| Girls Get IT! Newsletter |
Volume II Issue
V
December 2007 |
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| Explore ~
Educate ~
Empower |
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GGIT!'s New Chapter in Miami Hits the
Press!
Recently, the Miami Herald
highlighted Girls Get IT! and our newest chapter that has flourished
in Miami. The article emphasized our first event which took
place at a local high school, the amazing
opportunities GGIT! can bring to the young ladies of our
future, and the fantastic group of women who are running the program
in Miami-Dade.
The first event held in Miami took place at John A.
Ferguson Senior High. The coordinator, Christy Charters, invited
professional women from the Information Technology (IT) field to an
all day event that focused on educating groups of 30 girls in
separate sessions. There was an esteemed panel that included
Madeleine Garcia, Senior Director of Corporate Systems for Burger
King, and Lilliam Vega, a Systems Analyst Programmer for Miami-Dade
Fire Rescue to aid the young ladies in examples of careers that a
person could attain if they were to get a degree in IT.
This event will be taking place at three other pilot
schools including Central High, MAST, and Felix Varela Senior High.
Our hope is for collaboration and recruitment to work hand-in-hand
with bringing young ladies together to further educate themselves
and others in both IT fields and science, engineering, and math. To
plan your next adventure with GGIT!,Click
Here!
We applaud all that our newest team members in
Miami are doing to spread the word about all the awesome
opportunities that the IT fields have to offer. We look
forward to additional opportunities to work with students and making
additional headway to advance our efforts and reach as many girls as
we possibly can. If you are interested in participating in any of
our events, becoming a mentor or role model, and/or serving in other
ways in the Miami-Dade area, please contact Lourdes Whittington at
LWhittington@dadeschools.net.
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NASA Leads the Way in Professional
Development
As the concern for the quality of
education in the U.S. continues to plague the American people, NASA
has taken the lead in providing opportunities for teachers to
flourish. NASA offers several different professional development
opportunities and grants for teachers and educational
organizations.
Two different professional development workshops are
offered by NASA. The closed workshop is organized by a school
coordinator or a representative from an educational organization.
The representative arranges to bring a group of teachers to
NASA's Educator Resource Center (ERC) to attend a
professional development session based on a specific topic of the
group's choice. The ERC also offers an open session for any
interested teachers. For more information on theses programs, Click Here!
NASA has long been an advocate for K-12 education. The
agency provides programs that serve about 1,000 current science and
mathematics educators a year, as well as host institutes for
teachers just beginning their careers. NASA also offers grants for
educators and educational institutions, including the NASA
Opportunities for Visionary Academics, which works to create,
develop and disseminate a national framework for enhancing science,
mathematics and technology literacy for pre-service teachers. For
more information about grants from NASA, Click
Here!
NASA has also partnered with the U.S. Department of
Engineering, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National
Science Foundation to create the Academies Creating Teacher
Scientists program for professional development. Teachers are given
an opportunity to work with top federal scientists on research
projects and attend seminars and demonstrations to create lesson
plans and activities for the classroom. The program lasts 4-8 weeks
over three consecutive summers. The program was launched in 2004 and
over 200 teachers have participated. To learn more, Click
Here! |
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Tis'
the Season for Technology
This year, give family and friends what they really want. These are some
gifts that keep on giving!
Starting in the vast land of laptops, the ASUS Eee 4g Notebook is the
perfect gift for the business people in your life. It's small enough
for travelers to stash in their carry-on, and hold enough
information to last through an event. Take it from me; this gift
would be a fabulous addition to any hectic life. Face it - the three
E's stand for Easy to learn, Easy to work, and Easy to play.
Over the past few years, consumers know the holiday
season wouldn't be complete without an "i"something. Apple knocks
our socks off again with the recently introduced iPhone and iTouch, and newly remodeled
iPod Nano. All three of
these wildly popular products can be nicely accompanied by the iHome docking system, which
acts as a radio for your iPods, as well as an alarm clock system.
As
for the gaming world, revolutionary is an understatement when
describing the Wii game
console. Ever since it hit stores last year, a never ending line has
been wrapped around stores across America. Hot games this holiday
season include Guitar Hero 3
'Legends of Rock' and "Rock Band". Boys and girls
of all ages come together for the music through these exciting and
interactive games. Rock on!
Say Cheese! The Sony Cyber-Shot Digital
Camera is an absolute must for the snap-happy. The Cyber-Shot
lets you automatically capture an image when a subject smiles. For
more information, Click
Here! |
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To
visit GGIT! please click
here | |
 If you would
like to forward this newsletter
to a friend, Click
Here! |
Cool Career: Robotic Toy
Inventor
Did you ever
wonder how that doll of yours "talks"? How do they make those little
cars you race with controllers go that fast? How did they get
robotic dogs and cats to really "bark" and "meow"? Some can even
know your voice or learn new words. These amazing pets, cars, and
friends have come a long way from the old stuffed animals and dolls
that just sat on your bed.
All of these awesome toys starts in an inventor's
imagination. These creative people make their drawings, ideas, and
visions come to life by starting with a model called a "prototype"
that they build. It's their starting point to bringing their toy to
life where they can test it out and make improvements. Robotic toys
are complicated, so knowing how things work, putting it all
together, and getting the toy to act like the real thing means being
a bit of an engineer. Even the best inventors need help from others.
They usually get together a team of imaginative and artsy people
ranging from designers to programmers, to figure out what will work
and what will not. Sometimes even puppeteers, race car drivers, and
real animals will be brought in to help make the toys as realistic
as possible!
The coolest part of the inventors job
is that working is always fun. Even when they're not physically
creating something, you might find them in toy stores looking for
fun and the next big idea. There's no specific requirement to become
a robotic toy engineer, but being good at math and comfortable with
computers helps! College degrees in engineering are also a
plus!
Let your mind run free and start dreaming of what you
could make! To find out more
information, Click
Here! |
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Want a Job When You
Graduate? |
Teachers Will
Receive Bonus Pay Based on Test Scores
Recently, New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and the New York City Teacher's Union have agreed to a
plan that will award teachers bonus pay based on test scores. Money
will be awarded to high-needs schools that show a school-wide
increase in test scores.
Each school will have a Compensation Committee,
consisting of two teachers, the principal, and a principal
appointee, The Committee will determine how to distribute the money,
will have the option to divide the money evenly among union members
or to single out and reward specific teachers. Distribution of the
money based on seniority will not be allowed.
The bonuses will only be made available to high-needs
schools that are largely affected by poverty. Mayor Bloomberg hopes
this will give high-performing teachers incentive to work at
underprivileged schools.
This year, 200 schools would be eligible to receive
$20 million in bonuses, which will be paid with private money. Next
year it is expected that over 400 schools will be eligible to
receive a bonus, and it will be financed by the
city.
This agreement is a major achievement for Mayor
Bloomberg who has been advocating for extra pay for high-performing
teachers for years. Randi Weingarten, president of the United
Federation of Teachers, praised the program and feels that the
concept promotes collaboration.
Merit-based and incentive plans are usually opposed by
teacher unions, but these programs have been gaining popularity
across the country.
The movement will be fueled by this
plan being implemented in the nation's largest school
district. For more information, Click
Here! |
Inspirational Quote
All our dreams can come true, if we have the
courage to pursue them.
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Florida STEM Mini-Grants and Program
Directory
Do you have a collaborative idea within  STEM
education and need some additional funds to assist you? If so,
join our team and receive up to $1,000 for your support.
All you have to do is sign up to become part of our
statewide Program Directory, and collaborate with another
organization that is also in the Program Directory. It's that
easy! To sign up, follow the short instructions below and be on your
way to making connections you never thought you would!
For a
more in depth overview of our mini-grants, Click
Here!
SIGN
UP FOR THE FLORIDA STEM PROGRAM DIRECTORY
NOW!
The online Florida STEM Program Directory lists
organizations and programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue
education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM). The
purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals
network, share resources and collaborate on STEM-related projects
for girls.
Organizations that
serve young women and are interested in bringing more STEM resources
to them are also encouraged to sign up!
The
Directory contains program descriptions, resources available within
each organization, program and/or organization needs, and contact
information. What
better way to promote your program, resources and find other
organizations in your area to collaborate with?
Having Your Program Listed in the Directory Has
Several Advantages:
- Anyone with Internet access can
find out about your program.
- You can view other programs in your
area and across the state.
- Your organization can do a search
and compare needs and resources in your area and across the state.
- Your organization is eligible for a
mini-grant for innovative projects.
Don't wait - Sign up
today!
Here's How:
Use the following instructions to create a new user
account and then enter a program's information into the NGCP
program directory.
- Click
Here!!
- Click "Register New User"
which is located on the far left.
- Fill
out the form and click "Submit"
- On
the next page, click "New Program"
- Fill out the form and click
"Submit"
That's It! Your program will
be listed and can be searched by anyone with access to the Internet.
It's that
easy!
Once a new program's information has been submitted
and approved, it will appear in the public
Directory for anyone to search.
What better way to highlight the great work in
STEM that you are doing in your
community!
Note: In order to be eligible for mini grant funding,
your program MUST be listed in the Program Directory. Once listed, you are
encouraged to submit a proposal for consideration of funding. For mini grant submission
guidelines, Click
Here! |
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After-School Programs Prove They ARE
Important!
The results of the Promising
After-School Programs Study are in! According to the data,
disadvantaged students can gain a lot from high-quality after-school
programs.
Not surprisingly, after a two year
period, students that attend these after-school programs
academically surpassed their peers who do not attend. This study is
part of an emerging body of research that links participation in
after-school programs to academic and social gains.
The Promising After-School Programs study was
conducted across eight states, examining 35 different programs. All
programs that were studied had been operating for at least three
years and had a record of success. The students that participated in
the studies were divided into three different groups. One group only
participated in the after-school program, one group participated in
multiple extracurricular activities, and one group rarely
participated in any organized after-school activity.
After three years, the more
engaged students performed better academically, behaviorally, and
socially. The more-involved third and fourth graders scored twenty
percentile points higher on mathematics standardized tests than the
other students. These students also show an increase in self-esteem
and self-confidence, improved grades and test scores, and a decrease
in behavioral problems. To read the full study,
please Click
Here!
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What is
Girls Get IT?
Florida Girls Get IT is a partnership
between Florida Distance Learning Consortium, Cisco Systems,
Inc., Florida's Community College and University system to
create gender equity in the areas of Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) & Information Technology
(IT).
Why Does Florida Need This
Initiative?
To remain competitive,
Florida must offer a highly trained workforce. Nearly 75% of future
jobs in the United States will require the use of technology, yet
fewer than 33% of students in computer courses are female and women
comprise only 20% of IT professionals and 13% of
engineers.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Contact: Leah Cook,
Project Director
Phone:
850.922.3359
Fax: 850.922.3109
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Useful Links for Teachers,
Students, & Parents
Teachers:
Smithsonian
The Smithsonian site
offers excellent lessons plans and tip to make science class
engaging! You can search a variety of different resources, For all
grades K-12. Click Here!
goENC.com
"The largest, most
comprehensive resource for K-12 math and science educators" ENC
offers math and science educators access to information about more
than 27,000 print and multi-media curriculum resources and
professional development materials. Web-based resources are only
available to paid subscribers. Click
Here!
Students:
Elmer's
Elmer's site offers helpful links to prepare and
present a science fair project. It includes ideas, tips, and
resources for other science-related topics. Click
Here!
The Fun Works
This site
from Education Development Center is a career exploration library
designed by and for youth ages 11 to 15. Funded by the National
Science Foundation, it helps children connect their current
interests, such as sports and music, to careers in science,
technology, engineering and math. Click
Here!
Parents:
Tools to
enhance the parent/child relationship based on the age of your
child. Find activities for the both of you! Click
Here!
Join this
on-line community powered by parents. Find advice and answers to
your questions from real parents just like you. Click
Here! |
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