Kentucky Teacher

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History will be hosting two events that may be of interest to educators.

On Saturday, July 14, there will be a workshop called Welcome to the Blogosphere. This is an introduction to genealogy blogs and how those interested can join the blogging community.
Cheri Daniels, senior librarian and reference specialist at the Kentucky Historical Society, will host the morning session and provide an introduction to genealogy blogs and the supportive community of bloggers that has created a dynamic information network.

Topics include the various types of blogs available and tips on how to read and follow blogs. Beginning and intermediate bloggers are welcome.

The afternoon session will cover the various blog formats, followed by a demonstration of how to start a public or private blog. This session will be hosted by veteran genealogy blogger and the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ official blogger for 2011, Linda McCauley, who has been blogging at Documenting the Details since 2009.

Registration is required before noon on Friday, July 13 for this free workshop. A light lunch is available, if requested at time of registration, for $6, payable at the door. Contact the KHS Reference Desk at KHSRefDesk@ky.gov or (502) 564-1792, ext. 4460.

Also, on Wednesday, July 18, Kentucky’s Bookends to the Civil War: Maj. Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter presentation will be held at noon.

Kentucky had a unique experience during the Civil War. The leaders of both the U.S. government and the Confederate States of America were born in Kentucky, and another native Kentuckian, Maj. Robert Anderson, featured prominently in national events at both the beginning and the end of the war.

Don Rightmyer, editor of Kentucky Ancestors, will discuss Maj. Anderson, a West Point graduate and the commander of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor at the beginning of the Civil War. The presentation will examine the family history and Kentucky heritage that prepared him for the roles he played on the national stage.

Reservation is required by Friday, July 13: $18 for KHS members and $25 for all other patrons. Contact Julia Curry at (502) 564-1792, ext. 4414 for more information or to register.

A new Kentucky Arts Council program is available for schools and school districts that would like assistance with improving arts education programs, policies and curriculum.
The Specialists With Arts Tactics (SWAT) Team program provides short-term technical assistance consultancies to schools and districts in the state. Consultants are available to facilitate policy writing, including an arts plan in the school or district improvement plans, arts curriculum alignment, developing performance assessments and integrating the arts across the curriculum. Consultancy fees are paid by the arts council. In some instances, schools may be required to pay nominal costs associated with the consultancy.
“Schools that want to see results from their arts programs and assessments should consider applying for a SWAT Team consultancy,” said Lori Meadows, arts council executive director. “Our trained consultants can answer questions school or district representatives might have in relation to improving and integrating arts education for their students.”
Any Kentucky public or private school or district that supports grades P-12 may apply for a SWAT Team consultancy. Applications are accepted year-round and should be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the desired date of the consultancy. Applicants can be awarded two consultancies per year.
In addition to the SWAT Team program, the arts council has made updates to another of its education programs, including a name change. The grant program known formerly as the Teacher Initiated Program is now the Teaching Art Together grant.
The Teaching Art Together grant allows teachers to collaborate with practicing, professional artists on the design and implementation of innovative five- to 20-day residencies. Residencies provide teachers with the tools to continue to incorporate the arts into the curriculum after the residency is completed.
Guidelines for the SWAT Team and Teaching Art Together programs can be found online at the program web pages. For more information about applying for any of the arts council’s education programs, contact Rachel Allen, arts education director, at (502) 564-8110, ext. 486, or via e-mail.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

At the recent 51st Biennial National Association of the Deaf (NAD) conference, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) was recognized for its efforts to ensure that former African-American students at the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) received diplomas that were originally denied to them.

On Friday, July 6, the NAD Board of Directors recognized the KBE with a special resolution, praising the board for its action on behalf of African-American KSD graduates.

“I’m honored that the National Association for the Deaf recognizes the efforts made by the Kentucky Board of Education and the Department of Education to right a grievous injustice,” said KBE Chair David Karem, who was present during the event. “Providing former African-American students at KSD with their long-overdue diplomas was simply the obvious thing to do. The other board members and I are humbled by the appreciation and gratitude we’ve been shown.”

In August 2011, the board held a special ceremony on the campus of the Kentucky School for the Deaf to award diplomas to African Americans who were enrolled at KSD in the mid-20th century, but did not receive recognition for graduation.

Approximately 75 individuals were identified to receive diplomas. These individuals were enrolled at KSD between 1930 and 1955, but left the school without receiving official recognition of graduation or completion of courses.

The National Association of the Deaf is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the U.S. The 2012 Biennial NAD Conference was held July 3-7 in Louisville.

In 1823, the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) became the first state-supported school of its kind in the nation and the western hemisphere. KSD has a rich history of ensuring that deaf and hard-of-hearing children and youth in Kentucky have educational opportunities to develop their potential to become educated, life-long learners and productive citizens.

The school currently enrolls approximately 140 students, and the Kentucky Board of Education serves as the board of education for both KSD and the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) in Louisville.

Teachers looking for interactive physics lab simulations should check out KET’s new virtual physics labs. This resource allows students the opportunity to use this virtual equipment with lab activities, or KET’s, with no lab set up time and with no physical apparatus in a classroom. It’s available to teachers and students any time.

Public school teachers can request a 60-day full-access trial.

Once a part of the trial, teachers also are approved to purchase licenses online for a school/students, or teachers may contact Linda Hofacker at toll-free (800) 333-9764 to discuss purchase options such as paying by check or purchase order.

For more information, go to http://virtuallabs.ket.org/physics or contact Cynthia Warner at (859) 624-2789.

Kimberly Shearer

Think about the “Like” button on Facebook. With just one push of a button, people are able to communicate a great deal of information. We are able to express ourselves and our opinions. We are able to share in a community and to make connections with others through the similarities we discover. And we are able to evaluate the claims of others, judging information to be credible each time we push “Like.” Now, I agree – sometimes we just “Like” that photo of a kitten yawning. But, you get the idea. Technology has allowed us and our students to customize and personalize information in a way that has never been done before.

Now, think about the Common Core Standards. These standards emphasize 21st-century skills and require our students to be able to collaborate with others within small and large communities. They require our students to be able to locate and evaluate sources using technology. And they require our students to be able to share information and to build their own arguments while considering things such as audience, purpose and language. Sound familiar? All of these skill sets are not too far from the Continue Reading