M

Weblinks – ET Spring 2017

National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship

http://nationalgeographic.org/education/programs/grosvenor-teacher-fellowship/

The National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship honours excellence in teaching geography from kindergarten to grade 12 and provides recipients with dedicated field experience to deepen their knowledge.

In June 2016, Breanna Myles, then teaching geography to grades 7 and 8 students in the Bluewater DSB, was one of 35 recipients from across Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico. Her 10-day excursion to the Svalbard archipelago in Norway that month followed preliminary workshops at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., and is documented in her blog at http://mylesawayinthearctic.weebly.com. As part of the year-long fellowship, teachers are also expected to work on developing supplementary learning materials for the National Geographic Society to increase geographic literacy for all learners.

Halton DSB Concussion Resource

www.sportconcussionlibrary.com

In September, the Halton DSB launched a website presenting the latest research on concussions (see “Heads Up!,” Education Today, Fall 2016). This resource, available to educators across Canada, is one outcome of a highly successful program introduced to the board’s grades 3, 6 and 9 students. Developed by Dr. Paul Echlin, a concussion researcher in Burlington, and board consultant Joanne Walsh, this program relies for its success upon the active involvement of students. The website includes print research and various media resources for parents, educators, coaches and sports therapists, as well as direct links to relevant associations.

For more information, visit www.sportconcussionlibrary.com/halton-student-concussion-education-program-hscep/ or search for “Schools Can Tap into Free Online Education Resource to Teach Kids about Concussion,” Canadian Press, September 8, 2016.

Toronto International Film Festival for Kids

http://www.tiff.net/?filter=festival.tiff-kids

For 10 days each September, the Toronto International Film Festival brings global films and film stars to venues in downtown Toronto. The festival corporation also runs TIFF Kids, an affiliated event for children, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017. Each year, this festival screens top films from Canada and around the world especially for young people. Organizers offer a Festival School Programme at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto for class groups that includes curriculum-compatible programming, teacher resources and post-screening discussions with film experts. A recent highlight is the digiPlaySpace, a hands-on gallery equipped with new media technologies that children can explore. TIFF Kids runs April 7 to 23, and the digiPlaySpace is open at the same location February 18 to April 23.

For more information, contact Claire Van Nierop, Communications, TIFF Kids, cvannierop@tiff.net.