Upcoming opportunities:
2010 National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA
March 18-21, 2010
Consider attending the many engineering-related sessions. Search the session browser for more.
How to Inspire and Equip Urban Minority Children to Become Scientists and Engineers
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 12:30-1:30PM
Learn tips for recruiting and engaging urban minority parents and children in inquiry-based engineering courses. Curricula developed and tested by engineers on 10 topics will be shared,
including the biomechanics of break dancing, bird flight aerodynamics, and energy-efficient houses.
STEM College Students as Role Models in the Classroom and in Family Science, Math, and Engineering Programs
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 12:30-1:30PM
STEM college students can inspire and engage elementary students. Learn how to connect with universities and provide fun hands-on age-appropriate activities for aspiring young engineers.
Outside the Box Day: A Schoolwide Engineering Experience for All!
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 3:30-4:30PM
During this schoolwide engineering day, each elementary-level grade uses creativity and problem solving to build a developmentally appropriate project. Parents as consultants provide encouragement and support.
The Three Little Pigs: Early Engineers
Friday, March 19, 2010, 8-9AM
Use fairy tales, nursery rhymes and rich literature to develop basic engineering concepts for K-5 students. Leave this session with sound age-appropriate engineering ideas.
Paper Engineering: Making 3-D Pop-Up Mechanisms
Friday, March 19, 2010, 9:30-10:30AM
Investigate how pop-ups work and use reverse engineering to design your own. Learn how these paper mechanisms illustrate principles of force, motion, systems and simple machines for your elementary school classrooms.
Polymers: They're Everywhere! Kitchen, Classroom, Cars and Clothing
Friday, March 19, 2010, 11AM-12PM
In a fast-paced tour of a super-center store, you'll see cool examples illustrating polymer science, history and engineering - all linked to web pages and activities suitable for your classroom lessons.
Project-based Learning to Increase Student Interest in Engineering
Friday, March 19, 2020, 11AM-12PM
Projects increase student interest in STEM fields because they involve them in solving authentic problems and building real solutions. We will look at the use of projects to increase student interest in the field of engineering.
Informal Science Day Session: Designing Hands-On Engineering Activities with Creative, Reusable, Affordable Products
Friday, March 19, 2010, 11AM-12PM
Engage in a hands-on engineering activity and learn the secrets to designing a successful informal engineering program for grades 4-10. Handouts provided.
Project SPECTRA!
Friday, March 19, 2010, 2-3PM
Use light to bring solar system exploration, engineering and real mission data into your middle or high school classroom with these lessons and activities. Build and use an "open" spectrograph. Free CD with activities.
Near-Space Engineering
Friday, March 19, 2020, 2-3PM
Through a unique partnership with the University of Idaho, middle school- through college-level students design and fabricate experimental payloads
that are launched via weather balloons to between 90 and 100,000 feet. After the modules are recovered, the data and images are analyzed.
2010 ISTE Annual Conference & Exposition, Denver, CO
June 27-30, 2010
At the International Society for Technology in Education's annual conference, participate in engineering-related sessions to bring new methods of student engagement into your classroom. Keep checking the website for program and workshop details. Formerly the National Education Computing Conference (NECC).
WGBH/NSTA Web Seminars (ongoing)
Catch a live, 90-minute web seminar, or review the archive for downloadable presentation files of past webinars, such as these:
Design Squad: Today's Students, Tomorrow's Engineers
Learn all about Design Squad, a PBS reality competition series in which teenagers tackle engineering challenges from real-world clients,
and how to give kids a working understanding of physical science concepts while increasing their enthusiasm for engineering. Free educational
resources include the middle school Design Squad Teacher's Guide with activities that meet educational standards and use low-cost, readily available materials. (archive, November 2009)
Designed to Inspire: On the Moon
NASA and WGBH representatives presented to 125 participants information on the Design Squad PBS series and highlighted the free On the
Moon Activity Guide. Design Squad encourages aspiring engineers through engineering activities for the science classroom. The webinar
included a web tour of additional educator resources available on the Design Squad and NASA websites. (archive, June 2009)
Engineering Education Service Center (ongoing)
Arrange for biomedical engineer, author and award-winning motivational speaker Celeste Bain to conduct high-energy and high-content presentations for your group. Example 50-minute presentation topics for teachers, mentors, outreach programs and parents include: Motivating Students to Pursue Engineering, Creative Outreach for Engineers, and Grow Your Own Engineer, and a one-day workshop for educators: Teaching Engineering Made Easy. For students, 50-minute presentations include: Engineers Can Do Anything!, 51.326 Reasons to Study Engineering Technology, Engineering Makes the World Go Around, Math Is Just One Tool in the Box, Engineering in the Entertainment Industry, and Girls Rule! More information at http://www.engineeringedu.com/pw/ttopics.html and http://www.engineeringedu.com/pw/stopics.html
Engineering By Design (ongoing)
The International Technology Education Association (ITEA) Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology & Science offers professional development opportunities with the Engineering by Design Curriculum Specialists (EbD). Arrange for EbD to provide seminars, institutes and workshops.
Find more resources for K-12 STEM Teacher Professional Development:
- National Science Teacher Association (NSTA)
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
- International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
- International Technology Education Association (ITEA)
