Guidance from SDCOE and CDE: Due to safety and equity concerns, we do not recommend having students do labs at home. Use simulations and teacher demonstrations. Teacher demonstrations should be conducted from the classroom for teacher safety. Try having students design the experiment and then the teacher carry out the protocol. Do labs once we return to physical school. Please note: UC A-G course descriptions are not affected by courses going online temporarily due to COVID. https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/guide

Here are two resources from two different national science education groups on the subject that I hope you find helpful:

• The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) has created several one-pager resources, this one addresses doing science at home

• The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) also has information available regarding hands on science at home - https://www.nsta.org/blog/safety-hands-science-home-instruction

And practice with CANVAS! I created a science teacher discussion page, for all science teachers at all grade levels to communicate with each other.

Join with this link: https://sandiegounified.instructure.com/enroll/XMPBX9

The San Diego County Office of Education is producing thematic online learning curriculum units for every grade level. Check them out here!

SDCOE has also curated lists of resources for Distance Learning and Science

SDG&E is proud to support our local teachers and schools through our partnership with DonorsChoose. Teachers at schools within SDG&E’s service territory that have STEM projects and distance learning totaling $1,000 or less are eligible to receive matching funds. SDG&E will match public donations to eligible projects and will provide a $2 to $1 match for schools in select disadvantaged communities. See flyer here.

How it Works

Teacher STEM and distance learning projects of $1,000 or less at schools within SDG&E’s service territory are eligible to receive matching funds from SDG&E on the DonorsChoose platform. In support of equity for schools in disadvantaged communities, SDG&E will provide a double match for eligible teacher projects at schools in disadvantaged communities as determined by CalEnviroScreen. Last year, 67 percent of the 322 schools in 33 school districts receiving funding from SDG&E were in disadvantaged communities.

Eligible teachers can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply.

The DonorsChoose match program will run from today until funds are exhausted or December 31, 2020.

Here is a CANVAS Cheat Sheet that might be helpful. :)

Our partner Illumina wants to connect their team to your students through virtual work-based learning opportunities, and they have partnered with Skype A Scientist as the best platform to do so. If you are unfamiliar with Skype A Scientist, it’s a free program through which professional scientists across the world can sign up to be matched with classrooms to discuss various scientific questions and their careers with students.

Sign-up Instructions

To request a speaker, just go to the website, click “Get Involved,” and select “sign up as a teacher.” You must complete the form, which is where you can specify what type of professional you’d like to connect with. For example, if you’d like to hear from an Illumina professional, you can write that in the text box, and Skype A Scientist will connect you. If you already have a personal relationship with an Illumina scientist who has agreed to present to your class, you can write that person’s name in the text box as well.

If these instructions or the form seem too complicated, we’ve created a quick instructional video for how you can sign up. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/qctbWkMRFXs

Illumina, the Illumina Foundation, and the Biocom Institute have announced a newSTEM education program, Illumina Genomic Discoveries, to provide teachers genomics-focused professional development, curriculum and industry connections, with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in life sciences. The program will kick off with a 5-day workshop series in which teachers will receive training in genomics and use of Illumina’s iSeq 100 sequencing platform and will meet and hear from Illumina’s scientists and engineers. In addition to the workshop, participants will receive the following…

• A real-world genomics lab experience for your classroom
• An Illumina campus tour for you and your classroom
• Access to the DNA Decoded & Career Explorations Lesson Plans & Videos
• Office-hours and technical support throughout the school year from Biocom Institute
• An end-of-the-year celebration with the other teachers from the program
• A certificate of completion and professional development credits

There are only 20 spots available for this program, so sign up now! For more information about the Illumina Genomics Discoveries program, including registration and eligibility requirements, please visit their website, open the attached flyer, and review the program details below.

Program Details

Where: Teachers can sign up to participate here: https://www.biocominstitute.org/genomic-discoveries/

When: The programming begins in Summer 2021. Registration is open now!

Who: 20 biology or health sciences and medical technology teachers working at a high school in San Diego County who meet the following eligibility requirements…

• Have the necessary lab space and safety protocols to execute the Lab in a Box program.
• Participate in all professional development workshops.
• Reserve up to 2-weeks of instructional class time for the lab experience.
• Open up your classroom for visits from Illumina and Biocom Institute staff members.
• Provide teacher and student feedback and evaluation throughout program.
• Share your lesson plans, lab reports and other documentation related to the curriculum.
• Complete a media waiver to take pictures and videos in your classroom and give permission to share pictures and videos on social media and websites.

*Please note: Priority will be given to teachers from Title 1 schools to provide more equitable access to science education.

As we all adapt to a changing world, Birch Aquarium is here to help you. Stay tuned as we work to provide online resources for you and your students based on your needs, and check out our current online offerings.

Click here for a link to the Salk Education Resources.

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/for-educators/learning-at-home

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• The Instructional Technology Department is excited to announce Tech Tips. This is a monthly communication providing resources for integrating technology into curriculum. http://bit.ly/sdusdtechtips

Science: bit.ly/sdusdscience

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