Table of Contents
- Literacy + Related Data = Data on the Whole Child
- GaDOE Summer Literacy Mini-Grants
- School Climate Endorsement
- Georgia Antebellum Newspapers now Freely Available Online
- Media Specialist/Teacher Training Opportunity Available at Library of Congress
- Primary Sources Workshop for Library Media Specialists
- Georgia Code.org Professional Development Applications
- Worth Sharing
- Going Social
- GaDOE Media Mailing List
Literacy + Related Data = Data on the Whole Child
Did you know that Georgia Milestones outcomes for literacy are correlated to other data? In other words, there is a close relationship between the Milestones outcomes for a group of students and other data, such as school climate, graduation rates, math outcomes, and community engagement. This is important because some of these data reveal the complexity of literacy--becoming literate requires a host of experiences, not just instruction. Instruction is important, but not the only factor when developing literate students. You can see more data on
GeorgiaInsights.com.
Dr. Caitlin McMunn Dooley,
Deputy Superintendent of the Teaching and Learning at the Georgia Department of Education, encourages school leaders to look at local data using a wide lens. For example, how are the health outcomes of students? Are the students physically fit? Research shows that being physically fit and having access to health services, such as vision screening, can contribute to literacy learning. "Once we begin to understand how the whole child develops, we can take a broader lens to improve education outcomes," Dr. Dooley said. "Evidence-based interventions, resources, and helpful organizations will provide important ideas for strategically intervening to improve literacy outcomes."
This
link provides resources that can assist in this strategic endeavor to serve the Whole Child with evidence-based resources and toolkits.
GaDOE Summer Literacy Mini-Grants
Calling all Literacy Champions! The English Language Arts team at the Georgia Department of Education is partnering with the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) to offer school media specialists the opportunity to apply for a mini-grant. The purpose of the mini-grant is to provide school media centers the chance to create innovative literacy initiatives/activities to engage students this summer. If your media specialist is interested in designing school- and/or community-based spaces and experiences for summer literacy, please share with your schools.
Thanks to the GFPE, recipients of the mini-grants could receive up to $3,600.
School Climate Endorsement
In addition to full-field certification, Georgia teachers and school leaders may be issued endorsements in specific areas to recognize additional expertise after a comprehensive course of study developed by experts. Endorsements are difficult to develop and PSC’s standards for approving endorsements are rigorous. The School Climate Endorsement further validates the importance of school climate and helps to ensure the permanency of school climate as an essential component of public education in Georgia.
Georgia Antebellum Newspapers now Freely Available Online
As part of a $14,495 grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation, the Digital Library of Georgia has digitized approximately 53,930 pages of Georgia newspaper titles published prior to 1861 from microfilm held by the
Georgia Newspaper Project. The project creates full-text searchable versions of the newspapers and presents them online for free in its
Georgia Historic Newspapers database in accordance with technical guidelines developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress for the
National Digital Newspaper Program. The Georgia Historic Newspapers database will utilize the Library of Congress' open source tool, Chronicling America, for the online delivery of the full-text newspapers. Users will be able to search the database for geographic, corporate, family, and personal names.
Media Specialist/Teacher Training Opportunity Available at Library of Congress
Applications Now Available for 2019 Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institutes and Library Media Specialist Workshop
The Library of Congress is now accepting applications for several professional development opportunities that will be offered this summer in Washington, D.C. Each session will focus on pedagogy, with an emphasis on supporting student engagement, critical thinking, and construction of knowledge. While practicing these teaching strategies, attendees will explore some of the millions of digitized historical artifacts and documents available in the Library’s collections.
Three week-long Summer Teacher Institute sessions will be offered this summer:
General Focus
- July 8-July 12, 2019
- July 29-August 2, 2019
Science, Technology, and Engineering Focus
Institute and instructional materials are provided at no cost. Participants will be responsible for transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and any required overnight accommodations. Applications for the Summer Teacher Institutes are due March 10, 2019 and require a letter of recommendation.
Primary Sources Workshop for Library Media Specialists
This multi-day workshop is intended especially for K-12 Library / Media Specialists. Over the 2 ½ day, hands-on session, Library of Congress education specialists will model strategies for using primary sources to engage students, build critical thinking skills, and construct knowledge, with an emphasis on supporting inquiry and research. Participants will reflect on and discuss how these strategies apply to their school libraries, considering various subject areas. While the emphasis is on learning and applying teaching strategies, participants also have opportunities to meet experts from the Library and research in the Library's reading rooms.
The session will take place from June 19 to June 21, 2019. Institute and instructional materials are provided at no cost. Participants will be responsible for transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and any required overnight accommodations.
Applications are due February 22, 2019 and require a letter of recommendation. Please contact
teachinglcsummer@loc.gov with any questions.
Georgia Code.org Professional Development Applications
Workshop Information:
- CS Discoveries Workshops
June 17, 2019 - June 21, 2019
Georgia Tech
Technology Square Research Building, 85 5th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA
June 17, 2019 - June 21, 2019
Georgia Tech Savannah
210 Technology Cir, Savannah, GA 31407, USA
- CS Principles Workshops
June 17, 2019 - June 21, 2019
Georgia Tech
Technology Square Research Building, 85 5th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA
In addition to attending a five-day summer workshop, the professional learning program includes up to four required one-day, in-person academic year workshops during the 2019-20 school year.
Cost and scholarship information: For Georgia teachers, the cost of the professional learning program for both CS Discoveries and CS Principles is $1,100 per teacher plus a $150 enrollment fee.
Do you teach in a high needs school, or a school with a diverse student population? Is funding for computer science limited in your district? Scholarships are available for teachers in Georgia meeting school requirements. Scholarships cover the full program cost (schools will still need to cover the enrollment fee).
Expenses: The program fee covers the full year-long program including teaching materials, workshop supplies, nine days of professional development, and meals during workshops. Additional travel costs are not covered.
Worth Sharing
Going Social
GaDOE Media Mailing List
Do you want to share the GaDOE Media Updates? If so, encourage your colleagues to join the email mailing list by following the
directions on this page.
Thank you,
Tony Vlachakis
Educational Technologist
Library/Media Liaison
tvlachak@doe.k12.ga.us
