TVO and School Councils Link on the Web
School councils across Ontario have a voice on-line. The
School Council’s Communications Hub is a web site sponsored by TVOntario and The
Parent Connection, a live phone-in show seen on TVO Thursdays at 10 p.m.
Currently, the site offers a discussion forum and chat rooms
for parents and others to voice opinions about the education system in Ontario. In the
future, the site promises to provide links to each school council for announcements about
their school or region.
The site is maintained and funded completely by TVO. It is
not affiliated with the Ministry of Education and Training or any other government agency.
It’s billed as a place for "concerned parents and education workers to share
their concerns with others."
You can visit the School Councils Communications Hub at http://www.tvo.org/parentconnect/council/default.html
Can You Dig It?
The Geological Society of America is hosting "Learning
from the Fossil Record" this October 25 in Toronto. This full-day, interactive,
hands-on workshop for educators includes:
- paleontology and scientific literacy
- paleontology and the World Wide Web
- paleontology from microfossils to dinosaurs
- more than 25 classroom activities
- a complimentary copy of a 300-page book full of information.
Discover how scientists have used fossil evidence to
reconstruct the past and how teachers can use students’ interests in fossils to
enhance their curiosity and learning.
The workshop is sponsored by the Paleontological Society,
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the University of California Museum of
Paleontology. For more information contact Judy Scotchmoor, University of California,
Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 642-4877, or e-mail: judys@ucmp1.berkeley.edu
Faculty of Education Applications Up Slightly
Applications to faculties of education for September are up
8.5 per cent for Ontario universities, preliminary figures show. The number of individuals
applying rose from 7,155 last year to 7,764 by early April this year. The profession will
see a rise in the need for new teachers over the next six to seven years as older teachers
begin to approach retirement age.
A South African delegation embarked on a fact-finding mission
this winter that included stops in Brazil, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and Toronto.
Directors and deputy directors from the South African department of education examined the
education systems at each of their stops. Margaret Wilson, left, and Barbara Robinson,
manager of evaluation services, provided an overview of the College and teacher
certification in Ontario.
Teacher Exchange
The Fulbright Teacher Exchange program seeks one-year
exchange opportunities for American teachers in Canadian elementary and secondary schools.
Fulbright is also interested in administrator exchanges of six weeks in each
partner’s school district – the "U.S. administrator will work together with
Canadian administrator as a team in shadowing and sharing administrative duties. Exchange
may be in any area of administration." Fulbright’s Canadian partner in the
exchange program is the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation, 250 Bayview Drive, Barrie,
Ontario L4N 4Y8, or contact Mary Boswell at (705) 739 7596.
AQ in Arts Education
The National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada, the
University of Ottawa and the Canadian Conference of the Arts are offering a summer program
featuring a unique collaboration between artists and educators.
The Arts Education Consortium offers this innovative and
intensive summer program on-site at various arts institutions from July 6–17 and on
selected dates throughout the following academic year. Successful completion of the
program leads to an Additional Qualification in integrated arts.
For more information, contact Michael Wilson at (613)
733-0610, fax (613) 733-8452, e-mail mwilson@obe.edu.on.ca
. Deadline for registration is June 19.
George Lucas Educational Foundation
The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) wants to
promote teaching and learning which focuses on technology, and has recorded examples of
best practices in some elementary and secondary schools. Glef’s documentary about
learning and technology in American schools, Learn & Live, will be aired on PBS
stations sometime this spring. For specific dates, contact your local cross-border PBS
station, or find them on the Internet at www.pbs.org. For more information about GLEF,
check out their web site and their magazine, Edutopia, at www.glef.org, or write The
George Lucas Educational Foundation, P. O. Box 3494, San Rafael, California, USA 94912.
PS Calendar
If you would like to list your conference or event in Professionally
Speaking or on the conference listing on the Library page
of the College web site, please contact us with the information: fax (416) 961-8822; phone
(416) 961-8800 ext. 679 or e-mail library@oct.ca
The calendar of conferences resides at the College Library page.
