More Professional Development Opportunities

There are great opportunities to learn while earning OPI renewal units this spring and summer. First up:

Fort Benton, May 22-24, 2015. Mullan Road Conference

Celebrate the 155th Anniversary of the completion of the Mullan Military Wagon Road with the National Mullan Road Conference. The conference begins with a reception, tours and entertainment Friday evening at reconstructed Old Fort Benton. Saturday features talks about people and events on the Mullan Road and in the Region. A road tour along portions of the original Mullan Road is on tap Sunday, including stops at Fort Shaw Military Post, St. Peter’s Mission and along Bird Tail Rock. 16 OPI Renewal Units for participating in Saturday and Sunday program.

Find a full schedule here.
More information at Facebook.
Register here. Registration deadline is 5:00 p.m. Friday, May 15.

 Billings middle school and elementary librarians Ruth Ferris and Kathi Hoyt are offering three FREE workshops this summer.

Billings, June 10-11, "Indian Boarding Schools: The Legacy" (focus on sports).

In this two-day workshop participants will explore the history of Indian Boarding Schools, its impact upon the lives of those exposed to this method of assimilation, and how it continues to affect the culture of Native Americans today.

Using historical documents and other resources, participants will look into this complex issue through many "lenses"--in particular sports. According to John Bloom, sports at boarding schools were complex. Sports help individuals look at important issues that affected Native Americans in the 20th century. Sports are still a medium to not only examine popular culture, but also important issues like cultural memory, national identity, and historical context.

Participants in this two-day workshop will look at Indian Boarding Schools and the role sports played in the history and lives of Native Americans with its continuing impact in today's life. Participants will use primary sources and explore the rich collection of resources found in the Library of Congress and through the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program.

Register here. 

Missoula, June 22-23, "Introduction to teaching with primary sources"
Billings, June 25-26, "Introduction to teaching with primary sources"

These 2-day workshops, designed for K-12 Educators and Teacher Librarians, will introduce you to the vast collections of the Library of Congress's rich reservoir of over 19 million digital resources and explore how you can use them to engage students in the classroom. Workshops will include information on:

• Navigating the Library of Congress website
• Searching digitized materials and lessons
• Analyzing primary sources and discussing lesson implementation strategies
• Exploring copyright information
• Designing lessons utilizing Library of Congress materials and meeting Common Core standards
• Engaging and challenging students using primary sources
• Addressing Common Core standards

Certificate of Attendance is awarded at conclusion of workshop.  While the workshop is free, meals, lodging, and travel are at the attendee's expense.

Register here.

Project Archaeology also has a great line up for the summer.

Project Archaeology: Investigating Nutrition

Date: May 2, 2015

Place: Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT

Cost: $105 (scholarships available and early bird rate of $95 if you register by April 1) for 8 MT OPI renewal units. For more information or to register, click here.  

Project Archaeology: Investigating a Plains Tipi (EDCI 591-800)

Date: June 15-18, 2015

Place: Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT

Cost: $540 for 2 graduate level credits

For more information or to register, click here.  

Project Archaeology Educator Field School (EDCI 588-801)

Date: August 3-7, 2015

Place: Virginia City, MT

Cost: $565 for 2 graduate level credits and lodging included

For more information or to register after April 1, 2015 click here.

For questions about any of the Project Archaeology workshops, contact Crystal Alegria at calegria@montana.edu. 

P.S. Don't forget that tomorrow, May 1, is the deadline for applying for a scholarship to attend the Charlie Russell Symposium in Helena, June 18-20. The application is quick and easy. Find out more here.