From Chicago Teacher for a day archives

TEMPE, Ariz. – In celebration of its three-year anniversary, the Tempe Center for the Arts is making available a free, three-part lesson plan called “TCA Biennial: Glass.”

The lesson plan, created by Mary Erickson, Ph.D., in association with the city of Tempe and Arizona art teacher LynnAlison McGavack-Martin, examines how contemporary glass artists celebrate the glories and subtleties of light and color and how people throughout time have made and used glass around the world.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to take advantage of the easy-to-use, online lesson plan for enhancing the art experiences of elementary and secondary school students. The “Glass” unit can be found at www.tempe.gov/tca/Gallery/Education/Glass/Glass.pdf

“Due to budget cuts, many schools and after-school organizations have been forced to reduce arts and culture programs,” TCA Gallery Coordinator Michelle Dock said. “The Gallery at TCA hopes to help fill the gap by providing these online art education tools to students locally and worldwide.”

For local students, the Gallery at TCA offers fee, docent-led tours of the facility and the 3,500-square foot gallery.

About the exhibition
“TCA Biennial: Glass” celebrates the TCA’s third anniversary and features works on glass, art made of glass and artists inspired by glass, a tradition for third anniversaries. A jury panel chose 21 artists from around Arizona to participate in the exhibition. The artists work with a wide array of glass making techniques and contemporary themes and imagery, including traditional and contemporary blown glass vessels, decorative objects, jewelry, window panes, wall hangings, chandeliers, architectural installations and self-standing sculptures.

TCA’s online curriculum
The following lesson plans are accessible for free at www.tempe.gov/tca/Gallery/Education

• Architecture (Elementary & Secondary)
• But It’s a Dry Heat
• Cars & Guitars
• Chuck Jones: Animation
• FACES
• TCA Biennial: Glass
• Masters of Illusion (Elementary & Secondary)
• NCECA: Clay, Useful or Beautiful?
• Outsiders Within
• Projecting Persona: The Public Image of Roy Orbison
• Public Art
• Read Me a Picture
• TCA Biennial: Paper

The lightweight tiles protect the shuttles from extreme temperatures when the orbiters re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Schools can request a tile at:

http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm
Click on the tile icon to log on to the request page. A login ID and password may be obtained by registering on the link provided. A Department of Education statistics tracking number (NCES for schools or IPEDS for universities) is needed to register. Hyperlinks are available to these sites to find a specific institution’s tracking number. The requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one tile will be given per institution.

Because the tiles are government property, a transfer protocol is observed. Recipients will be responsible for a shipping and handling fee of $23.40, which is payable to the shipping company through a secure website. For more information about artifacts also available to museums and libraries, visit:

http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/NASA_SSPA_Pamphlet.pdf
For information about the space shuttle, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Photo by Andrew Brannan

WASHINGTON — NASA is providing up to $20 million over the next five years to support a national program to inspire student interest in science, technology and mathematics with a focus on robotic technology.

The funding is part of a cooperative agreement with the Foundation For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a nonprofit organization in Manchester, N.H. FIRST provides students the opportunity to engage with government, industry and university experts for hands-on, realistic exposure to engineering and technical professions.

“This is the largest NASA-funded student program geared toward robotics activities,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “For the next five years, approximately 25,000 students across the country will not only learn from our nation’s best and brightest, but also compete and have fun at the same time.”

The centerpiece of the program is the annual FIRST Robotics Competition. During more than 45 regional competitions, teams of high school students have six weeks to build a robot using an identical kit of parts. There are dimension and weight limitations and other technical restrictions, but teams can determine the look and function of the robots. The regional competitions culminate with an international championship in April.

The competition is structured like an athletic event. Teams compete in an area the size of a small basketball court. The robots must have offensive and defensive capabilities. Each team’s robot works to accomplish a task, while preventing its opponent from doing the same. The robots must be sturdy because of frequent contact between the machines.

“This program has had a direct impact on our ability to mentor U.S. students and help them consider technical careers,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Supporting this program is critical to developing scientists and engineers for future U.S. space exploration.”

NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project (RAP) solicited proposals Oct. 4 from nonprofit and educational institutions to design and administer a robotics outreach competition. RAP, which is sponsored by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and managed from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., competitively selected FIRST from the candidates.

“In addition to financial support, there is considerable time investment and commitment on the part of the NASA engineers and scientists who work with the students,” said Solar System Program Executive Dave Lavery of NASA Headquarters.

During the past 16 years, the RAP has issued approximately $40 million to academic and nonprofit organizations across the nation to stimulate intellectual capability in fields tied to robotics engineering. All 10 NASA centers participate in the RAP by contributing technology expertise, funding and other resources.

NASA is the largest organization involved with FIRST and has participated since 1995. In 1999, NASA and First signed a memorandum of agreement to cooperatively expand the availability of technology development, education and inspiration programs to students throughout the country. U.S. entrepreneur Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to encourage youth to become leaders in science and technology.

For more information about NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project, visit:

http://robotics.nasa.gov

Lake Geneva Public Library

Lake Geneva, WI, November 5, 2010(PressReleasePoint)- Park West Gallery, located in Southfield, MI, is extending its philanthropic Park West Gallery CARES initiative in an effort to support communities nationwide. Its first donation outside of Michigan and Florida, where Park West Gallery offices are located, consisted of a collection of art books made to the Lake Geneva Public Library located in Lake Geneva, WI.

“In our 42 years of business, Park West Gallery has always been philanthropically engaged in our home states of Michigan and Florida, and we are excited about extending those efforts to communities all across the country,” said Albert Scaglione, founder and CEO of Park West Gallery. “Lake Geneva is a beautiful town with a thriving art scene. It is obvious that organizations like the Lake Geneva Public Library strongly promote the arts, humanities, and arts education, and it is a privilege for us to support the citizens of Lake Geneva and the library in this way. We look forward to working with this community again in the future.”

The books donated include two copies each, The Motorcycle Art of Scott Jacobs, The Graphic Works, Csaba Markus-Artist and Muses, and Serigraphs of Igor Medvedev Vol. I and II. All of the artists are represented by Park West Gallery.

“We are very grateful to Park West Gallery for their donation of these breath-taking art books. Representing a diverse group of talented new artists, the books include an intimate glimpse into the lives of the artists, sensitively-written introductions to their work, and a vivid array of full-color plates,” said Alisha Benson, public services coordinator for the library. “Art books of this quality are expensive to purchase, and, due to our current economy, many libraries are experiencing budget cut-backs. Thanks to Park West Gallery, patrons of our Library Consortium of 42 libraries now have the opportunity to encounter the works of modern artists they may not have previously studied. After reviewing Park West Gallery’s books, I am confident they are representing some of the finest artists of our time.”

Along with art and art books, Park West Gallery also donates brand new clothing through its Park West Gallery CARES initiative to charitable organizations such as HAVEN of Oakland County in Pontiac, MI and St. Andrews Catholic Church in Coral Springs, FL.

About Park West Gallery
Founded in 1969, Park West Gallery sells works of art through its galleries in Michigan and Florida, at art auction events across the country, and art auctions at sea internationally, and has enriched the lives of over 1.3 million customers. For more information, visit www. parkwestgallery.com

About Park West Gallery CARES
Through this ongoing initiative, Park West Gallery continuously donates thousands of items of clothing and art to community organizations in Michigan and Florida, where Park West Gallery has locations, as well as to organizations nationwide.

If your organization is interested receiving a Park West Gallery CARES donation, please contact marketing@parkwestgallery.com. For media inquiries only, please contact media@parkwestgallery.com.

The webinar will cover such topics as writing a powerful profile and skills summary, transforming a list of job tasks in to powerful success stories and how to leverage education and internships to prove that they have the right stuff for the job.

Tutor.com is famous for providing excellent, high-quality tutoring services online. Visitors to their website are assigned professional online tutors that they work with one-to-one in online classrooms. Programs are availble for schools, families, and the military – and anyone that would like to become a tutor.com is invited to apply.

For more information about the John Ed Keeter Public Library in Saginaw, please visit the library’s website at http://www.saginawlibrarytexas.org/

For more information about Tutor.com, please visit them at http://www.tutor.com/

Photo by Leslie Moon

The Taos, New Mexico, school district has violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act accoutning to the state Attorney General’s office. A year ago, The Taos News requested to see information and was denied, that broke the law.

In March of 2009, The Taos News was investigating a story about possible corruption between the school board and the IDEAS company of Santa Fe in which the board awarded a $50,000 contract in exchange for an audit of the district. When The Taos News asked to see the report, the districted refused.

The Taos News filed a formal complaint to the Attorney General’s office and on July 29, 2009, attorney Ramon Vigil sent a letter to the Attorney General defending the district’s refusal. The Attorney General’s office determined that “requested documents that contain significant factual and other nonexempt information in addition to matters of opinion should be provided for inspection with the opinion information redacted.”

On Oct. 4, 2010, Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Glenn stated that the district was guilty of violating the IPRA and issued orders that the district comply with the law, and provide The Taos News with a copy of the report, providing the report is “still within the custody and control of the board.” The board is allowed to provide a letter stating they no longer have custody of the initial report if necessary.

Since it released its final report in July, 2009, IDEAS has been the subject of complaints by district employees and the Public Schools Insurance Authority has notified the district that it will provide a defense to the district against IDEAS’ threatened litigation until the federal suit is settled or adjudicated.

The campaign kicked off at the beginning of August, 2010 and runs through October, 2010, culminating in National School Lunch Week, Oct. 11-15, 2010.

The campaign features a personality quiz for students to take, a sweepstakes that students can participate in and various items students can purchase with the What’s on Your Tray logo emblazoned across them.

National School Lunch Week is part of a serious of nutrition awareness programs put on by the School Nutrition Association which is dedicated to providing over 31 million children high quality, nutritious, low cost school meals every day.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA), www.schoolnutrition.org, is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 53,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.  The Association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals.  Founded in 1946, SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children’s health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.

In Story, Theme and Vehicle, Susan Meier explains how knowing your book’s story type, story question, and the difference between its theme and its “idea” will keep your book focused. Learn the five easy steps to a synopsis and the four steps to a one-paragraph pitch.

WHERE: This workshop will be conducted via a Yahoo! email loop. Email invitations will be sent 48 hours prior to the beginning of the workshop.

HOW: Just register for the workshop and complete the payment process via PayPal. The cost is $15.00 for FFnP members and $25.00 for non-FFnP members. Please note payment is due at the time of registration.

REGISTRATION: http://www.romance-ffp.com/event.cfm?EventID=88

WHO: Susan Meier is the author of 40 books for Harlequin and Silhouette and one of Guideposts’ Grace Chapel Inn series books, The Kindness of Strangers. Her books have been finalists for Reviewers Choice Awards, National Reader’s Choice Awards and Cataromance.com Reviewer’s Choice Awards and nominated for Romantic Times awards. They have been published in over twenty countries, touching the hearts of readers of many cultures and ethnicities.

Susan loves to teach as much as she loves to write. Can This Manuscript Be Saved? and Journey Steps, Taking the Train to Somewhere! are her most requested workshops. Her article “How to Write a Category Romance” appeared in 2003 Writer’s Digest Novel and Short Story Markets. Susan also gives online workshops for various groups and her articles regularly appear in RWA chapter newsletters.

Between 2000 and 2008, CPSC staff received reports of nearly 200 tipover related deaths involving children eight years old and younger. Nearly all of these fatalities (93%) involved children five years old and younger.

More than 16,000 children five years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TVs, furniture, and appliance tipovers according to CPSC staff’s most recent estimates from 2006.

“Large TVs and unstable furniture can be a deadly combination. Taking simple, low-cost steps to secure furniture and TVs can save lives,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Parents need to know about this hidden danger and take action now.”

Typically, injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture will tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries.

To help prevent tip-over hazards, the CPSC offers the following safety tips:

• Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests, dressers, TV stands, bookcases and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.
• Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.
• Push the TV as far back on its stand as possible.
• Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach and teach kids not to play with them.
• Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won’t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.
• Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.

This year, the CPSC is intensifying its outreach efforts by partnering with numerous organizations, including clinics and second-hand stores, to disseminate a two minute PSA (transcript) including a powerful testimonial of a parent who lost her two-year-old in a TV tipover incident and a poster (pdf). In addition, consumers will be able to stream a 20 second version (transcript) of the PSA through October 23, 2010 by texting TVFALL to 878787.

Consumers can also download CPSC’s updated safety alert (pdf).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Providing HD videography & direction of photography Nick, Mister Photon’s principle directed actors for green screen, on camera address, and other elements captured via Sony High Definition camera’s in 1920×1080.

The exhibit in high definition video will be aired throughout museums in 2011 with the plot of a humanity ending meteor event on Earth. The program utilizes green screen, animations, astronomy exhibits, and data combined into a educational video.

HD Sony cameras were used to capture and the video was assembled via Final Cut Studio 7 to assemble & edit the video together  in a entertaining story collage.

Look for “Great Balls of Fire” at your museum in 2011.