Tune In
The Human Spark
Premiering January 2010
After some three and a half billion years of life’s evolution on this planet – and after almost two million years since people recognizable as human first walked its surface – a new human burst upon the
scene, apparently unannounced.
It was us.
Until then our ancestors had shared the planet with other human species. But soon there was only us, possessors of something that gave us unprecedented power over our environment and everything else alive. That something was – is – the Human Spark.
In a three-part series to be broadcast on PBS in 2010, Alan Alda takes these questions personally, visiting with dozens of scientists on three continents, and participating directly in many experiments – including the detailed examination of his own brain.
FRONTLINE -Digital Nation
Over a single generation, the Web and digital media have remade nearly every aspect of modern culture, transforming the way we work, learn, and connect in ways that we’re only beginning to understand.
In Digital Nation, airing Tuesday, February 2 at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE producer Rachel Dretzin (Growing Up Online) teams up with one of the leading thinkers of the digital
age, Douglas Rushkoff (The Persuaders, Merchants of Cool), to continue to explore life on the virtual frontier. The film is the product of a unique collaboration with visitors to the Digital Nation Web site, who for the past year have been able to react to the work in progress and post their own stories online. Dretzin and her team report from the front lines of digital culture—from love affairs blossoming in virtual worlds, to the thoroughly wired classrooms of the future, to military bases where the Air Force is fighting a new form of digital warfare. Along the way, they begin to map the critical ways that technology is transforming us, and what we may be learning about ourselves in the process.
Resources
KLRN Connect
Click and Engage
Not a subscriber of KLRN Connect? Click here
Ensure Your Teachers are Associated with the Correct School
Do you have teachers that moved to a new school within your district over the summer months?
How do you ensure their KLRN Connect usernames and passwords are assigned to the correct schools? One way is to shuffle them from one school to another. In the past, this required someone with administrative access, but that is not the case anymore! Teachers can shuffle themselves from one school to another - in five easy steps. They are as follows:
- Go to klrn.unitedstreaming.com
- Click on the Passcode Login tab
- Enter the new school's passcode (get the passcode from your school’s
admin or email mmccormick@klrn.org)
- Enter in your existing DE streaming username/password
- Click the login box
Here is a PowerPoint link that walks you through the steps above - screenshot by screenshot.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/matt.monjan/files/2008/08/shuffling-schools.ppt
Get more involved with your use of KLRN Connect in the classroom with these fantastic teaching
tips from Discovery Education streaming.
Click here to go to the page in KLRN Connect or click on the links below. Login required. 
Are you new to KLRN Connect or just need a refresher? Try this online Getting Started Guide.
Discovery Educator Network Webinar Series
The Discovery Educator Network (DEN) is a global community of educators passionate about teaching with digital media, sharing resources, collaborating, and networking. With over 25,000 members providing professional development to over 250,000 educators worldwide, the DEN connects teachers both on-line and in-person. Discovery Educators have exclusive access to a wide range of resources, professional development activities, networking opportunities, exclusive Discovery Educator
events and more!
Voted the best professional development website in 2007 by the Association of Educational Publishers, this website is a place to connect to other educators across the globe. Here, all users can read the blogs and discussion boards. Discovery Educators (any educator that has a Discovery account) have the ability to comment on the blogs, post to the discussion boards, and register for Discovery Educator Network events. http://community.discoveryeducation.com/
PBS TeacherLine of Texas
PBS TeacherLine courses are approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and count towards required CPE hours.
District course licensing and ELL/ESL courses are now available! Contact us for more information: hcustard@klru.org, 512.232.9406.
PBS TeacherLine courses are approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification
(SBEC) and count towards required CPE hours.
Special station pricing is available for individual course registrations. Call Malinda McCormick at
210-270-9000, to register for your course at lower rates than nationally advertised!
You take our free, two-hour orientation course, Practice Learning Online with TeacherLine*,
to prepare for online learning. Enter the course through your My Courses page.
At the end of this course, you will be familiar with:
- The importance of time management and the self-discipline required to be a successful online learner.
- Skills for navigating course content quickly and efficiently.
- Strategies to improve the quality of your participation in an online learning community.
- Where to go for help.
- Resources available through PBS TeacherLine.
In order to take the free orientation course, you must first join PBS TeacherLine. Join for free.
PBS TeacherLine Courses to Consider
TECH410 Capstone I: Developing a NETS•T Technology Portfolio
Grades: Kindergarten-12
Hours: 45
In this 12-week course you will deepen your thinking about effective teaching with technology.
Learn how to collaborate to create a digital portfolio demonstrating the 2008 NETS•T incorporating lessons or projects that exemplify effective use of technology. Capstone I is a prerequisite for enrollment in Capstone II.
TECH415 PBS TeacherLine / ISTE Capstone Certificate Program / Capstone II
Grades: Kindergarten-12
Hours: 45
PBS TeacherLine has teamed up with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to certify teachers who lead the way in classroom technology integration. This research based, online professional development program empowers you to achieve the following:
- Demonstrate your mastery of ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T),
- Earn recognized certification in technology integration,
- Build a community of support for technology integration. Program participants engage
in the following activities:
- Identify relevant research about technology and learning,
- Share digital creations that demonstrate technical standards in classroom situations,
- Develop a multimedia portfolio of classroom projects,
- Exchange ideas and strategies with other program participants,
- Interact with a coach who provides guidance and feedback.
The Capstone Program consists of three courses. In this course, Capstone II, you will create a portfolio exhibit, showcasing your students' use of technology. Capstone I and Capstone II are 15 weeks long each. Note: Capstone I must be completed prior to enrollment.
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection
Get Connected!
In the drive to improve teaching practice and student achievement, many schools and districts are
turning to instructional coaches to support school-wide improvement and enhance classroom
practice. Coaches require high level resources and professional development so they can lead the way
in reform initiatives and deliver on specific district instructional and student performance goals.
At PBS TeacherLine, we support professional development from the classroom forward. Our new
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection service will help you build a customized, practical professional development program for your teachers by providing sustained and targeted support for coaches.
 Download Brochure
Start a 30-day Free Trial
Peer Connection is a service of PBS TeacherLine, the premier resource for online professional development for preK-12 educators.
Instructional Coaches and Mentors
Peer Connection is designed to improve the effectiveness of teachers you support.
Professional Learning Communities
Interactive group and network functionality provides web 2.0 technology to support your PLC activities. Are you ready to bring PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection to your school or district? PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection is the right set of tools for the coaches n your school or district. To learn more about pricing, available discounts for multi-site subscriptions, and other program benefits, please call us today at 1.800.572.6386 or you can get started by downloading this purchase order form.
Access, Analyze, Act: From Economic Theory to Financial Reality
Understanding the economy and its many facets can be challenging -- particularly in light of the ongoing economic crisis filled with complicated concepts (e.g., securitization, frozen credit) and economic tools (e.g., derivatives, government bailouts).
In order for high school students to feel invited to access economic information, analyze it, and act on it, they must successfully connect abstract economic principles to tangible, real-world examples. Recognizing relevance in specific manifestations of economic theory will help students better understand the general characteristics of the U.S. market economy. As a result, students will be much more likely to gain meaningful perspective on the constantly evolving economy.
PBS Teachers Webinars for January
Sign up for free membership in PBS Teachers at www.pbsteachers.org.
Visit PBS Teachers to search for lesson plans and other resources for your classroom.
Middle Level STEM Education With "Design Squad," "Fetch," and "DragonflyTV" Tuesday,
January 26, 8-9 p.m. ET
How Do I Participate?
Simply sign up to become a PBS Teacher and you will receive a webinar invite the week of the event.
PBS Teachers enjoy access to all of our FREE services, including the PBS Teachers online community, where preK-12 educators can collaborate with their peers, discuss digital media use, and "save" online instructional resources. Members of PBS Teachers also receive a 10% discount at the PBS Educational Media website.
Visit PBS Teachers to search for lesson plans and other resources for your classroom.
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