Posts tagged Boulder County
Too Cool for school? How about “Virtual High School” in #Boulder
Dec 24th
Fifty teachers in the Boulder Valley School District now working towards filling student achievement gaps thanks to a VHS-facilitated grant.
Boulder Colorado– Virtual High School Global Consortium (http://www.govhs.org), the pioneer of K-12 online learning and course design for teachers, today announced that technology-enhanced courses will soon be a reality at middle and high schools in the Boulder Valley and Thompson School Districts. Thanks to a grant facilitated by Virtual High School (VHS) and funded by the Colorado Department of Education, over 30 teachers are presently learning how to use blended learning opportunities to fill large student achievement gaps in the districts, particularly amongst Hispanic and low income students.
“A number of studies have shown that technology-enhanced learning environments can significantly narrow the student achievement gap that many schools are experiencing today,” said Liz Pape, President & CEO of VHS. “We are excited about this program because it will produce significant outcomes for both students and teachers, as well as will open the door for district-wide implementation in years to come.”
The $200,000 Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant provides for a pilot program that enables up to 50 teachers to take three of VHS’s professional development courses so as to create blended learning opportunities for students. The blended or hybrid learning approach combines face-to-face classroom methods with online activities to form an integrated instructional approach. Internet-based activities, such as blogging and contributing to wikis, are used to supplement face-to-face instruction.
The grant started in September and teachers just completed one of two courses, 21st Century Teaching & Learning or Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction. Through these online courses teachers learn to use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information. From there, educators will go on to a specially designed course, Creating Blended Classrooms through Open Educational Resources. Teachers enrolled in the program will receive their choice of either a stipend or graduate college credit.
“The feedback so far has been extremely positive,” said Kurt LeVasseur, Director for Career and Technical Education & Online Learning Principal for the Boulder Valley School District. “Our teachers are already using online communication tools with students in their in-person classrooms. Part of the reason this has been so effective is because teachers have been able to implement these technologies as they go along.”
Designed to supplement a school’s in-person curriculum with online courses, Virtual High School (VHS) is a non-profit collaborative of high schools, teachers and students. Teachers who are certified in their specific discipline, and who have completed a VHS professional development program, facilitate and continually monitor all courses. In addition, VHS students benefit from small classes and personalized one-on-one attention from active high school teachers, while mastering subject matter and 21st century learning skills that will increase their chances for future success in higher education and the work environment.
boulder valley schools pr special agency contributed to this story by providing background information
Household Hazardous Waste facility to close Dec. 18
Dec 10th
The existing facility will be open during regular hours (Wednesday, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon) through Saturday, Dec. 18, weather permitting. Residents are advised to call the Household Hazardous Waste hotline at 303-441-4800 for closure information. The outdoor nature of the collection facility results in occasional closures due to extreme weather including below freezing temperatures, rain, snow, and high winds.
After Dec. 18, residents are encouraged to safely store their hazardous waste until the new facility opens. If this is not possible, residents are asked to call the HHW hotline to request an appointment to drop off waste. As-needed collection events will be held to meet limited demand.
The Hazardous Materials Management Facility will open in February and includes advantages such as:
• All-weather operation (not subject to weather closures)
• Improved safety and ergonomics
• Greater convenience with more than double existing operating hours
• Begin to serve unmet needs of business community
• Allow processing efficiencies through use of equipment, for example, to bulk latex paint
• Ability to maximize revenues from oil, lead/acid batteries, recycled paint
• Ability to store wastes for more cost effective shipping
• Provide space and flexibility for future processing needs
Business wastes will be accepted, by appointment only, starting in May. The new business service will be limited to those businesses that generate small quantities of hazardous wastes and that are classified by the State of Colorado as “conditionally-exempt small quantity generators.”
All wastes collected are reused, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The program protects the environment through reducing improper disposal of hazardous products to the ground, storm and sanitary sewers, and landfills.
Many toxic, corrosive, flammable or reactive products are collected, including:
• Home improvement products (paints, thinners, caulks, glues, solvents, etc.)
• Auto products (lead/acid batteries, gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, etc.)
• Garden products (herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.)
• Household cleaners and batteries, regular and compact fluorescent bulbs, pet, pool, and hobby products
More information is available on existing services at www.bouldercountyrecycles.net or by calling the Household Hazardous Waste hotline at 303-441-4800. For more information on the new Hazardous Materials Management Facility, contact Hilary Collins at hcollins@bouldercounty.org or 720-564-2224.
County seeking input for Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Dec 1st
The county and its partners are seeking resident input in the form of recommendations to be included in the CWPP and volunteers to serve on the CWPP Advisory Team.
“This is an excellent opportunity for community members who want to make a difference in the aftermath of the Fourmile Canyon Fire,” said Brett Haberstick, Sunshine Fire Protection District Chief and CWPP team member. “Being involved in groups like the CWPP Advisory Team can translate into fewer homes lost and more lives saved during the next fire.”
Recommendations
Guidelines and a submission form are available online. “County residents have many good ideas for how best to protect their community,” said Jim Webster, Community Wildfire Protection Planner in the Boulder County Land Use Department. “We want the plan to include new, original ideas from residents.”
Advisory Team
The team will collect and prioritize the recommendations that are submitted. “In order to be successful, our planning process needs to engage a large number of residents,” Webster said. “Many people would like to serve on a board or committee, but they have never been asked. We are asking interested residents to volunteer for this effort and help their community.”
Members of the advisory team must attend four Wednesday night meetings and complete clearly defined “homework” assignments over a four-month period. More information and application instructions are also available online. No previous wildfire experience is required.
Recommendations and advisory team applications will be accepted until Jan. 12.
SOURCE: BOULDER COUNTY PRESS RELEASE