New Set of KidWind Workshops
Submitted by Michael Arquin
2005-04-22 12:42:45
Workshops planned for CO, CT, MA, MN, NY & WA
It has been a little less than a year since the Kidwind Project started offering teacher training for secondary science and technology teachers. In that short amount of time we have sponsored over 10 teacher training workshops throughout the Northeast. The more than 300 participants of these workshops have returned to their classrooms with the confidence and materials necessary to introduce their students to the science and engineering behind this elegant energy source. The feedback from these events has been overwhelmingly positive. Ninety percent of attendees planned to teach about wind energy in more depth, for a longer time and in a more engaging fashion using Kidwind materials. Comprehensive teacher and student feedback for the 2004-05 academic year will be available on online later this spring.
Over the past year we have also assembled a team of teachers, engineers and scientists who have generously donated their time and expertise to help us to develop and debug a variety of inexpensive wind turbine teaching aids http://www.kidwind.org/shopandmaterials.html and curricular materials
http://www.kidwind.org/materials.html. The initial materials are currently being updated and we plan to publish them in a more complete format in the fall of 2005. These documents be available as free downloads online, or they can be purchased in print and CD formats.
If you are an educator, teacher or industry professional who is interested in improving public understanding about wind energy we highly recommend attending to a workshop, or helping to sponsor one in your region. We welcome any interested parties, although first preference is given to classroom teachers. Teachers who attend typically walk away with more than $100 in materials.
All of this information is available in more detail at http://www.kidwind.org/. A few of the fall workshops are still searching for sponsors so if you have any interest please contact michael@kidwind.org to see how you can help!
Summer 2005 Wind Energy Workshops
Connecticut, Hartford
June 29th
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund &
Colorado, Boulder
May 14th
Sponsored by NRG Systems, Bergey Windpower & NREL
Colorado, Limon
June 8th
Sponsored by NREL
Massachusetts, Boston
July 6-7
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Massachusetts, Pittsfield
October 7-8
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Minnesota, Minneapolis & St. Paul
Fall 2005
New York, Bronx Community College
June 30th
Sponsored by NYSERDA & Bronx Community College
New York, Buffalo
July 9th
Sponsored by NYSERDA
North Carolina, Location to be Determined
Fall 2005
Sponsored by NEED
Washington, Seattle
Fall 2005
University of Washington