1.5 or higher) of Java (free download) installed on your computer. (You may join up to 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.) Please note that you will need a working headset in order to participate.

For more information about the Elluminate platform, please visit: http://www.elluminate.com/support.

Upcoming TIGed Virtual Office Hours

Tue, 05 May 2009 17:42:00 EDT

TIGed will be holding the following virtual office hours over the next four weeks:

Wednesday May 6th, from 4-5pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.787822E668DE96C11B3D623071D888.)

Friday May 15th, from 3-4pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.97F0154ABD84258AA72F02137AD9B0.)

Monday May 18th, from 5-6pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.CD10974D9605FFA757341F37598264.)

Tuesday May 26th, from 7-8pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.B36DFCF2C051D2D0CE15CDDF0F6249.)

We aim to hold virtual office hours about once a week so that educators can ask questions and seek support for using TIGed. Participants do not need to be members of the TIGed community or have TIGed virtual classroom licenses to take part.

If you plan on taking part in one of these sessions, please be sure to join at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time in order to configure your audio settings and ensure that you have a compatible version (1.5 or higher) of Java (free download) installed on your computer. (You may join up to 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.) Please note that you will need a working headset in order to participate.

For more information about the Elluminate platform, please visit: http://www.elluminate.com/support.

Thanks!

Interactive Webinar: Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders Through Innovative Technology

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:04:00 EDT

Technology is transforming how students learn and engage in our information society. On Wednesday May 20th, TakingITGlobal will be among the panelists of an interactive webinar, hosted by The National Center for Technology Innovation, which illustrates how to unleash student talent through the use of online, interactive platforms.

The webinar will take place on May 20th from 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm EST. To register for this free webinar, visit the National Center for Technology Innovation Web site.

2009 Global Action Week on Education: 20-26 April

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:43:00 EDT

"Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world." ~ Nelson Mandela

Yesterday marked the beginning of Global Action Week (GAW), an annual public mobilization campaign organized by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) in order to press towards the goal of Education for All.

The GCE is a civil society movement that aims to end the global education crisis by ensuring that governments deliver the right of every girl, boy, woman and man to a free quality public education. The GCE was instrumental in setting the Education for All agenda for 2015.

Every year in April, the GCE coordinates Global Action Week on education, an international campaign to tell politicians and journalists that we need to provide quality education to the 75 million children and 774 million adults who cannot currently access this basic human right.

Help get GAW 2009 off to a strong start by asking your Member of Parliament to speak up for Education for All by signing the online petition in English ou Français.

As the theme for Global Action Week 2009 is literacy, the GCE is running a campaign called the BIG READ. The GCE and its national partners are producing a special life-changing book - compiled of short stories written by remarkable people, about how education changes the world as we know it. Students around the world will read these stories, learn about the right to education using specially-produced curricula, and sign their name to a petition calling on the governments of the world to do more to provide everyone with their human right to a quality education.

To learn more about the BIG READ and how to organize a BIG READ event with your school or group, please visit the campaign website.

Sorry!

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:31:00 EDT

The TIG server was down this morning and, consequently, I was about 20 minutes late starting today's office hour. Apologies to anyone who dropped in at 10 EST and missed me!

On Holidays - Back soon!

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:39:00 EDT

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you know that I am away on holidays and will return to work on Tuesday April 14th.

Cheers!

Kat

Upcoming Virtual Office Hours

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:32:00 EDT

TIGed will be holding the following virtual office hours over the next three weeks:

Friday April 17th, from 10-11 am EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.57062E3BF6D1CFCA6293B5F7053C55.)

Thursday April 23rd, from 3-4pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.8AE7FB2FD972725D3A7D7F6667A733.)

Tuesday April 28th, from 12-1pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.B347A041AA73BA6BB8CF296DC593C2.)

We aim to hold virtual office hours about once a week so that educators can ask questions and seek support for using TIGed. Participants do not need to be members of the TIGed community or have TIGed virtual classroom licenses to take part.

If you plan on taking part in one of these sessions, please be sure to join at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time in order to configure your audio settings and ensure that you have a compatible version (1.5 or higher) of Java (free download) installed on your computer. (You may join up to 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.) Please note that you will need a working headset in order to participate.

For more information about the Elluminate platform, please visit: http://www.elluminate.com/support.

Thanks!

Get Outside Your World Contest

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Engineers Without Borders and Mountain Equipment Coop are holding a contest to engage young Canadians and provide a channel for them to share their vision of a better world. Youth in grades 6-12 and CEGEP are invited to write an essay, create a photo collage, or shoot a short video answering the question “what kind of world do you want to live in and what will it take to get there?” Prizes include a $1500 scholarship and a class visit by an EWB overseas volunteer. The contest closes April 30th, 2009. For more information, please visit www.youth.ewb.ca/contest.

Teaching about Water with the Safe Drinking Water Foundation

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:34:00 EDT

Unfortunately, I let World Water Day, held annually on March 22nd, slip by without blogging here about what resources are available to support teaching about water issues. Even though WWD 2009 has passed, it is not too late to support your students in learning more about water related issues or to prepare for WWD 2010.

Many organizations offer resources to support teachers in exploring water related issues with their students. Among these is the Safe Drinking Water Foundation, a charitable organization that focuses on water related education and research in order to provide potable water for human consumption in rural areas of the world.

The Safe Drinking Water Foundation currently offers five school programs that cover curricula from kindergarten to grade 12 for schools across Canada and the United States. These five programs are:

• Operation Water Drop (OWD) wherein students test the quality of their local water and are able to compare their results to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

• Operation Water Pollution (OWP) in which students learn about water pollution and what can be done to lessen the problem.

Green Street and some chapters of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation have sponsored all OWD and OWP kits so that schools are not required to pay the cost recovery fee for the kits. The following programs are all available free of charge from SDWF website.

• Operation Water Flow (OWF) wherein students learn the social studies and math aspects of drinking water.

• Operation Water Spirit (OWS) which teaches students about drinking water from a First Nations’ perspective.

• Operation Water Health (OWH) which enables students to learn what diseases can be caused by drinking water and what can be done to prevent these diseases.

Many of the programs are now available in French and Cree as well as English. The Safe Drinking Water Foundation will be introducing a new program for September 2009, Operation Water Biology, which will give students hands-on experiments to show how biology can replace chemicals in the water treatment process, thereby offering sustainable solutions that produce the highest possible quality of drinking water while leaving the smallest possible environmental footprint.

Earth Hour 2009

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:58:00 EDT

Based on an idea first implemented in Thailand in 2005, Earth Hour was born in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour to make a statement about resource consumption and climate change. In 2008, Earth Hour went global, with 50 million people on all seven continents switching off their lights. Landmarks that turned off their non-essential lighting for the 2008 event included the Empire State Building (New York City, USA), Sears Tower (Chicago, USA), Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, USA), Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta, USA), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), Wat Arun Buddhist Temple (Bangkok, Thailand), the Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Royal Castle (Stockholm, Sweden), London's City Hall (England), Space Needle (Seattle, USA), the CN Tower (Toronto, Canada) and SM Mall of Asia The Giant Globe (Manila, Philippines).

Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support for Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing every day. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has set a target of 1 billion people switching off their lights during Earth Hour 2009, the results of which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Earth Hour will next take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm, local time, wherever you are. Vote Earth simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to environmental education and stewardship. Click here to sign up your school or organization, or to pledge your support as an individual. There are also many resources available to help teachers bring Earth Hour and exploration of climate change into their classrooms. For example, the WWF has made available a list of suggestions for celebrating Earth Hour in your school, and classroom activities for grades 3 to 8 can be downloaded from the WWF’s Schools for a Living Planet. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, outlining what some Australian schools are doing to support Earth Hour, may also provide some ideas about how your classroom or school can get involved.

To learn more about Earth Hour, please visit http://www.earthhour.org/home/. There is also website specific to children and teens, http://www.earthhourkids.org/, to help them learn more about the event and the issue of climate change. I’ve also included some great videos in this post. Check them out!

Upcoming Virtual Office Hours

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:45:00 EDT

TIGed will be holding the following virtual office hours over the next three weeks:

Tuesday March 24th, from 4:30-5:30 pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.C3CE4B1CC924DDA96F3E89CF7DEB12.)

Monday March 30th, from 5-6pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.51F1598AAD6303ACEB408526E4ECDD.)

Tuesday April 7th, from 12-1pm EST (To join, please visit https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.64607CC75A20F1FB7D4DEF8688A2E9.)

We aim to hold virtual office hours about once a week so that educators can ask questions and seek support for using TIGed. Participants do not need to be members of the TIGed community or have TIGed virtual classroom licenses to take part.

If you plan on taking part in one of these sessions, please be sure to join at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time in order to configure your audio settings and ensure that you have a compatible version (1.5 or higher) of Java (free download) installed on your computer. (You may join up to 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.) Please note that you will need a working headset in order to participate.

For more information about the Elluminate platform, please visit: http://www.elluminate.com/support.

Thanks!

"Win a Wireless Lab" Sweepstakes

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:32:00 EDT

CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G) and Discovery Education have announced the seventh annual “Win a Wireless Lab” sweepstakes. The program gives K–12 schools in the United States the opportunity to win a 21st-century classroom, complete with tablet or notebook computers, wireless cart, interactive whiteboard, student response system, projector, printer and document camera. CDW-G and Discovery Education also provide on-site training to all Win a Wireless Lab grand-prize winners. The 2009 program will award five grand prizes. In addition to the technology hardware included in the 21st-century classroom, Discovery Education will award a
$5,000 digital media grant to the five grand-prize winning schools to help them more fully utilize the technology and engage students in learning.

Public and private school teachers, administrators, and school and district technology specialists may enter the sweepstakes by filling out an online form. For each prize drawing, winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries received.

Deadline: Sweepstakes entries accepted until May 1, 2009
To learn more: http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/1208/