Discovery Education - Sneak Peek of Back to School Updates

Discovery Education and the Discovery Educator Network are great resources for educators and students. They have over 30 free resources for educators, Discovery Streaming Plus, Discovery Assessment, Discovery Education Science TechBook (really awesome) and much more.

They are hosting a sneak peek webinar series of some of the changes coming to Discovery Education this summer. You can find out about product updates, mobile and social products and updates and all the newest, latest, greatest features and resources available.

The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th at 7pm ET, Tuesday, May 15th at 3:30pm ET and Tuesday, May 22nd at 7pm ET. You can register to attend these free webinars here: Register: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/sneakpeek2012

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resource for all educators

Discovery Products, News, Lesson Ideas, Resources and more

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education
Discovery Education Science TechBooks - great resource - more than an e-text

DENny Awards 2012 - nominations open now! Discovery Educator Network Awards

The DENny Awards are awards given to Discovery Educator Network members that go above and beyond for the community during the school year. I was honored to win a DENny last year for blogging on the DEN Blogs. 

Nominations are now open: We have many different categories, but the one that is coveted by STARs all over the globe is the Community Choice DENny. We encourage all STARs to take some time and nominate a fellow Discovery Educator for a Community Choice DENny by completing this form. The deadline for nominations is May 15 (5 PM DEN Time).

Join us on Thursday, May 17th at 7 PM ET for the 2012 DENny Awards.

This year, we’re thrilled to announce that the DENny Awards will be broadcast live from the HD Theater at the world headquarters of Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, MD. If you are nearby, we invite you to join us in-person. Sign up to join us in-person at Discovery Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD or join us online at http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/live

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

25+ Free Resources for Educators from Discovery Education

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. I've been a member of the DEN for many years, am a STAR educator and am also on the Leadership Council for Connecticut. The DEN provides a community for educators where they can socialize, share resources, and learn from each other. There are online resources, videos, blogs, links, downloads, contests and prizes, and so much more. The state Leadership Councils are made up of educators who volunteer to create social events, learning events, and write the blog posts. They work hand-in-hand with Discovery Education employees (like Steve Dembo @teach42) to support educators. 


The resources and post are not all about Discovery Education products, although many are. 


I've learned a lot from being a part of the DEN and have met some great people. Here's some details from research done on the DEN. 

Discovery Education had Researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education investigate the Discovery Educator Network to determine how the DEN has affected educator’s professional development and their use of technology in their work. You can read through the highlights here, as well as find a link to the full study. For those of you that are more visual in nature though, we took a few of the key points and turned them into an infographic.
Click on the image below to view the full infographic. And don’t forget, many browsers will attempt to resize it to fit the screen. If your mouse icon is a magnifying glass, click on the image to see it full size.

The Discovery Educator Network is a great addition to any educator's Personal Learning Network.

DENSCcon 2012 -free professional development on Science

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. They also provide excellent, free, professional development through out the year. These sessions are held online and there are in-person events to coincide with the online program. 


The 3rd Annual DEN SCIcon will be held on Saturday, January 28th. The DEN SCIcon provides participants with effective strategies for transforming science classes through effective integration of digital media content. 


The agenda is listed below and you can register for the online sessions here: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/scicon2012


I will post a list of in-person events once they are announced. 


This is a great opportunity to gain some great ideas and resources for free. I've participated for the last two years and it was well worth the time. 

General Agenda (all times ET)

9 AM
Opening SessionYour Attention Please: 10 Ways to Engage Your Students in Science - Lance Rougeux

10 AM
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Student Learning through Inquiry-based Instruction - Trinette Green

11 AM
What’s the GIST? Bridging Literacy and Science - Brad Fountain

12 PM
The Common Core Connection - Kelly Pauling

1 PM
Busting the Myths of Project Based Learning in the Science Classroom - Mike Bryant

2 PM
Closing Session
The Scientific Method… It’s Not Just For Chapter One Anymore - Patti Duncan

In Person Events:


Connecticut - the CT DEN leadership council will be hosting a live event for the SCICon virtual conference at the Mark Twain House in Hartford on Saturday, January 28, 2012. For more information and to register, click here. 

Discovery Education Summer Institute 2012 announced

Discovery Education's DEN Summer Institute, DENSI2012, will take place July 21-26, 2012 at Montana State University.


The DENSI is a week long opportunity for up to 125 DE STAR Educators to connect with fellow STAR Discovery Educators during this exclusive and intensive professional development event.


For more information and to apply, go here:
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2011/12/19/den-summer-institute-2012/


Remember, you must be a DEN STAR to apply. For more information on the DEN and STAR, go here:
http://community.discoveryeducation.com/

Discovery Educator Network Fall Virtual Conference - Oct 22, 2011 - FREE

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for all educators. They have over 30 free resources available, have a thriving educator community in the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), and have some of the best educational products. Every year, they also run virtual conferences.

This year's fall Virtual Conference is "Tech or Treat" and will have some great presentations from some very talented and knowledgeable educators. Discovery Educator Network also has some in-person events where people can go and participate in the online conference with a group of educators. In some cases, the in-person event also includes other presentations and activities in addition to having access to the virtual conference.

From the Discovery Educator Network Blog:

Get your crazy costumes ready, and mark your calendars! The fall virtual conference Tech or Treat has been scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 9am to 3pm ET. Join us for an hour or stay all day.
We have a spooktackular day of professional development (and PRIZES!)  planned for you. Join us online, or join one of the local events our Leadership Council members are planning.
In-Person Events (MORE coming soon!)
Meridian, CT (Register here)
Palatka, FL (Register here)
Atlanta, GA (Register here)
Mandeville, LA (Register here)
Branson, MO (Register here)
Port Chester, NY (Register here)
Poundmaker Cree Nation, SK Canada (Register here)
Knoxville, TN (Register here)
Pasadena, TX (Register here)
McKinney, TX (Register here)
Muskego, WI (Register here)
Schedule (all times are eastern)9:00 am The Monster Mash-Up with Traci Blazosky, DEN Guru
10:00 am No Tricks, Just Treats with Nancy Sharoff, DEN Guru
11:00 am Digital Storytelling: Get it Write! with Joe Brennan
12:00 pm The Collective Brain with the DEN Team
1:00 pm Spotlight Session with Wes Fryer
2:00 pm Treat Yourself to A Story with Dean Mantz, DEN Guru

Register here to attend online. Keep an eye on the blogs for more information about the in-person events and the session descriptions.

This is a great opportunity to learn some great things while home in your pajamas, or join a group of educators for a fun day of learning.

Discovery Education on Twitter is now @DiscoveryEd - lots of great stuff

Discovery Education used to be @DEN on Twitter (standing for Discovery Educator Network). But, lots of people thought @DEN had something to do with Denver, so they decided to change it. Discovery Education on Twitter is now @DiscoveryEd. 


If you already follow @DEN, you will be moved over to the new @DiscoveryEd automatically. You should make changes to any bookmarks you have though for future reference. 


Discovery Education has a ton of free resources and posts information and resources beyond their own products and resources. The Discovery Educator Network and the Blogs are also great resources for educators. 




Here are a list of some great Discovery Education Twitter accounts:

@cbrown426 – Cynthia Brown, DEN Account Manager

@halldavidson – Hall Davidson. THE Hall Davidson.
@teach42 – Steve Dembo, Chief Twitter Officer for DE
@teachersurvival – Inspiration and practical advice for new teachers, from the New Teacher Survival Center
@wmihoulides – Whitney Mihoulides, Director of DEN Account Management

And of course, to visit this list to follow other STAR Discovery Educators on Twitter. 

Training Resources for Discovery Education tools and apps

I found this great list of Discovery Education Training Resources on Jen Dorman's blog (she is a DEN Account Manager).

Most of the great resources Discovery Education has to offer for educators are listed here.

Training Resources

Discovery Educator Network

Discovery Education streaming - Links to service overviews, demonstrations, and efficacy research

Discovery Education streaming Getting Started Guide 
Discovery Education Classroom Resources - Links to free resources, sponsorships, and competitions

• Puzzlemaker
• Lesson Plans
• Siemen’s STEM Academy
• Web 2010
• ReadyZone H1N1 - Continuity of Learning
• Ready Classroom - Emergency Preparedness
• ThinkGreen Classroom
• New Teacher Survival Guide
• Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators
• Curriculum Center
• Brain Boosters
• Worksheets to Go
• Learning Adventures
• NASA at 50
• Understanding Epilepsy
• Discovering Diabetes
• Parent Corner
• Discovery Student Adventures
• Scotch Science Fair
• Siemen’s Science Day
• Siemen’s We Can Change the World Challenge
• USADA True Sport Award Program
• Fuel Our Future Now - STEM resources, Dash+, and Automotive Xprize

Tutorials and Learning Resources

• Glogster
• VoiceThread
• Diigo
• Google Tools (Docs, Earth, Maps, Calendar, Reader, etc.)
• Digital Storytelling
• Digital Storytelling with Web 2.0
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Wikis
• Digital Learning Networks
• Copyright and Fair Use
• Project Based Learning (Challenge Based Learning) / Why Teach With Project Based Learning? / EL Project-Based Learning / BIE PBL
• Discovery Education - My Admin
• Discovery Education -My Classrooms
• Discovery Education - The Builders
• Widgets for the DE Builders

This is a great list of resources for all educators. And remember, many of Discovery Education's resources are free.

Related Articles:

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Top 10 Resources from Discovery Education - all free

Toyota Teen Driver - Toyota & Disc. Educ. team up to help teens drive safe

DEN Blog Network - great resource for all educators

Upcoming Conferences for Educators - lots of great events - UPDATED with more - 2 from Discovery Education (both free)

Seiman's Science Day - Learn by Doing - great resource

Top 10 Resources from Discovery Education - all free

Dave's Top 10 Lists

Discovery Resources

The fourth top 10 list I'm doing is "My Top 10 Best Discovery Education Resources." Even though I talk about Discovery Education on this blog a lot, I wanted to consolidate the best Discovery Education has to offer. They are all free. They are in no specific order of preference. Click on the links for more information about each one and it's use in education.

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for teachers. Many teachers know about Discovery Streaming, the Discovery Channel, or even Discovery Middle School Science. All of these are fee based services, but Discovery Education also has some great free resources for any teacher. Here are my top 10 (out of the 25 or so they have that are free).

1. Web 2011 - http://web2011.discoveryeducation.com/ - Web 2.0 for 2011. Access great content on Internet Safety, Media Literacy and links to Web 2.0 Tool. The site is rich with little flash videos detailing the explanation and use of Web 2.0 Tools in the classroom. This is a great resource for new teachers and veterans to learn about Web 2.0 tools.

2. New Teacher Survival Central - http://discoveryeducation.com/survival/ - Includes Tech Tools for teachers and students, New teacher blogs, classroom tools, and curriculum resources, Tips/tricks on: Classroom Environment, Classroom Management, Parent Communication, Cool tips on Green Screens and more!

3. Science Fair Central - http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/?campaign=SFC - Great ideas how to create, launch and facilitate a Science Fair, including tips and ideas for student projects.

4. Discovery Education Lesson Plans - http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/ - lesson plans for all different subjects, sorted by K-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

5. Siemens STEM Academy - http://stem.discoveryeducation.com/ - Premier online community designed to foster student achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through the collaboration of STEM educators and sharing of best practices. Great resources, ideas, and more.

6. Kathy Schrock's guide for Educators - http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/ - Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators is a categorized list of sites useful for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. It is updated often to include the best sites for teaching and learning.

7. Science of Everyday Life - http://scienceofeverydaylife.discoveryeducation.com/ - Everywhere you look, there are wonders both big and small just waiting to be explored. Your school, your home, and your community are all boundless laboratories full of mystery, excitement and surprise. Join us as we uncover the magic all around us and tap the innovator within us…in the Science of Everyday Life. What a great way to connect science to students' lives and experiences by connecting science to everyday things.

8. Discovery News - http://news.discovery.com/ - The site has news articles and resources on Earth, Space, Science, Tech, Animals, and much more. Like most Discovery products, it is well done and easy to find things. There is all kinds of breaking news, new discoveries, social issues, videos, discussions, and more.

9. Toyota Teen Driver - http://toyotateendriver.discoveryeducation.com/ - Discovery Education and Toyota have teamed up to create Toyota Teen Driver. This is a great resource for educators, parents, and students to learn about safe driving. Students can also play a virtual driving game called "Heads Up" to see how they perform and get a feel for driving and handling distractions. The game is not easy either and requires concentration.

10. Discovery Education Blog Network - http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/ -  great resource for all educators. STAR Educators and DEN Leadership Council members, along with DE employees, post resources and information on the blogs. Some of it is DE resources, but many of it is other resources for educators. There are also announcements for local DEN events and much more.


Training resources for using Discovery Education resources:
Discovery Education Training Resources on Educational Technology Guy.
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2010/03/list-of-discovery-education-training.html

Discovery Educator Network Blog - http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/
Lots of resources, articles, how-to’s, links, and more.

Discovery Education SCICon 2011

Join Us for DEN SCIcon 2010 

Connectictut will host in-person event at t EASTCONN in Willimantic, CT

Please join us for the Discovery Educators Network SCIcon event on Saturday, January 22nd. DEN SCIcon 2010 is an online conference (with a twist) focused on providing participants with some of the most effective strategies for transforming their science classes through the meaningful and effective integration of digital media content. Join thousands of educators from around the world for an amazing day of engaging sessions, networking, and sharing. 

Our Connecticut DEN LC will be hosting this event at EASTCONN’s facility in Willimantic. 

To find out if your local DEN LC is hosting and in person event, check the DEN Blog and click on your state on the left margin. 

Agenda:

8:30 AM- Registration

SCIcon Agenda (all times ET)

9 AM

Opening Keynote- Reed Timmer, extreme meterologist and team leader for the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers
The Five E’s of Inquiry-Based Instruction
Patti Duncan, DEN Guru

10 AM
The Student Experience: Engaging and Assessing Young Scientists
Mike Bryant

11 AM
Spotlight Session
Real Students, Real Teachers, Real Results: Implementing Discovery Education Science
Cindy Moss, Director of Science and Math, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

12 PM
Top Ten Free Science Resources from Discovery Education
Porter Palmer

1 PM
Hands-On Digital
Brad Fountain and Lance Rougeux

2 PM
Closing Keynote
Into the Storm: Following the Love of Science
Reed Timmer, Extreme Meteorologist

We anticipate various breakout sessions throughout the day in addition to the above schedule.

What is the cost?  FREE FREE FREE
Morning beverages and a box lunch will be provided.

If you would like to join us, please click on the link and register.
https://lrougeux.wufoo.com/forms/ct-den-scicon-event/

If you are unable to join us in person, but would still like to participate in this virtual conference, follow this link to register.
http://Links.DiscoveryEducation.com/SCIcon

We hope to see you there!!!