ICN News

Now is the time to start thinking about next year’s Iowa Learning Online (ILO) courses. Below is a listing of available high school credit classes. Please check the ILO website at http://iowalearningonline.org/classes.cfm for information concerning start dates and tuition fees, if applicable.

Algebra
Algebra
American History
American Government
American History
American Literature
Anatomy and Physiology
AP Music Theory
Biology
British and World Literature
Calculus
Chemistry
Critical Reading and Effective Writing
Earth Science
Economics
English 10
English 9
Fundamental Math
General Biology
Geography and World Cultures
Geometry
German I & II
Intro to English Lit and Composition
Introductory Algebra
Physical Education
Physical Science
Physics
Pre-Calculus
Reading Skills and Strategies
Skills for Health
Spanish
The Works of Shakespeare
U.S. Government and Politics
World History
World History
Writing and Grammar

A continually updated listing of these courses can be found also be found at the ILO website.

The University of Northern Iowa’s (UNI) Center for Energy & Environmental Education, the Iowa Energy Center, the Iowa Math and Science Education Partnership, IPTV and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are sponsoring a new series of sessions for teachers this spring focused on energy education. The series of classes, offered through UNI and IPTV, follows the inquiry learning format recommended for science education in Iowa's Core Curriculum. A six-session student series is also being offered.

Led by presenters William Stigliani, a professor and Pat Higby, an energy educator, K-12 teachers participating in the Energize Me! course will discover new resources and activities for teaching about energy efficiency, wind energy and solar energy. Participants will also have the opportunity to review cutting-edge teaching materials such as model solar cars, model wind turbines and Kill-a-Watt meters. The kits used in the course can be borrowed for use in the classroom.

Teachers attending all nine ICN sessions and complying with the coursework requirements can earn graduate credit. Coursework requirements include completion of a portfolio of the experience using the workshop materials in the classroom and a summary of an interview with an energy expert in your local area. Grant support covers the $50 tuition for teachers participating in these sessions! Upon successful completion of the course, teachers will receive reimbursement of their tuition due to grant support from the Iowa Math and Science Education Partnership. Sessions can also be taken individually without charge but participants will not receive graduate credit.

Although all graduate credit seats for the spring course have now been filled, if you would like to participate in a course like this for summer or fall, please register for the waiting list. You will be contacted with dates/times and more information if a future course is secured. In addition, teachers may still register for individual sessions. Times and dates are listed below:

Energize Me to Teach about Energy Efficiency I
March 3
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Energy Efficiency II
March 24
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Energy Efficiency III
March 26
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Wind Energy I
March 10
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Wind Energy II
March 31
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Wind Energy III
April 2
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Solar Energy I
April 7
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Solar Energy II
April 21
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Energize Me to Teach about Solar Energy III
April 23
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

In addition to the teacher workshops, student ICN sessions related to the series are also being offered this spring. These sessions include Solar Model Cars and Solar Models Cars II, in which students design and keep their own solar model cars, and Wind Energy and Energy Efficiency II. Teachers and their students may go to all sessions or individual sessions. The dates and times for these student sessions are listed below:

Introduction to Wind Energy
March 10
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Wind Energy II
March 21
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Introduction to Model Solar Cars
April 7
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Model Solar Cars II
April 21
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

On March 10, 2009, Heartland AEA is supporting a student-to-student cultural learning opportunity for grades 9-12 through the ICN. This event will occur during two ICN sessions, the first from 9:00-9:50 a.m. and the second from 10:00-10:50 a.m. The registration deadline for both of these sessions is March 4, 2009. The event will originate from Heartland AEA, with sites joining around the state. It is free to participating Iowa schools.

This ICN event is a collaborative effort of the IRIS (Iowa Resource for International Service) Education Center, Heartland AEA, Iowa Public Television and the Iowa Communications Network. It coincides with International Women's Day and is intended to be an examination of women's rights in Nigeria, Tanzania and the United States. IRIS students around the state will interact with Iowa students in grades 9-12, addressing this global celebration and comparing their experiences. Questions such as the following will focus the students' conversations via the ICN across the state:

• Where is value placed on women in each society?
• How can men in leadership positions facilitate the ability of women to reach their goals?
• How can American students help foster an increase of women’s opportunities and values in their home country?

Starting with the December blog, each ICN News will focus on a specific theme concerning the ICN. Although other pertinent news will also be featured in the blog, most articles will focus on the theme. The December blog theme, Exploring IPTV Sessions, highlights the varied and successful K-12 Connections, Transitions, and School to Careers sessions offered via the ICN by IPTV. Please take a moment to read this month’s articles and discover the benefits that the ICN can bring to your classroom, whether you teach high school, middle school or elementary school.

The Great Debaters, an IPTV Transitions session offered on October 9, connected session participants with current and past members of the award-winning Roosevelt High School debate team to discuss the benefits and rewards of participating in school debate teams. Roosevelt High School’s debate team was named among the nation’s top ten programs in the country following a strong performance at the Desert Lights National Tournament in Las Vegas. Roosevelt earned the Schwann School of Excellence Award as one of the nation’s top debate programs. This is quite an accomplishment considering 860 schools competed in the tournament in 16 different events. Roosevelt became the third central Iowa school to win the award in the past six years. In addition to this team honor, the National Forensic League recently named 2008 Roosevelt graduate Billy Strong an NFL All-American debater. The title of NFL All-American is the highest honor possible for a high school debate student.

The session, designed for students interested in debate or already involved in debate, focused on the role and benefits of debate for students in their lives after high school. Roosevelt High School debate team members Amelia Martin, Chris Oman and Taylor Young, Roosevelt graduate and current Grinnell College student Sam Fairfield discussed the skills they have honed through involvement in debate. Roosevelt debate team coach Harry Strong also talked about the benefits of debate with session participants.

All current debate team members felt that debate is preparing them in many varied and beneficial ways for their lives beyond high school. Martin felt that debate improved her schoolwork, provided development of her verbal skills and raised her confidence. She felt that although you have to work hard, it is “work well spent” and helps her to think “outside the box.”

Oman felt that debate helps him to write quality essays and shape his thinking about the world. Through debate participation, he has met people around the world and now, as a result of his experiences, wants to pursue international relations, global politics and economics as he furthers his education.

Young spent time studying, researching and participating in Lincoln-Douglas style debates. This experience taught him time management skills and he feels that debate is “the greatest activity I have done.” All of the students spoke highly of their experience and feel strongly that it will benefit them in the future.

Coach Strong and Fairfield presented a perspective from beyond high school. Yale college administrators informed Coach Strong during discussions that debate students are highly sought after for overall academics. Debate students learn to impact arguments, present an argument and explain why the argument matters.

Fairfield, a sophomore at Grinnell named Honorable Mention NFL All-American in 2007, felt that debate has benefited him in numerous ways. His high school experience in debate programs helped him develop critical thinking, essay writing and time management skills that prepared him well for college. In addition, participation in debate gave him focus in high school that helped him academically get into college. He has learned that college counselors highly consider qualities found in debate students in scholarship applications. He feels that competitive debate has helped him learn how to work in groups, develop his skills in critical argumentation and mature as an individual.

Another interesting note about this team and its success—the Roosevelt High School debate team almost became extinct a few years ago due to budget cuts. To read more about how Fairfield, Strong and other students saved the debate program and helped bring it to its current level of success, see the Global Debate Blog at http://globaldebateblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/students-save-iowa-high-school-debate.html.

If you or your students would like to share a successful academic and/or extracurricular opportunity offered in your school or classroom, please contact Lyneé Casper at lcasper@aea11.k12.ia.us. Sharing success stories is a great way to get more schools and students involved in worthwhile activities that can enhance their education. Through this ICN session, these students were able to connect with students throughout Iowa to share their passion for debate and inspire others to participate in this worthwhile experience.

LaShell Staley has been with Iowa Public Television for over 17 years. Her educational background includes a B.A. in journalism and a minor in English. During her time at the network, she has held a variety of positions that include management of the college-level programming service for the network, sitting on national boards with PBS and Kentucky Educational Television related to Adult Literacy and program development. She also held a seat on the Coordinating Council for Post High School Education. Staley has also worked on a number of grants and on special project teams throughout her years with IPTV. As one example, she developed the iowalearns.org project. In her current position, Staley manages the School to Careers and Transitions Projects at IPTV. She also works on projects related to ABE/GED/ELL and is the network contact for these groups. In addition to these duties, Staley is currently in the middle of her second (three-year) term on a Department of Education appointment to the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAP) for the State of Iowa. She is also currently serving a term on the Iowa Literacy Council and has served on this council in years past.

Trista Peitzman, the PreK-12 coordinator for K-12 Connections, has been a part of IPTV for nearly 10 years. Prior to working for IPTV, she taught elementary school for six years. In her coordinator role, she plans ICN sessions, schedules and facilitates ICN sessions, trains presenters and works with presenters to modify the ICN if necessary. In addition to these duties, Peitzman recently began working with the new Raising Readers program, a reading readiness campaign. PBS KIDS Raising Readers is a national literacy campaign and part of the Ready To Learn initiative, focused on building reading skills at home, at school, in childcare and in the community. Funded by a Ready To Learn grant from the United States Department of Education, the Ready To Learn initiative efforts incorporate the latest research about the most effective ways for kids to build reading skills, with a special emphasis on the needs of children from lower income families. Peitzman is pleased to be part of this worthwhile initiative and enjoys all aspects of her job as she helps teachers to get the resources they need to more effectively teach. For more information about the Raising Readers initiative, check their Web site at http://pbskids.org/read/?station=KDIN.

Abby Brown was hired by Iowa Public Television in the fall of 2005 after completing her B.S. in early childhood education at Iowa State University to work on the K-12 Connections project. Her main role with the project is to coordinate distance-learning opportunities delivered to Iowa schools via the ICN. She works to create opportunities for students in grades Pre-K through 12 as well as educators, administrators, nurses, librarians and other adults who work in schools. To develop and make these opportunities a reality, she works with partners throughout the state of Iowa to deliver educational and interactive sessions across all content areas and grade levels. For Brown, the most enjoyable aspect of the position is teaching ICN sessions for Pre-K and elementary students. She enjoys getting to know the teachers and students, especially those who attend regularly. She also feels strongly about her part in fostering opportunities for children that they might not otherwise get to experience.