Computer Science Education at University of Northern Iowa partnered with Central Rivers and Grant Wood AEAs to earn a $1,000,000 National Science Foundation Grant.
This program will provide secondary (5-12) computer science endorsements at no cost for roughly 25 educators in each of Iowa's 9 AEAs and at a reduced cost for others from Summer 2023 through Winter 2025.
Participants will complete course work online and attend 15-20 total regional, in person Communities of Practice throughout the endorsement program. The computer science endorsement will be completed in 18 months and includes the following courses:
- Foundational Concepts of Computer Science
- Fundamentals of Programming
- Teaching and Learning Programming
- Methods of Computer Science
- Data Structures and Algorithms
We anticipate running three cohort groups at Central Rivers, Grant Wood and Northwest AEAs beginning Summer 2023 and six cohort groups Summer 2024 in various locations across the state.
Teachers interested in receiving additional information about the program as more details are released can register their interest by completing this Teacher Interest Form.
The Iowa Secondary Energy Curriculum Project (ISEC) at the University of Northern Iowa is developing an energy curriculum for Iowa secondary students. We are currently seeking applications from Iowa middle and high school teachers to field test units developed during our summer 2021 workshop. Participants will be eligible for a stipend of up to $250 per unit. Applications will be accepted until all the units have been assigned to a field tester, but please apply soon to receive priority consideration. The application can be found at: https://isec.uni.edu/. For more information, contact Alan Czarnetzki, Prof. of Meteorology, ISEC Principal Investigator at Alan.Czarnetzki@uni.edu.
Through the Sustainable Schools AmeriCorps initiative based out of the University of Northern Iowa, AmeriCorps members may be placed directly in school districts to serve as Sustainability Coordinators.
The cost is $5,000 cash match for two, full-time AmeriCorps members to serve 11 months at the district and work in a full-time capacity in order to decrease district wide energy costs, help facilitate and promote environmental education, and create greater opportunities for low-cost service learning.
For more information, you can read about the programs at three participating school districts or contact Carmen Rae Finken, Sustainable Schools AmeriCorps Program Manager, UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education, at carmenfinken@gmail.com or (319) 273-7194.
University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy & Environmental Education and a team of UNI students are launching a statewide public education campaign to significantly reduce the cosmetic use of pesticides and weed killers on school grounds, parks and childcare centers. Diverse lawns are healthy, protect child health and local streams, provide habitat for pollinators and cost less. They present compelling evidence that these common weedkillers work in opposition to early childhood education. UNI will gladly assist school districts that are interested to consider their options and plan toward significant reduction. For more information, contact Kamyar Enshayan at Kamyar.Enshayan@uni.edu or (319) 273-7575.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
