A DonorsChoose update

In the fall, the readers of this and other marine science blogs supported a combined “Ocean Bloggers United for Education” campaign to raise money for improving K-12 marine science education in underprivileged schools.  I just wanted to update you on one of the pet projects of this blog: the Mirror Universe project at a Paulding County middle school here in Georgia.  We reached their funding goal and the class was able to purchase the necessary materials to study underwater topography and the forces that shape it.  Mrs L., the class teacher, writes:

“Thank you for your incredible generosity. My school is facing budget cuts and without your donation my students would not have been able to use these amazing supplies. My students have had a great time using the rock samples, globe, aquarium and seafloor model.  We used the aquarium and seafloor model to learn vocabulary and create topographic maps. Students are always surprised to discover that there are mountains, canyons, and volcanoes below the ocean’s surface. When we used the globe to locate the features they were able to understand that the geographic features on the land and under the water are very similar. This year my students were able to see and touch the features on the ocean floor. I feel like the aquarium, seafloor model and globe really helped my students understand this unit.  I can’t wait to use the aquarium to teach my students about currents and seafloor resources. I know that seeing the currents in action is going to help my students understand more about the ocean.”

Some of the kids will also be coming to the Aquarium for a visit later in February.  I’ll be sure to post pics and stories from that visit when they come.  My thanks again to the kind readers who joined the marine science bloggers in donating to improve science education. Truth will out!

Good news everyone! </Prof. Farnsworth>

 Dr. D.’s class at Creekside Elementary School in Milledgeville GA will be getting their aquarium project materials through Donors Choose plus bonus aquarium equipment kindly donated by Georgia Aquarium because we finally got them over the funding  line!  It was a scoche late for the official Ocean Bloggers United for Education campaign, but its more important that the kids got funded.  So thanks to those who helped, and to everyone else - next year I’m comin’ to get you…

Readers of this blog helped two education projects complete their funding goals by donating over $200.  That means that 460 students will learn about marine science in 2011 and beyond, studnts who otherwise would not have had that opportunity.  I am thrilled to have been part of the endeavour and have been amazed at the amount of giving spirit among readers and the other ocean bloggers.  Everyone should send special love to DeepSeaNews who coordinated the OBUE campaign.

The prize winners from the first projects I targeted will hear from me as soon as the final numbers are olffically tallied.

Thanks folks - Rock on!

Last chance to be part of the amazing 2010 DonorsChoose push - what are you waiting for?

The Ocean Bloggers United for Education campaign at Donors Choose ends tomorrow 11/9/2010 at midnight.  So far we’ve made great progress; between the various ocean bloggers we’ve raised $548 and will reach 557 students through the programs we’re supporting.  If you want to get inspired, get over to Deep Sea News and read their summary on progress to date. 

But we’re not quite done yet.  There’s time for one last push to get Dr. D’s class at Creekside Elementary school an aquarium so that they can learn about life in the water.  If we get them the last little way ($95), then Georgia Aquarium will generously donate additional aquarium equipment, like a matching gift.  They’re offering it, but we’ve got to come up with the 95 bucks first!  Please, go to the page for this project and donate today. 

If you need any more motivation, check out what Mrs. L. had to say after the readers of this very blog raised enough for her class at East Paulding Middle School to do their Mirror Universe project:

“Dear Zier Niemann Consulting, Eddie, Gramma Hahn, Susann, The best BooBoo there is!, Al Dove, Natasha Wilks, Christy and Disney’s Planet Challenge, 

I can’t fully express my joy, excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. It is great to see that you share my vision for reaching children. In Science, we so often use abstract explanations to explain abstract things.

The tools that you have funded will enable students to create ocean currents and see the amazing features of the ocean floor. I know the simulator will help them have a better understanding of the ocean. By being able to trace the features on the globe and hold pieces of the ocean floor they will be able to touch things that they could only read about before..

Thank you so much. I can’t wait to introduce these tools to my students. Teaching and learning about the ocean will be more fun because of you.

With gratitude,Mrs. L.”

There’s few things in this world more important than education.  Georgia has some room to improve in this regard, and Donors Choose is a great way to create action at the grass roots level.  Please help - the kids need you!

So close, and yet SO CLOSE!

The end of the Ocean Bloggers United for Education challenge is looming! The first project successfully funded by readers of this blog was Mrs L.’s class in Dallas GA.  I spoke with Mrs. L on the phone the other day and she said the kids were practically apoplectic with excitement about coming to Georgia Aquarium, which was the enticement I offered if you guys ponied up - which you did!  They are coming in January, and I promise to post pics on the blog when they do.

If you haven’t yet, there’s still time to help.  PLEASE help me raise a measly 105 bucks more for Mr. D.’s classroom at Creekside Elementary in Milledgeville GA to get an aquarium.  If - nay, WHEN - we reach the goal, Georgia Aquarium will kindly donate additional aquarium equipment (tank, gravel, filter etc.) so that primary education about life in the water will reach even more kids.

So please, roll over to the Donors Choose page for this project and give what you can; every little bit helps - even 5 bucks on PayPal (you didn’t really need that venti caramel macchiato today, anyway).  Then send your receipt to Malia at the blog Shell and Mantle and tell her you’re a Deep Type Flow reader.  If you prefer to support another project, peruse all the Ocean Bloggers choices here or visit  one of the big ocean blog networks such as Deep Sea News or Southern Fried Science and see what they’ve got going on.

Help Dr. D.'s kids get an(other) aquarium with DonorsChoose

No, not me.  I’ve already got an aquarium, its rather nice :-)

Dr. D.’s Elementary School class from Milledgeville GA is the next project I’d like to tackle on the DonorsChoose campaign of Ocean Bloggers United for Education.  They need $150 more to set up an aquarium for the school, so that the kids can learn about aquatic life in the classroom.  This time around, if we can get them to their fundraising goal, Georgia Aquarium has very kindly agreed match that by donating another aquarium and/or other aquarium gear (stands, lights, filters, nets, gravel etc.) that can benefit another this or another class at Creekside Elementary. In other words, help them buy one tank, and they’ll get one free!  Creekside is listed as a high poverty school, so this could make a big difference to the school and the kids.

1. PLEASE go to the DonorsChoose page for this project and donate what you can.
2. Then email your receipt to Malia at the blog Shell and Mantle and please tell her you’re a DeepTypeFlow reader.
3. Then sit back and bask in the glow of knowing you helped promote aquatic science to the next generation of budding Zissous!

WOW - you guys rock!

I am thrilled to tell you that Mrs. L.’s Mirror Universe Project on DonorsChoose was fully funded by the time I logged in this morning!  Thanks to those who donated and some matching money from Disney Planet Challenge, the kids at Paulding Middle School will be able to study submarine landscapes and how they are shaped by currents.  I will also be contacting Mrs. L. to arrange for the kids to visit Georgia Aquarium, where I will give them a personalised behind the scenes tour.  Two lucky donors will also get an email about their BTS.

SInce we got a project fully funded in just 3 days (!) and the challenge goes until November, I will look for another suitable project for you to show some love to.  In the meantime, thanks and THANKS!

Half way there!

Thanks in large part to donations from readers like Natasha and Christy, Mrs. L.’s Mirror Universe class at Paulding County Middle School is already half way to the goal of $258!  They need just $121 more in donations to be able to start their study of submarine topography and ocean currents.  When we reach that goal, I will offer the kids a FREE behind-the-scenes tour at Georgia Aqaurium (thanks to the kind Admin folks there for allowing me to do so!).

So please, follow the details in the post below and make a donation to help kids learn about marine science.  You might even win a behind the scenes tour yourself (details in the other post).  PLUS - I’ll be ever so grateful!

Help me help Mrs. L., and I will give away cool stuff

OK folks, the Ocean Bloggers for Education campaign on Donors Choose officially starts today!  The aim of the game here is that those who blog about marine science are getting together to promote Donors Choose projects that will improve ocean literacy for the next generation in underprivileged schools.  Ah, who am I kidding, the real goal is to outshine your ocean blogging competitors with your reader’s fundraising awesomeness!   To that end, I need your help.  Actually, Mrs. L.’s middle school class from Paulding County GA needs your help; this is the project I’d like to focus on (of course, donate to whatever you like!).  I am hoping that DTF’s readers can help raise $238 more dollars so that Mrs. L.’s class can do their Mirror Universe project, studying submarine topography and the importance of currents.  Its not much - just 10 bucks from 24 of you, or 25 bucks from 10 of you - and these kids will get to learn more about the ocean we all love so much.

Mrs. L.’s middle school class in Dallas GA - budding marine scientists all!Here’s the sweetener.  If we (and “we” here includes YOU) can get Mrs. L.’s class project fully funded, I will offer the class a guided behind-the-scenes tour at Georgia Aquarium (equivalent to about $300 for a school class of 25).  But wait, there’s more!  I will also give a BTS tour to the two biggest donors who identify themselves as DTF readers,  plus one guest, when next they are in our fair city of Atlanta.  If they are unlikely to ever make it to the ATL (and there’s no expiry date on my offer!), I will russle up some swag for them instead.  Street value is about $75 per person.  Of course, the catch is that you won’t know how much others have given, so it will be a bit like a Dutch auction.  If you can only afford a couple of bucks, never fear, you will have contributed to Mrs. L.’s class achieving their goal AND getting a bonus field trip to the aquarium (I will post pics on the blog).  Here’s what to do:

1. Go here and donate as much as you’re comfortable with, or go as big as you think you need to win!
2. Email your receipt to Malia at the blog Shell and Mantle <— This bit is important!  Make sure you tell her you are a Deep Type Flow reader.
3. When its all said and done, Malia will tell me who the biggest donor was and I’ll announce it here on the blog (or by email if you prefer to remain anonymous)

If we achieve our goal of getting Mrs. L.’s class funded, by all means please donate to any one of the other worthy marine science projects in the Ocean Bloggers for Education campaign.  Improving ocean literacy among kids is a huge step forward.  The kids are keen, the teachers are keen, the bloggers are keen - here’s your chance to help pull it all together.

Ocean bloggers united for education

The folks over at DeepSeaNews have put out the challenge to the marine science blogging community to make as big an impact on the 2010 DonorsChoose campaign as possible.  What’s Donors Choose?  Exactly what it sounds: its a website where donors can pick among different small educational project proposals that teachers and schools submit.  Of course, the real motivation is to crush your fellow ocean bloggers under the sheer weight of your philanthropic activity, and established networks like DSN and SouthernFriedScience may have a big head start in that respect, but lets see if we can’t make a good show for the independent blogger types. 

The official start isn’t until 10/10/10, but you can consider this a heads-up.  I have some ideas brewing, so watch this space.