 Spring Fever: The Pop-Up Classroom & Field Trip Mini-GrantsRight around this time of year...when we all start to get a little stir-crazy in schools, it becomes really important to give students opportunities for learning outside of our classroom spaces.
If you don’t have the necessary funds to go on a field trip with your students, then consider these options: The POP-UP Classroom Get out of your classroom and hold class in another part of your school building. On a recent trip to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), I was really impressed by the learning spaces on campus that seem to ‘pop-up’ in buildings for students to congregate, collaborate, and even for a class of students to be able to meet. These spaces were in lobbies, between traditional classroom spaces, and along the hallways in many of the buildings on the MIT campus. What spaces in your school could serve as a ‘pop-up’ classroom space for the day...or even for just one class period? How about your school cafeteria when it is not in use for lunch, or what about a lobby or quiet hallway? If the weather is nice, find a place for your students outside. Even if you don’t have a designated outdoor classroom space, find a spot that can host enough space for a class of students and hold class there for the day. Field Trip Mini-Grants There are several organizations that provide funding for field trips. One such field trip grant is the Civil War Trust Field Trip Fund, which “provides funding and assistance to K-12 teachers, who are planning field trips to Civil War, War of 1812, or Revolutionary War battlefields or related historic sites.” Another source of funds for field trips might be the Parks & Recreation agency for your state. For example, New York State Parks & Recreation and Historic Preservation offers a field trip grant that covers the cost of transporting children to a “New York State Park, Nature Center, or Historic Site (Parks), or a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Education Center, fish hatchery, or selected DEC site” through The Connect Kids to Parks Field Trip Grant Program. Another option to help cover the expense of a field trip is Target Field Trip Grants. If none of these options work for you, then try requesting funds from a local business organization to sponsor a field trip for your students. The 2018 Winter Olympics Games: An Opportunity for Learning Since #PitchThisEDU is all about sharing opportunities for teachers and students, we can't ignore the impending learning opportunity that is the modern Olympic games! With the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea quickly approaching (Friday, February 9th), here are some great resources for you to harness the power of the Olympics to engage students; while also staying true to your curriculum and standards! As always, follow along at #PitchThisEDU and @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for updated educational resources and stories related to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games! Recommended Educational Resources:
Educator PD, but with people from other professions...
As educators, our professional development means that we are surrounded by other educators. This, of course, means that we have some incredible time together to share ideas and resources. But, since it’s a new year, I would like to propose something different for us to try in 2018. What if we all find a professional development opportunity that puts us amidst others...other professionals outside of the K12 academic arena. If it is our responsibility to prepare our students for our global future - then, we really should be learning from those outside of the field of K12 education. My prediction is that our professional learning will take a different direction, and move us to more purposeful and intentional professional learning, and may force us to think differently about the work we are doing. We may even realize how much the globe really needs educators to connect with others outside of our K12 world. So, I tried this last year. It wasn’t intentional. I didn’t mean it...it just happened. I applied for an opportunity that came across my Twitter feed. As it turns out, each year NASA hosts #NASASocial events - opportunities for folks from a variety of professions to learn more about NASA through events taking place at various NASA locations around the country. My attendance at this #NASASocial event meant that I participated in a two-day in-depth tour of NASA Kennedy Space Center, and ULA launch with scientists, engineers, journalists, museum experts, entrepreneurs, technologists, social media gurus, and other educators. This outstanding professional learning experience culminated with the launch of a TDRS-M communication satellite on an Atlas V Rocket. As I embed myself in 2018, I will be in search of more opportunities like this one - opportunities that put me into the mix of people from other professions. I believe that by doing this, my learning will take a new direction and result in new learning opportunities for my students. I hope this is something you will think about as well. Remember to check back @PitchThisEdu throughout the year, for more opportunities for teachers & students! Oh...and before you go...here are some 'sticky notes': Sticky Note #1 If you are a business organization that hosts professional learning for your own employees, why not invite educators to take part in some of your PD as well? Sticky Note #2. If you are a non-profit or public organization that hosts events, please consider following the #NASASocial format, and find a way to include people from various professions - including educators. Sticky Note #3 Please reach out to me at jennifer@hesseltine.com if you have information about other awesome opportunities that will put educators in touch with folks from other professions in a professional learning-type environment or event. Finally, some tweets from @jenhesseltine & @NatGeoEducation live from #NASASocial, August 17-18, 2017
In case you missed it!  Below is a list of educational grants and opportunities from the @PitchThisEDU Twitter feed. Visit @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for a complete listing. Apply to Experience the Launch of NASA's Newest Communications Satellite CITGO Fueling Good Education Sweepstakes Inspire STEM learning with tomato seeds that just returned from the ISS - First The Seed Foundation/Tomatosphere Application National Geographic Educator Certification (BETA) Program Win $1,000 (and bragging rights) - Mark Twain House & Museum Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Contest Stay tuned to @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for opportunities and resources for K12 Education!  In case you missed it! Below is a list of educational grants and opportunities from the @PitchThisEDU Twitter feed. Visit @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for a complete listing. Educator Seed Money Mini-Grant Annie's Grants for Gardens Civil War Trust Field Trip Fund Crayola Creatively Alive Grant State Farm Company Good Neighbor Citizenship Grants Chevron STEM Education Partnerships & Programs National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences Stay tuned to @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for opportunities and resources for K12 Education!  Some equations just make sense... #EdTech Movement + #MakerEd Movement = A Great Balance! I grew up with the understanding that there is a place for everything in this world. Everything in moderation. In school, I see this as an intentional moderation of the types of activities that students are doing. As per EdTech, I was an early adopter - testing 1:1 iPads for three years in my classroom and now hosting 1:1 Chromebooks. I love technology. I love using it as a tool to expose students to all that is out there in the world. I also love other hands-on activities and giving students the option to use a variety of mediums to engage and show what they know about topics. The absolute jackpot is when we can authentically use technology, along with traditional school materials, to create and show learning! Because of this overall belief in moderation, you will see opportunities come across the #PitchThisEDU screen that engage Ts & Ss using both modern and traditional approaches to educating in the K12 classroom.
 In case you missed it!
Below is a list of educational grants and opportunities from the @PitchThisEDU Twitter feed. Visit @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for a complete listing. Win a PITSCO Maker Project! Living In a Materials World Grant Creative Leadership Grants from Crayola Help NASA build a FabLab in Space Saucony Run for Good Foundation Grant Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Award Stay tuned to @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for opportunities and resources for K12 Education!  In order to expose students to new ideas, innovation, new people and places, teachers must help to make connections to learning outside of the traditional school classroom. Getting involved in pilot programs, innovative educator programs, and grants can open up opportunities for students. If we hope to raise a generation of students who are tolerant and accepting of others, who are out-of-the-box thinkers, and who are willing to take risks - then, we must expose them to all that the world has to offer. As you wind down the 2016-2017 school year, think about how you might provide one new opportunity for students to be exposed to something new and different next year. Help students to step outside of their comfort zone, or their “normal” and interact with something (or someone) new and different.
 Today, let’s talk about the edunomics of teacher professional development opportunities, pilot programs, and educational grants/contests that are outside of the traditional school district offerings. Is there value for students? Is there value for teachers, schools, and school districts?
Right now, my team of 8th grade colleagues are piloting a project with the MIT Media Lab Open Agriculture (OpenAg) initiative as a part of an educational BETA program. Throughout the spring our students have built an OpenAg Personal Food Computer (PFC) with the goal of growing lettuce in a controlled climate following an open-source climate recipe for lettuce. This project has been a trampoline for students to jump into related topics - such as food distribution, food deserts, STEAM, STEM, traditional agriculture, innovation in agriculture, and the societal implications of this innovative technology. So, how did this project come about? In 2015, I participated in the first cohort of TED-Ed Innovative Educators hosted by TED-Ed, the education initiative of TEDTalks. While taking part in this self-directed professional development program, I was given the opportunity to attend TEDYouth 2015 - where I met Caleb Harper and his team from MIT OpenAg. The opportunity to participate in the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program led to multiple opportunities for my own professional development as an educator, and more importantly...led to learning opportunities for students. Meeting the folks from OpenAg in 2015 led to an innovative project for students (in a rural, agricultural community). This is only one example. Look around at all of the opportunities being provided to educators. Are those programs leading to opportunities for students? Are schools and districts benefiting from teacher involvement in micro-credential programs, pilot programs, and innovative educator/certification programs? Reach out to me at #PitchThisEdu if you are an educator who was awarded a grant, or other opportunity, that transformed your classroom and provided your students with opportunities that extended well beyond the walls of your classroom. We would love to hear (and share) your story!  In case you missed it!
Below is a list of educational grants and opportunities from the @PitchThisEDU Twitter feed. Visit @PitchThisEDU on Twitter for a complete listing. Become a SparkFun Community Partner Toshiba America Foundation Grants Crayola Creative Leadership Grants School Library Journal - School Librarian of the Year NEA Foundation Grants to Educators Stemfinity - State, Federal & Private Grant Opportunities First the Seed Foundation - Tomatoshere #PitchThisEDU |
About the Author
I see opportunities come across my screen...a lot. I have acted on some, but not all. So, I started a collection. A collection of EDU opportunities. I share my collection here on my blog and @PitchThisEDU on Twitter. BTW - I'm a teacher, [purposeful] writer, tweeter. -Jen Hesseltine (@jenhesseltine) |
