PD Opportunties (Summer 2013)

• Congress in the Classroom 2013 is designed for high school or middle school teachers who teach US history, government, civics, political science, or social studies. The workshop, held in Peoria, IL from July 29th-Aug 31st, is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress. The deadline for applications has been extended to April 15th! For more information see The Dirksen Center's website for the workshop.

• KCEE Life Fundamentals Economics and Financial Literacy Summit... Attend this two day conference June 19-20 in Lousiville which will feature concurrent sessions, best-practice showcases, exhibits, and speaker focused on teaching consumerism, personal finance, economics and entrepreneurship. Click for more details.

• GeoEd'13 will take place on June 10th-13th at Jefferson Community and Technical College in Lousiville. Of particular interest might be the offering of "Geospatial Pays a Visit to the STEM Classroom: Teaching with the Tool - Teaching the Tool - Or Does it Matter?" which will be instructed by Demetrio Zourarakis, one of the KGA's steering committe members. These offers are free but limited.

• Environmental Sustainablity in Bregenz, Austria... Spend 10 days from July 7th- 18th in Austria where you will learn and experience environmental education and sustainability for university credit, as well as professional and personal development. More Information.

• Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is offering 23 different travel programs for the summer of 2013 such as India/Nepal, Italy, The Galapagos Islands, etc... Educators have the option to earn graduate school credit and professional development credit while seeing the world. The registration deadline is June 1st, but space is limited and many programs will be full well before the deadline. For more information check out the GEEO website.

• The Summer Cave and Karst Courses are for those with an academic, professional, or personal interest in all aspects of caves and karst systems. An adventurous spirit and good physical conditioning will maximize enjoyment and benefits of the courses. Individuals desiring an exciting and educational vacation experience can also benefit from partcipating in a course. Some courses do require previous subject knowledge, but others are designed for individuals who are purely interested in caves, caving, and karst. There are 5 one week courses offered between June 2nd-21st. Get all the details at the Karst Field Studies website.

• The KGA will be hosting a Summer GIS Institute for K-12 teachers in Kentucky from June 17th-19th at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. The institute will include information on who to integrate geographic content across the curriculum and engage students in active learning, hands-on computer training in GIS and other geospatial technologies, field trips and more. Applications and supporting letters are due by May 15th. The enrollment will be limited to only 20 teachers. Click here for more information.

• An Advanced Placement Institute will be hosted by WKU from June 23rd to to June 28th. Beginning workshops will be offered for subject areas such as Human Geography, U.S. History & World History among others. Furthermore there will be and experienced workshop for U.S. History. Atendees will learn how to raise test scores and increase engagement in their AP history, politics, human geography, or psychology class. To learn more or apply visit the WKU Advanced Placement Institute website.

• An Eco-Treasure Hunt will be hosted by the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education in partnership with Kentucky State Parks throughout Memorial Day week . If you succeed in finding even just one item on the hunt list, you are elegible to enter into the Eco-Treasure Hunt raffle for lots of amazing prizes. While not technically a PD event, this would be a great opportunity for yourself or your students to get out and experience the geography around them! For more details check on the KAEE Eco-Treasure Hunt website.

• Teaching Economics Through Children's Literature is a free professional development opportunity for teachers. The workshop, held in Louisville, will introduce teachers to economic concepts and demonstations on how to teach them using popular childeren's literature. The newly opened class for Elementary school teachers will be held Wednesday, June 26th and the class for Middle School teachers will be held Wednesday, July 9th. Click here for more information and registeration.

The Kentucky Geographic Alliance
1906 College Heights
Bowling Green, KY 42101
(270) 745-5978
kga@wku.edu