Social Learning Summit - archives from a great event available

The Social Learning Summit was a great, free, online educational conference hosted by Classroom 2.0 and Discovery Educator Network last Saturday. There were over 70 great sessions, led by some great educators and now the archives are available for those who missed it or who want to review things.

RJ Stangherlin, a DEN blogger, live blogged many presentations and you can find her posts here.

Every session was recorded and you can find them all here.

This was a great resource for all educators and now anyone can view the presentations.



Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resource for all educators

Free Resources from Discovery Education 

Discovery Education - Sneak Peek of Back to School Updates

Discovery Education and the Discovery Educator Network are great resources for educators and students. They have over 30 free resources for educators, Discovery Streaming Plus, Discovery Assessment, Discovery Education Science TechBook (really awesome) and much more.

They are hosting a sneak peek webinar series of some of the changes coming to Discovery Education this summer. You can find out about product updates, mobile and social products and updates and all the newest, latest, greatest features and resources available.

The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th at 7pm ET, Tuesday, May 15th at 3:30pm ET and Tuesday, May 22nd at 7pm ET. You can register to attend these free webinars here: Register: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/sneakpeek2012

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resource for all educators

Discovery Products, News, Lesson Ideas, Resources and more

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education
Discovery Education Science TechBooks - great resource - more than an e-text

DENny Awards 2012 - nominations open now! Discovery Educator Network Awards

The DENny Awards are awards given to Discovery Educator Network members that go above and beyond for the community during the school year. I was honored to win a DENny last year for blogging on the DEN Blogs. 

Nominations are now open: We have many different categories, but the one that is coveted by STARs all over the globe is the Community Choice DENny. We encourage all STARs to take some time and nominate a fellow Discovery Educator for a Community Choice DENny by completing this form. The deadline for nominations is May 15 (5 PM DEN Time).

Join us on Thursday, May 17th at 7 PM ET for the 2012 DENny Awards.

This year, we’re thrilled to announce that the DENny Awards will be broadcast live from the HD Theater at the world headquarters of Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, MD. If you are nearby, we invite you to join us in-person. Sign up to join us in-person at Discovery Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD or join us online at http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/live

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

25+ Free Resources for Educators from Discovery Education

Discovery Education Techbooks - free trial available for this great resource

Discovery Education has a lot of great resources for educators, many free (over 30). They also have fee-based services such as DE Streaming with thousands of videos, audio files, images, lesson plans, and much more.

One of their other resources that I have been using lately is the Discovery Education Science Techbook. It is more than a digital textbook. "It’s a different way of thinking. Thinking outside the box, perhaps. Or more appropriately, thinking outside the book."

The Discovery Education Science Techbook is a complete digital curricular resource that replaces traditional K-12 science textbooks and lowers district costs. It ignites curiosity and enhances learning via a powerful, simple-to-use program that helps teachers transition to the exciting world of digital resources.

Discovery Education is holding a live webinar where you can explore the Techbook, ask questions, and see how it could benefit your students.

The next webinar is March 28th at 4pm CST. You can register here. After participating in the webinar, you can get a 60 day free trial of DE Techbook from Discovery Education. 

Trial Request: Please contact Discovery Education representative Brett Jacquay, Education Manager, brett_jacquay@discovery.com

Social Learning Summit - free virtual conference April 21, 2012

  

Discovery Education's Discovery Educator Network runs a variety of professional development sessions each year. These are usually online sessions with live meet-ups also planned. For this Spring, they are doing something different instead of the normal Spring Virtual Conference. The DEN is partnering with Classroom 2.0 to present the Social Learning Summit. Steve Hargadon, of Classroom 2.0, and the DEN are working together to organize the event which will be held Saturday, April 21st. The event is free.

More information can be found on the DEN blog and Classroom 2.0 sites, including how to submit a presentation proposal. Stay tuned for more information.

The conference theme is the use of social media and Web 2.0 in teaching and learning, and we are calling for proposals immediately at http://www.SocialLearningSummit.com. To be kept informed of the latest conference news and updates, please join the Classroom 2.0 network. This will also allow you to correspond with the presenters and other members, and to comment on sessions and discussions. 

Sessions will be 30 minutes in length, and can focus on practical classroom application or pedagogical frameworks or both. Please do not submit a session if your are a vendor or a vendor representative. Whilepresentation proposals will be accepted through April 7th, session acceptances will start to be issued on March 26th, at which time presenters will be given a chance to use a scheduling calendar to pick an available time to present. All sessions will be held in Blackboard Collaborate (previously Elluminate), and training sessions will be available both "live" and in recorded form.

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

2011 Discovery Education Spring Virtual Conference

Mythbusters Live online - March 15, 2012 2pm ET. Sign up with your class.

This Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 2pm ET, Mythbusters will be live online: MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition. 

MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage will share their experiences as well as those of co-hosts Kari Byron, Tori Belleci and Grant Imahara, as they make experimentation come alive through this dynamic presentation about science behind the exhibit. The interactive exhibit, created by Discovery Communications and Exhibits Development Group (EDG), in partnership with the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, helps inspire learning beyond the walls of the classroom. 

Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians drive innovation that will fuel our future. This live event will spark the natural curiosity of budding scientists by showing students just how fun science can be and how it’s helped Adam and Jamie follow their passion to ultimately find success.

Presentation Format
15 Minutes Interactive Presentation
15 Minutes Q&A
15 Remarks from Chicago Public Schools officials and other dignitaries 

This is a great, free, opportunity to have your students interact with fun science stuff and to encourage and excite them about science. 

If you can't attend live, check back for an archive of the session.

Curiosity in the Classroom - free resources for educators to get their students curious

Curiosity in the Classroom is a new site from Discovery Education that I really like.

There are lesson plans and resources for teachers, organized by grade level (6-8, 9-12), along with videos and webinars. There are some great resources here to help teachers get their students engaged in science and inquiry. The site was designed to "bring teachers, students and families on a journey through life's biggest questions."

There are also parent and student activities, including quizzes, links to the Curiosity TV show, and much more.

This is a great resource to help teachers spark curiosity in their students.

Related Articles

Top 10 Resources from Discovery Education - all free

Training Resources for Discovery Education tools and apps

Web 20.11 - Web 2.0 for 2011 - resources, tips, ideas from Discovery Education

DEN Blog Network - great resource for all educators

Discovery Education STEM resources

Discovery Education Science TechBooks - great resource - more than an e-text

Discovery Education has a lot of great resources for educators, many free (over 30). They also have fee-based services such as DE Streaming with thousands of videos, audio files, images, lesson plans, and much more.

One of their other resources that I have been using lately is the Discovery Education Science Techbook.

The Discovery Education Science Techbook is more than a digital textbook. "It’s a different way of thinking. Thinking outside the box, perhaps. Or more appropriately, thinking outside the book." "The Techbook not only provides awesome content aligned to each state’s standards (there are currently Science Techbooks available for most grades K-8 in 30 states across the U.S.), but includes a model lesson for teachers to use with every concept, assessment questions for each standard, a teacher’s guide, and DVDs for when the Internet is not available. Resources such as the virtual labs, reading passages, video segments, science sleuths, explorations, and interactive glossary, etc., are packaged together to follow the five E model of instruction. Teachers have found an easier and creative way to build lessons using technology resources and content, as well as differentiating their classroom."

It is not just a PDF or other media file with links. It is an entire ecosystem of lesson resources for educators to use in their classroom. It's not free, but neither are print textbooks or iBooks, and the DE Science TechBooks are ready, aligned to standards, and in use in thousands of classrooms around the country.

The DE Science Techbooks feature

• Lively, interactive resources that capture the attention of students
• Custom, in-person professional development builds capacity to ensure effective implementation
• Cost-effective and efficient
• Organized around the teacher-friendly 5E Instructional Model and integrates the nature of science and inquiry into every phase of learning
• Designed around big ideas and essential questions
• Customized to your state standards
• Student resources for ALL learning styles
• Key teacher resources
• Up-to-date content
• Real-time feedback

From Discovery Education's press release:

Unlike traditional textbooks, Discovery Education Science Techbook uses an inquiry-based approach to learning, bringing key science concepts to life for both English and Spanish-speaking students. Other interactive elements available only from Discovery Education include an interactive glossary, videos and photos, and clips from Discovery Channel's award-winning series such as PLANET EARTH, LIFE and MYTHBUSTERS.

Using a real-time assessment component that measures students' progress and recommends individualized resources, the Science Techbook has the ability to address individual student's learning styles and prescribe resources targeted to their performance. 

The Science Techbook is dynamic and updated in real time, providing teachers the opportunity to incorporate up-to-date scientific issues into their curriculum and students the chance to interact with experts on the front lines. Most recently the Science Techbook has featured such events as the tornados that occurred across the southeast U.S. and the tornado and tsunami in Japan. Finally, Discovery Education Science Techbook is a substantially less expensive option per student than textbooks, with additional savings derived from a lack of textbook replacement or inventory costs.

Some of Discovery Education's content, including the TechBooks, is Flash Based (for now) but you can access all of it on an iPad using iSwifter.

Here's a nice ToonDoo-inspired take on the differences between classrooms that are driven by books (digital or otherwise) and those that are driven by inquiry-based instruction from Lance Rougeux at Discovery Education.




Related:

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook: Scientific Explanations in Action

What I Want from a Digital Textbook

TechBook Extravaganza

Apple Announces iBooks2 E-Textbooks - my initial thoughts

What I use with Physics classes instead of textbook

Resources to Replace Textbooks

Free Textbooks - online, download, iPad, Kindle

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. I've been a member of the DEN for many years, am a STAR educator and am also on the Leadership Council for Connecticut. The DEN provides a community for educators where they can socialize, share resources, and learn from each other. There are online resources, videos, blogs, links, downloads, contests and prizes, and so much more. The state Leadership Councils are made up of educators who volunteer to create social events, learning events, and write the blog posts. They work hand-in-hand with Discovery Education employees (like Steve Dembo @teach42) to support educators. 


The resources and post are not all about Discovery Education products, although many are. 


I've learned a lot from being a part of the DEN and have met some great people. Here's some details from research done on the DEN. 

Discovery Education had Researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education investigate the Discovery Educator Network to determine how the DEN has affected educator’s professional development and their use of technology in their work. You can read through the highlights here, as well as find a link to the full study. For those of you that are more visual in nature though, we took a few of the key points and turned them into an infographic.
Click on the image below to view the full infographic. And don’t forget, many browsers will attempt to resize it to fit the screen. If your mouse icon is a magnifying glass, click on the image to see it full size.

The Discovery Educator Network is a great addition to any educator's Personal Learning Network.

DEN SCICon - great learning experience and resources

The 3rd Annual DEN SCIcon was held this past Saturday, January 28th. The DEN SCIcon provides participants with effective strategies for transforming science classes through effective integration of digital media content. The conference was broadcast live and online so many people joined in from home. There were also in-person events around the country, hosted by the local DEN Leadership Council (made up of educators). It was all FREE.

I attended at the live Connecticut event, which was hosted at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT. We also got to have a short tour of the house that Twain lived in while writing his seminal works. Very interesting house.

The day started with breakfast catered from Panera Bread and then the sessions started. SCICon is broadcast using WebEx and presenters share their links, videos, and presentations through that, as their voice is simulcast. There is also a chat window that the presenters use to interact with the audience around the world, answer questions, and much more. There were about 35 of us at the CT site participating, and Patti Duncan, the final speaker of the day, broadcast from our location.

These are my notes from the different sessions. There are also links to the actual presentations.

UPDATED 1/31/2012
The full video of each presentation can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoveryEducation#g/c/4ACCE64D332A72FF


9 AM
Opening Session
Your Attention Please: 10 Ways to Engage Your Students in Science
Lance Rougeux
Download the presentation.

Engage: use these to hook students on a new topic

Demo, video, Show image - I see, I know, I wonder... Discussion - lead into new topic

E.ggtimer.com - online timer to keep on schedule

Writing prompts - use a picture to get them writing

Superlame.com

Photopeach - photo with quiz on common misconceptions
(free account) upload photo, choose and music from site, add captions, quiz questions, - turns it into a video with timing.

Audio files - play audio file with student eyes closed, listen, and describe what you "see" etc.

Crappy Graphs - (or draw a graph) - with no explanation - have students try to figure it out with just a topic, or create a "story" based on the graph.

Real world connections. Everyday applications, Google Earth - ocean obs, weather, geography,

Guess the Wordle - create and post a Wordle and have the students try to guess what it is about/theme based on the words.


10 AM
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Student Learning through Inquiry-based Instruction
Trinette Green
Download the presentation.

use videos from Head Rush with questions for students
explore topic of there choice
(went on the 1030 tour of Mark Twain house)


11 AM
What’s the GIST? Bridging Literacy and Science
Brad Fountain
Download the presentation.

Literacy
read short article, answer ?s, summarize, analyze
give them a bunch of sentences that summarize, represent article and select best ones
black out words in science article and have students try to figure out what word belongs
compare/contrast
analyze, research,
exit ticket/journal - discuss one way todays lesson can be used in the real world
if, then before lab, predict then test
RAFT - role audience format topic - writing as what role, who is aud, what format (letter, article), what is topic
(science fiction story based on real science topic)
speaking literacy - video or live presentation - summary, explain, do own narration of a video,


12 PM
The Common Core Connection
Kelly Pauling
Download the presentation.

Ate lunch during this session - catered by Panera Bread (yum)
Common core standards
(do projects - presentation, glog, video, site, etc on ___)


1 PM
Busting the Myths of Project Based Learning in the Science Classroom
Mike Bryant
Download the presentation.

Project Based Learning
common craft has a video on it
Edutopia, DEN, http://www.edmodo.com/publisher/biepbl,classroom20.com, DE science resources are great for PBL


2 PM
Closing Session
The Scientific Method… It’s Not Just For Chapter One Anymore
Patti Duncan
Download the presentation.

(Patti was with us in CT when she did this presentation)

My Tweets about this session:

Scientific Method is not a chapter, its a yearlong method for all science - Discovery Ed #scicon goo.gl/hF0V5

Too many "versions" of scientific method and too linear. It's a cycle that starts with ?. Discovery Ed #scicon goo.gl/hF0V5

Scientific method starts with question, has various routes and methods - Discovery Ed #scicon goo.gl/hF0V5


Scientific method, engineering process - both are way to answer questions and solve problems. Discovery Ed #scicon goo.gl/hF0V5

Students know how to investigate and solve problems informally - they go online and figure stuff out. Now use that in school. #scicon

Give students opportunities to practice scientific skills like question, observe, research, compare, analyze, experiment, conclude #scicon

Have students analyze commercials on TV to see fact vs fiction. Good observation practice. #scicon

Do labs, investigations, virtual labs and simulations at start of unit instead of end to get them inquiring and actively learning #scicon

Start unit with a problem and then students get info from unit work and resources during unit to solve problem. #scicon

Failure is ok! It's part of discovery, learning, investigating, problem solving, science and engineering #scicon

Tell students what they are supposed to be learning and then ask if they think they learned it. Everyday. Then have them do it. #scicon

Make sure they really understand before they get to a test. #scicon

Less step-by-step labs, more open ended. Have students then apply conclusions/results to solve original problem. #scicon

It was a great day of learning and sharing. Discovery Education does a lot of live/virtual events like this throughout the year. Many state Leadership Councils host live events like the one I attended, but it's also nice to just be able to participate and learn from your home in your PJs.

I will be posting information for them as they are announced.

Secondary Benefit of Educational Conferences

I'm currently attending Discovery Education SCICon and was thinking about the secondary benefits of educational conferences. The primary benefit is what you learn from the presenters and other participants. The secondary benefit is how the primary things cause me to come up with extensions of what was being discussed.

The discussions, topics, and resources stimulate my brain into coming up with other ideas beyond what was discussed that I can use in my classroom with my students that I would have never thought of otherwise.

My brain is actually being productive on a Saturday!

DENSCIcon - free online/live professional development this coming Saturday

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. They also provide excellent, free, professional development through out the year. These sessions are held online and there are in-person events to coincide with the online program. 


The 3rd Annual DEN SCIcon will be held this coming Saturday, January 28th. The DEN SCIcon provides participants with effective strategies for transforming science classes through effective integration of digital media content. The conference is live and online so you can join in from home. There are also in-person events around the country, hosted by the local DEN Leadership Council (made up of educators). See below for more in person events. It is all FREE.


You must register whether attending online, or an in-person event. 


The agenda is listed below and you can register for the online sessions here: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/scicon2012


This is a great opportunity to gain some great ideas and resources for free. I've participated for the last two years and it was well worth the time. 

General Agenda (all times ET)

9 AM
Opening SessionYour Attention Please: 10 Ways to Engage Your Students in Science - Lance Rougeux

10 AM
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Student Learning through Inquiry-based Instruction - Trinette Green

11 AM
What’s the GIST? Bridging Literacy and Science - Brad Fountain

12 PM
The Common Core Connection - Kelly Pauling

1 PM
Busting the Myths of Project Based Learning in the Science Classroom - Mike Bryant

2 PM
Closing Session
The Scientific Method… It’s Not Just For Chapter One Anymore - Patti Duncan

In Person Events:


Connecticut - the CT DEN leadership council will be hosting a live event for the SCICon virtual conference at the Mark Twain House in Hartford on Saturday, January 28, 2012. For more information and to register, click here. 


Peoria, AZ (Register here)
Kansas City, MO (Register here)
St. Louis, MO (Register here)
Townsend, MT (Register here)
Cullowhee, NC (Register here)
Greensboro, NC (Register here)
Piqua, OH (Register here)
Cope, SC (Register here)
Knoxville, TN (Register here)
Richardson, TX (Register here)

Discovery Education has some great new resources

Discovery Education, already a great resource for educators, has added some more resources to their lineup.

Some of the new content added to Discovery Education:


PBS Newshour: Autism Now - A comprehensive look at autism and its impact is designed to provide viewers with an authoritative, balanced look at the latest scientific research and medical thinking about the disorder.



Hazard Recognition Driving for Teens - This program profiles the hazards of driving and the steps to take to decrease the chance of an accident. Scanning, recognizing, and reacting make a good defensive driver.





Financial Literacy: Teach It! - Jumpstart your students’ personal financial skills with this dynamic series. Today’s students face a myriad of financial choices. Mastering basic financial skills sets them on a path for financial success.


Along with:

Through the Wormhole: Season 2

Tornado Rampage 2011 (April 2011)

Last Shuttle: Our Journey - last shuttle mission

Nuclear Nightmare: Japan In Crisis - March 2011 earthquake and tsunami

And much more.

Check out the new content at: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/New-Content/

My Favorite Resources for Educators and Students

I've recently posted lists of the most popular posts for past weeks and for the life of this blog, but I thought I'd post a list of my favorite resources too. Click the links for more detailed information and discussion about each resource.

1. EVERNOTE - Evernote is my favorite, and most used resource. I have all of my lesson plans, resources, web clippings, lesson schedule, meeting notes, misc. notes, task lists, reference materials and much more on here. I can access my notes anywhere and can even share notes with others.

2. CLOUD FILE STORAGE/SYNC - without apps like Dropbox and Sugarsync I'd be in trouble. All of my files are backed up on these systems and I can access my files from any web browser and from my smartphone. No need to carry flash drives or worry about a computer crash destroying my files and I can even share folders with others.

3. RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS - Trackclass, Dweeber, Google, Evernote and more are great resources for students to use to get organized, stay on schedule, and collaborate on school projects.

4. GOOGLE for EDUCATORS - I use tons of resources from Google, from Gmail, Calendar, Blogger, Sites, iGoogle to Google+, Search, and more. The resources are excellent quality, extremely useful, and free.

5. GOOGLE + - I love Google+. It is cleaner and lacks the messy apps and games of Facebook, but allows you to have more in depth posts and conversations than Twitter. It's great for education, especially the hangouts feature.

6. DISCOVERY EDUCATION - The Discovery Educator Network, DE Streaming Videos, and over 25 free resources for Educators. There is so much here to help educators in so many ways.


And here's an article I wrote detailing all of the resources I use on a daily basis.
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/technology-i-use-everyday-as-educator.html?m=0



What are your favorite resources? How do you use them in your job and daily life?

Be The Future - STEM resource from the Science Channel

Be The Future is a STEM resource from the Science Channel, part of Discovery Communications, that provides information, resources, links, lesson resources, and more from a variety of sources, including Discovery Education.

It is a new science initiative to help get students interested and engaged in science subjects and careers. There are classroom resources, quizzes, educational games and links to a variety of STEM resources from Discovery Education.

DENSCcon 2012 -free professional development on Science

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. They also provide excellent, free, professional development through out the year. These sessions are held online and there are in-person events to coincide with the online program. 


The 3rd Annual DEN SCIcon will be held on Saturday, January 28th. The DEN SCIcon provides participants with effective strategies for transforming science classes through effective integration of digital media content. 


The agenda is listed below and you can register for the online sessions here: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/scicon2012


I will post a list of in-person events once they are announced. 


This is a great opportunity to gain some great ideas and resources for free. I've participated for the last two years and it was well worth the time. 

General Agenda (all times ET)

9 AM
Opening SessionYour Attention Please: 10 Ways to Engage Your Students in Science - Lance Rougeux

10 AM
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Student Learning through Inquiry-based Instruction - Trinette Green

11 AM
What’s the GIST? Bridging Literacy and Science - Brad Fountain

12 PM
The Common Core Connection - Kelly Pauling

1 PM
Busting the Myths of Project Based Learning in the Science Classroom - Mike Bryant

2 PM
Closing Session
The Scientific Method… It’s Not Just For Chapter One Anymore - Patti Duncan

In Person Events:


Connecticut - the CT DEN leadership council will be hosting a live event for the SCICon virtual conference at the Mark Twain House in Hartford on Saturday, January 28, 2012. For more information and to register, click here. 

Get Discovery Education Flash Content on your iPad

 

Discovery Education has a huge amount of great resources for educators, from videos to lesson plans to e-textbooks and more. Some of it is in Flash, so you can't access it directly on your iOS device browser. However, iSwifter has partnered with Discovery Education to create Rover. Rover is an iPad browser that allows you to access Flash based content. The Flash content does not run on the device. It is streamed to the Rover app.

It allows you to browse and play Flash content, meaning you can now access Discovery Education's massive resource collection of lesson plans, apps, and materials.

Discovery Education also has an iPad friendly site.

Related:

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

STEM - description, ideas and resources for educators

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a term that has become more and more popular lately as the federal government is pushing for improvements in student performance in these areas. The United States needs more students to enter these fields and, in general, the public needs to be more educated about these topics to be better informed citizens.



There are a lot of initiatives, programs, and resources related to STEM and I will try to share as many as possible while explaining what they are.



The White House has the Educate to Innovate campaign to “improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).” The campaign is also being supported by companies, foundations and science and engineering societies. Discovery is one of the major players and they already have a huge number of resources for STEM (many listed below). The goal is to increase STEM literacy so that all students can think critically and learn in STEM topics.



One of the things happening on the national level is a new Science Framework that is being developed to pave the way for new science standards. The new framework will emphasize depth over breadth, using scientific inquiry and the engineering design process as part of their learning experience, and having core scientific concepts revisited at multiple grade levels to help build on prior learning and facilitate a deeper understanding. Part of this includes more science education at the elementary level, including training for teachers. There is a strong emphasis on engineering and technology in the framework. The engineering design process is an excellent way to teach problem solving and engineering and technology is the application of the science concepts students are learning. NextGenScience is the site related to this topic and teachers can find more information. You can download a free PDF book about the New Science Framework here.



I am a former engineer. I received my BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and worked for 10 years as an engineer before becoming an educator. WPI has a project based curriculum and I use many of their ideas in my classroom now. WPI is even creating a STEM Education center to help train teachers.I teach Physics and use engineering in my classes all the time. I teach the students the engineering design process and we do a lot of projects. I also run an after school pre-engineering program at my school (CPEP). My engineering education and experience has given me the skills to solve problems, think critically, learn on my own, and apply knowledge to applications. I feel that this is what we need to be teaching our students.



The engineering design process is a cycle. It emphasizes that things don’t always work the first time and that you analyze what happened, redesign, and try again. I like to share with students the fact that most of what they see around them was designed by teams of engineers who had failures and had to redesign and retest before they got it right. Failure is ok. The process is a great model for using in any field, and any problem.



So, how can teachers incorporate more STEM into their classrooms?



Science teachers should discuss engineering careers and topics related to the subject that they are teaching. They should also explore some of the technology used in their discipline. Teach students the engineering design process as a way to solve problems.  Math teachers can relate the math concepts to science and engineering applications. History, English, Music and Art teachers can all relate things that they are teaching in their class to a STEM subject. For example, in Art and Music there is a lot of physics and math in both that can be related. English teachers could have students read articles about science instead of other topics and even relate things in the books they are reading. History teachers could bring in how STEM has affected societies and the course of history. Teachers can even talk about fiction, TV, movies, and such and explore the STEM concepts, even the incorrect ones, in them.



Schools should also look to after school programs that deal with STEM topics such as CPEP, First Robotics, JETS and more. Many are self-funded so there is no cost to the schools.



There are a lot of great resources for teachers to use to find ideas, lesson plans, and other information to incorporate STEM into their classrooms. They do not have to do it alone and it does not have to take a lot of time or effort to incorporate STEM topics and ideas into any classroom.

STEM topics can be incorporated into any class, about any subject. If you are not a STEM teacher, ask someone who is for some ideas and help. Work together with other teachers to come up with some interdisciplinary projects and lessons. Have fun with it!




RESOURCES:

NASA Engineering Design Process - NASA’s definition and outline for the engineering design process


WPI Plan - WPI’s project based, integrated curriculum. Good model for all schools to use.


Simplified Version of Engineering Design Process


Discovery Education Siemens STEM Academy - great, free resource, with tons of information and lessons. - excellent resource.


Introduction to Engineering presentation - presentation I created for students that introduces them to engineering careers and concepts.


Engineering Interact Interactive - lessons for using engineering topics


High School STEM Resources from MIT


Science of Everyday Life - free resource from Discovery Education that has great ideas and resources for relating science to everyday life. - excellent resource.


Engineering Career Resources from CBIA (CT Business and Industry Assoc.) - free career descriptions, videos, and teacher resources on science, engineering and health careers. - excellent resource.


Science Channel’s Be The Future - resources, links, lesson plans, and more all about STEM.


Change the Equation - resources to improve teaching and learning in STEM



STEM Coalition - resources, links, lesson plans, and more for STEM Education. - excellent resource.


Pratt and Whitney - How a Jet Engine Works


NASA at Home and City - space developments related to life on Earth


Technology in Use in Engineering


PreK-12 Engineering - teaching engineering concepts in any grade


List of Engineering Resources to use in school with students. Lots of great resources listed here.


Ask Polaris - engineering career help and advice


Head Rush - great show on the Science Channel about science. Spin off from Mythbusters (another great way to get kids excited about science).



Forensics are another great way to get students excited about STEM subjects:

CSI The Experience Web Adventures - great resource

PhET - Online, free simulations and virtual labs for science and math










Share your resources with us!