Dear Parent/Guardian,
Through your child's science class, your child will be participating in an innovative program called Empowering Science Education through Technology (E-SET).
Special funding for this program was made possible through the Texas Education Agency's Technology Applications Readiness Grants for Empowering Texas (TARGET), which implements the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The E-SET program was one of only 31 programs selected to receive these highly competitive grants. The E-SET consortium of participating districts comprises of 16 districts and 24 schools throughout Texas, with San Felipe Del Rio CISD (Del Rio, TX) serving as the main district (fiscal agent). Your child's school is a member of the E-SET consortium.
What's in it for students?
FEATURES
With the E-SET program, students gain the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of science through hands-on, technology-enriched activities. The E-SET program integrates the award-winning Cyberways and Waterways® program to take advantage of useful resources that wouldn't otherwise be available in the classroom.
Activities
Your child will be participating in various E-SET activities, including:
" Water quality field
testing
" Biodiversity collection and analysis
" Garbology collection and analysis
" Online collaborative projects between schools and districts throughout
Texas
" Student learning assessments and activities
" Career preparation and development
All of the activities featured
in E-SET have been developed by educators, aligned to the TEKS, and classroom
field-tested for effective teaching and learning.
Skills and Knowledge
Through TEKS-aligned science activities, students will gain the essential knowledge
and skills to perform well on the TAKS. With the use of technology and award-winning
lesson plans, students will develop and refine interdisciplinary real-world
skills, such as:
" Data analysis and information
synthesis
" Graphical presentation
" Critical thinking
" Written, Visual, and Spoken Communication
BENEFITS
Overall, E-SET presents a higher-order application of technology and science that immerses the student in a rich learning environment where students progress to more complex understanding, problem solving, and discovery of new knowledge.
The E-SET program:
" Increases student achievement
" Demonstrates practical real-world applications of science
" Engages students through technology-enriched activities
" Provides a means for students to share their work with others in the
local and global community
" Motivates students to take action on issues in their local ecosystems
" Provides more opportunities for parents to share in their child's learning
process
YOUR INVOLVEMENT MATTERS
We encourage you to become actively involved in your child's learning. These are just some of the things you can do to share in your child's experience of the E-SET program:
" Volunteer for field
site visits: An extra pair of adult eyes is always appreciated on field trips.
Sign up to help chaperone on these occasions. (Be prepared to do hands-on science!)
" Visit your child's data: Your child will be posting field data to the
web. Check out his/her published data on the 4empowerment website! http://www.4empowerment.com/
" Attend the special Afterschool Computer Lab Hours: The school computer
lab is open extra hours especially for you and other parents to come learn more
about technology. Your child knows how to create that Powerpoint - so can you!
" Tell your PTO/PTA: Share news about your child's activities to your PTO/PTA.
Garner the support of your PTO/PTA to help involve the community and other parents.
" Sign up for the newsletter: A monthly newsletter is distributed that
includes news about the E-SET Program, the 4empowerment website, and other educational
information. Sign up at http://www.4empowerment.com/en/join/.
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
16 Consortium School Districts
San Felipe Del Rio CISD (fiscal agent)
Austin ISD
Brazosport ISD
Brownwood ISD
Colorado ISD
Corpus Christi ISD
Eagle Pass ISD
Harlingen ISD
Laredo ISD
Little Cypress - Mauriceville ISD
Northside ISD (San Antonio)
Palacios ISD
Pflugerville ISD
Presidio ISD
Shamrock ISD
Van Vleck ISD
PROGRAM PARTNERS
4empowerment
Accessibility Institute, UT Austin
Aquarena Center, Texas State University
Charles A. Dana Center, UT Austin
Brazos-Sabine Connection
Capitol Area Training Foundation
Center for Environmental and Rural Health, Texas A&M University, College
Station
College of Education, Texas State University
Flower Garden Banks, National Marine Sanctuary
Gimbut and Associates
Gulf of Mexico Foundation
Institute for Geophysics, UT Austin
Knowbility
Lower Colorado River Authority
Remote Data
Texas Department of Transportation
Texas Instruments
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Watch, Texas State University
PARENT PERMISSION FORM
As part of the E-SET program, your student will be interacting with an online community hosted on the 4empowerment website (http://www.4empowerment.com). As part of this learning environment, your child's photo may appear on the website when your child's classroom uploads field photos. Only the name and location of your child's school will be used to identify the photo. The first and last names of your child will remain private.
In addition, your child will be receiving an electronic newsletter for communication from the program. Your child will also be using the online discussion boards for collaborative projects with other schools, as well as learning about careers from leading experts. Only first names or a suitable nickname will be used to identify your child to other students/teachers through the discussion boards. In addition, due to the young educational audience, these discussion boards are monitored for appropriate content and language by WebPolice® and the 4empowerment staff.
Your child will also be participating in regular field activities. Educational enhancement trips will be taken to visit field sites and collect data for analysis. Safety equipment will always be provided when appropriate, and your student will be trained in safety procedures before entering the field site.
These activities are essential to the learning achieved through the E-SET program.
Name of Child: _____________________________
Choose one of the following:
___ I consent to my child's participation in both the online and field activities.
___ I consent to my child's participation in only the online activities.
___ I consent to my child's participation in only the field activities.
___ I do not consent to my child's participation in the online and field activities.
________________________________________
_______________________
Parent/Guardian Signature Date
Please return this form to your child's teacher.