To keep students, educators, and families connected to curiosity, Discovery Education presents six new no cost virtual events during the month of November. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
Discovery Education’s Keeping You Connected to Curiosity initiative is anchored by a team of celebrity scientists sharing how curiosity has played an important role in their lives and what they’re most curious about today. Discovery Education is supporting this initiative through its award-winning services, a host of new content designed to spark curiosity in teachers and students about the world around us, and events, community activities, and more focused on promoting science education scheduled throughout Fall 2020.
Among the no cost activities are four new Virtual Field Trips open to students, educators, and their families, a professional learning event from the STEM Careers Coalition, and the Discovery Education’s celebrated Discovery Educator Network VirtCon. Details on these exciting events are as follows:
STEM Careers Coalition™: Tour the Resources Professional Learning Session
11/10/2020 at 4 p.m. EST
Professional Learning
Celebrate the one-year anniversary of the STEM Careers Coalition — the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education. Take a deep dive into the virtual career exploration resources available from industry leaders like API, Boeing, Chevron, and Microsoft, as well as content contributors Sanofi and GAF. Discover all the timely and powerful content, including the STEM Careers Portal, COVID-19 Solutions Seekers series, and more!
Tundra Connections: Two Virtual Field Trips
Curious Creatures: Polar Bears on the Tundra Virtual Field Trip
11/10/2020 at 12 p.m. EST
Grade Level: K-5
Come experience the polar bear packed tundra with Polar Bears International and Discovery Education. Travel to the heart of polar bear action just outside of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada to see these curious creatures in action and discover the science of polar bears in the first of two 2020 Tundra Connections virtual events. Stay connected to your curiosity and the community by using #CelebratewithDE on Twitter during the session.
The Phenomena of Polar Bears Migration Virtual Field Trip
11/12/2020 at 12 p.m. EST
Grade Level: 6-12
From the migration patterns of polar bears to the northern lights, the Arctic is filled with fascinating phenomena. Take a trip to Canada for the annual polar bear migration to learn all about the science of polar bears and their Arctic habitat in the second 2020 Tundra Connections virtual event designed for middle and high school students. Join Polar Bears International and the Discovery Education team to connect with scientists, learn about the connections between climate change and habitats, and see polar bears in their natural Arctic ecosystem on the shores of the Hudson Bay.
Amazing Me: Body Confidence Virtual Field Trip
11/12/2020 at 1 p.m. EST
Grade Level: 4-5
Showing students the power of their thoughts and the importance of accepting and respecting their bodies, the first-ever Amazing Me Virtual Field Trip from The Dove-Self-Esteem Project and Discovery Education is a part of a new initiative boosting 4th and 5th grade student’s body confidence through no cost digital social and emotional learning resources. Students will hear from their peers about the unique beauty in everyone. Providing students practical skills to build self-esteem and body confidence, this event works to eliminate bullying and teasing based on body weight, shape, or size. Educators are invited join the discussion and share pictures of their students watching on Twitter @DiscoveryEd with hashtag #AmazingMeVFT.
Discovery Educator Network: VirtCon
11/16/2020 - 11/19/2020
Professional Learning
Join members of the Discovery Educator Network for instructional inspiration at the reimagined, annual DEN VirtCon: Fall 2020 — four days of on-demand and live professional learning experiences designed for maximum flexibility and choice. Educators will learn practical, creative, and effective ways to ignite curiosity and support teaching and learning in any environment. During the event, teachers gain new ways to meet the needs of students virtually while they connect to an ever-growing, worldwide network of current Network educators.
Tech for Tomorrow: Tech for Global Good Virtual Field Trip
11/17/2020 at 1 p.m. EST
Grade Level: 4-8
Dive into data-driven innovation from Tech for Tomorrow — a program from The Tech Interactive and Discovery Education introducing students to today’s cutting-edge technology and inspiring enduring innovations for the future — through a new Virtual Field Trip sponsored by NetApp. Students will get a behind-the-scenes of Tech for Global Good Celebration, one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting annual events, in honor of the 2020 Tech for Global Good Laureates: four groundbreaking STEM professionals who are rethinking data technology to transform our world for the better.
Learn more and register for all these events at Discovery Education’s Keeping You Connected to Curiosity here.
“Discovery Education’s virtual experiences offer me more ways to bring the real-world to our students," said Rita A. Mortenson, Educational Technology Coach at Verona Area School District. “The upcoming Virtual Field Trips ignite student curiosity and help keep our students connected to their learning across multiple subjects and key topics. Add in the fantastic professional learning opportunities offered through the upcoming VirtCon and STEM Careers Coalition resource tour, and I have everything I need to support students’ learning and my own career development for the upcoming month.”
A coalition of industry partners joining forces with Discovery Education to create a culture of STEM education in K-12 schools nationwide, the STEM Careers Coalition™ empowers educators to teach STEM effectively in the classroom, fosters equity and access to quality education, and is building the next generation of solution-seekers. Visit www.stemcareerscoalition.org to learn more.
The Keeping You Connected to Curiosity initiative also brings engaging new digital content to teachers and students through Discovery Education Experience, the company’s flexible K-12 learning platform. For Discovery Education Experience users, the new Virtual Field Trips will be available in the Virtual Field Trip channel, along with all the supplemental student activities and educator guides. With Discovery Education’s original Real-World Phenomena series—now live in Experience, STEM Connect, and Science Techbook—all learners can experience compelling natural science phenomena such as eclipses and extreme weather. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), each short clip in this series encourages students to observe a phenomenon and use their science knowledge to explain what they see and predict what happens next.
“Helping teachers bring the outside world to their classrooms is a key facet of Discovery Education’s mission,” said Scott Kinney, Discovery Education President of K-12 Education. “We are excited to bring the Keeping You Connected to Curiosity initiative, the upcoming no cost Virtual Field Trips, and the Discovery Educator Network’s VirtCon to educators, students, and families this fall, and we invite all educators to participate in these exciting events.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.DiscoveryEducation.com.
