NSDL Launches Second Year of Web Seminars with NSTA
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL2/webseminar.aspx
During the 2006-2007 school year, 11 free web seminars offered by the National Science Teachers Association and NSDL provided online professional development experiences for 588 teachers and informal educators. This year’s series begins on September 20 with an introduction to the FunWorks <http://thefunworks.org>, a digital resource library designed by middle school students that encourages young people to explore math and science careers. Sarita Nair-Pillai, Project Director at the Education Development Center, will show how to use the FunWorks in classroom exercises that engage and inspire. The seminar is designed for middle school teachers but all are welcome. The fall series of seminars runs through January featuring the following NSDL partners: Education Development Center, CSERD, ChemEdDL, AMNH, Woods Hole, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Free pre-registration is required: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/SeminarRegistration.aspx.

SHODOR Presents at Teacher Workshops
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate
NSDL partners are gearing up for the new school year. On August 21, staff from the Shodor Education Foundation introduced the NSDL to an audience of grade 6 to 12 science teachers at the Back-To-School Science Professional Development Institute at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. The presentation described NSDL’s Pathways projects and identified interactive resources for classroom use using live computer demonstrations. A second presentation described Alice, a software tool that helps middle school students build virtual worlds. A third introduced Interactivate, the popular math and science courseware from Shodor that promotes computational thinking. The session was sponsored by Durham Public Schools.

Connecting News and National Science Education Standards
http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/connectingnews
The NSDL Middle School Pathway has started a blog to encourage teachers to use current events as examples in science classes. Every Thursday, “Connecting News With Natonal Science Education Standards” will link a current news article to related teaching resources that connect specific content standards to the event. Articles may be appropriate for students to read directly, or they may serve as background knowledge for teachers and inspiration for subsequent instructional activities. Related excerpts from the National Science Education Standards for grades 5 to 8 will be included along with links to additional information such as lessons, reference articles, and definitions. User feedback is welcome and should be directed at msp@msteacher.org.
NSES Standards: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/6a.html

Answer Whiteboard’s Questions, Win $100
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Nt2VKD3joB0nS3xXGQivbg_3d_3d
Whiteboard Report is planning a makeover and we seek your candid advice. Click on the link to answer a few questions and we will be ever so grateful. We will collect responses through the end of September. How grateful, you may ask? One randomly selected visitor will receive a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com.