Suggested Reading: STEM Education

Texas Tech alumnus Rick Husband was the final ...
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Overview

“The acronym STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The STEM fileds are those academic and professional disciplines that fall under the umbrella areas represented by the acronym. According to both the United States National Research Council and the National Science Foundation, the fields are collectively considered core technological underpinnings of an advanced society. In many forums (including political/governmental and academic) the strength of the STEM workforce is viewed as an indicator of a nation’s ability to sustain itself.”
(Source)


Suggested Reading

STEM at Work: Students become Physicians-in-Training

Where Will Your STEM Education Take You?

NASA Launches STEM Education Video Game

STEM Resources and Discovery Education


Tech & Learning’s Question of the Week

Which device do you think is best for 1:1?
Cast your vote.

Lego Star Wars Mini-Movie: An Exercise in Retelling

This fun video would be an engaging way to kick-off a challenge to students in which they demonstrate their understanding of a book, play, poem, etc. Rather than simply summarizing the major events from their reading, they could be given the opportunity to retell the story from an original point of view. The following is a humorous retelling of Star Wars from Gungan the janitor’s point of view.

BarCamp Memphis

BarCamp Memphis, November 13, 2010

“BarCamp isn’t just a Web 2.0 conference. It’s an unconference.cWhat does that mean, exactly? Well… that’s up to you. The entire event will be crafted by attendees (you), so you can learn about the specific technologies, trends, gadgets you really want to learn about – and hear from the people you find interesting. We’ll be voting first thing in the morning to determine the day’s sessions. Totally crowd-sourced!” (Source)

Register here.

BarCamp Memphis 2010 will be at Emerge Memphis downtown. Located at 516 Tennessee Street in the historic South Main Street district of downtown Memphis, EmergeMemphis sits at the corner of Tennessee and G.E. Patterson (formerly Calhoun) Streets. The site is only two blocks west of the main Memphis train station and adjacent to the main gated entrance to the well-known South Bluffs residential area.

Emerge Memphis
516 Tennessee St
Memphis, TN 38103-4717
View Map

Event Tag: #bcmem

Shhh!!! The Students Are Learning: Being an Effective Classroom Facilitator

This my presentation for the 2010 K-12 Online Conference.

Description

Be a facilitator of learning rather than a deliverer of information. Develop strategies for managing a classroom where students can have a leadership role and the teacher becomes the classroom coach. Strategies for designing and practical tips for implementing units will be shared.

Discussion

  • Please share your experiences with designing and implementing facilitated learning activities and units.
  • What worked well and what would you do differently next time?
  • What advice can you share with teachers preparing to facilitate learning?

Additional Notes and Resources

Please visit the related page on my wiki, Learning Telecollaboratively. I invite you to add your suggested resources related to this topic over there.

iPads and Video Cameras among Door Prizes for Fall Conference

(Cross-Posted from Martin Institute Press Releases)

Door Prizes for Teachers

The door prizes for the 2010 Martin Institute Fall Conference will provide opportunities for five teachers to return to school with an iPad, three will leave the conference with a flip camera. Gift certificates from iTunes and local businesses will round out the list of fantastic gifts.

The conference theme is Teaching for Tomorrow and the keynotes, workshops, and activities will focus on promoting 21st century skills in education. The Fall Conference will begin on Thursday, September 30, at 5:30 PM with a reception and the opening keynote presentation by Wesley Fryer. The conference will conclude on Friday, October 1, with a full day of workshops from expert educators from the USA, Canada, and Britain. Innovative primary school teacher, Tom Barrett of Nottingham, England, will be the featured speaker during Friday’s lunch event.

Registration is open to all PK-12 educators and undergraduate education majors.

Visit martininstitute.org for more information.

Video Ad for Fall Conference Released

(Cross-Posted from Martin Institute Press Releases)

A video advertising the 2010 Martin Institute Fall Conference was released today. It highlights some of the key benefits of attending and showcases the featured presenters. You are encouraged to share this video with friends and colleagues via email and social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Posterous, etc.) and you are invited to embed it on your own website, blog, wiki, etc.

This video was produced courtesy of the IDT Studio.

Upcoming EduEvents

Martin Institute Fall Conference
Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, 2010
Memphis, TN
More Information

Mid-South EduTweetUp
Oct. 1, 2010
Memphis, TN
R.S.V.P.

TeachMeet Memphis
Oct. 2, 2010
Memphis, TN
Organizational Wiki

K-12 Online Conference
Oct. 11 – 29, 2010
Online
Website

Tennessee Educational Technology Conference
Dec. 1-3, 2010
Nashville, TN
Website

Midsouth Technology Conference
Dec. 8 – 9
Memphis, TN
Website

DEN’s Shining Star Webinar
Dec. 15, 2010
More Information

Back-to-School EduTweetUp (August 2010)

The first Memphis EduTweetUp was such a success that we all agreed to have another once the new school year began. All K-12 educators are invited to join us for food and fun as teachers from many different schools and districts connect and share ideas. The evening will conclude with a Web 2.0 Smackdown during which attendees can volunteer to share quick demos (under 3 minutes) of some of their favorite Web 2.0 tools and services. Note that free wi-fi will be available in the dining room. We’ll also have a computer projector and screen.

We’ll be meeting at Panera Bread (4530 Poplar) from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Please help us spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, on your blog(s), email, etc., and include the event tag: #metu. Note that Non-Twitter-using teachers are absolutely welcome to join us, too. There is no registration fee but please help us make appropriate restaurant reservations by RSVP-ing using the buttons in the Tweetvite widget below.

Proposed Agenda

Event Tag: #metu

Requesting Your Assistance: Making the Curriculum POP!

One of the professional development workshops I’m facilitating this week is titled Making the Curriculum Pop. We’ll be focusing on the use of digital media and alternative text selections to engage students’ interest in “pop” culture. I would appreciate any ideas for connecting music, TV, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc. with the curriculum, as well as links to images, audio, video, resources, etc. that you can share. I’ll certainly credit you for your suggestions, too.

Memphis EduTweetUp: About the Web 2.0 Smackdown

We’re planning on concluding next week’s Memphis EduTweetUp with a Web 2.0 Smackdown. Here are a few details for those unfamiliar with a smackdown.

Rules and Organization

Volunteers will choose one of their favorite Web 2.0 tools or social technologies and quickly demo it for the group making sure to share ways that it can be integrated with teaching and learning.

Each demo is allowed a maximum of 3 minutes. Finish in under the time limit or face the Smackdown!

Warning: This is fast and frantic (and lots of crazy fun) — Thus the term SMACKDOWN!!!! The goal is to involve as many people as possible and learn about as many new resources as possible.

Please RSVP
Please help us make appropriate restaurant reservations by RSVP-ing regarding your attendance here.

Invite Others
Please help us spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, your blog(s), email, etc., and include the event tag: #metu.

Event Tag: #metu

Ready steady... Go  - Day 86 of Project 365