The next Palo Alto Partners in Education grants are due May 9. PiE has allocated $50,000 for teacher grants - $3000 for full-year projects and $1500 for semester ones. For more information, including the online application, go to www.papie.org. Click on the "Our Programs" heading, then "Teacher Grant Handbook." Included in that sub-section: a description of the program, a downloadable application form, as well as the online form. The great majority of applicants in recent years have used the online form.
     
PiE asks that you please remember to include sales tax and shipping charges in any application where appropriate.  Also, if you believe that an installation cost will be involved, please contact District Staff regarding possible costs.

If you have any questions about the application process, or about whether your idea could be funded by PiE, please contact Al Russell by email at jaruss982@yahoo.com or by phone at (650) 813-1372. Grant notification will be in June, just prior to the end of school.
  

Nextech is designed for teachers who seek advanced skills and information to use technology effectively in the classroom. The third annual Nextech Seminar is set for June 16-20, 9:00-12:00, at the 85A Lab.

To register, log on to Bob, then click on Nextech, and then click the Register button. You will receive a confirmation right away and more information later this spring. Teachers may earn up to one (1) unit of professional growth credit for attending all five days (15 hours). DON'T FORGET TO PREPLAN - HERE'S THE FORM.

Technology Professional Development for 2008-09: Registration Open

Plans for tech professional development in 2008-09 are well underway. The program will offer a rich combination of full day, after school, and online opportunities. Just like the last few years, teachers may attend up to three full day workshops, and the District will cover sub fees. We've taken the most popular full day classes and combined them with a broad range of short after school Tech Bytes. Here are the current workshops:

Most full day sessions will be offered two times during the year.
1-2 classes each month of both full day and after school sessions

Teacher's Toolkit

iTunes U for K-12 Resources
Apple's iTunes store has a new section called iTunes U. Here over 50 colleges and universities post free courseware for public access. Schools like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and many more post these courses in the form of podcasts. There are also some very cool sections for K-12 teachers and students.

Launch iTunes and click on the iTunes Store in the lefthand menu. Once it loads, a list of categories shows at upper left. Click on iTunesU and note the list of colleges and universities provided free courses online. For example, click on MIT and look at the variety of courses offered for free - some of it no doubt of interest to you or perhaps your students.

Here are a few appropriate to K-12 (note that next month, these iTunes U courses will list/organize by topic rather than university). Note that you will get a message saying that an application must be opened to go to the link, so click Launch Application.

University of South Florida > College of Education > Resources for K-12: Lit2Go (http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/usf.edu.1273192868.01273192877)
Lit2Go website

Vanderbilt University > Snacks 4 the Brain (Center for Science Outreach)
(http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/vanderbilt.edu.1329429620.01329429623)
Snacks4theBrain website

University of South Florida > College of Education > Technology in K-12 Lesson Plans
(http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/usf.edu.1273340511.01273340519)

System Requirements: Mac or PC with iTunes
Cost: Free

WebTrio - Recommended Sites

Holocaust Remembrance Month:

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Holocaust Survivors Talk - from U. of Southern Cal

Holocaust Survivors - stories, audio, images

Summer Workshops for Teachers & Staff

All workshops are held in the 85A Lab on the Paly campus, unless otherwise noted. To register, log on to Bob with your email username and password. Then scroll down the list of workshops to the one you want, click on it, and then click the Register button. You will receive a confirmation email. If you have problems, email Paula Hundley.