National Park Foundation Unveils Gulf Islands National Seashore Electronic Field Trip Web Portal at WWW.ELECTRONICFIELDTRIP.ORG

/PRNewswire/ -- Using the Gulf Islands National Seashore as its classroom, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, is inviting students across the country to experience firsthand how science is used to monitor and manage human and natural change in an eco-system through an innovative new Electronic Field Trip (EFT) on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. As part of the program, the National Park Foundation has unveiled www.electronicfieldtrip.org/gulfislands, an interactive online web resource for students and educators to get a jump start on their interactive adventure to Gulf Islands National Seashore, featuring interactive games, lesson plans and more. Teachers and broadcasters are encouraged to register for the program FREE now at www.electronicfieldtrip.org.

The Electronic Field Trip, "Sea Change: Gulf Island National Seashore," will include two live, hour long broadcasts (10am ET and 1pm ET) from Gulf Islands National Seashore, made available through the website (www.electronicfieldtrip.org/gulfislands) as well as on participating public television stations. The FREE program is designed for students in the 4th through 8th grades. The Gulf Islands program is the second in a series of investigative EFTs produced this year by the National Park Foundation to discover the lessons that science being done in national parks can provide to students in classrooms.

Previous EFTs have educated millions of students across the United States and around the world on historical events, climate change, biodiversity and more. For more information about the National Park Foundation's EFT program and a full catalogue of all previous EFTs, visit www.electronicfieldtrip.org

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

National Park Hosts Live Electronic Field Trip for Students

On Tuesday, November 3, millions of students from all over the country will visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park on an Electronic Field Trip, during which they will explore one of the richest ecosystems on earth. The National Park Service, National Park Foundation, UPS Foundation, and Apple are teaming up to showcase the biodiversity of the Park for students around the country via this live broadcast. From the comfort of their classrooms, elementary and middle school students will be able to interact with National Park Rangers and local student hosts from North Carolina and Tennessee and learn about biodiversity and the wonders of the Smokies.

An interactive website, www.smokymountainseft.org, is now available for teachers and students to prepare for the electronic field trip through six learning modules with interactive games, video podcasts, and lesson plans. Schools can still register to participate in the broadcast through the website. Once schools have registered on the website, they can begin their adventure to Great Smoky Mountains National Park exploring the Park’s rich biodiversity of plants and animals. During the live broadcast, students can call in or e-mail their questions, and a bank of experts from the Park will be available to answer them. The live 60-minute program will air via satellite, cable and webcast from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 3.

“The Smokies is home to more than 17,000 known species of plants and animals making it world renowned for its biological diversity,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “Even so, new species are continually being discovered in this mountain wonderland. We’re excited that students around the country will learn about biodiversity, what it is, why they should care about it, and what they can do to protect it both in the Smokies and in their own backyards,” continued Ditmanson.

Local students in 6th through 8th grades in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina auditioned to be the student talent who will work with Park Rangers in the field during the broadcast to search for salamanders, sift through leaf litter, and turn over rocks in streams in order to showcase the biodiversity of the park for other students. The show will be based in and around the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Questions about registration and/or broadcasting should be addressed to: Carolyn Hill, chill@nationalparks.org.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia

Georgia Schoolchildren Strike Gold with King Tut Exhibition Field Trip Assistance Initiative

PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to offset rising fuel prices that are a deterrent to school field trips, Georgia's State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, along with organizers of "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," announced that $200,000 in fuel will be made available to Georgia schools to assist with classroom visits to the exhibition, and up to 10,000 students will receive free entrance. The initiative is being made possible through the support of RaceTrac Petroleum, the third largest private company in Georgia. RaceTrac operates more than 525 retail gasoline convenience stores in 12 southeastern states.

The U.S. premiere of the exhibition at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center will be presented by the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University from November 15, 2008 to May 25, 2009. To further supplement classroom visits, a robust portfolio of educational content and lesson planning materials developed by the Carlos Museum is available for free at http://www.kingtut.org/ or http://www.carlos.emory.edu/teacher-programs.

According to a survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), released July 29, almost half of school districts nationwide are cutting back on field trips due to rising transportation costs.

"This is a perfect example of how the business community can support the education of children," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "The King Tut exhibit will allow students to see history and science firsthand, and this field trip would not be possible for most school districts without the generous support of RaceTrac and the exhibition organizers. This will truly be one of those remarkable field trips that students will remember for the rest of their lives, and I urge our educators across GA to take advantage of this opportunity that has the potential to benefit thousands of kids across the state."

All Georgia schools are eligible to participate in the fuel program on a first-come, first-served basis, which will benefit up to 80,000 students. Educators interested in participating in the program and receiving the fuel subsidy may do so by calling 866-52GROUP or visiting http://www.goldengasoffer.com/.

Participation in this program could possibly alleviate moratoriums on school bus availability in some local communities for field trips to this exhibition. Schools receiving free admittance will be designated by the Georgia Department of Education.

"We take our commitment to the community and local youth very seriously," said Allison Moran, senior vice president of operations for RaceTrac. "As one of Georgia's leading gasoline retailers, and with the current economic climate threatening school field trips, this assistance program is the perfect opportunity for us to give back to the community by providing local children with access to an invaluable educational experience."

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" is the second National Geographic exhibition dedicated to the remarkable treasures of King Tutankhamun and ancient Egyptian royalty. The first exhibition, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," has drawn 5 million visitors during its U.S. and London engagements, and has been visited by 250,000 schoolchildren since opening in June 2005.

"We are indeed grateful to businesses like RaceTrac that are rallying much-needed resources to make Tutankhamun accessible to schoolchildren in Georgia," said Bonnie Speed, director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum. "It takes an engaged community to understand the cultural and social significance of this exhibition -- its power to kindle the imagination, build bridges across cultures and provide an unparalleled educational experience. We hope that school systems across Georgia will take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI) and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. Northern Trust is the presenting sponsor, and American Airlines is the official airline of the exhibition.

"Seeing artifacts from King Tut and other Valley of the Kings tombs is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said John Norman, president of Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI), one of the exhibition organizers. "We are committed to making every effort to ensure that this exhibition is accessible to students throughout the state, and RaceTrac's sponsorship helps make this possible."

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Premiering November 15, 2008 to May 25, 2009, at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" will feature striking objects from some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, from the 4th Dynasty into the Late Period (about 2600 B.C. -- 660 B.C.). Derived from a variety of contexts, including temples and royal and private tombs, many of these artifacts have never before visited the United States.

The exhibition will highlight more than 50 treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb and more than 70 artifacts representing other pharaohs and notables, along with the latest scientific research about King Tut. The storyline will focus on the splendor of the Egyptian pharaohs, their function in the earthly and divine worlds, and what kingship meant to the Egyptian people.

Four galleries devoted to King Tut will correspond to the four rooms of his nearly intact tomb where the treasures were discovered by British explorer Howard Carter in 1922. Legendary artifacts from the antechamber, the annex, the treasury and the burial chamber will include Tutankhamun's golden sandals, jewelry, furniture, weaponry and statuary.

For more information about the exhibition, visit http://www.kingtut.org/.

-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone