Girls Get IT! Newsletter |
Volume II Issue V December 2007 |
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Explore ~ Educate ~ Empower |
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 [email protected].
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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! |
To visit GGIT! please click here | |
If you would like to forward this newsletter to a friend, Click Here!
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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!
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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! |
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! | |
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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