TEAP Online Newsletter

Dear Technology Educators & TEAP Members,

Welcome to the September edition of the TEAP-Online Newsletter! This email hopefully finds most of you in the beginning of a productive and exciting new school year! This month's newsletter contains some great opportunities to network with fellow technology educators from across the state, country, and world as well as much, much more! So without further ado....

53rd Annual TEAP Conference

Please join us at the 53rd Annual TEAP Conference on November 3-5 at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The theme for this year’s conference is “Technology Education-Strengthening Ties!” The general sessions and many of the other presentations will help to highlight the importance of continuing to strengthen our ties to professional organizations, our colleagues in math, science, and career and technical education as well as in the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The first General Session will feature Patricia Gordon from the PA College of Technology who will speak on the “Smart Girls” program and the importance of developing female students interest in technological careers.

The second General Session will feature Mr. Bruce Lubak from Parkland High School in the Lehigh Valley who will be discussing the continuing development of the technology education and science departments at Parkland and their creation of interdisciplinary curriculum that encompasses science, mathematics, engineering and technological studies through the exciting exploration of space.

As always, the venue for education is packed with many great workshops, sessions and tours. The National Association of Home Builders even plans to give all conference attendees a copy of software called “Homes of Our Own”!

The banquet will be a delightful experience that you should not miss. Along with honoring some of the finest professionals in our ranks, we will welcome our new 2006 TEAP President, Mr. Kenneth Neuman. The entertainment for the evening will be Mr. Richard Pawling and History Alive! Rich will delight us with John “Cappy” Hummel, 1870's Canal Boat Captain.

Lastly, a gathering of new and old acquaintances with like interests: what could be better? Join your peers and friends and make the most of the 2005 TEAP Conference. Share your ideas, successes and thoughts about how you make technology education the best part of a students day!

See you in November!

Jeff Seamans, 2005 TEAP President

2005 Technology Festival

This years Technology Festival theme is: “Technology Students in Competition” and TEAP is inviting students that participate in various technological competitions to “show their stuff” at the festival. Students involved in Think Quest, US First Robotics, TSA, Widener University Engineering Competition, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Future City Competition, Future Scientist & Engineers of America, National Science Teachers Associations, Stanley Tool Competitions, Sally Ride TOY Challenge, and many others will be on hand for this event. Do you know of any students that would be interested in presenting at the festival? Contact Mr., Ed Frescoln at: FrescolnE@TESD.K12.PA.US or download the festival application at: http://www.teap-online.org/conf/present.htm

TEANWP Vendor Exhibit and Dinner

The Technology Education Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania is holding their 28th. annual dinner and exhibitors night on Monday October 3, 2005 at the St. Frances Ushers Club in McKean, Pa. Vendor displays will be on view from 4:30 till 8:30 with a buffet dinner served at 6:00.

Following dinner we will have a short program. Mr. William Bertrand from the Pa. Dept. of education will be speaking on meeting the standards for science and technology and how our programs will be effected in the next three years. Lots of good information for superintendents and curriculum planners.We expect 12 vendors displaying technology related products such as computer software, robots, CNC machining, textbooks, furniture and technology modules. We are inviting teachers of Math, Science, Tech. Ed., vocational courses and administrators and counselors to attend. All attendees and guests are welcome for dinner which includes two complimentary beverages at $15.00 per person or $25.00 per couple (bring your spouse).

Thank you,
Howard Krack hkrack@troy.mtsd.org
TEANWP

Best New ITEA Membership Rate in History!

NEW members (first time or non-members for 3+ years) can receive their first year FULL membership for only $25… that’s a discount of nearly 65%. PAXTON/PATTERSON is subsidizing first year membership to stimulate growth in ITEA. Offer good through March 25, 2006 - the end of the 2006 annual conference, which this year is being held close to home in Baltimore, Maryland!

Members receive these valuable benefits: (Go to the ITEA web site to see all 16 benefits)

· $250,000 Professional Liability insurance coverage

· 8 issues of The Technology Teacher

· 24-hour access to “members only” online resources, teacher forum, IdeaGarden and Innovation Station listservs

ITEA and PAXTON/PATTERSON encourage all current members to promote this unprecedented opportunity to all colleagues who are not presently members of ITEA. www.iteaconnect.org

ITEA Conference 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland!

This conference should be the biggest and best in years. Located in the beautiful Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, you’ll have access to all that Baltimore has to offer. Being close to home this is a great opportunity for Pennsylvania educators to meet and network with educators from across the country and the globe. There are a number of Pennsylvania educators presenting at the conference, and the recipients of the TEAP Program and Teacher Excellence Awards will also receive the ITEA awards at this conference. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to represent Pennsylvania at ITEA! Register today at www.iteaconnect.org.

TOYchallenge 2006

The TOYchallenge 2006 launches September 12, 2005. What is the TOYchallenge you ask

A national toy design challenge for 5th-8th graders.
A chance for teams of imaginative kids to create a new toy or game.

Toys are a great way to learn about science, engineering, and the design process.
That's why astronaut Sally Ride brought Smith College, Hasbro, Sigma Xi, and
Sally Ride Science™ together to launch this challenge!

Here’s how you can participate

Form a team, find a coach, and sign up (fee is $45 per team).
Once your team has signed up, begin brainstorming! Come up with an idea, think it through, describe it, draw it, and begin to build a model or prototype.

Make sure to visit http://www.toychallenge.com/index.shtml for more information!

Award & Competition Opportunities from NSTA!

Apply for NSTA's Awards - http://www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx
NSTA and its sponsors recognize and reward exemplary teachers (K-College), principals (middle level and high school), and students (K-12) with cash, trips, workshops, computers, science program materials, and more. These awards offer opportunities to receive professional and personal recognition and to share your school's science education success stories. The deadline for the majority of the awards is October 15, 2005, though applications for the Shell Science Teaching Award will be due on November 15, 2005 and the SeaWorld Outstanding Environmental Science Educator Award has a November 30, 2005 deadline.

Intel® Innovation in Education - http://www.intel.com/education/sections/section3/index.htm
The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) provide more than $4 million in prizes and scholarships for high school students. Intel STS is available to high school seniors who create original, inquiry-based research projects. The top prize is a $100,000 four-year scholarship and the application deadline is November 16, 2005 at 11:59 pm. High school students in grades 9-12 can also attend the Intel ISEF after being selected by their local Intel ISEF-affiliated fair. The top three finalists selected by Intel judges each receive a $50,000 college scholarship.

Chemical Education Foundation Lesson Plan Competition - http://www.chemed.org/Lesson_Plan.html
The Chemical Education Foundation (CEF) is holding a lesson plan competition for K-12 educators. Submitted plans must illustrate a topic in the following categories: Scientific Inquiry; Structure of Matter; and Safety and Recycling. Winners in each category receive $1000 and each runner up receives $500, in addition to having their plans published online. Entries must be postmarked by October 21, 2005.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards - http://www.exploravision.org
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision is an inquiry-based competition for K-12 students that combines science, creativity, technology and collaborative learning with the chance to develop web sites and win up to $10,000 in prizes. Teams of students select an existing technology, then research and describe a scientifically sound use for the technology, as it might exist in twenty years. All students and teachers receive gifts and certificates of participation. The entry deadline will be February 2006. Please continue to check the website for a definite date.

Excellent Program for Middle School and Introductory Electronics

We had our best year ever and to celebrate we are offering a 10-Day Special starting September 26, 2005 on our very popular Tronix 1 Labs. It is time to get the latest version of Tronix 1 and replace those dog-eared books etc.

Call or email us within the next 10 Days to reserve the quantities you would like and will reserve the price for you for 60 days so you have time to get purchase orders etc. We have set aside 1000 Tronix 1 Labs for this special, so call ASAP to reserve yours. We will not hold you to it, but if you do not reserve them, you cannot use these prices.

Here are the special prices: Minimum Order is 10 of any item.

Tronix 1 Lab complete #TL100 Reg Price $26.90 Sale Price $22.90 each
Tronix 1 Lab Manual only #TM101 Reg Price $12.95 Sale Price $9.90
Tronix 1 Lab Parts only #TP102 Reg Price $8.95 Sale Price $8.00
Tronix 1 Lab Solderless Circuit Board #CB111 Reg Price $5.95 Sale Price $3.90

To see all the Tronix Labs, visit http://www.gibsonteched.net/tronix12.html

Don’t miss out. Call or email now to reserve your quantities. Also, we can make special parts kits for whatever textbook you are using.

Best Regards,
Gary Gibson
Gibson Tech Ed, Inc.
Phone 800-422-1100 Toll-Free Fax 866-367-6180
gary@gibsonteched.com

Great Sites Online

Below is a list of online resources that may be useful to you in your day to day classroom activities.

Straw Tower Websites -

· http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/educator/act_suspension_ho.html

· http://www.members.shaw.ca/applytech/at/design.htm

· http://education.mit.edu/tep/11124/strawtower.swf

· http://www.iit.edu/~smile/chbi9919.htm

The Ruler Game - http://www.rickyspears.com/rulergame/index.html

This website has an online ruler game that is great. If you have your own school website, you can even purchase the rights to put the game on your website.