Can you believe how fast the end of the year is approaching?  It's almost time for you to submit your students "Community Atlas" project for the 2018 school year.  Remember, a Community Atlas project is simply a collection of different maps or apps that students have prepared on at least a somewhat related topic.  Examples from past years include:

• Unity, New Hampshire:  Our Beloved Hometown by Unity 7th Grade students
• New Hampshire Resources by Groveton 7th & 8th Grade students
• Roman Empire by Fairgrounds Middle School students
• Civil Rights Movement by Surry Village Charter School students
• Lincoln's History and Future by Lin-Wood 4th Grade students
• African Countries by Sant Bani 6th grade students
• Map Collection of Real and Fictitious Places by Hillsboro Deering 8th Grade Students
• Trout in the Classroom by Henniker Community School students
• Math Map Projects by Bow High School students

For more information, please see:  http://www.nhedgis.org/geoprism-community-atlas-projects.html.  Remember, thanks to the GeoPriSM Math-Science Partnership grant from the NH Department of Education we can provide a stipend of $400 for each GeoPriSM teacher who has students successfully complete a project.

For those of you planning (or hoping) to submit a project, it would be helpful if you could register so we could better plan the funds available for our summer workshops.  Please do this as soon as possible.  The links for the both registration and submission of the final project (due June 8th--but contact us if that is an issue) are on the page linked above.  Any questions?  Don't hesitate to contact Bob [rwoolner (at) sau66.org] or Ina [i_ahern (at) nhedgis.org]

Reminder:  Submission deadline for the NH Online Map Competition (https://sites.google.com/site/nhonlinemapcompetition/) is this Thursday, May 10th.

Also, don't forget to register for this final summer of funded workshops.  See http://www.nhedgis.org/summer2018.html for more info and links!

When:   Saturday, May 12 from 8:30-4:30

 Where: University of New Hampshire Manchester

STEM Discovery Lab, Room 325

88 Commercial Street, Manchester 

Registration: Please sign up here. Space is limited. 

Code.org’s Computer Science Fundamentals courses have about 15 lessons that may be implemented as one unit or over the course of a semester. Students create computer programs that will help them learn to collaborate with others, develop problem-solving skills, and persist through difficult tasks. They will study programming concepts, computational thinking, digital citizenship, and develop interactive games or stories they can share.

There are a lot of new aspects of NHCMTC for 2018 and we want you to be a part of it! The Call for Presenters is now open through May, 28th! Here is a snapshot of what is new...

• Teacher and Student Showcases are an option on ALL three conference days
  
• EdTech Playgrounds are an option on ALL three conference days
  
• Student lead presentations are encouraged with an adult co-presenter
  
• Concurrent sessions are now 50 minutes in length
  
• Conference themes are linked to the Future Ready initiative
  

Looking for schools to participate in the TechWomen Ambassadors Week November 2018

The NH High Tech Council’s TechWomen|TechGirls Initiative committee has begun planning for the 2018  TechWomen Ambassadors Week for  8th and  9th grade girls.  The theme “STEMspiration” engages girl students to explore STEM Careers.  This is a one day, 2 hour event that will take place on location at several high schools across the state during the week of November 12 – November 16, 2018.   

TechWomen Ambassadors representing various high tech industry sectors including aerospace, robotics, biotech, computing, engineering, green tech and more mobilize by coming to your school to participate in the events by telling their career story, subject matter expertise, and some hands-on demonstrations.  Join the TechWomen|TechGirls Initiative.   If your school has an interest in participating, please contact Carol Miller, committee chair at NH Division of Economic Development 603-271-0252 or email Carol at carol.miller@livefree.nh.gov

NHSTE is excited to announce our new partnership with Wonder Workshop to bring the Teach Wonder Professional Learning Program to all NH schools. Would you like to take a Teach Wonder course and also receive a Dash robot for only 125.00? (a 450.00 value) The first course, Introduction to Coding and Robotics with Dash & Dot, is built to develop confidence for all classroom teachers.

The 2018 Christa McAuliffe Transforming, Teaching, & Technology Conference (CMTC) Steering Committee is excited to announce that the Call for Presenters online submission system is now open though the end of May! We need your proposals, this is what makes CMTC GREAT!!! Check out the CMTC website for more info. https://www.nhcmtc.org/cms/present

SAVE THE DATE

Assistive Technology MAKERS FAIR

Making AT for All Conference & Expo

September 29, 2018 • Concord, NH

The AT Makers Fair will help grow the collaboration of assistive technology makers and users and explore fast, a ordable, customized, and satisfying solutions to everyday problems!

Featuring:

• A keynote and panel presentation/discussion with national AT maker movement program leaders

• Workshops with hands-on learning

• A Make AT Café

• An exhibit hall of vendor/program booths

  Want event updates? Visit: iod.unh.edu/atmakers

  This event is supported, in part, by ATinNH, the Assistive Technology Act Program at the UNH Institute on Disability, and is funded through a grant from the Admin. on Community Living, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. 

https://iod.unh.edu/atmakers

ATMakersFair_NH_Sept2018.pdf

Just a reminder about the ISTE 2018 Conference in Chicago this year... Early Bird Registration is available through May 1st! Click here for more information about the conference.

Great your ideas flowing... it is time for our annual grant program! Application period opens on March 19th.

Click here for more information!

FINAL Notice - there are about 4 rooms left in the NHSTE Housing Block for Chicago this June.  Deadline is TOMORROW!

For anyone who is considering attending ISTE 2018 in Chicago (June 24 to 27), NHSTE would like to inform you of an opportunity available to all NHSTE members - the NHSTE Housing Block.  Some of you have taken advantage of this in the past, this may be new information to others.  

As a benefit of NHSTE helping to market the ISTE 2017 conference, we have the option to secure rooms together in one hotel at the conference for our NHSTE members.  This is a limited number of rooms and requires Housing Selection by February 1st and cancellation by April 9, 2018 without penalty.  To get all the details, click here or navigate from the NHSTE home page to BENEFITS then ISTE ANNUAL CONFERENCE for all the details.  

Here are a few Important Notes:

• All unused rooms in your block will be released for general sale on February 2, 2018.

• Reservations can be adjusted or cancelled without penalty through 5:00 p.m. EST on April 9, 2018.

• Reservations cancelled after 5:00 p.m. EST on April 9, 2018, will be assessed a $150 cancellation fee per room.

This is only the second time in the past 20 year that ISTE is in Chicago and there are a number of direct flights from Manchester, so you might want to consider heading west this June.

More details about ISTE 2018 to follow throughout the coming year!

Cyndi Dunlap

NHSTE/ISTE Co-marketing Contact