Enhancing STEAM Learning in Your PK-8 Classroom

EnhancingSTEAMLearninginYourPK-8

Classroom

AliceA.Christie,Ph.D.©2016

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. W. B. Yeats

AliceA.Christie,Ph.D.

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Enhancing STEAM Learning © 2015 Alice A. Christie, Ph.D. 1

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 3 What is STEM Education? .......................................................................................................................................... 3 STEM + The Arts = STEAM ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Why is STEM Important? ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Why is STEM Especially Important in Elementary School? ........................................................................ 8 Why is STEAM Important? ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Theoretical Foundation: The 5E Instructional Model ................................................................................. 13 Components of the 5E Instructional Model ..................................................................................................... 14 Goals for STEAM Programs Based on the 5E Instructional Model ........................................................ 15 STEAM Guiding Principles ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Core Elements of STEAM Instruction ................................................................................................................. 18 STEM as a Liberal Art ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Building Ownership in Your Local STEAM Initiative: Create a Local STEAM Map ......................... 21

STEM/STEAM Lessons .................................................................................................................. 23 Principles for Developing STEM/STEAM Lessons ....................................................................................... 23 STEM/STEAM Strategies and Techniques ....................................................................................................... 30 Dedicating Time to STEAM ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Planning a STEAM Activity Center ...................................................................................................................... 33 Tap Into Community and Internet Resources ................................................................................................ 35 The Maker Education Initiative <makered.org> ........................................................................................... 37 Online Resources for Starting Maker Programs, Clubs, and Spaces ..................................................... 39 Resources for Finding Ideas, Projects, and Inspiration for Maker Projects ...................................... 40

Learning by Doing Develops STEM/STEAM Problem Solving ................................................. 42 Learning by Doing ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 The Problem-‐Solving Process ................................................................................................................................ 44 Learn-‐By-‐Doing Devices/Tools (in Alphabetical Order) ........................................................................... 45

Questioning Techniques .................................................................................................................. 46 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 46 Types of Questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 47 Levels of Questioning: Part 1 ................................................................................................................................. 49 Levels of Questioning: Part 2 ................................................................................................................................. 52 Level 1 -‐ “The answer is on the page” facts or details ................................................................................. 52 Level 2 – “The answer is between the lines” Implied or Inferred ......................................................... 53 Level 3 – “The answer is in your head” Connections or Opinions ......................................................... 53 Questions for Inquiry-‐Based Learning from You For Youth .................................................................... 53 Questions Aligned with the Scientific Process ............................................................................................... 54 Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions .................................................................................................. 55

Using QR Codes in STEAM Classrooms ....................................................................................... 58 What are QR Codes? .................................................................................................................................................. 58 What are QR Code Readers/Scanners? ............................................................................................................. 59 How to Create CR Codes .......................................................................................................................................... 59 Use Google Spreadsheets to Creating Multiple QR Codes ......................................................................... 60 QR Code Types ............................................................................................................................................................. 61


How To Use QR Codes in STEAM Classrooms ................................................................................................ 63 QR Code Resources .................................................................................................................................................... 70

Using GPS-Enabled Mobile Devices in STEAM Classrooms ..................................................... 71 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 71 Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................................................... 72 Components of Dr. Christie’s 6E Learning Model ......................................................................................... 73 Description of an EduCaching Lesson on Sorting and Categorizing ..................................................... 75 Assessment .................................................................................................................................................................... 78 Step-‐by-‐step Directions on Creating EduCaching Units or Lessons ..................................................... 79 Other Suggestions for Incorporating GPS-‐enabled Devices and EduCaching into Learning Environments: .............................................................................................................................................................. 80 Online Resources on Using EduCaching in STEAM Classrooms ............................................................. 80

Mobile Apps to Enhance STEAM in Elementary and Middle School ....................................... 82 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 82 Science Apps (Listed Alphabetically) ................................................................................................................. 82 Math and Numbers Apps (Listed Alphabetically) ........................................................................................ 86 Technology Apps (Listed Alphabetically) ........................................................................................................ 88 Measurement Tools (Listed Alphabetically) ................................................................................................... 94 Instructional Strategies for Using Mobile Apps in STEAM Classrooms ........................................... 101

A Special Challenge: Girls and STEM .......................................................................................... 105 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 105 Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay’s STEM/STEAM Strands and Strategies .......................................... 105 Online STEM/STEAM Resources for Females ............................................................................................. 106 Other Online Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 108

Online STEM/STEAM Resources ............................................................................................... 109 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 109 Problem-‐Based Learning from the Teaching Channel’s STEM Design Challenge ........................ 109 The National Education Association (NEA) 10 Best STEAM Resources .......................................... 116 National Science Foundation Suggested STEAM Resources ................................................................. 117 Arizona STEM Network Implementation Guides ....................................................................................... 120 Video Resources ....................................................................................................................................................... 121 Other Online STEM/STEAM Resources .......................................................................................................... 125 Project-‐Based Engineering for Kids ................................................................................................................. 127

Gamification In Your Classroom .................................................................................................... 129 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 129 Apps and Web Tools to Gamify Your Classroom ........................................................................................ 130 Articles on Gaming in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms ................................................... 133

Other Resources ............................................................................................................................. 134 Online STEM/STEAM Lesson Plans ................................................................................................................. 134 Online STEM/STEAM Courses for Teachers ................................................................................................ 135 State STEM/STEAM Organizations .................................................................................................................. 139 Other STEM/STEAM Networks & Resources ............................................................................................... 142 Articles on STEM/STEAM Education .............................................................................................................. 142


Introduction

For young people and for our country, we need STEM-‐related talent to compete globally, and we will need even more in the future. It is not a matter of choice: For the United States to remain the global innovation leader, we must make the most of all of the potential STEM talent this country has to offer."

–U.S. NEWS and World Reports

What is STEM Education?

STEM education fully engages students in learning Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics using an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides hands-‐on and relevant learning experiences for students. STEM teaching and learning goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. It engages students and equips them with critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills, and ultimately establishes connections between the school, work place, community and the global economy. Teachers planning to transform their classrooms into STEM environments may find the 5E Model of Instruction (See Appendix A) helpful in planning instructional units that engage students, support exploration, explain concepts, extend learning to other curricular areas, and evaluate progress throughout the unit.

STEM also helps students (a) make technology integral to their learning, (b) value a hand-‐on approach to learning, (c) engage in evidence-‐based learning, (d) adopt a learn-‐from-‐our-‐mistakes philosophy, and (e) understand – and then apply – math and science concepts across the curriculum. Each of thee skills is a foundation for success in college and future careers. See Appendix B for Common Core Mathematics Standards, Appendix C for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and Appendix D for International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students.


STEM + The Arts = STEAM

STEAM is the fusion of The Arts with STEM to engage the whole child and foster high achievement in all areas. See Appendix E for a definition of The Arts.

STEAM brings together what have long been thought of as polar opposites in the curriculum: science and art. However, the artistic process and the scientific method are more complimentary than one might first expect. Both:

Source: Sousa and Pilecki (2013) From STEM to STEAM

• are about exploration of ideas and possibilities; • have a process and a product aspect to them; and • require students to engage in creative and critical thinking that supports

collaborative learning.

Source: https://www.bettefetter.com/brain-‐drain-‐steam

With the interest in STEM curricula and career paths for students, many educators, artists, and scientists recognize the importance of blending the arts and sciences and believe that this can lead to richer student learning.

STEAM is complimentary with digital-‐age skills, and is gaining traction across the country with support from a wide range of organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of Education.

The STEAM effort outlines why the arts are necessary:

o Arts education is a key to creativity o Creativity is an essential component of, and spurs innovation


o Innovation is necessary to create new industries in the future o New industries, with their jobs, are the basis of our future economic well-‐being

In addition, STEAM education is supported by my 7C Model, which ask teachers to examine the extent to which hardware, software, mobile apps, mobile devices, or instructional strategies allow students and teachers to create, connect, communicate, collaborate, contextualize, critique, and/or choose.

My 7C Model is illustrated in the infographic below:

STEAM education increases student engagement by transforming the typical teacher-‐centered classroom by emphasizing a student-‐centered curriculum that is driven by problem solving, discovery, and exploratory learning.


Hallmark characteristics of STEAM education include: • cross-‐curriculum approaches to learning • technology integration • project and problem-‐based learning • inquiry • college and career readiness • rigorous and relevant curricula • innovative learning environment • high levels of student engagement

The goal of STEAM education is to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Arts education to change the way students think, approach ideas, solve problems, research, and plan and execute a design process. Our goal as teachers is to create motivating lessons that:

• push students to go deeper and master rigorous science, technology, engineering, mathematical, and arts skills and concepts

• prepare students to solve problems • demand critical thinking • provide scaffolding to develop the STEAM skills that will enable students to

become independent learners.

Design is a vital part of the STEAM experience. It includes identifying a problem or idea, designing a solution or process, implementing the solution and evaluating the solution. This is often a recursive process that leads back to redefining the problem or brainstorming alternative solutions. As such, students benefit when they learn though mistakes and fine-‐tune their thinking in each successive step in the recursive process. Taking an abstract or concrete idea and utilizing it takes the ability think both creatively and critically; both types of thinking are part of STEAM thinking!

This book is designed to specifically help teachers and administrators to integrate STEAM instruction, processes and principles into their schools and classrooms. It


provides numerous instructional strategies and resources for teachers wishing to create more STEAM-‐centric classrooms that:

• foster active, participatory learning • increase student engagement in the learning process • create exciting, empowering, exploratory, student-‐centered, problem-‐solving

environments.

Why is STEM Important? Today’s world requires our work force to possess strong skills in critical thinking and working collaboratively; STEM education prepares students for these challenges and offers them expanded career opportunities in the 21st Century. According to the National Science Foundation, to succeed in this information-‐based, highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past. Helping under-‐represented populations such as females and minorities pursue STEM careers is an additional challenge. Recent studies have indicated that American students are falling behind in STEM areas. Roughly 75 percent of U.S. 8th graders are not proficient in mathematics when they complete 8th grade (Schmidt, W.H. (2011), and they are less interested in these subjects than their international counterparts. Ironically, the most lucrative careers in the United States and internationally involve STEM skills: the top ten highest paying majors in 2012-‐2013 were STEM-‐related, with engineering majors commanding the highest salaries. Students in the United States need to understand the principles behind the technologies that drive globalization so they can compete on an international stage. Consider some statistics from Science Pioneers < http://www.sciencepioneers.org/>:

• If the United States is to maintain its global leadership and competitive position, then we must motivate our most promising students into the STEM fields.

• Science has been identified as a national priority, ...parents have to become more interested and knowledgeable.

• A 2008 survey by USA Today showed that only 26% of those surveyed believe that they have a good understanding of science.

• Forty-‐four percent could not identify a living scientist. • Students should be advised to take as many math and science courses in middle

and high school as possible. • These courses need to be taught by engaged and enthusiastic teachers using

hands-‐on and minds-‐on activities.


• Making science and math courses fun and interesting will not only help students to learn, but might also plant the “seed of interest” that could grow into an exciting and rewarding STEM career.

Consider the statistics and the graph that follows http://fpea.com/blog/1475/06-‐27-‐2013/STEM-‐why-‐it-‐important:

• Twenty-‐one of the top 25 paying jobs are STEM jobs • The average salary of those in STEM occupations is $64,560 compared to $37,870

in all other occupations averaged. • Of the 65 developed countries, the US ranks 23rd in Science and 31st in Math • 50% of doctorates in STEM fields granted in the US are awarded to temporary US

citizens • Europe produces roughly 3 times as many engineering graduates as the US each

year. Asia produces almost 5 times as many. • The top 15 highest-‐earning college degrees have a common element:

Mathematics

Expertise in STEM fields promotes inventiveness, scientific discovery, and efficiency while also opening up new job opportunities. STEM jobs in the United States in the past ten years have grown at three times the pace of non-‐STEM jobs, and are projected to continue growing at this pace through the next decade. STEM programs also help engage and motivate students, as well as engage them in inquiry-‐based, and academically rigorous environments. Students are no longer using rote memorization; instead they use design thinking to create things and to work out solutions to real-‐life issues.

Why is STEM Especially Important in Elementary School?

Traditionally, primary and elementary school teachers have focused classroom time on reading, writing, and mathematics. Teachers must justify a certain amount of hours each week of reading, writing, and mathematics instruction, and their planning time, too, is often dedicated to those subjects. The push toward standardized test scores and knowledge-‐based assessment has encouraged this limited focus; but it means that in


many PK-‐6 classrooms, science has been ignored. Innovative teachers have managed to find the time and justification for STEM-‐related activities, but many U.S. students reach fourth – or even sixth – grade with few science and technology skills.

STEM education in elementary school suffers from lack of:

• planning time • classroom time • standardized testing, and • teacher training

STEM skills, aside from math, have traditionally been developed primarily in secondary school and university classrooms. But evidence is coming to light that STEM skills built from early learning will help students to develop the knowledge and habits that will engender a lifetime of STEM understanding and proficiency.

One reason that it’s so important to encourage STEM learning early in schooling is that the process of inquiry that is integral to STEM is the way young children naturally learn. Young children explore, ask questions, and discuss their findings. In her article on early STEM education, Erin MacPherson describes first grade learners gathered around a sand table: “Students become engrossed with the sand, some marbles, and rulers, and soon, with the help of a few guiding questions, they are learning principles of physical science.”

Our youngest students have the gift for exploration and experimentation already. When those natural impulses are matched with fundamental science concepts and instruction in inquiry methods such as controls, communication, and record keeping, students gain a solid foundation in science that can help them move ahead and excel in STEM fields.

Why is STEAM Important?

The practical nature of STEM subjects is clear, but that does not mean that the arts play no role in leading students to successful careers.

It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning unexpected findings of science. -‐ Carl Sagan

The 43rd season of Sesame Street is being brought to viewers by the letters S-‐T-‐E-‐A-‐M.


University of Florida research <http://education.arts.ufl.edu/resources/stem-‐vs-‐steam-‐girl/> that shows that “on average, students who study the arts for 4 years in high school score 98 points higher on the SATs compared to those who study the same for half a year or less.” Arts, the researchers found, help students build confidence, develop motor skills, and hone their decision-‐making and problem-‐solving skills. Even their logo speaks volumes about the importance of the A in STEAM:

These thought leaders created an infographic that shows why a half-‐brain education — an education that heavily favors either left-‐brained or right-‐brained subjects — is not good enough. I features examples of prominent personalities who displayed strong characteristics from both sides of the brain. One example, Steve Jobs, while brilliant when it came to technology, also saw things from a creative perspective. He envisioned products and constructed marketing strategies that appealed to people’s hopes, dreams, and experiences. < http://education.arts.ufl.edu/resources/stem-‐vs-‐steam-‐girl/>


Two other people who personify the need for STEAM education are Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti. Although they were known more as painters and sculptors, they were also renowned as inventors, engineers, and scientists. For example, da Vinci conceptualized the helicopter and battle tank and made important discoveries in anatomy, hydrodynamics, and optics. Michelangelo also worked as an architect and engineer, designing the large dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. These two men saw no boundaries between the arts and sciences. STEAM education highlights the underlying scientific process skills: observing and questioning, investigating, analyzing, reporting, and reflecting on a “big idea.” It gives learners opportunities to formulate thoughts into questions, solve problems, and learn new concepts. It also helps learners make connections between the scientific (Let’s find out …) and the innovative (What if …), and to use the arts to inspire learning STEM concepts. In his TEDx talk <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRbKsSmtvmU>, Tom Dubick, an applied math and science teacher at Charlotte Latin School, indicates that once students build a robot, bridge, or airplane, they no longer need to ask the question: When will I ever use math and science in my real life? Or for that matter, why are the arts important to my future? Rather than teach those subjects in a vacuum, STEAM programs integrate them in an inquiry-‐based, hands-‐on curriculum that more closely aligns with what students will experience in college and the workforce.

Maria Montessori espoused a similar approach. One key element of her approach is the Prepared Environment, a place in which children can do things for themselves, where learning materials and experiences are abundant, where child-‐centered education and active learning are valued, and where children are enabled to be independent and active learners. The skills she identified are also the life skills needed by digital-‐age learners!


David Sousa and Tom Pilecki in their book entitled From STEM to STEAM (Corwin, 2013) state that many scientists, mathematicians, and engineers indicate that the arts are vital to their success. They use the following skills and abilities borrowed from the arts as scientific tools:

• drawing on curiosity • observing accurately • viewing an object in a different form or from a different perspective • constructing meaning • expressing one’s observations accurately • working effectively with others • thinking spatially • viewing kinesthetically

They also indicate how important The Arts are to student growth and achievement and why the arts should remain available for all students at all grade levels:

When push comes to shove, it’s not STEM vs. STEAM—it’s about making every student a fully literate 21st-‐century citizen: motivated and competent in bringing forth solutions to tomorrow's problems. Dr. Howard Gardner stated: I don’t have strong views about whether arts should become a part of STEM or be self-‐standing. What is important is that every human being deserves to learn about the arts and humanities, just as each


person should be cognizant of the sciences. http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/11/18/ctq-‐jolly-‐

stem-‐vs-‐steam.html

Theoretical Foundation: The 5E Instructional Model The 5E Instructional Model has its origins in the work of early science educators, including John Dewey (Dewey’s Instructional Model) and Robert Karplus and Myron Atkin (the Atkin-‐Karplus Learning Cycle). The 5E Instructional Model was developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study and was adapted from work by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). Since the late 1980s, researchers and curriculum developers have used the 5E Instructional Model extensively to develop both curriculum materials and professional development experiences. The 5E Instructional Model currently enjoys widespread use, as a Google search shows ubiquitous use of the model for curriculum frameworks, assessment guidelines, course outlines, curriculum materials, and teacher professional development. In this model:

• Students are introduced to a concept. • Students make connections to prior knowledge and what is to be studied. • Student thinking is clarified. • Students become mentally engaged in the new learning experience. • Teachers ask questions of students and engage them in the guided inquiry

lessons. • Teachers use strategies such as KWL that make connections between the past

and present learning experience. • Teachers set a level of anticipation using the 5E Model to guide them.

The mere formulation of a problem is often far more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions or new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science. – Albert Einstein


Components of the 5E Instructional Model

Engage: The purpose for the ENGAGE stage is to pique student interest and get students personally involved in the lesson, while pre-‐assessing prior understanding.

• Students first encounter and identify the instructional task, then make connections between past and present learning experiences, setting the organizational ground work for upcoming activities. Students become curious and begin asking their own questions about the concept/topic.

• Teachers assess the learners’ prior knowledge and help students become engaged in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge.

EXPLORE: The purpose for the EXPLORE stage is to get students involved in the topic; providing them with a chance to build their own understanding.

• Students explore or experiment at this point. They engage in observations, use science tools and materials (manipulatives), collect data, and record data.

• Teachers set up the investigation and guide students in inquiry, asking probing questions to clarify understanding.


EXPLAIN: The purpose for the EXPLAIN stage is to provide students with an opportunity to communicate what they’ve learned so far and figure out what it means.

• Students verbalize their understandings from the "explore" phase, look for patterns in their data, and describe what they observed. This can be done in small and/or whole groups

• Teachers ask probing questions that encourage students to look for patterns or irregularities in their data.

EXTEND: The purpose for the EXTEND stage is to allow students to use their new knowledge and continue to explore its implications.

• Students expand their learning, practice skills and behavior, and make connections or applications to related concepts and in the world around them.

• Teachers provide learning opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and to gain a deeper understanding. Activities can include reading articles and books, writing, designing other experiments, and exploring related topics on the Internet.

EVALUATE: The purpose for the EVALUATION stage is for both students and teachers to determine how much learning and understanding has taken place.

• Students answer questions, pose questions, and illustrate their knowledge (understandings) and skill (abilities).

• Teachers diagnose student understanding through an ongoing process. Assessment can be both formative (ongoing and dynamic) and summative (end-‐of-‐lesson final test or product).

See Appendix A for a chart that summarizes the definitions of each term, as well as teacher behaviors and student behaviors appropriate for each of the Es.

Goals for STEAM Programs Based on the 5E Instructional Model The process of moving from a non-‐STEAM classroom, school, or district involves a number of thought steps:

• Identify personnel to lead the initiative • Clarify goals for incorporating STEAM into a program • Develop short and longer-‐term goals • Work as a team to achieve these goals

The following checklist (which can be customized for any specific program or initiative) will help you both establish goals and evaluate the extent to which these goals have been met at the end of one, two, and three years of work.


STEAM Checklist Our program will incorporate more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to:

� Expose: Increase children’s exposure to STEAM through activities such as periodic outdoor experiences, field trips, and science center and museum visits

� Experience: Increase children’s experience with STEAM through, for example, regularly scheduled hands-‐on science activities, short-‐term inquiry projects, math games and puzzles, vocabulary use, design-‐build challenges, committee projects, field trips outdoors, and technology projects

� Engage: Increase children’s engagement with STEAM though regularly scheduled activities, student-‐directed inquiry projects, longer-‐term team explorations and more complex projects or curriculum lessons

� Enrich: Enrich student’s experience and knowledge of STEAM through student-‐directed projects and inquiry, career explorations, internships, expert partners, site visits, and additional resources

� Expand: Expand depth and breadth with expert support and partnerships, diversifying fields, internships, longer-‐term inquiry projects, community problem-‐solving projects, and presentations

� ___________________________________________________

� ___________________________________________________

STEAM Guiding Principles Vasquez, Comer, and Sneider (2012), in their book STEAM Lesson Essentials, Grades 3-‐8: Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic, outlined five guiding principals for STEAM-‐focused instruction. Each of these is summarized below.


Principle One

Focus on Integration Combining two or more of the disciplines allows teachers to help students see the relatedness of the concepts, tying together seeming disjointed blocks of information. An interdisciplinary approach will help students forge connections among concepts in their knowledge base, generate more innovative and creative solutions when considering opportunities to apply their understandings, and think more broadly about a given problem or situation.

Principle Tw

o

Establish Relevance It is not always apparent to students how or when new learning will be applicable, so it is important to convey how STEAM knowledge will be useful. Consider the following questions from the students' point of view:

• Why should I care about this? • Does it address a real-‐world problem or current event situation? • Is there some local or global issue or event that would make this

appealing to know more about? • Is there a real-‐world work or career opportunity that would be

interesting for me to consider? • Can I get a better job if I know about this or develop this skill?

Principle Th

ree

Emphasize Digital-‐Age Skills The critical need for the workforce of tomorrow is not how much knowledge the citizens possess, but how they can access information when needed and how they use that information to creatively solve problems and communicate ideas and concepts effectively. Desirable attributes of tomorrow's workers (Partnership for 21st Century Skills 2009) include:

• teamwork and collaboration, • critical thinking • problem solving • creativity • communication skills


Principle Four

Challenge Your Students By using grade-‐level-‐appropriate challenges, students are more apt to be intrigued with the work and not suffer from boredom. It is important to plan tasks that are not so difficult that students give up, nor so easy that students find the work boring. Emphasis on twenty-‐first-‐century skills allows for a greater range of participation from all students -‐ not just those who have the content knowledge expertise.

Principle Five

Mix It Up By providing a variety of outcomes in STEAM units of study, students are regularly presented with ways to express their knowledge, share their expertise, and expand their skill set. It is important to include both problem-‐based approaches (tasks in which students are given a particular problem to solve, which requires a creative solution) and project based approaches (where students have significant control over what they wish to produce, how they want to demonstrate their learning, and in some cases, how they wish to be evaluated.

Core Elements of STEAM Instruction In 2011, the National Research Council of the National Academies published Successful K-‐12 STEAM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, engineering, and Mathematics. This report identified three goals for U.S. STEAM education:

• GOAL 1: Expand the number of students who ultimately pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEAM fields and broaden the participation of women and minorities in those fields.

• GOAL 2: Expand the STEAM-‐capable workforce and broaden the participation of women and minorities in that workforce.

• GOAL 3: Increase STEAM literacy for all students, including those who do not pursue STEAM-‐related careers or additional study in the STEAM disciplines.

They also agreed upon three types of criteria to identify successful STEAM schools:


• criteria related to STEAM outcomes

o Student-‐ and school-‐level achievement test data o interest and motivation (joy at the prospect of discovery) o creativity (a culture of innovation) o commitment to ethical behavior and the shared interests of humanity o ability to solve problems o ability to work effectively in teams o level of engagement in STEAM activities

• criteria related to STEAM-‐focused schools

o more rigorous curriculum that deepens STEAM learning over time o more instructional time devoted to STEAM o more resources available to teach STEAM o teachers who are more prepared to teach in the STEAM disciplines

• criteria related to STEAM instruction and school-‐level practices

o free and low-‐cost web-‐based programs o gaming and simulation tools including NASA and NSF resources

STEM as a Liberal Art We must never forget what the STEAM subjects have in common with sister disciplines like literature and history. Yes, they help us get good jobs, but they also help us grasp what it means to be human and live a good life. That is why STEAM is truly among the liberal arts. -‐ Linda Rosen, Change the Equation

Excellent reading and writing skills are foundational in the humanities—the arts, theater, philosophy, religion, ethics, and world languages. But more and more the humanities are crossing over into many other content areas. Consider the impact strong reading


skills can have in a math course, or that strong writing skills can have in a science class. The humanities and STEAM really do go hand in hand.

Linda Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of Change the Equation, makes an important connection between STEAM and the Liberal Arts. She reminds us that math and science, and not just literature, art and philosophy, have long been counted among the liberal arts. But, she also warns that we cannot ignore literature, history, and art to focus exclusively on STEAM at the expense of other disciplines. We must provide our students with balanced opportunities to help create a new generation of informed citizens.

She raises an important concern about high school math and science requirements. Almost every state requires high school graduates to have taken four years of English, but only 18 states require four years of math, and even fewer require four years of science. Texas, which once led the way in setting rigorous high school graduation requirements, recently reduced its requirements in math and science to just three years each.

A recent film from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Heart of the Matter, finds that all people, even engineers or computer scientists, need a good dose of the arts and humanities to understand the human significance of the work they do. The film also stresses that we need to build an education system that goes well beyond the teaching and memorizing of facts and the ability to regurgitate those facts on a standardized test. We need to give the students of today a well-‐balanced education that includes all factors, including STEAM and Humanities to create well rounded members of the work force and society tomorrow. The bottom line is that to be truly valuable members and innovators in our society, STEAM students must graduate with an appreciation of the humanities, and social science students must graduate with an understanding of STEAM.

Another study from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Enclosed in a College Major, confirms a common fear: humanities majors and STEAM majors dwell in separate academic silos. STEAM majors, especially engineering students, take few humanities courses, the data show. And humanities majors take even fewer STEAM courses. But Hamman (2013) in The Chronicle of Higher Education stresses that the importance of a liberal arts education for all students, including those majoring in mathematics, engineering, or computer science.

Lisa Dolling, an associate professor of philosophy and Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens Institute of Technology, fully believes that students do not need to make a choice between humanities and more “useful” or “professionally lucrative” fields, like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students should consider the ways they are able to bring together humanities and STEAM disciplines (along with business, and other non-‐humanities disciplines) in dialogue and collaboration. Rather than "either/or" it should be "together/with."


Building Ownership in Your Local STEAM Initiative: Create a Local STEAM Map

Create a Gmail account

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/open.html

Use my tutorial on how to create a personalized Google Map

http://googletreks.org/tutorial/

Add a title. Sample Title: STEAM Resource Map for Anytown, USA

Add a description. Sample Description: This map shows the location of community resources, programs and experts to help with our STEAM Initiative.

Add a pushpin to show the location of your school


Add pushpins to show locations of local STEAM experts and resources. Continue adding pushpins to populate your map with more STEAM resources and experts. Be sure to click on “Save” when you are finished.

Click on “Collaborate” to invite colleagues to add more resources to the map.

Click on the Link Icon. A dialog box will appear with the link to your STEAM Map. Email the link to colleagues, or add the link to your website so others can view your STEAM Map!


STEM/STEAM Lessons

Reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century. That's why I am committed to making the improvement of STEAM education over the next decade a national priority. President Barack Obama

Principles for Developing STEM/STEAM Lessons The Change the Equation website offers a list of principles they use for including resources in their database. Below, I have applied these principles to developing STEAM lessons.

For best results, form an interdisciplinary team of teaching colleagues (you might include an engineer in this group as well) and tackle some of these questions. They are in random order.


Why do our students need STEAM lessons? What added value do STEAM lessons provide? Possible answers:

• Science is the one subject that encompasses everything in life and helps students be curious, ask questions, and make connections as to why the world exists as it does.

• A successful STEAM education provides students with science, math, and engineering/technology in sequences that build upon each other and can be used with real-‐world applications.

• STEAM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. This innovation and science literacy depends on a solid knowledge base in the STEAM areas.

• Most jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of math and science. Ten-‐year employment projections by the U.S. Department of Labor show that of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2016, 15 of them require significant mathematics or science preparation.

What do our students need to learn? Possible answers:

• STEAM thinking and engineering process skills • Specific content knowledge in math and science • Real world problems that use math and science to solve the problems

What students are we targeting with this lesson? Possible answers:

• All students need to become more critical thinkers and problem-‐solvers. • However, we might target groups that are underrepresented in STEAM fields,

such as girls, non-‐native speakers or low-‐income students.

How will we involve students in learning through inquiry and hands-‐on learning? Possible answers:

• Create curriculum that requires students to pose relevant questions, seek multiple possible explanations, test those explanations, and evaluate the results.

• Create curriculum that offers open-‐ended research activities.


• Students need to know that it’s okay not to get the right answer. They often learn more from what doesn’t work than from what does work.

• Encourage students to rethink, redesign, and keep on working to improve a solution. Google calls this concept iteration. They improve the algorithm for their search engine over 600 each year.

Do our lessons include a focus on 21st-‐century skills (more recently referred to as digital-‐age learning skills)? Do we even know what these skills are? Possible answers:

• Ask business leaders in your community what skills their future employees need. • Refer to the research conducted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and

The Great Schools Partnership (as summarized below).

Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes

• Mastery of core subjects and 21st century themes is essential to student success. Core subjects include English, reading or language arts, world languages, arts, mathematics, economics, science, geography, history, government and civics. In addition, schools must promote an understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects:


o Global Awareness o Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy o Civic Literacy o Health Literacy o Environmental Literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills

• Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in today’s world and those who are not. They include:

o Creativity and Innovation o Critical Thinking and Problem Solving o Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills

• Today, we live in a technology and media-‐driven environment, marked by access to an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools and the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. Effective citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills, such as:

o Information Literacy o Media Literacy o ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy

Life and Career Skills

• Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills, such as:

o Flexibility and Adaptability o Initiative and Self-‐Direction o Social and Cross-‐Cultural Skills o Productivity and Accountability o Leadership and Responsibility

The Great Schools Partnership < http://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/> states that although the specific skills deemed to be 21st century skills may be defined, categorized,


and determined differently from person to person, place to place, or school to school, the term does reflect a general consensus. The following list provides a brief illustrative overview of the knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits commonly associated with digital-‐age skills:

• Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information

• Research skills and practices, interrogative questioning • Creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression • Perseverance, self-‐direction, planning, self-‐discipline, adaptability, initiative • Oral and written communication, public speaking and presenting, listening • Leadership, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, virtual workspaces • Information and communication technology (ITC) literacy, media and internet

literacy, visual interpretation, data interpretation and analysis, computer programming

• Civic, ethical, and social-‐justice literacy • Economic and financial literacy, entrepreneurialism • Global awareness, multicultural literacy, humanitarianism • Scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific method • Environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystems understanding • Health and wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet, exercise, and public health

and safety

What information and expertise do we need to create STEAM lessons? Where can we gain knowledge and skills? Possible answers:

• Take time to research information about STEAM and STEAM lessons. • Gain a deeper knowledge of the engineering topics you want to build the STEAM

lessons around. • Explore the technology possibilities. • Attend workshops and classes on STEAM education. • Start small, experiment, get feedback from your students, revise, and keep

working. • Use the same iteration process you want your students to use.


How will we gather data on the effectiveness of these lessons? Possible answers:

• Continuously collect data by observing: o how the students interact with the project o what questions they come up with o how they approach solving problems o their level of engagement o their level of collaboration (i.e. teamwork is a part of STEAM.)

• Use written assessments to determine their mastery of STEAM content • Collect data about the problem-‐solving approaches and habits of mind students

build while engaging in the work of learning. Are our lessons written so that other teachers can understand and replicate them? Possible answers:

• Be sure your lessons include enough detail and specific resources that other teachers can use them successfully.

• Avoid educational jargon. • Describe outcomes in specific terms. • Ask colleagues to provide you feedback before distributing lessons to others.

Do we have the conditions and support in place for the lessons we are writing? Possible answers:

• Before implementing the lesson, consider: o the number of days the lesson will take o the equipment you will need o any outside help from parents or businesses that you will need o If you lack equipment or resources, you have a solid reason to

communicate with parents, administrators, colleagues, IT personnel, or businesses.

How will we communicate and share these lessons? Possible answers:

• Add them to your school repository of STEAM lessons • Submit them to educational journals seeking well developed lessons • Submit them to educational websites seeking well developed lessons


• Create a digital newsletter with your lesson plans and distribute it electronically to colleagues

• Create a website and place your STEAM lessons online for other teachers to use • Invite other teachers into your classroom to watch you teach a well developed

STEAM lesson

In what ways are our lessons relevant to today’s society? Possible answers:

• Develop lessons in which you and your students interact with real professionals: engineers, architects, scientists, mathematicians, etc.!

• Develop lessons in which student solve real-‐world problems such as: o Studying cafeteria food to see if it can be more healthy o Increasing recycling at your school o Decreasing water usage in drought areas o Building a school garden and using math calculations to determine the

size of the garden, how many plants to put in, expected harvest, etc. • Develop lessons where students collect data, analyze the data, and share their

analyses with other classrooms Where will the teamwork component of STEAM come in? Possible answers:

• Use collaborative teams whenever possible. • Set specific team goals and expectations and realistic timelines for reaching the

goals. • Use a timer in your classroom for all team work. • Create cross grade level or cross content area teams to accomplish certain goals. • Give students opportunities to learn how and when to both lead a group and

listen to their peers. • Help students discover the value of what they can accomplish when they work

together to complete a task. • Require students to use a process rubric to reflect on their collaboration skills.

How do we demonstrate to ourselves and to our students that the question is often more important than the answer in STEAM lessons? Possible answers:


• Coming up with the right question involves: o vigorously thinking through the problem; o investigating it from various angles; o turning closed questions into open-‐ended ones; and o prioritizing which are the most important questions to get at the heart of

the matter • View yourself as a facilitator or co-‐learner, not a dispenser of knowledge • When students are engaged in deciding what question to answer, they will also

be invested in discovering the answer.

STEM/STEAM Strategies and Techniques You For Youth < https://www.y4y.ed.gov/> suggests that teachers choose overall strategies and specific techniques that fit their students, their resources, their timeline, the time they have available, and the experience and expertise of their staff. Schools can use multiple strategies at the same time, or use different strategies at different times. Over the course of the year, for example, teachers may move from less intensive to more intensive programming for STEAM. The most important step is to make STEAM an integral part of the ongoing program. To help you with this process, You For Youth has developed a checklist to evaluate key strategies and techniques that teachers might use to STEAMify their classrooms. Evaluate each of these from the standpoint of your program, feasibility, and time, and commit to increasing STEAM in both the short and long terms.

Increase STEAM Exposure with Everyday Activities Readily Doable

Somewhat Complex

Chal-‐lenging

Provide simple materials such as blocks, boxes, measuring spoons, cups, graph paper, construction paper, scissors, shapes, and puzzles

Set up activity centers for explorations with varied materials or structured activity kits

Use STEAM vocabulary regularly Ask questions to probe for explanations and reasons Talk with teachers about school STEAM activities & content Provide measuring materials such as scales, rulers, tape measures, thermometers and activities for using them

Provide materials such as clocks, calendars, charts, graphs, weather and seasonal vocabulary

Provide construction materials such as straws, toothpicks, sticks, tape measures, paper, tape, glue, and string, and create building challenges

Schedule regular guessing games and mental puzzles


Create snack committee to handle quantities, nutrition reports, taste surveys, budgets, or other

Create program of field trips to outdoor sites Create program of guest presenters on STEAM related jobs Schedule visits to museums and science centers Get copies of textbooks/reading materials to keep on hand Augment library and computer use with STEAM-‐related books, magazines, and websites

Other: Other:

Connect STEAM Content with School Content Readily Doable

Somewhat Complex

Chal-‐lenging

Know each participant’s school, and list names and contacts Set up contacts with science, math, and technology teachers in students’ schools

Obtain copies of standards or school goals for STEAM Work with staff to pinpoint standards to target in the program

Review activities and projects for ways to include STEAM objectives based on standards

Provide classroom teachers with evidence of students’ STEAM activities in afterschool

Ask teachers for recommendations for websites, projects, or other materials

Include afterschool staff in STEAM professional development provided by schools

Get lists of key vocabulary, terminology, and questions to incorporate

Target oral vocabulary development for all, with particular attention to English language learners

Obtain curriculum, textbooks, and other reading and reference materials

Let teachers know STEAM homework projects can be supported in afterschool

Attend school STEAM events, such as science fairs; invite teachers to afterschool STEAM presentations and events

Observe what children are working on for STEAM homework; discuss with students and ask for explanations and thoughts

Other: Other:


Dedicating Time to STEAM When will you schedule STEAM? Keeping simple basic STEAM materials available should be the everyday norm. In addition, many STEAM elements can be worked into the day during snack, recess, homework, or physical education:

• During snack time, student committees can present weather and news reports (including vocabulary, measurement, presenting data, giving reasons), conduct surveys, and manage distributions and menus.

• During recess, students can use manipulatives or puzzles that need big spaces and lots of physical activity

• During homework time, students can do hands-‐on projects to supplement classroom learning, or homework time can begin with mental math contests, puzzles, or guessing games. Homework is also a good time for vocabulary expansion and questioning.

• Physical education can include sports stats, outdoor explorations, counting, and measurement, and enrichment time is wide open for a range of exciting options.

What can you include? SNACK

HOMEWORK

ENRICHMENT

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

OTHER

How often can you schedule STEAM activities? You can plan to have activity centers available every day, plus one day a week for more in-‐depth projects or club time. Or you may have dedicated lesson or project time two or more times per week. The key is to map out times and maximize opportunities to bring in STEAM. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY


Planning a STEAM Activity Center Setting up and rotating Activity Centers as a regular part of your program is a quick way to support STEAM-‐centered independent explorations. Well-‐planned activity centers engage students in hands-‐on, independent exploration and learning targeted to specific objectives. Students can participate in developing ideas and materials for centers, and in setting them up and managing them. Centers may be an area of the room, or simply activities kept in shoeboxes and worked with on a table. Experiment with making several different activities available at the same time for students to move among freely. Center Starter Ideas

• Time: Calendars to customize, daily and weekly schedules with dates and times, clocks and watches to play with and take apart, appointment books (K-‐3)

• Money: Penny jar, pennies, play money, menus, catalogs, store items (K-‐3)

• Money: Balancing a checkbook, budgeting (5 and up)

• Measuring: Measuring cups, measuring spoons, containers of different sizes, scale, sand, pebbles, liquids to measure (K-‐3)

• Measuring: designing a garden or room (K-‐6)

• Sorting: Mixed bead, button, or bead collections for sorting, estimating, counting (different colors, sizes, shapes) (K-‐3)

• Building: Blocks, Legos, paper cups, cardboard, straws, twist-‐ties to construct two-‐ and three-‐dimensional shapes (K-‐4)

• Building: straws, tape, scissors, papers, graph paper, paint with challenges (3-‐6)

• Building: plywood, wood scraps, tools, electronics equipment (5-‐6)

• Puzzles: All grades with increasing complexity

• Shapes: Posters with shapes, crayons, pencils, construction paper, graph paper, different sizes of triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles, two-‐ and three-‐dimensional shapes and objects to trace, draw, cut out, and play with (K-‐3)


• Patterns and rhythms: Rhythm instruments to beat out patterns, paper for students to write beat patterns in symbols for others to follow (e.g., a = short tap, b = long tap). (2-‐4)

• STEAM Experiments and building kits: Gather materials for experiments and make them available regularly. Also include building kits such as model airplanes and boats, paper airplanes, etc. (2-‐6)

STEAM Activity Center Planner

Description/theme of center:

STEAM area focus (check all that apply)

____ Science: Life sciences ____ Science: Physical sciences ____ Technology ____ Engineering ____ Arts ____ Math ____ Other: _______________________________________

Learning objectives and purpose:

Number of users at one time

___ Individual work ___ Pairs ___ Small groups ___ Any

Instructions ___ Clearly written for users to understand ___ Needs to be explained or demonstrated ___ Users can explain to each other

Availability

___ Always ___ Days/times ________________________ ___ Homework ___ By request


Supervision

___ None, general only ___ Periodic check ___ Demonstrations and explanations needed ___ Active supervision

Extensions and support

Additional resources needed: Expert contacts: Additional materials needed:

Supplies needed

Instruction card or paper to include: Materials, tools, equipment:

Observation Checklist

___ Actively used ___ Instructions clear, little supervision needed ___ Used by all participants ___ Positive outcomes ___ Meeting objectives

Comments, changes, extensions:

Tap Into Community and Internet Resources Think broadly about resources in your building and local area, partners and organizations, sources of materials, activities, projects, and curriculum, and the vast amount available on the Internet. Even your own building, play yard, or street is loaded with opportunities for STEAM! Consider developing and tapping resources with students, with STEAM projects such as:

• Research, identify and invite speakers in STEAM fields to your school • Identify local experts to invite to lead a special program • Plan, budget, and conduct fundraisers for field trips • Research and map local habitats to explore or conduct inquiry projects • Build inquiry projects around particular sites (such as hospitals or laboratories)

or systems (such as water and sewer)


Below is a list of some of the opportunities you may have in your community. Delete those that are unavailable and add others that are specific to your community. Places to Visit to Encourage STEAM Awareness and STEAM Thinking

Have access

Will seek

Aquariums Science museums and planetariums University laboratories High school science and technology labs Technology centers Zoos, botanical gardens Hospitals, clinics, medical laboratories Other: Other: Exploring in the City/Town Parks, playgrounds, street trees, tree pits, rocks Animal life (birds, insects, worms, pets, squirrels, rats, mice) Animal shelters and veterinarians Water, sewer, and sanitation systems Construction sites, bridges Gas, electric, and communication systems Factories, machine shops, auto repair Other: Other: Exploring in the Country Ponds, lakes, streams, oceans, tide pools Fields, woods, pastures Farms, animal breeders, feed stores Farmers, veterinarians, animal hospitals School grounds, playing fields, buildings Other: Other: People and Expertise Parents, family members with STEAM-‐related jobs Parents, family members who are scientists, engineers, architects, doctors, laboratory technicians, computer engineers, software developers, graphic designers or other STEAM professions

Digital game and software developers University faculty or students with STEAM expertise Science center or museum personnel Other: Other:


The Maker Education Initiative <makered.org> An initiative accompanying the STEAM initiative is the Maker Education Initiative whose mission is to create more opportunities for young people to develop confidence, creativity, and interest in science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole through making. Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary Stager have developed eight elements of good Maker Projects. These eight elements can also serve as guidelines for developing STEAM lessons. As you write lessons, answer the questions posed in each of the eight areas. These include:

• Purpose and Relevance. Is the project personally meaningful? Does the project prompt intrigue in the learner enough to have him or her invest time, effort, and creativity in the development of the project?

• Time. Sufficient time must be provided for learners to plan, execute, debug, alter, expand, and edit their projects. Class time affords students equal access to expertise and materials; projects may also need sufficient out-‐of-‐school time.

• Complexity. The best projects combine multiple subject areas and call upon the prior knowledge and expertise of each student. Best of all, serendipitous insights and connections to big ideas lead to the greatest payoff for learners.

• Intensity. Children have a remarkable capacity for intensity that is rarely tapped by the sliced-‐and-‐diced curriculum. Projects provide an outlet for the exercise of that intensity. Think about how long kids can spend mastering a video game, reading a favorite book series, memorizing the attributes of Pokémon, or building a tree house, and you have a good template for successful, project-‐based learning.


• Connection. In great projects, students are connected to each other, experts, multiple subject areas, powerful ideas, and the world via the Internet. The lessons learned during interpersonal connections that are required by collaborative projects last a lifetime. While there is some merit in organizing student groups to “teach” collaboration, a teacher can hope to create a more natural environment in which students collaborate (or do not) based on their own needs. Collaboration may consist of observing a peer, asking a quick question, or by working with the same teammates for the duration of a project.

• Access. Students need anytime-‐anywhere access to a wide variety of concrete and digital materials. Personal student laptops make this possible, but we also need to think about the quality and quantity of craft materials, books, tools, hardware, software, and Internet access that allows learners to follow paths we may never have anticipated. When non-‐consumable materials are used, such as LEGO bricks, a sufficient quantity is necessary to ensure that students have everything they need for their projects and can leave the finished products together long enough for others to learn from them. The last thing you want is one student cannibalizing a classmate’s work during project creation.

• Shareability. This is the big idea of project-‐based learning! Students need to make something that is shareable with others. This provides a great deal of motivation, relevance, perspective making, reciprocal learning, and an authentic audience for the project. “A project is something you want to share” is a sufficient definition for learners of all ages.

• Novelty. Few project ideas are so profound that every child needs to engage in its development in every class, or year after year. Yes, that means that it may be time to rethink the annual marshmallow adobe project. If one student makes a fantastic discovery during a project, others can learn from it without slavishly repeating the steps of the pioneering student. In a healthy community of practice, learning continues and knowledge is shared naturally without coerced repetition.


Online Resources for Starting Maker Programs, Clubs, and Spaces

The Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio website http://www.tinkering.exploratorium.edu New York Hall of Science’s Design Make Play’s Maker Program Blueprint http://dmp.nysci.org/ Lighthouse Community Charter Schools’ Creativity Lab http://lighthousecreativitylab.org/ Intel Start Making! @ Clubhouses Session Guide (v.1 April 2014) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u8wryridm3rhdr6/Ohf9zTb8nN Price Middle School Maker Club website, including tips on running a maker club and library http://www.cambriansd.org/price/schertler The Washington Maker Workshop website, a non profit maker-‐space in the low-‐income Washington Neighborhood of San Jose http://www.washingtonmakerworkshop.org Maker Ed’s Young Makers Maker Club Playbook http://youngmakers.org/resources/playbook/ Maker Corps Member's programs from Makerspace @ The Tech in 2013 http://www.thetech.org/partnership-‐programs-‐tech/makerspace-‐tech


Resources for Finding Ideas, Projects, and Inspiration for Maker Projects

Makezine http://makezine.com Instructables http://www.instructables.com Design Squad with KQED http://pbskids.org/designsquad Hi-‐Low Tech Media Lab at MIT http://highlowtech.org Thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com Future Cities Paper Robot Templates http://paolaguimerans.com/hellotsinghua/?cat=9 http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahbuechley/sets/72157608626823423/ Paper Circuits Conductive Dye http://openmaterials.org http://paolaguimerans.com/hellotsinghua/?cat=4 Course Design http://www.coetail.com/online12-‐13/category/course-‐1/ Binary Math for Computers at eGFI Engineering Projects http://teachers.egfi-‐k12.org/bits-‐binary/ 100 Kid Engineering Projects http://constructionmanagementdegree.org/blog/2010/100-‐awesome-‐engineering-‐projects-‐for-‐kids/ Engineering for youth curriculum http://opas.ous.edu/Work2009-‐2011/OST/COSEY%20CURRICULUM%202011.pdf MESA High School Lessons http://azmesa.arizona.edu/sites/azmesa.arizona.edu/files/Lesson%20Plans%20Master-‐HS.pdf


AMPS at NYU POLY Applying Mechatronix is to Promote Science http://gk12.poly.edu/amps-‐cbri/html/resources/classroom.html?groovybtn1=Physics+%3E%3E#High%20 PhysicsDesign Thinking for Educators http://www.designthinkingforeducators.com/ Simple Machines http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/public/Iguide/Iguide.cfm?action=V1&tsele1=3&tsele2=107&tsele3i=1 Castilleja School’s Bourn Idea Lab’s Pinterest Board http://www.pinterest.com/bournidealab Air Rocket Works http://www.airrocketworks.com/ SquishyCircuits http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/apthomas/SquishyCircuits http://www.makershed.com/Squishy_Circuits_Kit_p/mksc1.htm Installing Linux OS to revitalize old PCs http://lubuntu.net/ LED Throwies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjTP_T-‐wR9w


Learning by Doing Develops STEM/STEAM Problem Solving

Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.

Chinese Proverb

Learning by Doing Think back to your youth. How did you learn to speak? How did you learn to ride a bicycle? How did you learn to swim? How did you learn to share with others? How did you learn to drive a car? We learned by doing! Many organizations effectively use this learn-‐by-‐doing model. They include 4H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Expeditionary Learning, Service Learning, homeschoolers, and many more formal and informal organizations. The learn-‐by-‐doing approach allows learners to experience something with minimal guidance from an adult. Instead of being told “the answers,” they are presented with a question, problem, situation, or activity which they must make sense of for themselves. Learning by doing is often called experiential learning because it is based on learning from experiences. One of the leading proponents of instructional theory, Roger Schank, writes “life requires us to do, more than it requires us to know, in order to function. It makes more sense to teach students how to perform useful tasks. There is only one effective way to teach someone how to do anything, and that is to let them do it.” (1999). The most important goal of this theory is to “foster skill development and the learning of factual information in the context of how it will be used” (Schank et al, 1999).


The diagram below shows the learning-‐by-‐doing process employed by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4H Leader Training Series:

The skills developed through this learn-‐by-‐doing approach help our students become self-‐directing, productive, contributing members of society with the following skill sets:

• Learning Skills

o capitalizing on curiosity o coping with change o identifying sources of knowledge o developing psychomotor skills (strength and endurance, coordination,

and precision).

• Decision Making Skills

o assessing needs and interests o using resources (time, energy, talents, and money) wisely o establishing goals and priorities

• Communication Skills

o being open to others’ points of view o negotiating o managing conflict


• Life Skills

o understanding and respecting others o developing tact and diplomacy o making friends o helping others in a manner that respects their values and concerns o accepting responsibilities for individual and group goals o participating responsibly and collaboratively in group activities

The Problem-‐Solving Process As part of the problem-‐solving process, students use concrete materials as aids in modeling concepts, formulating relationships, and improving understanding. These hands-‐on manipulatives:

• make students’ mathematical and scientific thinking visible, so that everyone can see it, talk about it, and learn from it;

• provide a context for developing mathematical and scientific concepts; • help students explore, think about, and talk about mathematics, science,

technology, and engineering; • help students construct meaning and see patterns and relationships; • allow students more easily to test, revise, and confirm their reasoning; • help students make connections between concepts and symbols; • help students talk about STEAM, with the result that teachers have a basis for

assessing students’ understandings. It is important that manipulatives be linked with other representations of mathematical or scientific problems or concepts. The ultimate goal of using manipulatives is, first, to make a concept more accessible to the student, and then to help the student understand the link between such concrete representations and their symbolic or numerical counterparts. For example, students could be given the following problem: Ruth had 8 pencils. She bought 4 more. How many did she have altogether?


We learn things by doing! So as teachers, we must provide as many hands-‐on, learning-‐by-‐doing activities as we can. We need to gather as many doing-‐devices as we can in our classrooms. A list of possible learn-‐by-‐doing-‐devices, many of these are available very inexpensively at dollar stores, follows:

Learn-‐By-‐Doing Devices/Tools (in Alphabetical Order) Attribute Blocks Baggies Balls of Many Sizes Base Ten Blocks Bathroom Scale Beads: All Shapes & Sizes Bells Building Blocks Buttons: All Shapes & Sizes Calculators Compass Construction Paper Cotton Balls Crayons Cuisenaire Rods Dice Dominoes Dried Beans Drinking Straws Duct Tape Fabric Flashlights Fraction Circles Geoboards Geometric Solid Blocks

Glue and Glue Sticks Graph Paper Hand Tools Kitchen Scale Kitchen Timers Lego Blocks Linking or Snapping Cubes Magic Markers Magnetic Letters Magnetic Numbers Magnetic Words Magnifying Glass Marbles Masking Tape Measuring Cups Measuring Spoons Measuring Tapes Mirrors & Hinged Mirrors Money Multicolored Stickies Number Cubes Number Lines Paint and Paint Brushes Paper Clips Paper Cups

Pasta Pattern Blocks Pipe Cleaners Playing Cards Pocket Charts Popsicle Sticks Protractors Puzzles Rolling Pins Rubber Bands Rubber Stamps Rulers Scissors Scrap Lumber Spinners Squirt Bottles Stop Watches String Styrofoam Balls Styrofoam Noodles Tangrams Thermometers Toothpicks Tweezers Yarn

Add others you can think of below:


Questioning Techniques

Education at all levels in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—STEAM—develops, preserves, and disseminates knowledge and skills that convey personal, economic, and social benefits. Higher education provides the advanced work skills needed in an increasingly knowledge-‐intensive, innovation-‐focused economy and society.

-‐ National Science Foundation

Introduction Good questioning skills are an important part of good teaching. The type of questions that teachers ask is one of the major determinants of the nature of the classroom. When teachers stick with direct recall questions such as what or when, the classroom environment tends to be more teacher-‐directed where a single correct answer is valued. Questions allow us to make sense of the world. They are the most powerful tools we have for making decisions and solving problems, for inventing, changing and improving our lives as well as the lives of others. Questioning is central to learning and growing (McKenzie, 1999). Asking probing questions is much more difficult. Developing questions that probe, engage and enable students to think deeply is a skill that needs to be developed. We know that probing questions promote student inquiry and increase student engagement and achievement; so as teachers we must hone this skill. Garbage in, garbage out, is a popular truth, often said in relation to computer systems: If you put the wrong information in, you'll get the wrong information out. The same principle applies to communications in general: If you ask the wrong questions, you'll probably get the wrong answer, or at least not quite what you're hoping for.


Types of Questions

There are many different types of questions, each of which is designed to elicit a different response. Teachers wishing well-‐thought-‐out responses need to ask specific types of questions. Different types of questions accomplish different tasks and help us to build up our answers in different ways. If teachers ask tantalizing and divergent questions in their classrooms, students are likely to begin asking more interesting or thought-‐provoking questions. Many types of questions are described below with sample questions teachers might ask elementary school children.

Open questions are good for:

Developing an open discussion What do you already know about the planets?

Finding out more detail What else do you need to learn before you’re comfortable creating your science fair project?

Digging deeper into a topic How did you discover this unique idea about Saturn?"

Promoting high-‐level thinking Why do you suppose Saturn has multicolored rings? Seeking a thoughtful explanation What can you conclude from the evidence? Developing observation skills What do you notice here?

Tell me about this What do you see?

Concept development What shapes did you use in your block building? What shapes did the other students use? What does this tell us about block building?

Closed questions are good for:

Testing one’s understanding Name the eight planets.

Obtaining finite information Has your parent signed the photo release form?"

Setting a frame Do you know where to place your homework each morning?

Probing questions are good for:

Gaining clarification How did you learn that you could mix blue paint with yellow paint to get green paint?

Understanding relationships Why can’t a newborn puppy be separated from its mother?


Drawing information out of students who unsure of the topic

You told me that mixing yellow and blue paint made green paint. Use that same thinking to tell me what two colors you mix to make orange.

Drawing Inferences If we mix all our different paint colors together, what color might we get? Why do you think that?

Digging deeper You told me you think Pluto should still be characterized as a planet. What are your reasons for your thinking?

Justifying a response Please explain why you chose to add the water to the dye rather than the dye to the water.

Thinking reflectively What did we just learn from that experiment, experience, problem, or discussion?

Elaborate on an idea Let’s take that idea to the next level. We have been working to conserve water in our classroom. What if Ms. Smith’s classroom did the same thing? What if all the classrooms in our school did the same thing? How would that effect how much water our town used?

Divergent Questions are one of the central elements of inquiry learning. They not only engage students in classroom discussions, they allow them to think independently, creatively, and often critically. Divergent questions allow students to take ownership of their own learning while also feeling a shared responsibility for the learning of the entire class. They allow a number of students to respond to the same question, thereby encouraging student participation. Divergent questions (designed to elicit many different answers) often begin with:

• Imagine... • Suppose... • Predict... • If..., then... • How might... • Can you create... • What are some of the possible consequences... • What if...

Elaborating Questions extend and stretch our thinking. They take what we know or have learned in our classrooms and extend them to other classrooms or environments. They also help us make inferences about our learning. Elaborating questions often begin with:

• What does this mean? • What might it mean if certain conditions were different?


• How could I take this farther? What is the logical next step? What is missing? What needs to be filled in?

• What are the implied or suggested meanings?

Levels of Questioning: Part 1 Mr. Coley, fifth grade teacher (Tovashal Elementary School, Murrieta Valley Unified School District, CA) wished to help his students ask better questions. The questioning worksheet (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) he developed for them is summarized below: Level 1: Knowledge – Exhibits memory of previously learned materials by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers. Key Words Sample Questions who what why when where which omit choose find how define

label show spell list match name relate tell recall select

What is…? Who was…? How is…? Where is…? How did _____ happen? When did _____ happen? Why did…? When did…? How would you show…? Who were the main…? Which one…? How would you describe…? Can you recall…? Can you select…? Can you list the three…?


Level 2: Comprehension – Demonstrates understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions, and stating main ideas. Key Words Sample Questions compare contrast demonstrate interpret explain rephrase translate summarize show

extend illustrate infer outline relate classify

What is the main idea of…? What facts or ideas show…? Can you explain what is happening…? What does _____ mean? How would you classify the type of…? How would you compare…? How would you contrast…? Put in your own words… How would you rephrase the meaning of…? What statements support…? What can you say about…? Which is the best answer? How would you summarize…?

Level 3: Application – Solve problems to new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques, and rules in a different way. Key Words Sample Questions apply build choose construct develop interview make use of organize

plan select solve utilize model identify experiment

How would you use…? What examples can you find to…? What would happen if…? What parts would you choose to change…? How would you solve _____ using what you’ve learned? How would you organize _____ to show…? How would you show your understanding of…? What approach would you use to…? How would you apply what you learned to…? What other way would you plan to…? What facts would you select to show…? What questions would you ask in an interview with…?


Level 4: Analysis – Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations. Key Words Sample Questions Verbs analyze categorize classify compare contrast discover dissect divide examine inspect simplify survey take part in test for distinguish list

Nouns distinction theme relationship/s function motive inference assumption conclusion

Why do you think…? What are the parts or features of…? How is _____ related to…? What motive is there…? Can you list the parts…? What inference can you make…? What conclusions can you draw…? How would you classify…? How would you categorize…? What evidence can you find…? What is the relationship between…? Can you make a distinction between…? What is the function of…? What ideas justify…?

Level 5: Synthesis – Compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions. Key Words Sample Questions build choose combine compile compose construct create design develop estimate formulate imagine invent make up originate plan predict

suppose discuss modify change original improve adapt minimize maximize delete theorize elaborate test happen change propose solve solution

What change would you make to solve…? How would you improve…? What would happen if…? Can you elaborate on the reason…? Can you propose an alternative…? Can you invent…? How would you adapt _____ to create a different…? How would you change or modify the plot…? What could be done to minimize or maximize…? What way would you design…? What could be combined to improve…? Suppose you could _____. What would you do…? How would you test…? Can you formulate a theory for…? Can you think or an original way for the…? Can you predict the outcome if…?


Level 6: Evaluation – Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas, or quality of work based on a set of criteria. Key Words Sample Questions award choose conclude criticize decide defend determine dispute evaluate judge justify measure compare mark recommend rule on rate

prioritize opinion interpret explain support importance criteria prove disprove assess influence perceive value deduct select agree appraise

Do you agree with the actions…? Why or why not? What is your opinion of…? Who would you prove or disprove…? What is the value of…? Would it be better if…? Why did the character choose…? What would you recommend…? How would you rate…? What would you cite to defend the actions…? How would you evaluate…? What choice would you have made…? What would you select…? How would you prioritize…? What judgment would you make about…? How would you justify…? Why is it better…?

Levels of Questioning: Part 2 San Diego Unified School District simplifies the six levels into three levels: the answer is on the page, the answer is between the lines, and the answer is in your head. This scheme is summarized below:

Level 1 -‐ “The answer is on the page” facts or details These questions can be answered with yes, no, or specific information found in the text. A person can point to the information, read it, or physically see it.

Count Define Describe Complete

Identify List Match Name

Observe Recite Scan Select


Level 2 – “The answer is between the lines” Implied or Inferred These questions require a person to expand on what they already know by using facts, details, or clues.

Analyze Compare Contrast Classify

Distinguish Explain (Why) Infer Make Analogies

Observe Recite Scan Select

Level 3 – “The answer is in your head” Connections or Opinions These questions require a person to reflect on their thinking and be able to respond with a personal opinion that is supported by facts. The person makes a value judgment or wonders about something.

Apply a... Evaluate Forecast Generalize

Hypothesize If...Then Imagine Idealize

Judge Predict Principle Speculate Appendix E provides Arthur Costa’s Model of Intellectual Functioning in Three Levels from Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking

Questions for Inquiry-‐Based Learning from You For Youth You for Youth < https://www.y4y.ed.gov/> focuses on inquiry-‐based learning. They provide some guidelines on developing questions to strengthen your students’ inquiry skills. They are summarized below: Checklist Yes No Is the question something students really care about? Does the question require more than just looking up a simple fact? Is the answer something students already know? Is there more than one possible ‘right’ answer? Do these questions make the cut?

� Where is Chicago? � How do they get the toothpaste in the tube? � How much does a car cost in Japan? � Why did Dr. Seuss write The Cat in the Hat? � What is text messaging? � Is R&B more popular than rap?


� How many people live in New York City? � Why does the grass turn brown in the summer? � Is the price of gas the same in Montana as it is in New Jersey?

The Four Steps to the Inquiry Process: (1) Ask Question: Probe students to get to the “real” question they want to ask. (2) Get Resources: Help students find resources to answer their question. Encourage

students to question whether or not the information is valid or good information. (3) Apply Information: Help students decide if the information is useful or answers their

question. (4) Report Findings: Encourage students to create their own way to show what they

learned.

Questions Aligned with the Scientific Process Another way of developing questions is aligning them with the steps in the Scientific Process. The chart below outlines and explains the steps in the left column, and it provides sample questions in the right column. Use any of these questions in your STEAM classroom instruction or lesson plans.

Scientific Processes Guiding Questions

Questioning, hypothesizing Forming questions Coming up with possible explanations or answers (hypotheses)

• Why is that? • How does it work? How does it happen? • What might happen if…? • What might you see?

Observation Using the senses to gather information

• What do you see? Hear? Smell? How does it feel? • What is going on? How do you know? • Does this seem like anything else you know about?

Classification Ordering and grouping observations

• Which are the same? Similar? • Different? • How are they similar or different?

Recording and communicating Explaining and presenting to others

How do you describe this? What did you do? How did that happen? What were you looking for?


Scientific Processes Guiding Questions

Use data (e.g., numbers and measurement) to represent and explain

• How many? • How often? How much? • How long did it take? When? • How big? What shapes? • How many different…?

Form conclusions, question further, predict, and revise hypotheses

• What did you find out? • What do you wonder about? What else do you want to know? • Is there another explanation? • What do you think will happen if… • What might change findings?

Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions Make Just One Change by the co-‐directors of the Right Question Institute, Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, documents a step-‐by-‐step process to help students formulate and prioritize questions. Teachers might also use this method to brainstorm questions that will produce deeper thinking about a topic.

The authors lay out rules for students to follow as they produce their first set of questions. The questions are focused around what Rothstein and Santana call the Question Focus. This is a guiding topic for the questions that students should be producing.

Rule 1: Ask As Many Questions as You Can. Gives Students License to Ask. There are potential stumbling blocks related to this rule, including:

• Students struggle trying to produce the questions: o Give them time to think. o Repeat the Question Focus and the rules, but do not give examples of

questions. • Students ask for examples:

o Do not give examples. Repeat: Do not give examples. When you give examples you are setting direction for the questions.

o Students need to struggle with this a bit. If they are completely stuck, you can use question starters. For example: “You can start a question with words like what, when or how.


• Groups are working at different paces: o While some of your small groups will have lots of questions, others will

not. This is fine. o The work during this exercise should not be judged by the number of

questions students produced. o If some of your groups have difficulty in producing questions, just make

sure they stay on task by reminding them of the rules. • Some students are not participating or one student is producing all the

questions: o Remind students about the task and the rules. o All group members should contribute questions including the scribe. o Remind students of this first rule: All questions are welcomed and valued.

This will allow the reluctant student to participate.

Rule 2: Do Not Stop to Discuss, Judge, or Answer Any Question. Create a Safe Space and Protection for All Students.

• Students want to answer a question as it comes up. • This rule says it all: do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss. • Let students know that there will be opportunities for discussion and addressing

the questions in other steps of the process.

Rule 3: Write Down Every Question Exactly as It Is Stated. Level the Playing Field So All Questions and Voices Are Respected.

• Sometimes it will be difficult for the scribe to keep track of the question and all the words.

• The challenge is to make sure each question is captured, especially if there’s a flurry of questions.

• Remind students that the whole group is responsible for each question to be written exactly as it was asked.

• Group members can help the scribe in remembering and recording all the questions.

Rule 4: Change Any Statement into a Question

Potential challenges that may arise with rule 4 include:

• Students get off task and start talking: o Make sure students stay focused on asking questions. o Sometimes you will see students getting off-‐task — talking or discussing. o Other times they might think they have asked a question when they have

not. Just ask them to change their statement a question.


• Students are confused about the instructions: o Confusion could be a result of requesting students to work differently. o Repeat the Question Focus and the rules to clarify but do not over-‐

explain.

• The Question Focus is not working:

o It is important to have a backup plan if the Question Focus doesn’t work. o Plan alternative ways to present the same Question Focus. o Do not try to explain or give information about the Question Focus but

give the instructions in a different way. ! “I want you to ask questions about [alternative Question Focus].” ! Explore with students what is it that they don’t understand; this

will allow you to restate the instructions in a way they understand.


Using QR Codes in STEAM Classrooms

Using QR Codes in K-‐12 Classrooms is a powerful tool for leveraging independence in our digital-‐age learners.

Alice Christie, Ph.D.

What are QR Codes? A QR Code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device such as a QR Code scanner; data is then extracted from patterns present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image. QR stands for Quick Response; once your QR Code scanner reads a QR Code, users are quickly directed to a website with text, an image, a video, or more.


QR codes storing URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, on buses, on business cards, or on almost any object about which users might need information. QR-‐code readers or scanners convert the QR Code to some useful form such as a standard URL for a website so the user does not have to type the URL manually into a web browser.

What are QR Code Readers/Scanners? i-‐nigma is the most reliable QR Code Reader/Scanner, in the opinion of the author. There are a number of other QR Code Scanner apps, but why use an inferior app when a very reliable one is available for free?

How to Create CR Codes There are a number of web sites that allow you to create QR Codes for free. Below is a list of web sites where educators can create QR Codes for use in their classrooms:

• i-‐nigma (http://i-‐nigma.com/CreateBarcodes.html) allows you to create QR Codes in a variety of sizes

• QR Stuff (http://www.qrstuff.com/)allows you to create colorful QR Codes • QR Monkey (http://www.qrcode-‐monkey.com/) allows you to create colorful

codes with logos embedded in the middle of the QR Code. • Go QR (http://goqr.me/)allows you to create QR Codes • Unitag (http://www.unitaglive.com/qrcode) allows you to create customized QR

Codes • Kaywa QR Code Generator (http://qrcode.kaywa.com) allows you to create QR

Codes After you create a QR Code, place it in a document so students can scan it and go quickly and efficiently to a web site with text, an image, a movie, a song, a map, etc. QR Code scanners can read both printed and digital codes:

• print QR Codes that will be used numerous times • digitally display QR Codes that will be used for a single activity


Use Google Spreadsheets to Creating Multiple QR Codes

I adapted the directions below on creating multiple QR codes from Tammy Worcester’s Tech Tips:

1. Log into Google Drive.

2. Click on the create button to the left hand side and click on spreadsheet.

3. Label column ‘A’ Information. This is where you will put the information you want the QR code to have, for example your text, video, URL etc.

4. Label column ‘B’ QR Code. (Eventually your QR code will appear here)

5. Resize the columns and rows so they are approximately 2 inches by 2 inches. You want them big enough to be able to scan easily.

6. Copy and paste the following formula in cell B2, then click Enter:

=image(ʺhttps://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150×150&cht=qr&chl=ʺ &A2)

7. A QR code will appear! *If it doesn’t work on the first try, it could be because you had a space after the A2) so delete the space and try again. The row will change to green and that is how you know it will work.

8. Click the tiny blue square in the bottom-‐right corner of the cell and drag down to fill the formula in that column. QR codes should appear for all the information you filled in each row. If you didn’t fill in each row and you see QR codes then you can go back and put in information and those QR codes will change to add the new information.

9. Print them out, cut them up and place where you want them in your classroom.


QR Code Types Originally used as a marketing tool in business, the use of QR Codes has expanded exponentially. Educators have extended their use to their classrooms, and even parents are getting on the bandwagon.

There are several distinct types of codes. Each is explained below and an example is provided.

Types of QR Codes Where the CD Codes Take Users Type 1: Links to Websites


Type 2: Encoded Message Questions and Immediate Answers

Type 3: Links to Web-‐Based Images

Type 4: Links to Web-‐Based

Groups of Images


Type 5: Contact Information

How To Use QR Codes in STEAM Classrooms There are numerous ways for educators to use QR Codes in their classrooms. I have generated the short list below. During our seminar, we will add to this list.

Post Contact Information Post in your classroom for parents, guardians, staff, or administration to obtain phone number, email address, class website, class blog etc.

Help Students Discover Their STEAM Learning Environment

Post QR Codes on everyday objects in your classroom. Link to audio files that pronounce and define the word in English or a second language being used in your classroom.


Conduct Research Create QR Codes to direct students to Internet sites on specific STEAM topics, at appropriate reading levels, and with appropriate number of images.

Contextualize Learning Create QR Codes to direct students to images to explain STEAM concepts to non-‐readers.

Contextualize Reading Create QR Codes and place them on book covers to direct students to information about an author.

Scaffold Non-‐Fiction STEAM Reading Put QR Codes on non-‐fiction books so students can learn more about the books’ topics through audio files, video files, or websites that provide relevant information on the topic.


Develop Vocabulary Create QR Codes to direct students to images to explain STEAM vocabulary words.

Scaffold Early STEAM Literacy Create QR Codes and place them on book covers to direct students to a video of the book, an online version of the book, or an audio reading of the book. Non-‐readers or emerging readers can then read along.

Scaffold STEAM Learning Create QR Codes to direct students to a ‘how to video’ such as a Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/ ) video or a ShowMe (http://www.showme.com/ ) video you created yourself.

Develop Cultural Awareness Put QR Codes on countries, landmarks, states, or oceans on a map or globe. Link them to videos or websites with more information about each place.


Create An Interactive Quiz

Make an interactive quiz! Use QR Codes with information about a topic and have students guess the answer, which is provided in the encoded message of the QR Code.

Mark Important STEAM Events on Your Calendar

Make QR Codes of:

• Student birthdays • Scientists’ birthdays • STEM/STEAM events • Due dates for student

projects • Dates when class is

Skyping with a STEM/STEAM expert

Manage Behavior in Your STEAM Classroom Create QR Codes to direct students to comments about their behavior, their attention to a given task, their interpersonal skills, their ability to follow directions, etc.


Update Your Textbooks Create QR Codes that provide links to more recent information, deeper information, or maps, movies, speeches, etc. that will contextualize learning. Paste these QR Codes into textbooks.

Provide Answers to Specific Questions Create QR Codes that provide an answer to a question.

Create Audio QR Codes

Use a Web 2.0 tool that will let you record an audio file online and store it at a particular URL. There are many sites that do this, but Record MP3 (http://www.recordmp3.org/) is efficient and easy to use.

You can create and upload a MP3 file in just a few steps and then the program generates a URL. Take URL from Record MP3 and paste it into your favorite QR code creator and generate a large QR code. The QR Code links to the audio file so that when the QR code is scanned, the audio file plays the recording. OR: Upload Audio File to Google Drive and Create QR Code https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3amoYNpMjg


Help Students Exhibit Their Work Create QR Codes to direct parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, other learners across town, or other learner across the state or the country to web-‐based reports, drawings, photos, movies, art projects, presentations of your students:


Help Students Become Self-‐Directed Learners Create QR Codes to direct students to commonly used sites such as:

• The Visual Dictionary • Educational Videos Such as BrainPop Science

Videos • NCTM Illuminations • NCTE ReadWriteThink Interactives • Math Manipulatives • Base Ten Blocks • Practice Math and English Language Arts

The pocket chart shown below holds all the QR Codes to help learners in a STEAM classroom become more independent and self-‐reliant as learners.

Print each large QR Code on paper and place in the classroom where they are easily accessible to all learners.


QR Code Resources

• Dr. Alice Christie’s Guide to QR Codes in the K-‐12 Classroom (http://alicechristie.org/edtech/qr_codes)

• Tony Vincent’s Video on Using QR Codes in Education (http://learninginhand.com/blog/learning-‐in-‐hand-‐25-‐qr-‐codes.html)

• Technology in Early Childhood Blog (http://technologyinearlychildhood.com/)

• Scoop.it: Engaging Students Using QR Codes (http://www.scoop.it/t/engaging-‐students-‐using-‐qr-‐codes)

• QR Treasure Hunt Generator! (http://www.classtools.net/QR/index.php)

• Kathy Schrock’s Guide to QR Codes in the Classroom (http://www.schrockguide.net/qr-‐codes-‐in-‐the-‐classroom.html)

• QR Codes In Education: Live Binder by Steven Anderson (http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/51894)

• Edutopia: Twelve Ideas for Teaching with QR Codes (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-‐codes-‐teaching-‐andrew-‐miller)

• Flip Cameras and QR codes (http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/view_lesson_plans?id=5896)

• Your Smarticles: QR Idea and Resources (http://www.yoursmarticles.blogspot.com/p/qr-‐code-‐ideas-‐and-‐resources.html#.Uk9luCQzLSc)

• 50 QR Code Resources for the Classroom (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/50-‐qr-‐code-‐resources-‐for-‐the-‐classroom/16093)

• 3D Animated QR Code Cube (http://blog.qr4.nl/default.aspx)


Using GPS-Enabled Mobile Devices in STEAM Classrooms

Use a learn-‐by-‐doing, constructivist approach to ensure that participants are actively engaged, challenged to learn and integrate new concepts, working collaboratively, learning from their mistakes, and applying their new understandings/skills to their own situations.

Alice A. Christie, Ph.D.

Introduction

In this section, I describe a learning model for using GPS-‐enabled mobile devices and an activity I have coined EduCaching. This model incorporates the characteristics of active, engaged learning and constructivist learning environments. In addition, this section provides:

• A glossary of GPS terms • Components of the learning model • Descriptions of integrated curricular EduCaching units or lessons • Step-‐by-‐step directions on creating EduCaching units or lessons • Other suggestions for incorporating GPS-‐enabled devices and EduCaching into

learning environments • Numerous online resources for using GPS-‐enabled devices in educational

settings, including a podcast (that can be viewed on the Internet or heard on an iPod) that gives an overview of using GPS-‐enabled devices and EduCaching in education.


Glossary of Terms

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a $12 billion Satellite Navigation System consisting of 24 satellites (plus a few spares) deployed and maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. Each satellite passes around the earth twice in a 24-‐hour period at an altitude of about 12,500 miles. The satellites continuously broadcast position and time data to users throughout the world. Deployment of the satellites began in 1978, and the system became fully operational (uninterrupted global coverage) in 1995. GPS provides satellite signals that can be processed in a GPS-‐enabled device, enabling the receiver to compute one's position on the face of the earth (often indicated in terms of latitude and longitude).

GPS-‐enabled devices – handheld GPS receivers, cellular phones, and iPads – are used in cars, boats, airplanes, or outdoor environments. Handheld GPS-‐enabled devices are carried by hikers, surveyors, mapmakers, and others who need to know where they are. The GPS device receives data from the closest satellites to determine the unit's exact location, elevation, speed, and time. Inexpensive GPS-‐enabled devices available to civilians are as accurate as those used by the military today. Currently, there are millions of civilian users of GPS and GPS-‐enabled devices worldwide. A GPS-‐enabled device communicates with GPS satellites to provide information to its user. A standard GPS-‐enabled device will place the user's location on a map at any given location using latitude and longitude coordinates. It will also trace the user's path from one location to another. With this information and its built-‐in clock, the receiver can give the user the following information:

• How far they've traveled (odometer) • How long they've been traveling • Their current speed (speedometer) • Their average speed • A "bread crumb" trail showing the user exactly where they have traveled on the

map • The estimated time of arrival at a destination if the user maintains their current

speed

EduCache comes from the terms geo (earth) and cache (hidden supply or treasure). Historically, explorers and miners used caches to hide food or other items for emergency purposes. People still hide caches of supplies today for similar reasons. Animals and birds also hide food in caches for later use. Today’s EduCaches are usually inexpensive trinkets or clues in waterproof containers with the cache's coordinates. These coordinates, along with other details of the location, are posted on the Internet so other EduCachers obtain the coordinates and seek out the cache using their GPS handheld receivers.


An EduCache typical of those that I use in my workshops is pictured above.

Geocaching is an engaging adventure activity for GPS users. Locating an EduCache is a good way to take advantage of the features and capability of a GPS unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the Internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. See a video on geocaching.

The author conducting a GPS/EduCaching Workshop with her graduate students.

Components of Dr. Christie’s 6E Learning Model

This learning model (illustrated below) has three overarching goals: (1) learn how to use GPS-‐enabled devices, (2) learn to EduCache, and (3) explore new ideas in any area relevant to the students’ curriculum.


This model, which I have developed and coined the E6 Learning Model, is based on six principles: three that guide the curriculum, and three that guide the learning process. The three curricular principles are engagement, exchange of information, and empowerment. The three learning process principles are exploration, explanation, and exhibition. Teachers and students must (1) engage in personally relevant learning, (2) allow for extensive information exchange among peers and other global learners, and (3) be empowered to understand and use new technologies and strategies effectively in all learning environments. These learning environments, in turn, need to be structured to (1) provide learners with opportunities and time to explore new technologies and how to use them to maximize learning, (2) explain real-‐world data, inconsistencies, or problems using critical thinking and informed decision-‐making, and (3) exhibit their new knowledge gained through active, exploratory, inquiry-‐based learning in ways appropriate to the digital age in which they live.

Participating in an EduCache activity helps learners understand the features and capability of GPS-‐enabled devices. Students learn how to use GPS-‐enabled devices and digital data. By gathering and using authentic data, students (1) engage in the scientific process, (2) problem solve as needed to explore the options on their GPS-‐enabled devices and find their EduCaches, and (3) collaborate with other learners to explore and explain the world around them. Finally, learners explore a new knowledge realm relevant to their own curriculum.

This model uses a learn-‐by-‐doing, constructivist approach to ensure that participants are actively engaged, challenged to learn and integrate new concepts, working


collaboratively with other participants, learning from their mistakes, and applying their new understandings/skills to their own teaching/learning situations.

Description of an EduCaching Lesson on Sorting and Categorizing

Teams of students will use GPS-‐enabled devices to locate EduCaches that their teacher has hidden around their school campus. Students will return to the classroom with the recovered EduCaches, examine and discuss the contents of the EduCaches, determine a number of possible ways to categorize the contents of each EduCache, and then use Excel™ (or any other program that allows students to create graphs from data) and graph their data. The contents of each EduCache can be sorted in two or more ways.

Photo of Several EduCaches from the Sorting and Categorizing Lesson

The teacher provides the following materials:

• GPS-‐enabled devices • EduCaches (usually small, waterproof plastic boxes containing clues that help

students understand new concepts in any curricular area)

Contents of EduCaches used in the sorting and categorizing lesson:

Cache No. Cache Label Team Contents

0 Practice All Black and Red Checker Pieces Black and Ivory Chess Pieces

1 O-‐1 Orange Wooden building blocks in 4 colors & 6 shapes 2 O-‐2 Orange Balloons in many colors and sizes (shown above) 3 O-‐3 Orange Metal nails of various functions and lengths 4 P-‐1 Pink Multicolored zip ties of two sizes 5 P-‐2 Pink Multicolored, multi-‐textured hair bands 6 P-‐3 Pink Paper clips in 8 colors and 2 sizes 7 B-‐1 Blue Polished stones in black, brown, tan, cream, etc. 8 B-‐2 Blue Plastic numbers in six colors 9 B-‐3 Blue Wooden sticks in two colors and two sizes 10 Y-‐1 Yellow Jigsaw puzzle pieces of various shapes/sizes 11 Y-‐2 Yellow Cardboard smiley faces in six colors 12 Y-‐3 Yellow Erasers of various colors and shapes


Photos of cache box and teachers sorting contents of cache boxes:


Representative Graphs of Sorted and Categorized EduCache Contents:


Assessment

No external, multiple-‐choice test is needed to assess student success. Instead, evidence of student success comes through observation. The teacher continually monitors whether students are learning new concepts and skills based upon participants’


behaviors using the GPS-‐enabled devices while searching for EduCaches. The teacher adjusts instructional techniques, pace of instruction, and need for individualized instruction based on these observations. Further evidence of student success will be participants’ level of interest in using GPS-‐enabled devices and EduCaching for other curricular projects.

Step-‐by-‐step Directions on Creating EduCaching Units or Lessons

Once teachers have experienced this learning model -‐ and been in the role of learners working with other learners to solve problems -‐ they can apply this model in their own classrooms. Teachers will need to modify the activity to align with specific state and local standards and grade level or developmental level of their students. But the principles of using GPS-‐enabled devices, geocaching, and discovery learning remain the same. Teachers can create EduCaching lessons using the step-‐by-‐step directions below:

• Buy, rent, or borrow GPS-‐enabled devices (one for each group of 2-‐3 students). Schools or school districts often purchase class sets of GPS-‐enabled devices for rotating use in classrooms.

• Decide on the curricular focus of the lesson/activity. • Train a small group of students (from within the teacher’s class or from a group

of older students) on the use of GPS-‐enabled devices. They will serve as mentors to each of the small groups of students participating in the lesson/activity.

• Gather objects or create clues that will foster learning, raise curiosity, and encourage discussion about the curricular area chosen.

• Place these objects/clues in inexpensive plastic containers with an appropriate label. The label I use is pictured below:

• Hide these EduCaches (with the help of mentors) at least 100 yards apart in the vicinity of your classrooms or other outdoor area to which the school has access.

• Record the coordinates of each EduCache in GPS-‐enabled devices. • Introduce the lesson/activity to the class. • Divide the class into groups (with no more than three per group). • Provide brief instruction on the use of GPS-‐enabled devices and specify how the

mentors will help each group.


• Give each team a GPS-‐enabled device containing the coordinates of the EduCaches they are assigned to find.

• Send each team and mentor outside to work collaboratively to find their assigned EduCaches. Allow time for students to experiment, make mistakes, talk about these mistakes and how to overcome them, find their EduCaches, and return to their classroom with their EduCaches in hand.

• Facilitate small group discussions (within each team) about the contents of the EduCaches and how these contribute to students’ understanding of the curricular area.

• Facilitate a large group discussion (across all teams) about students’ understanding of the curricular area.

• Facilitate a large group discussion about students’ experiences with GPS and geocaching, including suggestions for future GPS/geocaching experiences.

Other Suggestions for Incorporating GPS-‐enabled Devices and EduCaching into Learning Environments:

• Use this model to introduce content in ANY curricular area • Identify and establish "observation sites" to look at trees, animals, soil, etc. I

would then have students from other classes go to those spots and compare observations with those from their own site.

• Use consistently throughout the year to Improve students’ mapping skills • Teach cardinal directions (and coordinates when appropriate) • Embed geography and location concepts in each EduCaching lesson • Use consistently throughout the year to Improve students’ collaboration and

team building skills • Incorporate writing prompt into the lesson to describe the students’ experiences • Use consistently throughout the year to Improve teach higher level thinking skills • Use consistently throughout the year to Improve incorporating technology into

social studies, language arts, science, math, or the arts curricula • Help students understand that GPS-‐enabled devices are tools with limitations,

not failsafe pieces of technology

Online Resources on Using EduCaching in STEAM Classrooms

There are numerous online resources that explain and support the use of GPS-‐enabled devices and geocaching in education. These are divided into a number of categories for easy references for teachers wishing to extend their understanding of using GPS-‐enabled devices and EduCaching in their classrooms. Links to relevant sites are listed below:


Comprehensive sites on using GPS and EduCaching

• Dr. Alice Christie's GPS and Geocaching Site • EduScape:

o Geocaching With Kids: Activate the Learning Environment o GPS and GIS in the Classroom o GPS & Place-‐based Learning

• Harvard-‐Smithsonian Center Space Geodesy’s Using GPS in the Classroom

Article about a teacher using GPS-‐enabled devices and/or geocaching

• Height Modernization and GPS take off in the Classroom

Professional development for teachers on GPS-‐enabled devices and/or geocaching

• Middle school teachers to take part in science program at Illinois

Articles on using GPS and geocaching in education

• Juicy Geography: GPS for Geography Teachers • Juicy Geography: GPS in School

Articles on Google Earth™

• Juicy Geography: Google Earth™ in the Classroom • Google Earth™ Resources for Geography Teachers

Google Earth™ Lessons: An Educational Resource for Teachers

Podcast

In my GPS and Geocaching Podcast (http://www.alicechristie.org/geocaching/podcast), I explain the global positioning system that circles our globe, GPS-‐enabled devices, and geocaching. I take you on an EduCache hunt near the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and give you hints on finding and hiding EduCaches. Finally, I discuss how teachers can enhance student learning through the use of geocaching in their K-‐12 classrooms.


Mobile Apps to Enhance STEAM in Elementary and Middle School

One of the things that I’ve been focused on as President is how we create an all-‐hands-‐on-‐deck approach to science, technology, engineering, and math. We need to make this a priority to train an army of new teachers in these subject areas, and to make sure that all of us as a country are lifting up these subjects for the respect that they deserve.

President Barack Obama April 2013

Introduction

There is an abundance of great apps for elementary and middle school kids involved in STEM exploration. Many apps that address STEM material are specifically geared towards younger learners, making them perfect to expose kids to STEM without being too complicated or overwhelming.

Below is a comprehensive list of mobile apps for elementary school students in Science, Math, Technology, Engineering, solving puzzles, measurement tools, and all-‐purpose tools to foster STEAM education. All the apps listed in this section are for iPads (iOS), but Android equivalents are often available as well.

Science Apps (Listed Alphabetically)

Free

Animals in Pieces HD Animals in Pieces is an educational puzzle for 3-‐6 year-‐old kids that includes ten puzzles with increasing difficulty. With each completed puzzle, you unlock a page in the Photo Album. Within the album, kids can read a description of the animal, listen to the sound it makes, discover its habits, see what it eats, and see what its tracks look like! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animals-‐in-‐pieces-‐hd/id389752370?mt=8


$4.99.

Bobo Explores Light This app explores many different science concepts that children would find interesting to help them understand that science is cool and fun (like lasers!). There are not only descriptions, but also photos, videos, and interactive tools as well! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bobo-‐explores-‐light/id463809859?mt=8

Free

Color Uncovered Do you want to wow your students with some excellent activities related to color? Then explore the surprising side of color with Color Uncovered, an interactive book that features fascinating illusions, articles, and videos developed by the Exploratorium. Color Uncovered features a wide spectrum of fascinating color-‐related topics to explore. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-‐uncovered/id470299591?mt=8

$1.99

Dr. Panda’s Hospital -‐ Doctor Game For Kids Dr. Panda’s Hospital is ideal for kids ages 2 – 6 who are naturally curious about basic medical procedures and anatomy. What kid doesn't think about being a vet or doctor? Here’s a chance to help Dr. Panda take care of animals at Dr. Panda’s Hospital. Kids will greet different animals in the waiting room, help them to their hospital beds, discover and treat their ailments -‐ all while learning sequencing! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dr.-‐pandas-‐hospital-‐doctor/id534477679?mt=8

$.99

Explore the Animal Kingdom This app includes 92 high quality flash cards on animals. The cards will speak the animal’s name, play an animal sound, and show a high quality image of that animal. You even can play multiple animal sounds at once to create your very own jungle atmosphere. https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id393268021?mt=8&ign-‐mpt=uo%3D4


Free

Google Earth Fly around the planet with a swipe of your finger with Google Earth for iPad. Explore distant lands or acquaint yourself with your neighborhood. Search for cities, places, or landmarks. Browse layers including roads, borders, places, photos and more. Visit the Earth Gallery to find exciting maps such as real-‐time earthquakes, planes in flight, hiking trails, city tours, and more. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-‐earth/id293622097?mt=8

$2.99

i Learn With Poko: Seasons and Weather! You can discover three fun games in which Poko helps children 3 to 6 learn to identify various weather situations in different seasons, The app teaches them all about appropriate clothing and activities (a curriculum staple in PK learning). Primary skills taught include Life Sciences, seasons and weather. Secondary skills taught include listening and comprehension, observation and matching, visual and kinesthetic learning, critical thinking (elimination process). https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/i-‐learn-‐poko-‐seasons-‐weather!/id420472804?mt=8

$.99

Let's Hear the Animals! (Animal Sounds) HD This app provides a wonderful way to explore the animal kingdom. Included in this iPad/iPhone app are about 40 animals complete with high-‐resolution images and the sounds they make. The app even will speak to you the name of the animal in either English or Spanish. The interface is designed for children. https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id320214909?mt=8&ign-‐mpt=uo%3D4

$7.99

The Magic School Bus Oceans Everyone knows Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus! This one is a little on the expensive side for an app, but given the well-‐known character and the wealth of information about oceans that it offers, we give it a thumbs up anyway. This comic book style app offers text, videos, photos, and games to help younger learners get excited to learn about the earth’s oceans. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-‐magic-‐school-‐bus-‐oceans/id410622343?mt=8


$.99

Monster Physics™ Monster Physics™ is a unique building app that lets you play with physics! Build and operate your own car, crane, rocket ship, plane, helicopter, tank and more! It won the 2012 Editor's Choice Award! -‐ Children's Technology Review. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monster-‐physics/id505046678?mt=8

$2.99

Otter on His Own -‐ Smithsonian Oceanic Collection Sea Otter's mother teaches him to dive, hunt, and survive on his own. But when the pup follows his mother into the open sea, more than just excitement awaits them as a great white shark lurks nearby. Will they escape the attack? Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Otter on his Own is a fun and informative story with beautifully detailed illustrations. This book also includes a sea otter fact section for extended learning. https://itunes.apple.com/app/otter-‐on-‐his-‐own-‐smithsonian/id540101864?mt=8

$2.99

Smash Your Food HD SMASH Your Food is a fun way for kids to learn about commonly abused foods that contribute to excessive calorie consumption. A guessing game bursting with realism and surprise, SMASH Your Food uses HD video and real sound effects to create lasting impressions! Watch kids smash a burger, crush a milkshake, explode a soda and pound a pizza, while simultaneously learning about nutrition! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smash-‐your-‐food-‐hd/id502316034?mt=8

Free

Sound Uncovered Explore the surprising side of sound with Sound Uncovered, an interactive book featuring auditory illusions, acoustic phenomena, and other things that go bump, beep, boom, and vroom. From the makers of Color Uncovered—the Exploratorium—this app puts you at the center of the experiment: Hear with your eyes, see with your ears, make and modify recordings, test your hearing, and more. https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/sound-‐uncovered/id598835017?mt=8&ign-‐mpt=uo%3D2


$2.99

WolframAlpha Building on 25 years of development led by Stephen Wolfram, WolframAlpha has rapidly become the world's definitive source for instant expert knowledge and computation. Across thousands of domains – with more continually added. WolframAlpha uses its vast collection of algorithms and data to compute answers and generate reports for you. Use WolframAlpha to discover new information about the world and to breathe expert knowledge into any facet of your life. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wolframalpha/ id334989259?mt=8

Math and Numbers Apps (Listed Alphabetically)

Free

Calculator for iPad Free This app is a free, fully functioning calculator. It’s great in terms of both simplicity and functionality. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calculator-‐for-‐ipad-‐free/id398129933?mt=8

$0.99

Finger Count This is a simple app with a black screen that children touch. The number 1 is spoken and it appears. A child touches the screen again and the number 2 is spoken and it appears. Then 3... 4... 5... 6... appear, all the way to 100 with each number a different color. It's great for learning numbers in sequence, finding numbers on the screen and counting backwards. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id430578067?mt=8

$4.99

Intro to Math This app helps kids learn to read, write and understand numbers from zero to nine through a series of interactive, guided and challenging activities, based on the proven methodology of Montessori. Kids learn the basic foundations of math, how to read, write and understand numbers from 0-‐9, number symbols and their units, sequence, order and spatial relationships, the basics of odds and evens, problem solving skills, and fine motor skills. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intro-‐to-‐math-‐by-‐montessorium/id381064973?mt=8


$1.99

Math Blaster Hyper Blast This is an arcade style math teaching game that uses addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to teach and reinforce math skills in a fun way. There are 30 levels to play and the interface is easy to navigate, even for younger users. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mathblaster-‐hyperblast/id407597983?mt=8

Free

Mermaid Waters This app is a PK-‐friendly math application. It is in the format of a story with game components. Mermaid Waters is free to download and try but requires an in-‐app purchase to unlock the full game. It is highly engaging as it covers number identification, concepts such as more and less, smallest to largest, counting, and simple addition. These skills are found throughout the animated “story” so that it retains the user’s attention. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mermaid-‐waters/id454136246?mt=8

$3.99

Numbers League Numbers League is a game in which kids use basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to assemble superheroes to capture villains with their powers. It is fun, easy to use, supports up to four players on one device, and has a wide enough range of difficulty to challenge learners at different levels. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numbers-‐league/id444781544?mt=8

Free

PBS Fetch: Lunch Rush This innovative app takes advantage of the latest augmented reality technologies to project virtual images onto your screen. Essentially, it is multi-‐player elementary math practice app that requires you to answer some simple math problems so that you can serve the crew of a movie set during a busy lunch hour. There are five rounds of addition or subtraction questions. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fetch!-‐lunch-‐rush/id469089331?mt=8


Free

PLAY123 PLAY123 is a learning application where kids can play with shapes, colors and numbers, using various functions of the iPad. They can throw, draw, roll, stack, turn, and more. Forms, shapes and sounds make kids play with their senses of sight, hearing and touch in such creative ways that help their imaginations. Kids can learn autonomously as well as learning with parents or peers. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/play123/id500024209?mt=8

$1.99

Toca Boca -‐ Store Have your kids ever played store at home? Now you can turn your iPad into a Store Play Set -‐ without any of the cleaning up afterwards! It's a great toy for your kids to play together with you, their siblings or friends. This app encourages collaboration for developing role-‐playing in class. You can use it alongside an existing shop and money role-‐playing activity. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-‐store/id442705759?mt=8

Technology Apps (Listed Alphabetically)

Free

Bee-‐Bot is another app that is perfect for the younger kids. Help your kid, ages 4 and up, learn directional language and programming while directing their bee robot through various scenarios. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bee-‐bot/id500131639?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4

Free

Daisy the Dinosaur Kids, ages 6-‐10, can use a drag and drop interface to program and animate Daisy the Dinosaur. Your kids can learn the basics of objects, sequencing, loops, and events by solving the challenges in this app. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-‐the-‐dinosaur/id490514278?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4

$1.99

KineScript Your kids can build animations, games, and stories through a visual programming language. It’s easy to control the movements, sound, and color. Once they’re done, they can email and share their creations with family and friends. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kinescript-‐visual-‐programming/id674887500?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4


Free

Kodoble Free, but offers in-‐app purchases. Kodoble is a game for kids that introduces basic programming concepts in a fun way. There are 45 free levels to play, but they also offer classroom accounts for teachers who want to use the game in the classroom. Definitely worth checking out. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kodable/id577673067?mt=8

$2.99

Lightbot In this game, your kids, ages 9 to 11, can guide a robot to light up tiles and solve the different levels using commands. Lightbot can help introduce kids to programming concepts and coding. Lightbot Jr. is an easier version of Lightbot designed for younger kids, ages 6 to 8. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id657638474?mt=8

Free

Robozzle Your kids can use simple commands to help a robot solve puzzles, follow a linked list, or even count in binary. With a growing database of over 1000 puzzles, your kids will have plenty of opportunities for problem solving and fun. https://itunes.aple.com/us/app/robozzle/id350729261?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4

$0.99

Scratch Maze Design your own maze in Scratch (a popular programming environment, for those of you who aren’t programming-‐literate yet) using this simple interface and fun concept. It is worth noting that you’ll need to download Scratch to your desktop computer in order to create your game, but since Scratch is an easy, visual approach to programming, it is great for kids and new programmers alike. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scratch-‐maze/id511957922?mt=8

Free

ScratchJr In this app, kids, ages 5 to 7 can learn to program their own games and interactive stories. Kids snap together programming blocks to make their characters move, jump, dance, and sing. ScratchJr. was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language, developed by MIT. It’s a great way to introduce young kids to programming. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scratchjr/id895485086?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4


Free

ScriptKit is best for your older kids, ages 12 and up. ScriptKit is a drag-‐and-‐drop programming app for the iPad. With it, your kids can build simple mobile prototypes using native iOS UI components and social media APIs. So what does that mean? They can design and write code on the iPad. Create simple APIs. Learn from examples. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scriptkit-‐drag-‐drop-‐programming/id549348390?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4

Free

Tynker Kids with no knowledge of programming can learn logic with this iPad app. The app contains story puzzles that kids can solve through dragging and dropping to make visual code blocks. Kids learn to recognize patterns and break down a problem into small steps. Tynker includes one free game and additional games are available with in-‐app purchasing. Recommended for ages 9 to 11 year. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id805869467?mt=8

Engineering Apps (Listed Alphabetically)

$1.99

Blocks! This app allows you to virtually build things with Lego-‐looking bricks and move them through space via your device. You can even control your objects using FCP and your front camera (read more about it in the app description by using the link). A great way to approach building and physics in a virtual environment. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blocks%21/id390088835?mt=8

$5.99

Finger CAD: You might not have the full function that other CAD programs offer, but this iPad app makes it fun to use your hands to draw everything from houses to bridges to simple geometric figures. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fingercad/ id364926834?mt=8

$.99

Go Car Go A physics based game for younger learners that allows users to build a car and test it in a variety of environments. Physics concepts are applied and will affect your car’s ability to move along the course. A great practical approach to physics. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/go-‐car-‐go/id417281582?mt=8


Free

Hopscotch, Programming Designed for Everyone: Coding for Kids 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award winner 2014 Children's Technology Review: Best Educational Technology Hopscotch is programming designed for everyone. Kids can use simple, intuitive building blocks to create games, animations and apps in this colorful, interactive environment. Program characters to move, draw, and collide with each other, and use shaking, tilting, or even shouting at the iPad to control them. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-‐programming-‐designed/id617098629?mt=8

Free

LEGO Juniors: Create and Cruise : With this game, users can play with LEGOs without even having them on hand, building trucks, helicopters, and other vehicles to deliver cargo to a given destination, without getting derailed along the way. Ages 4 and up. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lego-‐app4%2B/id491075156?mt=8

$.99

Paper Bridge: In this educational game, players have to engineer a bridge that will carry vehicles from point A to point B, without collapsing. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paper-‐bridge/id364991162?mt=8

$1.99

Pettson's Inventions 2 Help old man Pettson and his cat, Findus, build amazing inventions! Kids need to determine which objects should be included and where they fit in the machinery. Drag and drop the parts to their right spot and watch the invention go! A secret waits to be unlocked for those who manage to complete everything. This is a fun and pedagogically sound app that teaches logic and stimulates creativity for children of all ages. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pettsons-‐inventions-‐2/id573512990?mt=8

$2.99

SpaceChem Mobile In this game, your kids will take on the role of a Reactor Engineer working for SpaceChem. They can create factories to transform raw goods into valuable products, and streamline designs to meet production quotas and beat other engineers. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spacechem-‐mobile/id466007612?mt=8&uo=4&at=10lvk4


Free

Technology Flashcards By The Museum of Science This flashcard game is a fun learning tool for elementary school children that are beginning to learn about engineering and technology. Many children (and some adults) believe that the term “technology” is only reserved for things that are high-‐tech or electric. If you ask children to give you examples of technologies, they will often come back with a list of items limited to things like cell phones, iPods, TVs, and cars. But the definition is much broader than that. This game uses flashcards to teach children that a technology is anything designed by human beings to help solve a problem or meet a need. This means that items such as cups, pencils, shoes, and even processes such as an assembly line, are just as much technologies as the high-‐tech examples. Things that are not technologies are items that are created by nature, such as trees, dirt, tomatoes, and waterfalls. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/technology-‐flashcards/id724872717?mt=8

Free

TinkerBox: This application is a great tool for teaching basic engineering concepts, asking students to play games created around physics and engineering problems. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tinkerbox/id431858684?mt=8

Puzzle Apps (Listed Alphabetically)

$1.99

Eric Carle's My Very First App This fun educational app has three matching games based on Eric Carle’s classic best-‐selling My Very First Books, designed specifically for the iPhone and iPad. The app comes with Colors and Animal Homes for all three levels. Customize your own library by adding Numbers, Shapes, Food, and Animal Sounds, available as in-‐app purchases for $.99 each. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eric-‐carles-‐my-‐very-‐first-‐app/id392077095?mt=8


Grandpa's Workshop This dancing Grandpa and his whacky tools are ready for fun projects in the workshop! Created by the makers of the wildly popular "Grandma's Garden", Grandpa's Workshop includes seven action-‐packed mini-‐games loaded with educational content for kids ages 2-‐6. Kids will get to choose parts to build their own colorful clubhouse and watch educational videos of real tools in action! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grandpas-‐workshop/id555310530?mt=8

$2.99

LittleThings Everyone in the family can enjoy Little Things, the innovative seek and find game. Users search colorful collages built from thousands of little things. Randomized searches ensure a different game each time you play. It’s amazingly fun! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/little-‐things/id382821388?mt=8

$1.99

My First Tangrams HD -‐ A Wood Tangram Puzzle Game for Kids This app includes more than 1000 Tangrams to solve!!! This game is an adaptation for kids of the famous Tangram game. Rules have been simplified (no rotation needed at all) to allow every kid to solve all the Tangrams. Using the new creation mode, kids will have fun creating their own Tangrams and then sharing them with the whole community by sending them to our server. Recommended for ages: 4-‐7. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-‐first-‐tangrams-‐hd-‐wood/id363843653?mt=8

Free

TanZen Lite Users choose a puzzle to solve, and try to fit all seven game pieces within the shaded puzzle area without overlapping. TanZen recognizes when the puzzle is finished. You can play for two minutes, or two hours! This app includes 54 free puzzles with large, intuitive touch controls. You can solve puzzles in any order. http://itunes.apple.com/sn/app/tangram-‐hd-‐lite/id436922740?mt=8


Measurement Tools (Listed Alphabetically)

Free

Bubble Level 3 in 1 Handy Utility App. Features and functionalities: object alignment, angle measurement, surface flatness, and inclinometer -‐ Also known as a tilt – meter; will help drivers during off-‐road journeys, to control and minimize the risk of roll-‐over. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubble-‐level-‐free-‐for-‐iphone/id465613917?mt=8

Free

Clinometer HD -‐ bubble level and slope finder With this tool, the slope can be measured by all edges of the device in every direction. When the device is put flat on the table a bubble view will fade in. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clinometer-‐hd-‐bubble-‐level/id364877623?mt=8

Free

Commander Compass Lite is an essential GPS toolkit for outdoors and off-‐road navigation. Packed with tools it serves as a compass with maps, gyrocompass, tactical GPS receiver, waypoint tracker, speedometer, altimeter, Sun, Moon and star finder, gyro horizon, and coordinate converter. It saves your custom places and waypoints, navigates precisely to them later, shows them on maps, displays detailed GPS info, measures distances, angles, and does a lot more. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/commander-‐compass-‐lite/id340268949?mt=8

Free

Convert Units for Free. Convert anything easily. This free app lets you convert area, angles, currency, data, density, energy, force, length, mass, mileage, power, pressure, speed, temperature, time, volume, volume flow and more... You can even create your own unit conversions for anything you want, quickly and easily. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/convert-‐units-‐for-‐free-‐1-‐unit/id337224035?mt=8


Free

Decibel 10th turns your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch into a professional sound meter, precisely measures the sound pressure level all around you. This extremely useful and beautiful tool will not only be a great tool for many uses but also bring you a lot of fun. Have you wondered how quiet is your room or how loud is a rock concert or sport event? Decibel 10th will help you answer all those right now. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/decibel-‐10th/id448155923?mt=8

Free

EasyMeasure -‐ Measure with your Camera! EasyMeasure® shows the distance to objects seen through the camera lens of your iPhone or iPad. Simply aim your iPhone/iPad to any object in your surroundings, and EasyMeasure displays the distance towards that object on top of the camera image. With its amazing 3D camera overlay grid, using EasyMeasure is very intuitive and easy! Find out how far it is towards that boat at the other side of the lake. Measure how tall buildings are. Create real-‐world math problems. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easymeasure-‐measure-‐your-‐camera!/id349530105?mt=8

Free

Gyroscope An amazing visual gyroscope for your iPhone, iPod or iPad. This application displays a 3d gyroscope that acts just like a real gyroscope would and looks so real you'll want to touch it! And it acts as an educational tool too — press a button and learn about the math and the history behind gyroscopes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gyroscope/id381953722?mt=8

Free

i-‐Ruler Simply measure length in cm or inches using your iPhone or iPod-‐touch. The most comfortable and easy to use ruler for your iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/i-‐ruler/id474785950?mt=8

$.99

Map Distance & Area Path on Map Distance is a nice companion to the essential app. This universal app lets you draw free form lines and plot the distance. This is incredibly useful if you do not travel in straight lines. Many roads curve as do many trails down a mountain. This app is well designed. http://siteappguide.getapp.cc/app/413616423


$2.99

Map Measure -‐ Area and Distance Calculator "How much area on the block?" "What is the distance from Lincoln Memorial to Washington Monument?" This app will tell you the answer. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/map-‐measure-‐area-‐distance/id476039389?mt=8

$1.99

Measure Map lets you quickly and easily measure distances, perimeters and areas with laser sharp precision! It even takes into account the curvature of the earth’s surface. Use it for small areas or large, then share your findings via iTunes or email. Click “...More” to learn why you should download this App today! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/measure-‐map/id417622293?mt=8

Free

Measure Your Land It's a tape measure for planet Earth! Measure roads, buildings or lands from the bird's eye view. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id520183630?mt=8

$1.99

Multi Measures HD -‐ The all-‐in-‐1 measuring toolkit The most handy measuring tool kit in the world. Turning your iPad into a multi functional measuring device with: metronome, stopwatch, timer, seismometer, ruler, surface level and many more. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/multi-‐measures-‐hd-‐all-‐in-‐1/id374844888?mt=8

Free

My Altitude uses GPS signals to determine your current location, altitude (height from sea level) barometric pressure and water boiling point. The application does NOT need an Internet connection and works best in outdoors. It also allows you to get a picture of where you are and save it in photo album. Picture will be sealed with coordinates of current location along with altitude and local date/time. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myaltitude/id465262694?mt=8


Free

Slope Slider This app is much more than a graphing calculator, the way a face-‐to-‐face conversation is more than a text message. Users of this app are immersed in a world of lines. As the user changes values in their equations, the lines move to instantly reflect those changes. Very student-‐friendly. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slope-‐slider/id449683449?mt=8

General Tools

Free

DropBox DropBox is a free service that lets you bring all of your photos, documents, and videos anywhere. It is especially useful for getting files from one place to another. After you install DropBox on your computer, any file you save to your DropBox will automatically save to all of your authorized computers, your iPad, and even the DropBox website. Save photos or videos to your DropBox and share them publicly with a link. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8

Free

EduCreations EduCreations turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. You can explain a math formula, create an animated lesson, or add commentary to your photos. With voice recording, realistic digital ink, photos and text, and simple sharing, you can broadcast your ideas from anywhere. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/educreations-‐interactive-‐whiteboard/id478617061?mt=8

Free

Evernote Evernote is a free, easy-‐to-‐use app that lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-‐do lists, record voice reminders, all of which are completely searchable from home, at work, or on the go. It instantly synchronizes your iPad, desktop, laptop, and other devices. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8


$2.99

Explain Everything Explain Everything is an easy-‐to-‐use design tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations. You can create dynamic interactive lessons, activities, assessments, and tutorials using Explain Everything's flexible and integrated design. Use Explain Everything as an interactive whiteboard using the iPad video display (via Airplay/cable). https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-‐everything/id431493086?mt=8

Free

Haiku Deck Haiku Deck is the simple new way to create stunning presentations – whether you are pitching an idea, teaching a lesson, telling a story, or igniting a movement. It's fast, fun and simple for anyone to use. Start with an idea, pick a template, add images and text, and share your creation. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/haiku-‐deck-‐presentation-‐slideshow/id536328724?mt=8

$4.99

iMovie iMovie is part of the iLife suite for iPhone and iPad. It comes with eight different themes, each of which includes its own title screen format, transitions, and theme music. It’s easy to use, and contains lots of preinstalled sound effects. Students can create videos to demonstrate their learning across the curriculum. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id377298193?mt=8

Free

iTuneU iTunes U gives you access to complete courses from leading universities and other schools and the world’s largest digital catalog of free education content. You can learn anytime, anywhere. Choose from more than 500,000 free lectures, videos, books, and other resources on thousands of subjects from Algebra to Zoology, and browse collections from education and cultural institutions in 26 countries — including Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, UC Berkeley, MoMA, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress. You also can take free courses created and taught by instructors from leading universities and other schools. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itunes-‐u/id490217893?mt=8


Free

Kid Paint Kid Paint is a fun and easy paint app for kids of all ages! Tap the Brush Icon to swap between Brush, Pencil or Ink Pen! Or, Tap the Shape Icons to swap between Outline or Filled Circle, Square, or Triangle! Check out the Stamp tool, now with even more Stamps, each with its own unique Sound! Tap & Place the Stamps or use the Type feature to place type into your Painting. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kid-‐paint/id390806209?mt=8

Free

Lino – Sticky and Photo Sharing Lino is an online stickies service where you can post, see and peel off stickies on canvases freely. It is excellent for crowd sourcing or sharing ideas. Stickies can be formatted to different sizes and colors, and can include hyperlinks, images and more. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lino-‐sticky-‐photo-‐sharing/id416718906?mt=8

Free

Nearpod Nearpod allows you to give synchronized teacher-‐led presentations. You can create presentations online that you then share with students through their iPads! You lead the presentation from your iPad, and all their iPads will follow along in sync! You can even send out questions, polls, drawing assignments and more through Nearpod! Nearpod combines presentation, collaboration, and real-‐time assessment tools into one integrated solution. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nearpod/id523540409?mt=8

Free

QuickVoice Recorder Using the utility QuickVoice, children can record their reading or orally record stories. Then, they can playback their recordings to critique their reading or begin to write down their stories. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quickvoice-‐recorder/id284675296?mt=8

Free

ScreenChomp Share a great idea, explain a tricky concept, or help kids with their homework using ScreenChomp. From the makers of SnagIt and Camtasia Studio comes a simple doodling board that allows you to make and share a video. Record, sketch, share! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/screenchomp/id442415881?mt=8


Free

ShowMe ShowMe is an interactive whiteboard that allows you to record voice-‐overs on whiteboard tutorials and share them online. Its features include: voice-‐record, multiple brush colors, pause and erase, import pictures from your photo library, built-‐in camera, or web image search, unlimited lesson length, upload, share, and embedding capabilities. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/showme-‐interactive-‐whiteboard/id445066279?mt=8

Free

SimpleMind+ SimpleMind+ is a mind-‐mapping tool that turns your iDevice into a brainstorming, idea collection and thought-‐structuring device. It is easy to use – just drag, arrange and edit topics on the Mind Map page. You can cut, copy, paste, move, or duplicate topics between mind maps. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simplemind+-‐mind-‐mapping/id305727658?mt=8

Free

Skype You can call, video call, or instant message anyone on Skype. Plus, if you add a little Skype Credit, you can call landlines and mobiles at really low rates. You will need a Skype account. You can communicate with your contacts in one touch, and flick through recent calls and instant messages in your Skype for iPad history. For iPad 2 and 3 users, you can talk face-‐to-‐face or show what you’re seeing with front and back-‐facing cameras. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype/id304878510?mt=8

Free

Teacher/Student Clicker by Socrative Socrative brings smart clickers, student response and ease of use to a whole new level. You can engage the entire class with its educational exercises and games. See all your students’ ideas in real time and interact with the responses. Instructor feedback is provided. Ask your own poll questions or build a premade activity for the whole class. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/socrative-‐student/id477618130?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/socrative-‐teacher/id477620120?mt=8


Free

TED TED provides riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. TED presents talks from some of the world's most fascinating people: education radicals, tech geniuses, medical mavericks, business gurus and music legends. Find more than 900 TED Talk videos (with more added each week) in the official TED app. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ted/id376183339?mt=8

Free

VoiceThread VoiceThread is an educational program that allows students and teachers to create and share dynamic conversations around documents, snapshots, diagrams and videos. Users can talk, type, and draw right on the screen. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voicethread/id465159110?mt=8

Instructional Strategies for Using Mobile Apps in STEAM Classrooms Scaffolding student lessons is a great way to increase engagement and provide teachers with material for assessment and coaching. Below I have listed a number of apps and instructional strategies for using these apps to create guided experiences for your students. Many of the suggested strategies can be used with a number of different apps. On the left, I included an icon of the app. On the right, I have briefly described an instructional strategy to use with that app, or any app with the same general function.

Introducing Yourself to Your STEAM Classmates Take pictures of each other in pairs or groups of three using the Built-‐in iPad Camera. Then, using Doodle Buddy, write your name and decorate your photo. Share with your classmates. Email to Posterous to share with family.

Creating a visual dictionary (examples: colors, food groups, pets, etc.) with photographs. Write a word and illustrate the word with a photo you take with an iPad. Share the dictionary with your class,


Conducting an Interview with a STEAM Expert and Creating a Video with the Built-‐in Camera Conduct an interview with a relative about their job, hobbies, favorite experience, or childhood memory. Share the video with your class.

Recording Yourself Speaking on a STEAM Topic Using the Built-‐in Camera Record yourself speaking about: a book you read with your teacher, parent, friend; a trip you took to an interesting place; your family members; your favorite outdoor activity; your favorite math or science activity. Share the video with your class.

Demonstrating how to complete a STEAM process with the Built-‐in Camera Demonstrate how to complete a process like: tie a shoe, build with blocks, place number blocks in order, separate colored blocks into groups of different colors. Share the video with your class.

Creating a visual dictionary with STEAM images Write a word and illustrate the word with a drawing created in Kid Paint or other drawing tool. Share the dictionary with your class

Stimulating Discussion on STEAM topics Use the high quality, engaging photos in Guardian Eyewitness to stimulate discussion on STEAM, art, science, geography, citizenship, color, current events, and much more.

Collaborating by Using the iPad as an Inexpensive Mini-‐Whiteboard With ScreenChomp, students can use the iPad to draw their answers to STEAM questions as they would on a mini-‐whiteboard, but with less mess and no need for pens.

Creating Mind Maps for KWLs Use Idea Sketch (free, simple and easy to use) to create mind maps (KWLs) for what the students already Know about a STEAM topic, What they want to investigate about the topic, and what they Learned during that unit. You can save each Idea Sketch as an image once you've finished.

Creating Mind Maps to Aid Writing or Plan STEAM Projects Use SimpleMind+ to plan or revise a written document, or to plan projects with multiple steps or different responsibilities for different groups of students. You can save each SimpleMind+ map as an image once you've finished.


Navigating your World with Google Earth Google Earth is a great tool for taking kids on a virtual fieldtrip. Prepare place markers showing key locations, and then send groups off to learn more about specific places, landmarks, water formations, land formations, etc.

Making Thinking Visual by Recording and Sharing the STEAM Thinking Process Students can record a session in EduCreations as they go through each step of a process. They can draw, write, or speak (or all three) to explain how they solved a math problem or illustrated a story. Then they can share their recording with their teacher. This helps the teacher understanding the thinking of each child.

Seeing an Aerial View of Your School and Your Neighborhood Students can use Google Earth or Google Maps to zoom into their neighborhoods or the area around their schools and see how these places look from above. It’s also a good way to teach the concepts of above and below. It’s best to view these apps on the Interactive White Board or through Apple TV.

Creating Verbal Exit Tickets for STEAM Classrooms Students use Show Me or ScreenChomp to annotate and speak over an image, graph or diagram as an exit ticket. Ask students to explain two or three things they learned, and one or two questions they still have. Then, they share their recording with their teacher.

Solving STEAM Problems with ShowMe Use ShowMe to have students work out a math problem by drawing it out on the white board, while adding an audio explanation of the process. You can then embed these student or teacher tutorials into blogs, wikis, or where ever you can embed something! It’s a great tool for an authentic assessment of understanding!

Creating Digital Recording of Weekly STEAM Projects Create a digital journal with screen shots from the iPad: “What I did this week in STEAM.” Students save on the iPad or email their images to their teacher to be added to their digital portfolios.

Watching a Curricular Video About the STEAM Concept Be sure to use just segments of videos that age appropriate and focused on specific instructional concepts. Use iMovie to remove all unnecessary segments of the curricular video.


Transitioning from Pictures to Text in STEAM Classrooms Use a paper or digital scaffold (Notes, Popplet, or SimpleMind+) to take notes. While getting younger students to capture their ideas in text takes a lot of work, it is an important developmental step to begin transferring ideas into written forms.

Recording an Audio Summary about a STEAM Idea Record an audio summary using Voice Memo. An audio recording will help capture the ideas that students omit during their writing. During the early stages of writing development, many details get lost in the process of encoding them into text. The voice memos will help to fill in the gaps and illuminate details.


A Special Challenge: Girls and STEM

Whether they’re exploring biotechnology, mixing up chemistry in the kitchen, or learning about engineering and the design process, girls are moving forward into the future. They can learn techniques used by forensic scientists, build robots and participate in citizen science projects. Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay

Introduction Teachers, business leaders, political leaders, and out STEAM workforce all recognize the need for attracting more females into STEAM careers. This section provides strategies used by several organizations as well as

Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay’s STEM/STEAM Strands and Strategies Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay’s STEAM Initiative focus on the following target areas in programming:

• Engineering and Scientific Processes – understanding the process of designing a product as a solution to a problem and using experimental/field observations to discover how the world works.

• Innovation, Creation and Communication – understanding the processes of imagining, designing and creating products and communicating ideas.

• Biotechnology and biomedical engineering – understanding how technology can monitor and promote health, diagnose and predict disease and provide solutions to human health issues.


• Culinary Science – understanding how chemical, biological and physical processes are involved in creating a successful dish (as measured by: sensory, efficiency, and economy indicators).

• Citizen Scientist – conducting chemical, biological and environmental experiments and data collection on natural systems to contribute to databases for analysis and interpretation of patterns and trends.

• Events – opportunities for girls to interact with scientists, engineers, business professionals and peers regarding STEAM-‐related content.

• The statistics surrounding STEAM education and jobs in the US are rather staggering to me. The latest that I’ve read indicate that US students are still trailing WAY behind other nations in Science and Math education (US ranks 47th in Math and Science education quality, and 78% of high school graduates don’t meet the standard levels for at least one entry level STEAM class < http://www.edudemic.com/?p=41239>). To top it off, there’s a pretty strong gender divide in the STEAM subjects: Many fewer girls are interested in even studying these subjects < http://www.edudemic.com/2013/05/the-‐STEAM-‐gender-‐divide-‐an-‐interactive-‐infographic/>, and they don’t feel at all confident about their skills.

Online STEM/STEAM Resources for Females So how do we get more girls interested in STEM/STEAM subjects and get them feeling confident that they can rock out in awesome, fun, high-‐paying, important and interesting careers that are still largely dominated by men? There are a number of great resources out there aimed at exactly that. Below is a list of some of the online resources.

Black Girls Code http://www.blackgirlscode.com/ Black Girls Code is an organization that unsurprisingly, aims to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEAM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. They offer some pretty awesome events and classes, and the blog portion of their site offers great reflections and information.


DigiGirlz http://www.microsoft.com/en-‐us/diversity/programs/digigirlz/default.aspx Tech giant Microsoft offers several programs under the umbrella of DigiGirlz. They offer online courses, a high-‐tech camp for girls, and a ‘DigiGirlz Day’ where girls can arrange to visit Microsoft locations to see what careers in the high tech industry are all about. Center For STEAM Education For Girls http://STEAMefg.org/ The Center for STEAM Education For Girls is associated with the Harpeth Hall School (an all girls school in TN), and they’re working to is create a transformation on the educational opportunities for girls by establishing The Center for STEAM Education for Girls to increase participation by girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math studies in high school and college and to encourage them to aspire to STEAM careers. They also offer a Think Tank and Conference yearly. Engineer Girl http://engineergirl.org/ Engineer Girl is a project of the National Academy of Engineering, directed at bringing more young girls to engineering careers. They have a bright and fun website filled with useful tools including a ‘try on a career’ section, information about what engineers can do, and real-‐life stories from actual female engineers. The National Girls Collaborative Project http://www.ngcproject.org/ The National Girls Collaborative Project works to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEAM fields. They offer a program directory for you to find local programs, listings of related events, and a robust program to try and educate teachers and counselors to guide students towards rewarding STEAM careers. It is a directory of programs and organizations that focus on motivating girls to pursue careers in STEAM fields. National Center For Women and Information Technology http://www.ncwit.org/ The National Center For Women & Information Technology offers several programs to encourage women to participate in technology-‐based careers. The programs target high school and college-‐aged girls, and offer guidance, scholarships, encouragement, and internships. They even offer programs for counselors to help equip them with the knowledge they need to encourage students towards tech careers.


Dot Diva http://www.dotdiva.org/ Dot Diva is an initiative sponsored by WGBH < http://www.wgbh.org/>, and their mission is to create an exciting and positive image of computing for high school girls. They’re working to showcase women in technology careers and show how a technology career can really fit into any passion that the student already has. They also offer lots of great resources for classes, after school opportunities, computer camps, college programs, careers, and more. National Girls Collaborative Project http://www.ngcproject.org A directory of programs and organizations that focus on motivating girls to pursue careers in STEAM fields. There are links to over a dozen programs in Charlotte, including Microsoft, Project Scientist and IT-‐oLogy.

Other Online Resources

Teaching Channel: Closing the Gender Gap in STEM Education (series of videos) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/STEAM-‐gender-‐gap-‐ced A series of videos that are well worth watching. Project Scientist http://www.projectscientist.org Engaging and empowering girls with a passion, talent and aptitude for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEAM).


Online STEM/STEAM Resources

We must ensure a STEM-‐capable citizenry. All U.S. citizens should have an understanding of scientific and technological knowledge, engineering principles, and quantitative methods sufficient to succeed in public life and in their careers, and to make informed decisions about issues facing our Nation and our planet. President’s 2010 Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Introduction This section describes online STEAM resources in a number of different categories. Most are resources you can use to bring a STEAM emphasis to your classroom. A title, a description, and a URL are listed for all resources. In some cases, I have also included an image to peak your curiosity. There is common agreement that students must become proficient in STEAM concepts. But more importantly, they must feel excited about wanting to learn more. To do that, teachers must provide more problem-‐based and project-‐based learning opportunities for students. Examples of many such units are described below.

Problem-‐Based Learning from the Teaching Channel’s STEM Design Challenge The projects listed below are part of the Teaching Channel’s STEM Design Challenge, and are designed to really engage students, peak their interest in STEM, and hopefully motivate them to continue their interest in and passion for STEM endeavors.


In STEM Design Challenge: Edible Cars, students engineer cars using different foods. Students gain experience with various STEAM-‐related skills, such as problem solving, working collaboratively, researching, and planning and executing a design process. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/engineering-‐design-‐process-‐STEM-‐lesson

In Experimenting with STEM: The Barbie Bungee Jump, students use Barbie dolls and rubber bands to perform experiments and calculate the line of best fit.

The Heat Loss Project: A STEM Exploration combines technology and engineering to explore the abstract concept of thermal energy and how it works.

In Roller Coaster Physics, students use knowledge of energy and motion to construct fun and safe roller coasters to learn about Newton’s Laws. Discover why having more constraints make students better problem solvers. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-‐STEM-‐strategies


Applying STEM: The Brain Safety Challenge. In Ms. Comer’s class studies neuroscience and brain injury by fashioning “helmets” for eggs. Her lesson walks students through the various components of scientific thinking when performing experiments. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/applying-‐STEM-‐middle-‐school

PBS STEM Education Resource Center PBS <http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEM/> offers all students the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through television and online content. Online broadband access and digital media are dramatically changing the opportunities available to the nation’s educators improving STEM education. All the PBS STEM Resources are described below:

Name/Level Description/URL

Cyberchase PreK-‐5

This award-‐winning series features exciting adventures that teach core math and science concepts. The Super Cyberchase Science theme page highlights resources that promote math and science connections, and The Inventor’s Workshop game introduces students to basic principles of physics and engineering. http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/

Dinosaur Train

PreK-‐3

Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains, while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills as the audience learns about life science, natural history and paleontology. http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

Sid the Science Kid

PreK-‐1

Sid the Science Kid is an educational animated television series using comedy to promote exploration, discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. http://pbskids.org/sid/


DragonflyTV

PreK-‐5

This program provides children with opportunities to explore science and engineering to share the excitement of scientific discovery. The Web site includes a wealth of science-‐related games, activities, and streaming video. http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/

EekoWorld PreK-‐4

This site teaches children about environmental science and includes two immersive interactive games as well as lesson plans for grades K-‐4. http://pbskids.org/eekoworld/

Kratts’ Creatures

PreK-‐5

Students can go on a virtual creature adventure to explore wildlife and habitats in an immersive online “world.” http://pbskids.org/krattscreatures/

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About

That! PreK-‐1

Discover the joy and wonder of science with Cat and his friends as he takes preschoolers on a wild learning adventure! Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat guides friends Sally and Nick – with a little help from the Fish, Thing 1 and Thing 2 – on fun-‐filled adventures where they make natural-‐science discoveries, from how bees make honey to why owls sleep during the day. http://pbskids.org/catinthehat/

SciGirls

Grades 3-‐6

SciGirls is out to change how tweens think about science, technology, engineering and math, or STEAM! In each episode, join bright, curious real girls in putting STEAM to work. Then check out the website to play games, watch episodes, share projects, and connect with other SciGirls in a totally safe social networking environment! http://pbskids.org/scigirls

ZOOM Grades 3-‐6

This program and site promote activity-‐based learning about science and engineering. The site offers a wide variety of games and activities to enhance children’s knowledge and enthusiasm about science. It includes fun math-‐related exercises like detecting patterns, taking measurements, and using spatial logic. http://pbskids.org/zoom


Mathline Grades K-‐8

Mathline provides over one hundred free standards-‐based lesson plans and video lessons. Teachers can search this comprehensive catalog by keyword, topic, or grade range. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/search_k-‐2.shtm (Grades K-‐2) http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/search_3-‐5.shtm (Grades 3-‐5) http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/search_6-‐8.shtm (Grades 6-‐8) Search the complete catalog on http://www.pbs.org/teachers/math

Nature

Grades 6-‐12

This site contains a wide variety of teacher’s guides, lesson plans, interactive activities, video clips and more to help teachers and students explore the wonders of the natural world. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/

Secrets of the Dead

Grades 6-‐12

This program and site introduce students to topics in chemistry, forensics, physical sciences and life sciences through the investigation of age-‐old mysteries. Many of the lesson plans are enhanced with streaming video and interactives. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/

NOVA Grades 6-‐12

NOVA is the highest rated science series on television and the most watched documentary series on public television. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won every major television award, most of them many times over. The Web site offers an extensive collection of teacher’s guides with viewing ideas and classroom activities, interactives and related resources. Teachers can also sign up to receive a weekly e-‐mail reminding you of upcoming NOVA programs and related NOVA Web resources. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/


Design Squad Grades 6-‐12

This program, designed specifically for teens, use a reality competition format to build excitement about engineering. The Web site includes hands-‐on activity ideas, an educator’s guide, interactives and video. http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

Jean-‐Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures

Grades 6-‐12

Designed primarily for middle school educators and students, Ocean Adventures resources are appropriate for use in both formal and informal educational settings. They are aligned with National Science Content Standards and Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts. The themes of Adaptations, Ecosystems and Human Impact are interwoven throughout the Ocean Adventures episodes and educational materials. Use our engaging multimedia resources to teach your students these important concepts! http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/educators/

QUEST Grades 6-‐12

Inspire students with stories that demonstrate science in the real world, from energy-‐saving windows to the science of cheese. KQED’s award-‐winning multimedia science and environment series QUEST aims to raise science literacy and inspire audiences to discover and explore science and environment issues for themselves. The series focuses on nine content areas: astronomy, biology, chemistry, climate, engineering, environment, geology, health, and physics. http://science.kqed.org/quest/

E2

Grades 6-‐12

The series explores attainable solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges, and its stories are culled from a variety of fields including design, energy, transport, water, food and urban development. http://www.pbs.org/e2/

Ken Burns American Stories: Baseball

Grades 6-‐8

This program uses the history of baseball as a powerful metaphor for the struggles and triumphs of the past 150 years of American history. Its Web site includes several themed lesson plans that energize lessons in geometry and economics with the fun and excitement of baseball. http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/teachers


Lewis and Clark Grades 6-‐8

This four-‐hour television documentary chronicles the dangers and discoveries of Lewis and Clark’s expedition across the West. Several related lesson plans available on the Web site use the Lewis and Clark journey to frame crucial mathematics concepts like geographic mapping, statistics, estimation, and data analysis. http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/class/idx_les.html

Scientific American

Frontiers Grades 5-‐12

This program hosted by Alan Alda explores the latest trends in science, medicine, technology, and the environment. Each program is accompanied by an online, printable teaching guide with activity ideas and quizzes. To browse the math-‐focused lesson plans, use the Advanced Search available on the PBS Teachers Web site. Enter the keywords “Scientific American Frontiers” and narrow your search to the subject “Math” and the grade level of your choice. http://www.pbs.org/saf/educators.htm

The Ascent of Money Grades 6-‐12

This groundbreaking four-‐part series examines the creation of the economic system by taking viewers on a global trek through the history of money. Lesson plans explore the role of banks, the concept of insurance, the basics of the stock market, and entrepreneurship. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney/lessons/

Misunderstood Minds Professional Development

This PBS special and its Web site offer resources to help students, parents, and educators understand and overcome the challenges of learning disabilities. The mathematics section of this site provides exercises and teaching strategies to help students with specifically math-‐related disabilities. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/math.html

PBS Parents Guide to Early Math (PreK-‐2)

Professional Development

This bilingual Web site features math teaching tips, fun learning activities, recommended books, and a child development tracker with early math milestones. http://www.pbs.org/parents/earlymath


The National Education Association (NEA) 10 Best STEAM Resources

Exploratorium Grades K-‐12

Provides interactives, web features, activities, programs, and events for K-‐12. Saturday and Summer professional development workshops are available through the Teacher Institute. http://www.exploratorium.edu/

NASA — Educators Grades K-‐12

Lesson plans, teacher guides, classroom activities, video clips, games, posters, and more for teachers and students in grades K-‐4, 5-‐8, 9-‐12, and higher education. http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html#.VD2amee7mvQ

eGFI: Dream Up the Future Grades K-‐12

Promotes engineering education with K-‐5, 6-‐8, 9-‐12 lesson plans, activities, outreach programs, and links to web resources. Teachers and students can download the first three issues of eGFI magazine. http://www.egfi-‐k12.org/

Kinetic City Grades 3-‐5

Science games for students in grades 3-‐5. One activity asks students to replace the body systems of a character who sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The website requires free registration. http://www.kineticcity.com/

National

STEAM Video Game

Challenge Grades 5-‐12

Middle school (5-‐8), high school students (9-‐12), and educators are invited to design games that incorporate STEAM content or STEAM themes in innovative and engaging ways. Homeschoolers are eligible to enter as well. http://www.STEAMchallenge.org/

Master Tools Grades 6-‐12

Eight interactive math and science tools and simulations for students in grades 6-‐12. All simulations and curriculum materials meet the new National Science Education Standards and National Math Education Standards. http://www.shodor.org/master/


Engineer your

Life Grades 5-‐12

This guide introduces girls in grades 9-‐12 to young women engineers and highlights careers. A section for parent and counselors furnishes background in engineering to better advise students. See link to a companion site for girls in grades 5-‐8. http://www.engineeryourlife.org/

STEM

Education Resource Center

Provides nearly 4,000 science, technology, engineering and math resources for PreK-‐5, 6-‐12 as well as free, self-‐paced modules for teachers teaching global climate change to middle school and high school students. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEM/

A Compendium of Best Practice K-‐12 STEM Education Programs

All 38 K-‐12 STEM programs included in this report provide challenging content/curriculum, an inquiry-‐learning environment, defined outcomes/assessment, and sustained commitment/community support. Each program entry gives an overview, defines target population and learning environment, and presents highlights of results. (PDF, 6.2 MB, 106 pgs.) http://eie.org/sites/default/files/bayer_compendium.pdf

STEAM Educator Materials

Download posters, educator guides with activities and age-‐appropriate career information for your students. All activities meet national education standards of learning for math, science and technical literacy. Registration is required but free. http://www.firstbook.org/component/content/article/110

National Science Foundation Suggested STEAM Resources

Whyville

Whyville is an interactive website and part of a larger research project. In Whyville, millions of "citizens" come from all over to learn, create, and have fun together. Organization: California Institute of Technology http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice


Connecting with

Mathematics: Ideas behind Techniques

The Education Development Center (EDC) is developing, field-‐testing, and disseminating professional development materials for mathematics teachers in grades 6-‐12. Organization: Education Development Center http://www.edc.org/

Universal Design in Science Education

The Universal Design in Science Education project develops technology-‐rich science curriculum modules for grades 3-‐6. Organization: The Concord Consortium http://concord.org/projects/udl

Understanding

Science

The mission of Understanding Science is to provide a fun, accessible, and free resource that accurately communicates what science is and how it really works. Organizations: The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley http://undsci.berkeley.edu

Think Math!

Think Math! is a comprehensive kindergarten through fifth grade curriculum that provides high-‐quality mathematics for all children. Organization: Education Development Center http://www.harcourtschool.com/thinkmath/index.html

The Fun Works Careers Guide

Fun works is a web site designed to help young people explore ways to link their interests to exciting future careers. http://www.nsfresources.org/resource.cfm?resource_id=1496&topic=T

Exploratorium

Science Snackbook

Exploratorium Science Snackbook is a collection of science education resources that are based on, and scaled down from, exhibits in the museum of science, art and human perception in San Francisco. Organization: Exploratorium http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/


Understanding Evolution for Teachers

With over a million hits per year, Understanding Evolution for Teachers is a teacher resource aimed at improving the understanding of the nature of science, the patterns and processes of evolution, and the history of evolutionary thought and to increase their ability to teach these subjects effectively. http://www.evolution

Science Notebooks in K-‐12 Classrooms

Science Notebooks can be used to help students develop, practice, and refine their science understanding, while also enhancing reading and writing. Organization: Western Washington University http://sciencenotebooks.org/

Math in Context

Mathematics in Context (MiC) is a comprehensive 6-‐8 Mathematics curriculum. It uses realistic contexts and multiple strategies to discover, explore, and understand rich math concepts… Organization: University of Wisconsin-‐Madison http://mathincontext.eb.com/curriculum

Math Pathways and

Pitfalls

Math Pathways and Pitfalls (MPP) provides professional development for teachers, and intervention lessons for students in grades K-‐8. Organization: WestEd http://mpp.wested.org/

How to Smile

Math and Science resources for out-‐of-‐school learning The Science and Math Informal Learning Education (SMILE) pathway collects the best educational materials on the web and creates learning activities, tools, and services for those who teach school-‐aged kids in non-‐classroom settings. Organization: University of Cal-‐Berkeley http://www.nsfresources.org/resource.cfm?resource_id=1459&topic=TD

SimCalc

The SimCalc project seeks to democratize access to the mathematics of change, making challenging concepts accessible to ordinary middle school students. Organization: Simcalc http://math.sri.com/


Focus on

Mathematics

Focus on Mathematics is a partnership seeking to improve student achievement by providing mathematics teachers with the content knowledge and skills valuable in their profession. Organizations: Boston University; Education Development Center; the Massachusetts school districts of Arlington, Chelsea, Lawrence, Waltham, and Watertown; Lesley University; University of Massachusetts-‐ Lowell; Worcester Polytechnic Institute http://www.focusonmath.org/

Engineering is Elementary

The Engineering is Elementary (EiE) project aims to foster engineering and technological literacy among children. Organization: Boston Museum of Science http://www.eie.org/

Arizona STEM Network Implementation Guides The AZ STEM Network provides help to teachers, schools, and districts wishing to implement a STEM program. Science Foundation Arizona, in partnership with Maricopa County Education Service Agency (MCESA), has created a four level STEM Immersion Guide-‐-‐Exploratory, Introductory, Partial Immersion, Full Immersion-‐-‐to lead teachers, schools, and districts through the process. STEAM instruction is more than a change in curriculum. True STEAM instruction involves the trans-‐disciplinary integration of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics into rigorous lessons that connect the students to real world careers and issues. The guides provide step-‐by-‐step roadmaps for implementing STEM/STEAM at each level of engagement. They offer schools timelines for planning, implementing and facilitating a STEM/STEAM program at four levels: Exploratory, Introductory, Partial Immersion, and Full Immersion. The checklists are organizational tools to drive program development. The guides also provide the processes used to gather qualitative and quantitative data elements and observations necessary to evaluate effective STEM/STEAM schools/programs. Each level is summarized below and provide in their entirety in Appendices G, H, I & J: The Exploratory Model describes a traditional school experience with STEM/STEAM -‐related EXTRA CURRICULAR opportunities offered to students in addition to the regular school day. These experiences may include, but are not limited to: after school clubs, summer programs, science fairs, robotics clubs, video production clubs, etc.


The Introductory Model describes a traditional school experience with STEM/STEAM -‐related experiences offered in addition to the current curriculum. These experiences may include, but are not limited to: integrated STEAM units delivered once the state testing is complete, supplementary stand-‐alone learning units offered through industry or non-‐profit partnerships, etc. The Partial Immersion Model describes a school experience where STEM/STEAM -‐related experiences are integrated into the current curriculum. These experiences may include, but are not limited to: teaching to a school-‐wide STEAM theme, teaching year-‐long integrated Problem/Project-‐Based Learning Units, teaching dual-‐enrollment programs, teaching in a "school within a school" model, etc. The Full Immersion Model describes a total school experience where STEM/STEAM -‐related experiences are imbedded within a cross-‐curricular, thematic focus in ALL content areas. Full Immersion schools look more like 21st Century workplace environments rather 20th century K12 school environments. Problem-‐based Learning drives the curriculum and instruction. Students constantly collaborate to solve authentic problems, propose solutions, and contribute ideas to the larger community.

Video Resources

• Launch Point is a collection of open source STEM related videos. The films focus on STEAM related careers and experiences on a variety of topics. The films are best suited to students from grades 6 and up. They are also a good resource for teachers wishing to learn more about STEM. http://www.cox7.com/launchpoint

• STEM Journals showcases full episodes of STEAM programming, STEAM clips, the

Young Investigators Series, and a variety of school based STEAM programs from Cox 7 On Demand Channel 1894. http://www.cox7.com/STEM-‐journals/videos

• Saving the Silver Bullet: Jaime Casap at TEDxFargo. Jaime Casap is the Global

Education Evangelist at Google, Inc. Jaime evangelizes the power and potential of the web, technology, and Google tools in education. He helps educational organizations across the world find ways to utilize these tools in support of new learning models. Born and raised as a first generation American to a single mother on welfare in Hell's Kitchen, New York, Jaime understands the power of education in changing the destiny of a family in just one generation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbXgCLMl9R4


• The Future Of STEM Education: Roni Ellington at TEDx Baltimore. Professor Roni Ellington has served on the faculty at Morgan State University since 2006. Her work focuses on mathematics education. Research interests include understanding the experiences of high achieving mathematics students, STEAM education, and teacher professional development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hb0vkdzaWg

• America's STEM Education Problem. Our nation's high school seniors aren't

ready for college-‐level math and science courses. Few graduates take advanced STEAM classes in high school, and those who do rarely earn qualifying scores on their AP exams.

Once in college, students are largely avoiding STEAM majors. And post-‐college, less than half of men and women graduating college with STEAM degrees don't work in their field even though the jobs are there. Of course, these statistics are just that -‐-‐ statistics. The reality is that students across America are succeeding in STEAM courses, but unfortunately, those students are outliers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IbHfBGH4CU

• Neil deGrasse Tyson -‐ STEM Education. Why STEM and why now? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RoBCQ5tYKQ

• Girls in STEM: A New Generation of Women in Science. Girls in STEM, featuring young women scientists and engineers who wowed the President and the nation at the White House Science Fair in February, shines a spotlight on these extraordinary young role models and their exciting projects -‐-‐ ranging from a machine that detects buried landmines, to a prosthetic hand device, to a lunchbox that uses UV light to kill bacteria on food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_11rwb4vEc

• Common Core Building Dreams. Take two minutes to learn what Common Core

is, why it's critical now, and how it will prepare our kids for college and the jobs of tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M9208ZrlMU

• Why STEM Education is Important. Learn why STEM Education is important for

every student across the nation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldf01YYtImY


• STEM Explorations in the Early Childhood Classroom. Early childhood teachers are introduced to hands-‐on-‐minds-‐on inquiry-‐based science, technology, engineering, and math explorations during a teacher-‐training workshop conducted by nationally recognized science education consultant, Dr. Diana Wehrell-‐Grabowski. Teachers were actively engaged in exploring STEM concepts through hands-‐on explorations. Additionally, teachers were introduced to early childhood and primary level children's literature with STEAM related concepts. Books such as Iggy Peck The Architect, Block City, Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale, and many more books were reviewed during the teacher training workshop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-‐B3GjmAbyY

• KhanAcademy. 2200 + videos on all content topics. Available for FREE to

students and teachers all over the world. https://www.khanacademy.org/

• Brian Green on the Importance of Science Education. Brian Greene, Professor of

Physics and Mathematics at the Columbia University and the author of The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of Cosmos and The Hidden Realities: Parallel Universes and The Deep Laws of the Cosmos, says we all have to speak, at some level, the language of science in the 21st century. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdwIQPC_oc

• STEM Education Overview. A quick overview of what STEM education is and why it's important. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GWhwUN9iaY

• What is STEM? It's the acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But while kindergarten through 12th grade education usually focuses on science or mathematics in isolation, all four of these disciplines are closely intertwined in the real world. Imagine if K-‐12 students were taught in ways that highlighted these connections, making their education more relevant to their lives and opening doors to new and exciting careers. Watch this video and tell us what you think! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlPJ48simtE

• Interview – STEM. This is a television spot that Brogan & Partners created for the

National Defense Education Partnership to increase awareness of STEM and the importance in science, technology, engineering and math education because the jobs of the future will be in these areas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V8EjEzIpkg


• A STEM Education, Tools to Change the World. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and business leaders discuss how, with an understanding of Science and Math, individuals are shaping the world we live in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biWQZlUl-‐vE

• Why be an Engineer? From creating things that help people to building

innovations that change the world, there are so many reasons to be an engineer. Join the scientists and engineers of ExxonMobil in inspiring America's future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1d2zSvPhAc

• The Massive Potential of Investing in STEM Education. Learn how science,

technology, engineering and math education generates long-‐term American economic benefits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC24Mi-‐zSaQ

• Kindergarten STEM Lesson. Our kindergarten class learns about sinking and

floating. This is a STEM lesson that is a part of the school curriculum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=652MKytl4zg

• Hitachi Helps Improve STEM Education in the USA. President Obama has made

improving STEM education in the U.S. a focal point of his administration. Hitachi has responded to the President's call to action by partnering to improve the quality of STEAM education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nDZo3xFWiM


Other Online STEM/STEAM Resources

The Arkansas Department of Education has developed an evidence-‐based classroom STEAM education resource program to support educators in K-‐12 classrooms. These resources specifically focus on classroom-‐level instructional strategies, materials, and assessments. This program will directly assist teachers in learning practical, standards-‐based strategies that support STEAM. Resources include video and detailed lesson plans. http://ideas.aetn.org/STEM

ScienceOnline’s mission is to cultivate the ways science is conducted, shared, and communicated online. They bring together a diverse and growing group of researchers, science writers, artists, programmers, and educators —those who conduct or communicate science online– for meaningful face-‐to-‐face conversations around timely, relevant issues. The goal is better science communication within the science community, with the public, and with policymakers. http://scienceonline.com/

ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment. To date, thousands of students and volunteer library and information science professionals have been involved in answering reference questions for our Ask an ipl2 Librarian service and in designing, building, creating and maintaining the ipl2's collections. http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/

Change The Equation works at the intersection of business and education to ensure that all students are STEAM literate by collaborating with schools, communities, and states to adopt and implement excellent STEAM policies and programs. http://changetheequation.org/

CK-‐12 is a website with thousands of STEM resources for teachers and students, including study guides, photos and videos, activities, and examples of real-‐world applications for Grades 6 – 12. http://www.ck12.org/about/


Engage Engineering is an Extension Services Project funded by the National Science Foundation. Extension Services projects are modeled after the Cooperative Extension Service in Land Grant Institutions and are intended to extend proven, research-‐based strategies into STEAM education. http://www.engageengineering.org/

Drive, Inc. is a non-‐profit that bridges the technology skills gap with a multidimensional learning experience designed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. http://drivenminds.org/

Discover Engineering’s mission is to help “unite, mobilize, and support the engineering and technology volunteer communities.” This website supplies activities, resources and downloads for parents and teachers. http://www.discovere.org/

STEM-‐Works includes articles, activities, and interactive to get parents, teachers, and kids interested and eager to learn more about STEAM and it’s relevancy in the world. http://STEM-‐works.com

Discovery Education-‐ Connect the Dots is a resource for parents, teachers and kids. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/STEAM/connect-‐the-‐dots.cfm?CFID=53608987&CFTOKEN=71733463

The Science4Us curriculum is a complete, standards-‐based, core science curriculum that delivers digital science experiences to early elementary students. Digital learning can have a positive effect on students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge as well as their motivation to learn. In addition, science understanding, literacy and ultimately, academic gains, can be achieved through the use of computer-‐based programs that provide opportunities for digital explorations and virtual investigations. http://www.science4us.com/index.php


Project-‐Based Engineering for Kids http://www.instructables.com/id/Project-‐Based-‐Engineering-‐for-‐Kids/ This is a collection of project-‐based engineering lessons for kids. Project-‐based learning allows students to control the direction and pace of their learning. Activities that promote investigation, critical thinking, and hands-‐on subject matter are also central to project-‐based learning. These project-‐based lessons focus on basic principles of physics, structural, and mechanical engineering. Physical models are built from a similar set of materials that can be easily sourced online (links are provided in-‐lesson). All of the project plans in this collection are designed to be used in an after school enrichment setting, though you may use and modify these ideas for other not-‐for-‐profit purposes provided you cite The Workshop for Young Engineers. Some of these projects are shown below. All are available on the website.


Gamification In Your Classroom

Introduction Getting students actively engaged and learning by leveraging the power of gamification in the classroom is a hot trend these days. The idea of getting students learning, sharing, and laughing by using gamification has potential for getting kids interested in STEAM topics. Adding fun to classroom learning by playing games is a positive and effective way to engage students. Your students are already master game players, whether those games are technology-‐based or not. Use this knowledge and expertise everyday by gamifying your classroom. Games get you going. They make you laugh and get you excited. They make you groan when you lose and cheer when you win. They can be played one against the other, group against group, human against computer, or all by your self. They inspire competition and grab attention. Games are fun and who doesn’t want to have fun while learning? What is Gamification? Put simply, Gamification is the use of gaming principles in the field of education in order to get students involved, engaged, and excited about learning. Gamification introduces concepts like badges, levels, achievements, and game points to the classroom. Students are rewarded with these concepts when they succeed, but are not penalized when they don’t. By introducing a system of rewards without harsh penalties, students are not afraid to step outside of their comfort zone and fail. By removing their fear of failure, teachers encourage them to learn. Gamification adds fun to the classroom by using what comes natural to humans – social play.

In everything that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun and snap! The job’s a game. – Mary Poppins


Apps and Web Tools to Gamify Your Classroom Listed below are a few useful apps and web tools that will help you take a different approach to learning through gamification:

Star Swiper

Grades PreK-‐2

Give your young learners some counting practice with this fun, interactive game from the popular PBS KIDS program PEG + CAT. In it, Big Mouth is taking all the stars on Purple Planet. Your students will need to clap their hands while counting until the sky is filled with stars again. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/f98addaa-‐180e-‐4eec-‐84f9-‐584d2f427152/star-‐swiper/

Dunk Tank: Liquid

Volume Grades 5-‐6

Learning about measurements has never been more fun than with “Dunk Tank” from the PBS KIDS math series Cyberchase! In this interactive game, students explore key concepts about liquid volume, including standard units of liquid measure and how to convert between them. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/7303d289-‐bbfd-‐4769-‐a79e-‐f4c8b1b34019/7303d289-‐bbfd-‐4769-‐a79e-‐f4c8b1b34019/

Learning in Virtual Worlds

Grades 6-‐12

Researchers and educators are exploring how video games can be used in real-‐world ways, both positive and practical. Watch with your class “What Games Teach” from FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation and explore the power of alternate realities to do more than just entertain. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/frntt.pd.virtual/learning-‐in-‐virtual-‐worlds/


Room Recess Grades K-‐5

Developed by an elementary school teacher, Room Recess offers games that focus on math, language arts, spelling, reading, and basic problem solving with fun titles like “Zombie Paint” and “Tic Math Toe”. http://www.roomrecess.com/

Smart Kit Grades K-‐12

Great for all ages, this site offers fun games that focus on quick thinking, logic, math, brainteasers, physics and more. http://www.smart-‐kit.com/

Duckie Deck Grades K-‐12

An old classic with a fresh, kid-‐friendly look – challenge your friends to a game of Card Wars! Our latest animated game teaches youngsters about numbers and values, with the help of a little competitive spirit that’s fun at any age. http://duckiedeck.com/apps/card-‐wars

Fun Brain Grades K-‐8

Since 1997, kids, teachers, librarians, and parents have enthusiastically turned to Funbrain for its free educational games, online books, and comics. Funbrain, created for kids ages preschool through grade 8, offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy. Plus, kids can read a variety of popular books and comics on the site, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes Again, and Brewster Rocket. http://www.funbrain.com/kidscenter.html

Jefferson Lab Grades 5-‐12

A huge collection of Internet-‐based games that require a JavaScript enabled browser. Games in math, science, and the elements. http://education.jlab.org/indexpages/elementgames.html

Math Chimp Grades 1-‐8

Aligned with Common Core Standards, this site offers over 200 free math games, printable worksheets, and videos for students from 1st to 8th grade. http://www.mathchimp.com/


Educade

Grades K-‐12

Math and science are no longer boring subjects for students thanks to Educade, a new interactive learning portal developed by GameDesk. Educade is a one-‐stop shop for K-‐12 teachers and parents, pairing a free lesson plan library with 21stcentury teaching tools. Funded by AT&T, this portal makes serious learning fun using tools such as apps, games and hands-‐on maker kits to engage students. Every lesson plan created or curated by GameDesk is aligned to Common Core for English language arts, math and science for maximum curriculum support. http://www.educade.org/

By gamifing your classroom, you will provide exciting incentives for learning while also promoting teamwork, healthy competition, and a safe, fun classroom culture. Include just a few of the above suggestions for gamifying your classroom and you’ll see both learning and classroom management improve. Youtopia is a classroom management site that will help gamify your classroom. Youtopia uses activities, badges, points, and leadership boards to motivate and engage students. What makes this site so teacher friendly, is its pre-‐built templates for customizable lessons. Just check a few boxes, plug in goals, curriculum, and activities and your classroom is instantly gamified. The site is free for teachers with up to 50 students. After that, it’s $10 per month for 150 students. There is also a package for entire schools. http://youtopia.com/info/


Articles on Gaming in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms You Got Game? Engaging elementary students to reinforce learning. https://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/you-‐got-‐game/ Edutopia: Beyond Badges: Why Gamify? http://www.edutopia.org/blog/beyond-‐badges-‐why-‐gamify-‐matthew-‐farber Edutopia: The Gamification of Education: What School Can Learn from Video Games http://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamification-‐education-‐terrell-‐heick Gamification in Education: Top 10 Gamification Case Studies that will Change our Future http://www.yukaichou.com/gamification-‐examples/top-‐10-‐education-‐gamification-‐examples/#.VD64Zue7mvQ Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? http://www.gamifyingeducation.org/files/Lee-‐Hammer-‐AEQ-‐2011.pdf The Gamification of Math: Research, Gaming, Instruction http://new-‐to-‐teaching.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-‐gamification-‐of-‐math-‐research.html Gamify your Class without Electricity http://theeducatorsroom.com/2014/04/gamify-‐class-‐without-‐electricity/ Mr. Keeler, elementary school teacher: Links to articles on gaming http://www.rtmsd.org/Page/13344


Other Resources Online STEM/STEAM Lesson Plans There are numerous online STEM/STEAM lesson plans for teachers to review and adapt for their own classrooms. Find fully developed examples in Appendices K, L, M and N. Many lesson plans that you can use or adapt are listed below:

• Science Pioneers Science Lesson Plans for K-‐4 http://www.sciencepioneers.org/teachers/lesson-‐plans/science-‐k-‐4

• Science Pioneers Science Lesson Plans for 5-‐8 http://www.sciencepioneers.org/teachers/lesson-‐plans/science-‐5-‐8

• Science Pioneers Math Lesson Plans for K-‐4 http://www.sciencepioneers.org/teachers/lesson-‐plans/math-‐k-‐4

• Science Pioneers Math Lesson Plans for 5-‐8 http://www.sciencepioneers.org/teachers/lesson-‐plans/math-‐5-‐8

• Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education

(ENC) Lesson Ideas http://my.goenc.com/classroom/lessons/searchlt.asp

• Engineering, Go For It! (eGFI) K-‐5 Lesson Plans

http://teachers.egfi-‐k12.org/category/lessons/grades-‐k-‐5-‐lessons/

• Engineering, Go For It! (eGFI) 6-‐8 Lesson Plans http://teachers.egfi-‐k12.org/category/lessons/grades-‐6-‐8-‐lessons/

• Franklin Institute Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities for K-‐8 Students

http://learn.fi.edu/tfi/activity/

• PBS’s Plum Landing http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/plumlanding/?topic_id=1394

• Sochi 2014 Games: 6 Winter Olympics-‐Themed STEAM Resources

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/winter-‐olympics-‐2014-‐learning-‐resources-‐matt-‐davis?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-‐STEAM-‐olympics-‐sochi-‐list-‐image-‐matt-‐davis


• Science of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi http://www.edutopia.org/groups/STEAM-‐education/676526?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=community-‐olympic-‐games-‐science

• BBC What Is Weather? http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/whatisweather/aboutweather/winddir.shtml

• Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning MEDMYST: Students use the scientific method and science process skills to investigate infectious disease outbreaks. http://webadventures.rice.edu/ed/Teacher-‐Resources/_games/MedMyst/

• Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning Cool Science Careers: Students can experience what it's like to be a scientist. http://webadventures.rice.edu/ed/Teacher-‐Resources/_games/Cool-‐Science-‐Careers/

• Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning CSI: Forensic Scientists: Students learn what it takes to be a forensic scientist. The games are based on the popular CBS show CSI, but prior knowledge of the television series is not required. http://webadventures.rice.edu/ed/Teacher-‐Resources/_games/CSI-‐The-‐Experience/

• I-‐STEM Lesson Plans https://www.iSTEMnetwork.org/search.cfm?type=lesson&purposeid=29

Online STEM/STEAM Courses for Teachers Teachers need to re-‐educate themselves on topics that are evolving as we teach our future problem solvers. A number of free courses are available online for teachers wishing to learn more about STEM/STEAM topics. A few of many courses are listed below:

Global Climate Change Modules from PBS and NASA PBS and NASA have created a series of best practices for teaching global climate change (GCC) to middle school students. Each module, free and self-‐paced, includes STEAM resources that will increase teachers’ knowledge of climate change concepts and can be used directly with students of all ages. This initiative is designed to improve the quality of STEAM education and enhance


students' and teachers' literacy about global climate and Earth system change from elementary grades to lifelong learners.

Introduction to Earth’s Dynamically Changing Climate How is the Earth’s climate changing? Within the mainstream scientific community the fundamentals of global warming and climate change are no longer in question and increasing evidence shows that human activities play a significant part in contributing to this change. Examine evidence of climate change from different parts of the Earth’s system its dynamically changing climate. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/015/

Earth's Warming Climate: Are We Responsible? Human activity, including burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other landscape changes, have increased the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Explore the relationship between increased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and the record of global temperature on long and short time scales. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/010/

Going Local with Global Warming Climate change is local and global. Examine recent temperature data for local and regional areas and understand the significance of recent temperature records as evidence of a warming climate. Make climate change science more relevant to students through examining local and regional data. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/020/

Carbon "Kidprints" Climate change is happening, but as global citizens we have the ability to slow the rate of change by modifying our energy use and consumptive habits. We can also adapt or adjust to a changing environment in various ways. How can we empower students to take action to reduce CO2 emissions? Explore the pedagogic importance of empowering students to take action to reduce CO2 emissions. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/030/


Earth's Orbit and Climate Change Scientists have identified quasi-‐periodic cycles of change in the amount and distribution of solar energy reaching Earth over thousands of years. These cyclic changes are responsible for the waxing and waning of the Ice Ages during the last three million years. Analyze the astronomical/orbital forces on the Earth's climate and examine data to evaluate the possible influence of natural climate cycles on the trajectory of warming temperatures we are experiencing today in Earth's climate. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/035/

Coastal Consequences of Sea Level Rise The present and future impacts of global climate change on human populations are unevenly distributed across the planet. As a consequence of a warming climate, sea levels are rising at a rate of more than 3 millimeters (mm) a year. Learn how sea level rise will have increasingly serious consequences for human health and life quality. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/040/

Climate Change and STEAM Career Preparation: Building a Diverse Workforce To successfully adapt to a warming world, we need to engage all students, including underserved populations, in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education experiences enabling further study and creating excitement about STEAM careers. Learn how to excite students about STEAM careers and identify resources that can be used to introduce students to thinking about STEAM careers, especially careers related to climate change science. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/045/

Connecting Global Climate Change with Engineering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education will prepare students to step up to the challenges of global climate change and forge a new economic future for societies on our planet. Learn how to expose students to the excitement of engineering challenges and careers, in the context of climate change science explorations and green energy challenges. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/050/


Impacts of a Warming Arctic In the Earth system, a change in one part of the system will lead to a change in another part through positive and negative feedbacks. Feedbacks render some parts of the Earth more sensitive to climate change than others. Examine the evidence for changes in ice cover at the Arctic and explore why climate changes at the poles are so important to the rest of the climate system. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/STEAM/professionaldevelopment/055/

Science Pioneers ScienceWise Courses Cost is $15/ 4-‐hour course or $45/ 12-‐hour course. http://www.sciencepioneers.org/teachers/sciencewise-‐courses


State STEM/STEAM Organizations

Alabama Alabama STEAM Coalition http://www.amstec.org/

Alaska

STEAM Alaska http://STEAMak.org/

Arizona Science Foundation Arizona: Arizona STEAM Network http://www.sfaz.org/STEAM/

Arkansas Arkansas STEAM Coalition http://www.arkansasSTEAMcoalition.com/

California California STEAM Learning Network http://www.cslnet.org

Colorado Colorado Department of Education STEAM http://www.cde.state.co.us/STEAM

Connecticut

Delaware Delaware STEAM http://delawareSTEAM.org/

Florida Florida STEAM http://www.STEAMflorida.net/

Georgia STYEM Georgia http://STEAMgeorgia.org/

Hawaii Hawaii Department of Education STEAM http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/StudentLearning/STEAM/Pages/home.aspx

Idaho Idaho STEAM Pipeline http://www.idahoSTEAM.org/

Illinois Illinois Science and Technology Coalition http://www.istcoalition.org/r-‐d-‐STEAM-‐learning-‐exchange

Indiana Indiana I-‐STEAM https://www.iSTEAMnetwork.org/

Iowa Iowa Governor’s STEAM Advisory Council http://www.iowaSTEAM.org/

Kansas


Kentucky STEAM Ed http://education.uky.edu/STEAM/

Louisiana Louisiana STEAMWorks http://laSTEAMworks.org/p/la-‐STEAM-‐examples.html

Maine Maine STEAM http://maineSTEAM.org/

Maryland Maryland State Department of Education STEAM http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/msde/programs/STEAM/

Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Higher Education STEAM Nexus http://www.mass.edu/STEAM/

Michigan Michigan STEAM Partnership http://miSTEAMpartnership.com/

Minnesota Minnesota STEAM Network http://scimathmn.org/mnSTEAMnet/

Mississippi Center for Math and Science Education: STEAM Ambassadors http://umcmse.com/outreach/STEAM-‐ambassadors/

Missouri Missouri Department of Higher Education: STEAM] http://dhe.mo.gov/STEAM/

Montana Nebraska

Nevada Nevada STEAM Pipeline http://www.nvSTEAMpipeline.org/

New Hampshire STEAM NH http://nhepscor.org/STEAM/

New Jersey

New Mexico New Mexico STEAM-‐H Connection http://nmSTEAMed.org/

New York New York State STEAM Education Collaborative http://www.nysSTEAMeducation.org/

Long Island, NY Long Island Regional STEAM Hub http://www.liSTEAMhub.org/

North Carolina

NC STEAM Learning Network http://ncsmt.org/programs/nc-‐STEAM-‐learning-‐network/ North Carolina STEAM Center http://www.ncSTEAMcenter.org/


North Dakota North Dakota STEAM Community http://ndSTEAM.vcsu.edu/

Ohio Ohio STEAM Learning Network http://www.osln.org/

Oklahoma Oklahoma State Department of Education STEAM http://ok.gov/sde/STEAM

Oregon Oregon STEAM Education Initiative http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=382

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State Education Association STEAM Initiative http://www.psea.org/general.aspx?id=5361

Rhode Island

South Carolina South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science http://www.s2temsc.org/

South Dakota Institute for STEAM Education Enhancement http://www.sdstate.edu/isee/

Tennessee Tennessee STEAM Innovation Network http://thetsin.org/

Texas

Educate Texas http://www.edtx.org/

Utah STEAM Utah http://STEAM.utah.gov/

Vermont

Virginia Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement http://www.STEAM.vt.edu/

Washington Washington STEAM http://www.washingtonSTEAM.org/

West Virginia

Wisconsin STEAM Wisconsin http://www.wiSTEAM.org/

Wyoming


Other STEM/STEAM Networks & Resources Project Lead the Way: 4,700 middle and high schools (see Getting Smart feature) National Academy Foundation: 460 high schools (see Getting Smart feature) New Tech Network: 120 high schools (see Getting Smart feature) National Math and Science Initiative: pre-‐AP curriculum and training UTeach Institute: fast track STEAM teacher preparation/certification Engineering is Elementary: great K-‐5 STEAM content STEAM Connector: a place for advocates to connect online Digital Harbor Foundation: see Getting Smart feature on Baltimore Exploratorium: learning lab on Pier 15 in San Francisco

Articles on STEM/STEAM Education STEM vs. STEAM: Why The “A” Makes a Difference http://www.edudemic.com/stem-‐vs-‐steam-‐why-‐the-‐a-‐makes-‐all-‐the-‐difference/ STEM to STEAM: Art in K-‐12 Is Key to Building a Strong Economy http://www.edutopia.org/blog/stem-‐to-‐steam-‐strengthens-‐economy-‐john-‐maeda How Edtech Tools Have Revved Up 21st Century STEAM Instruction https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-‐09-‐29-‐how-‐edtech-‐tools-‐have-‐revved-‐up-‐21st-‐century-‐STEAM-‐instruction The ‘Science’ of Learning: Three Strategies for Improving STEAM Education https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-‐08-‐11-‐the-‐science-‐of-‐learning-‐three-‐strategies-‐for-‐improving-‐STEAM-‐education Power of Partnerships: Getting More Latino Students into STEAM Fields https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-‐07-‐17-‐power-‐of-‐partnerships-‐getting-‐more-‐latino-‐students-‐into-‐STEAM-‐fields Arts-‐based Teaching in Elementary Schools http://www.ednewsdaily.com/arts-‐based-‐teaching-‐in-‐elementary-‐schools/ Young STEAM Superstars Head to the White House https://www.edsurge.com/n/young-‐STEAM-‐superstars-‐head-‐to-‐the-‐white-‐house Why STEAM education is important https://www.isa.org/standards-‐and-‐publications/isa-‐publications/intech-‐magazine/2010/september/why-‐STEAM-‐education-‐is-‐important/

Enhancing STEAM Learning in Your PK-8 Classroom

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