Thursday, May 30, 2013

Applying to Graduate Studies

It has been a long-standing tradition for teachers seeking a graduate degree to participate in the University of Texas Science Collaborative. The TRC Science program provides funding for up to three science education classes. Students take advantage of this funding by having the TRC pay the tuition and fees for a sponsored class and they pay only the tuition for the second class. This provides a significant saving for up to six graduate courses.

Application to graduate studies is separate from applying to the TRC. If you want to take these courses for credit, then you need to apply to Graduate Studies. Follow the link below to apply for graduate school.


Summer Institute Information

Purpose
2013-2014 UT-Brownsville Science Collaborative participants are required to participate in 50 hour summer institute with the intent to increase science content knowledge in physics and chemistry in a way that models appropriate and discipline specific instruction.

Specifically for the purpose of developing the science content knowledge focused around Physics TEKS 8.6 A-C; Teks 6.8 A & C and Chemistry TEKS 8.5 A-E; 7.5A.

Timeframe
The Summer Institute will take place from Wednesday, June 12, 2013 through Wednesday, June 26, 2013 and will consist approximately twelve (12) three- to four-hour sessions at a time convenient for STMs. The institute will begin at 5:00 p.m. during weekdays and begin at 9 a.m. on Saturdays.

Instructors
The primary university faculty member offering the institute is Dr. Gregorio Garcia. Assisting Dr. Garcia will be Dr. Phillip Dukes, Mr. Emilio Barrientos, and Mr. Hector Contreras.

Pre- and Posttests
Each institute will include and pre- and posttest of science content covered during the institute. The pre-test may be administered prior to the institute. The date has not been established. Participants must acquire a UT-EID to take the tests.

Content Focus
The focus of the professional development are topics such as an introduction into chemical reactions, molecular composition, stoichiometric principles related to mass relationships, calculations of limiting reagents and percent yield, stoichiometric calculations related to mass relationships between reactants and products involving gases, and further exploration of gas laws.

The professional development includes understanding the solutions to chemical reactions and an understanding of the behavior of solutions that will be taught to middle school students.


Installing Dropbox

Some of the files we generate are rather large and can't be e-mailed to one another. Dropbox is a way of storing large files and sharing the files with others. Some organizations block Dropbox on their wireless networks, but they are still available on your smart phone data plan.

The following website provides details about Dropbox and how to install it on your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

Install - Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/install
Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Gmail Accounts

If your new to the TRC, you aren't aware that you will need to obtain a Gmail account.  Please do so ASAP.  

This will become our primary means of communication. Several other Google products will be used with the same e-mail account.

Visit google.com for more information or visit this wikipedia site to learn more. (Click)

Saturday, May 25, 2013

TRC Initiation Meeting

Participation at the Initiation Meeting is required of all participants notified of their acceptance in the 2013-2014 Science Collaborative (TRC) program. The meeting will be held at 6:00 P.M. at the University of Brownsville campus on Thursday, May 30, 2013.

Due to building construction,  the location has not been set.  You will be notified by email and posting in this blog as soon as this information becomes available.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Welcome to the UT Brownsville Science Collaborative - 2014

2013-2014 TRC Science Collaborative Participants

WELCOME
Welcome to an experience, or should I say series of experiences, that will extend your knowledge of all science subjects. This year's focus is chemistry and physics. Throughout the year you will be given experiences using the latest technology and other science disciplines. The program focuses heavily on pedagogical content knowledge that can be used to mentor teachers and support your instructional program. You can visit the UT Brownsville science collaborative website for more information, but this blog will provide specific information about this project.

Thirty-five participants have been selected to participate in this program. Some of you want financial support to finish a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in science education. And, some of you have joined because you want to gain more knowledge about science and technology or your school district has recommended you so that you can return and help others back at your schools. To all of you...WELCOME.

TIME AND PROJECT COMMITMENT
Your participation as a Science Teacher Mentor or STM in this program requires a time commitment. STMs must complete 100 hours of professional development over the school year and project period. The 100 hour professional development commitment includes 50 hours of professional development as part of a summer institute focused on chemistry and physics. The remaining 50 hours will be completed over the fall and spring semesters. Our plan is to frontload the fall so that the spring semester has a reduced time requirement.

In turn you will provide 24 hours of professional development over the project period to a minimum of five colleagues who teach science (Cadre Members or CMs). This is a project requirement and documentation must be turned in in a timely basis.

The funding agency requires that students participate in pre- and posttests of discipline and pedagogical content knowledge. These assessments require that you obtain a UT-EID number from the University of Texas at Austin. Instructions for this will be provided in a separate blog post.

STMs will be provided with a tablet device (Ipad Mini) and applications. Training sessions will be provided online and F2F and count toward the 100 hour time commitment. All participants will need to acquire a Google account and load applications to their tablet or phones ASAP.

COURSEWORK SUPPORT
Those of you working on your M.Ed. will take a course this summer or anyone interested in attending may want to participate in this course activities. This course has been one of the most popular courses in the science education series. The course number and title of the course is EDCI 6346 - Environmental Education Methods. To participate in the graduate program you need to apply to Graduate Studies. If your undergraduate GPA is over a 3.0 on a 4-point scale, then you will not need to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Check with the graduate office to ensure that you apply before the Summer II deadline.