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Using Theatre to Teach STEM Classes to Youth | HowlRound Theatre Commons

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Using Theatre to Teach STEM Classes to Youth | HowlRound Theatre Commons

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Using Theatre to Teach STEM Classes to Youth

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By Lina Pulgarin-Duque. Dramaturg and Physicist Lina Pulgarin-Duque shares her experience working with Attack Theatre, and their approach to teaching science and math to young students in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Theatre and science come together to boost littlies in STEM | Garvan Institute of Medical Research

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Theatre and science come together to boost littlies in STEM | Garvan Institute of Medical Research

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A version of this article originally appeared in Education Today online on 18 July 2018, and is reproduced here with permission.
It's a case of getting them while they're young. Macquarie University's Dr Egg Digital - which was previously an independent internationally-renowned, children's theatre production company - has been working with the acclaimed Australian research centre the Garvan Institute of Medical Research to engage primary students in STEM-based subjects in ways that will sustain interest from primary school, through secondary education and uni.

With the support of a recently-awarded City of Sydney grant, Dr Egg Digital and Garvan have developed workshops to create puzzle prototypes for primary students to investigate, research, and explore the Science and Technology curriculum through a series of scientific adventure stories and games.

Students from City of Sydney OOSH afterschool care centres in Redfern and The Rocks, as well as Queenswood School will design puzzles and also enter the Garvan laboratories, learning directly from scientists about science inquiry and designing experiments, all relevant to the new National Science and Technology Curriculum, in place nationally from 2019.

"Research shows Aussie kids, especially girls, are not engaging and following through to university level with STEM subjects. We believe engaging students in kindergarten and primary school will help raise scientific awareness," said Dr Catherine Fargher, producer and game script writer at Dr Egg Digital.

"We want to create a safe and imaginative place for children to learn."

"The immersive story-world invites students to explore biology, chemistry, science inquiry themes, and ethics through the eyes of three inventive kid-heroes with special powers. Through the story-world, they navigate across problem-solving adventures, quests and games."

"We have the ongoing support of Macquarie University via its Incubator Hub, as well as connections with the University's Education Studies and Biological Science Departments, and innovation programs, providing business and commercialisation support, and allowing us to focus on developing the product."

Currently the team includes creative director / writer Dr Catherine Fargher, science and game educators, Macquarie University HDR students Julia Featherstone, India Boynton, Ravin Naidoo and design team members Jennyfer Ong and game-developer Peter Liang, who is currently a UX designer for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). The team also receives business support from an Advisory Board, including education, technology and science specialists, along with the incubator hub director John Shi-Nash and Singapore Edutech Business specialist David Ng, currently CFO of Mirxes, a medtech company.

The Dr Egg Adventures story-world was based originally on Fargher's original theatrical script, part of a national and international theatre production Dr Egg and The Man with No Ear, featuring puppetry, new media and animation. The work premiered at the Sydney Opera House and was later re-staged in Chicago at Redmoon Theatre and toured Canada through 2010-2011. The theatre script, honed on these three remounts, went on to win the AWGIE award for scriptwriting in Children's theatre in 2011.

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Theatre and science come together to boost littlies in STEM

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A version of this article originally appeared in Education Today online on 18 July 2018, and is reproduced here with permission. It's a case of getting them while they're young.

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Kids' hands-on activities - including arts, crafts, science - delivered monthly to your door with all materials included. Developed by paren...

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We offer a number of products to help you explore the microscopic world. From simple paper microscopes (with incredible capabilities) to slides, t-shirts, tote bags, and more - explore our store today!

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On Friday 19 June 2015, ArtsEdge hosted a full-day professional learning event at Scitech which brought together teachers, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educators, artists and arts and cultural organisations to collaborate on the development of practical and engaging classroom activities for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education.

The objectives for the event were:

for teachers to develop practical ideas to engage students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in and through the Arts;

to strengthen the working relationships between teachers, arts and cultural practitioners and STEM organisations and professionals for future collaboration in education;

to support artists/arts and cultural organisations and scientists/science organisations to develop a greater awareness of the professional learning and resource needs of teachers; and

to strengthen the understanding of ArtsEdge about current trends in both sectors to inform the future development of professional learning opportunities.

Throughout the day, attendees engaged with professional science, arts and education practitioners and participated in two collaborative workshops. The event agenda can be downloaded here.

The following chapters provide video highlights from each workshop, and copies of general information and resources handed out during activities are available for download.

The following artist 'spotlights' were presented during the event.

The power of STEAM
Geoffrey Drake-Brockman

About the presentation:
Geoffrey Drake-Brockman's art practice is characterised by robotic and optical technologies incorporated into large-scale installations and sculptural works that have been exhibited in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Singapore, Denmark, New York, and London.
His public art commissions include the robotic sculpture Totem at the Perth Arena, Readwrite at the NEXTDC Data Centre in Malaga, and Spiral at the Western Australian Police Headquarters. Geoffrey studied Computer Science at The University of Western Australia before completing a Master's degree in Visual Arts at Curtin University.
During his presentation, Geoffrey provided examples of his work which combines gothic horror themes with the politics of social determination through technology, and commonplace metaphors such as clockwork music boxes, flower-pots ( Floribots, image 1-right), doorways, origami shapes, and portrait relief.

Opportunities for STEAM education in the Secondary classroom
Gary Cass

Scitech STEAM education program

Digital Microscopy and Planetarium

About the presentation:
Using a digital microscope as a camera, attendees made a stop-animation film at 200 times magnification, exploring living things and their specialised functions and adaptations. Moving to the Planetarium, the group viewed a show reel of visualisations created by local Western Australian producers in conjunction with Scitech featuring stunning representations in Astronomy, Biology, and beyond.

Western Australian public school teachers can continue the STEAM discussion online via the Department of Education's CONNECT community. To access, search 'STEAM - teaching STEM in and through the Arts'; enquiries about the CONNECT group can be emailed to facilitator Jacqueline Barber.

Further reading about STEAM and related topics:

40 STEAM Apps and Websites - Educationcloset (USA)

STEAM channel - University of California.

STEAM Education - Murdoch University, Western Australia.

STEAM Education Australia - Facebook page.

Eleanor Gates Stuart - Working with Art in the Sciences.

Dr Tony Wagner - Transforming Education; Project Zero - Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Rise of Sneaker Culture - Art Gallery of Western Australia May-September, 2017. This exhibition examines the sneaker's complex and fascinating social history, from its origins in the mid-nineteenth century to its role in the present day as a status symbol of urban culture.

My Robot - Barking Gecko Theatre Company - 10-25 November 2017. Written by award-winning children's author Finegan Kruckemeyer this play will be the first of its kind in Western Australia to incorporate a robot performing alongside humans.

Creative Moves WA has created Maths Through Movement - a program for students, and professional learning workshops for teachers. For more information visitwww.creativemoveswa.com.au - Professional learning opportunities - read more here!

Technology and Visual Arts - Canning Vale College Arts Extension Coordinator, Sarah Eve, and Technologies Teacher, Anita Piccioni presentation at the STEAM professional learning day for educators hosted by Cecil Andrews Senior High School and Murdoch University on Monday 12 October 2015. Notes from this presentation explore how Visual Art and Technology are currently being implemented within the art world and the classroom.

STEAM - The importance of Arts in Education - video (USA, 2015)

Bringing Arts into Science - STEAM Case studies, STEAMConnect Ascend Conference - video (USA, 2015)

Could beer-loving bacteria produce the material of the future and be an alternative to cotton - Gary Cass-SBS

STEAM Rising, why we need to put the arts into STEM education (article, USA)

Arts Link publications by Philadelphia Arts in Education, USA - Building Mathematics and Science Competencies through Arts Integration

Global map of STEAM innovators

Stunning, psychedelic images where art and science collide - ideas TED.com

12 amazing things Scientists Discovered about People who listen to music

Mark Applebaum: The mad scientist of music - video (USA, 2012)

Integrating Art with STEM Education - TED talk May 2015

US artist Jill Pelto's works of art showcase science in disguise.

The resources provided by the workshop artists and facilitators and made available here are to be used as a guide only. Teachers and artists should further investigate relevant material to inform the development of student activities and programs.

The views and opinions expressed in the videos are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries or ArtsEdge. The Department and ArtsEdge encourage viewers to also seek advice and information from relevant sources, including peak bodies and suitably qualified professionals.

Image credits:
Image 1: Floribots by Geoffrey Drake-Brockman 2005, National Gallery of Australia. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
Image 2: Image of slide from Gary Cass presentation. ArtsEdge STEAM professional learning event, Friday 19 June 2015. Photograph by ArtsEdge.

Image 3: Digital microscopy activity. ArtsEdge STEAM professional learning event, Friday 19 June 2015. Photograph by ArtsEdge.

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On Friday 19 June 2015, ArtsEdge hosted a full-day professional learning event at Scitech which brought together teachers, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educators, artists and arts and cultural organisations to collaborate on the development of practical and engaging classroom activities for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education.

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John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders | TED Talk | TED.com

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John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders | TED Talk | TED.com

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John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders

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John Maeda, former President of the Rhode Island School of Design, delivers a funny and charming talk that spans a lifetime of work in art, design and technology, concluding with a picture of creative leadership in the future. Watch for demos of Maeda's earliest work -- and even a computer made of people.

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Mae Jemison: Teach arts and sciences together | TED Talk | TED.com

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Mae Jemison: Teach arts and sciences together | TED Talk | TED.com

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Mae Jemison: Teach arts and sciences together

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Mae Jemison is an astronaut, a doctor, an art collector, a dancer ... Telling stories from her own education and from her time in space, she calls on educators to teach both the arts and sciences, both intuition and logic, as one -- to create bold thinkers.

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AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits | TED Talk | TED.com

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AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits | TED Talk | TED.com

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AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits

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In a zippy demo at TED U, AnnMarie Thomas shows how two different kinds of homemade play dough can be used to demonstrate electrical properties -- by lighting up LEDs, spinning motors, and turning little kids into circuit designers.

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Scientific inquiry | ICT in Everyday Learning

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Scientific inquiry | ICT in Everyday Learning

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Login required | ICT in Everyday Learning

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Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom features hundreds of links to high-quality books, websites, projects, and other resources to help you create a makerspace in any school, no matter your budget.

In this section:

All Resources by Topic

Click on the links below to find all the resources found in the book plus extras!

Project ideas, Tutorials, Inspiration - Project collections, starter projects, resources for parents, online clubs, and books.

Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, FabLabs, and Maker Educators - Meet and collaborate with makers in communities, museums, libraries, schools, and more worldwide.

Make Magazine - Make magazine has spawned a number of websites, organizations, events, and more.

Organizations and Research Groups

Constructionism Resources - Websites, books, and Seymour Papert

Reggio Emilia Approach

Advocacy, Reports, and Articles

Play, Inventors, and Inventing

Places to Purchase Parts and Supplies

3D Printing and Fabrication - Design collections, cutters (subtractive machines), design software, and outsourced printing services.

Physical Computing - Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Wearable Computing, E-Textiles, LEGO, and Robotics

Programming - Logo, Scratch, Other Languages, and Environments

Creative Materials Old and New - Squishy Circuits, Cardboard, Software, Filmmaking, and Photography

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Professional Development, Curriculum, and Standards

Author Websites and Blogs

Resources by Chapter

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13

Chapter 14 is the resource chapter, so all the resources in that chapter are found in the "All Resources By Topic" section above, sorted by type.

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Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom features hundreds of links to high-quality books, websites, projects, and other resources to help you create a makerspace in any school, no matter your budget. In this section: Click on the links below to find all the resources found in the book plus extras!

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From STEM to STEAM to STREAM in ECE | Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research

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From STEM to STEAM to STREAM in ECE | Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research

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Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. The profession of early learning is full of acronyms! When my ECE friends and I get together anyone listening to us might think we are speaking another language. It is the language of our profession. Learning the language supports early learning teachers in their professional journeys. Language is a navigation tool to support professional learning. Learning new terms and acronyms is important for continuous professional growth. One of the first terms learned by those entering the study of early childhood education is "developmental domains". In early childhood education the term developmental domains is used frequently. Programming curriculum often revolves around supporting children's development across these domains.

Engaging all the developmental domains when planning for children's experiences is a worthy goal for early learning teachers. As a foundational perspective, developmental domains are a good starting point but can be limiting when seeking to see the full potential of children and curriculum possibilities. Another perspective is to consider critical learning areas when programming. For a comprehensive program plan, children's development and learning must be considered in tandem. When early learning teachers plan with intention, they can also provide experiences focused on multiple critical learning areas as well as domains. Recently I have been presenting workshops inspired by the wonderful book by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld called Stick and Stone. During the experience I invite participants to play with natural materials and to consider the critical learning areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

Play is the vehicle for all learning and development in the early years. Through play, children gain life-long skills that support their development and learning. Adults too, need to play in order to support children's play. Play is not frivolous. It is through play that children will have authentic, fun and self-chosen experiences in critical learning areas. An interesting way to consider critical learning areas is to focus on the acronyms of STEM, STEAM and STREAM.

STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These have been considered core learning areas for the 21 st century.

STEAM - Advocates for arts-based learning have called for the integration of the Arts (Robelen, 2011).

STREAM - Now we have competing acronyms as others have called for the inclusion of reading and writing into the core learning areas.

I would like to add relationships to the mix. One of the key messages of the book Stick and Stone is about relationships specifically friendships and bullying. So my question is - how about STRREAM? I would also suggest that if you follow the STRREAM outside you will see that learning and develop begins outdoors in nature! Children belong in nature; it is in their nature. Being able to play freely in and with nature is vital to children's healthy development while supporting their learning in wondrous ways.

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Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. The profession of early learning is full of acronyms! When my ECE friends and I get together anyone listening to us might think we are speaking another language. It is the language of our profession. Learning the language supports early learning teachers in their professional journeys.

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Inquiry for Indigenous Science Students inquiries identify content descriptions in the Australian Curriculum which can be related to a traditional context and developed into a hands-on scientific inquiry. Four inquiries have been developed and are currently being implemented into schools across Australia.

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Experiments with science, art, technology, and delightful ideas.

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Leah Buechley is an associate professor in the computer science department at the University of New Mexico, where she directs the Hand and Machine research group. Her work explores integrations of electronics, computing, art, craft, and design. She is a pioneer in paper and fabric-based electronics and her inventions include the LilyPad Arduino, a construction kit for sew-able electronics. Previously, she was a professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she founded and directed the High-Low Tech group. Her awards include an NSF CAREER Award and the Edith Ackerman award for Interaction Design and Children. Leah received a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BA in physics from Skidmore College. At both institutions she also studied dance, theater, fine art, and design.

A Few Selected Talks
Eyeo Talk about MAKE-ing and Social Justice
FabLearn Keynote: a critical look at MAKE-ing
TED Talk on Sketching Electronics
A conversation about craft and technology: Ron Rael and Leah Buechley

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Leah Buechley is an associate professor in the computer science department at the University of New Mexico, where she directs the Hand and Machine research group. Her work explores integrations of electronics, computing, art, craft, and design. She is a pioneer in paper and fabric-based electronics and her inventions include the LilyPad Arduino, a construction kit for sew-able electronics.

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Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers |

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Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers |

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Magazine that celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will.

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June is I Made It Challenge Month! Win a Pro Membership!

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June is I Made It Challenge Month! Win a Pro Membership!

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Attention! This contest has ended. Thanks to all the winners and to all the people who make projects off of the site!

June is "I Made It" Challenge Month!

Every day in June, Instructables is giving away a 3 month pro membership to one lucky user who has made the project described in an Instructable, and posted a photo of their version in the comments or someone who has posted a slideshow of their version of an Instructable.

Why?
Because authors love to see their creations given new life! There's nothing better than seeing how someone else followed your Instructable and made something awesome. And if you try out a project, this is a great way to share what worked for you, and what work-arounds or changes you made. Instructables is all about sharing your knowledge, so we'd like to reward you for taking the extra effort to show everyone what you've done.

How do I win?
It's easy - we randomly pick one winner each day from "I Made It" comments left on original Instructables or slideshows posted around the site.
Have you already posted your version of an Instructable in comments or in a slideshow? Have you seen some really great examples someone else has posted? Link it here to be sure we've got it on our list! The challenge starts on June 1, so if you haven't already left an "I Made It!" comment or posted a slideshow, you've got more than a full month to make something from the site. Linking to your version here isn't necessary, but means we won't accidentally miss it.

I'll randomly pick one winner each day, and post the link here for you to check out. If you win, we'll send your coupon via PM within a couple of days.

Good luck and happy "I Made It" Challenge Month!

Winners:

June 1st: Nickodemus for Make a Tree from Jewelry Wire
June 2nd: EVM for Personalized Guess Who
June 3rd: jmeowmeow for Checkpoint Charlie Hat
June 4th: Geekmandude for Pocket Drunken Robot
June 5th: warrnie7 for 5-minute Chocolate Cake
June 6th: Mary GaGo for How to Create a Money Lei
June 7th: Timothymh for Genuine chainmaille from pop tabs
June 8th: HarreBar for Twisted Spoke Bicycle Wheel Lacing
June 9th: Thoraxe for Quality Duct Tape Wallet
June 10th: Owl Box for Treadmill Desk
June 11th: rillianswillow for Sew A Where The Wild Things Are Hat
June 12th: andydrumer12 for Invisible Book Shelf
June 13th: shobley for Twitter Mood Light
June 14th: Kirbsome! for LED Throwies
June 15th: shadowman2 for Marshmallow Gun
June 16th: janamorrisova for TuTu Crazy
June 17th: Hoaxinmi for Liquor Lamp
June 18th: Loox for Harry Potter Wands
June 19th: garette10 for Harry Potter Wands
June 20th: violetkitty for Harry Potter Wands
June 21st: dsaavedra for How to make playdough
June 22nd: Quazakafor for USB Hard Drive
June 23rd: Tyman210 for Circuit Board Wallet
June 24th: Laxap for Fur Your Laptop
June 25th: Jumbo Ninja for Cupcake Cones
June 26th: NerdofSteel for 12v Battery Hack
June 27th: nemaster203 for NES PC
June 28th: bell017 for Bean Bag Sofa
June 29th: fastback570 for Bike Painting Tips
June 30th: Hivoltage for Concrete Countertops

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June is I Made It Challenge Month! Win a Pro Membership!

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Attention! This contest has ended. Thanks to all the winners and to all the people who make projects off of the site! June is "I Made It" Challenge Month!

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Featured Instructables - Explore the Biggest How To and DIY community where people make and share inspiring, entertaining, and useful projects, recipes, and hacks.

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Teacher Resource - Hands On STEM Activities | Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre

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Teacher Resource - Hands On STEM Activities | Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre

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Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre

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It's great to try a wide range of activities and explore potential new passions in any subject area. Whether you're seeking simple science activities using inexpensive materials, projects that are more technologically challenging, or citizen science projects where you collect data for an Australian researcher, you're likely to find something of interest below.

Citizen Science: Australian Museum Centre of Citizen Science
Australian Museum in Sydney NSW aims to engage the public with science in a practical way

Citizen Science: Atlas of Living Australia
Resources and tools for Australia's biodiversity projects

Citizen Science: ABC Citizen Science Projects
List of Citizen Science Projects organised by the ABC for National Science Week

Coding: MIT Scratch
A free online program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA which allows children to create simple animation using simple coding languages

Coding: CodeClub Australia
A network of coding clubs for Aussie kids aged 9-11

Coding: Computer Science Unplugged
A fantastic range of free resources for teaching computer science without a computer

Maths: Math on the Move
Blog posts by an educator and author who teaches mathematics through percussive dance

Maths: CSIRO Maths Activities and Experiments
Resources suitable for primary and lower secondary students in mathematics

Maths: Museum of Mathematics (MoM) Maths Activities
Maths activities developed by the Museum of Mathematics in New York, USA

Maths: Wolfram Alpha Maths Activities
Mathematics lesson plans developed by US-based Wolfram Alpha

Science: National Science Week
A national program of events celebrating science during August each year

Science: CSIRO DIY Science
A broad range of hands-on science activities for primary and secondary students

Science: Science Buddies
A US-based, non-profit group supporting K-12 hands-on science and STEM exploration

Science: How to Smile
US--based website listing hands-on STEM activities that can be searched by topic

Science: RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching)
US-based website listing hands-on STEM activities by topic or search

Science: ABC Splash STEM page
A broad range of STEM-based resources including videos and activities

Science: ABC Surfing Scientist
Australian science communicator Ruben Meerman shares a range of hands-on science experiments using simple materials

Science: ASTA's ScienceASSIST
Science ASSIST is a national online service for school science educators and technicians, developed by The Australian Science Teachers Association

STEM: NSW Department of Education
More than 20 NSW schools have uploaded their cross-curricular STEM units for Year 7 to 10

STEM: Mapping Australia's STEM Education programs
A database of science education activities, events and workshops hosted in cities and regions around Australia

STEM: Exploratorium Afterschool Activities
Broad range of hands-on science and maths activities using simple materials

STEM: Exploratorium activities
A large archive of hands-on science and maths activities organised by topic

STEM: Toys from Trash
Indian educator Arvind Gupta creates science activities and toys using recycled materials that would otherwise be considered rubbish

Technology: The Tech Museum of Innovation
Design Challenge Learning activities developed by the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California USA

Technology: Popular Mechanics
DIY projects for the home using consumer electronics and hardware

Technology: Make Magazine Projects
Technology-based projects that are slightly more advanced, but accessible for people wanting to build whimsical contraptions

Technology: Exploratorium Tinkering Studio Projects
Descriptions of hands-on activities delivered in The Exploratorium's public Tinkering Studio in San Francisco, California USA

Technology: Exploratorium Sketchpad blog
A behind-the-scenes look at activities being undertaken in The Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio in San Francisco, California USA

Technology: Instructables
Online community of projects with instructions, photos and advice on a range of low tech and high tech 'how to' projects

Technology: Thingiverse
Online community which shares high-tech projects and instructions using digital technology such as 3D printers

Technology: Northwest Invention Center
Hands-on activities focusing on invention and creativity

MOOCs

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) allow you to participate in a short course online without leaving home. Most MOOCs are free of charge, but all require internet access and some require you to purchase materials to undertake the hands-on activities. MOOCs typically run for a few hours each week over 4 to 8 weeks and are delivered by various universities or online hosts in certain timeframes.

MOOC by The Exploratorium
Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructivist Approach to STEM Learning

MOOCs by Coursera
Coursera hosts hundreds of MOOCs including subject areas such as computer science, data science, life sciences, math and logic, physical science and engineering

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Teacher Resource - Hands On STEM Activities

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It's great to try a wide range of activities and explore potential new passions in any subject area. Whether you're seeking simple science activities using inexpensive materials, projects that are more technologically challenging, or citizen science projects where you collect data for an Australian researcher, you're likely to find something of interest below.

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What is the Role of the Arts in a Primary School?: An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia

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What is the Role of the Arts in a Primary School?: An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia

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Arts Integration: Resource Roundup | Edutopia

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Arts Integration: Resource Roundup | Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning | Southeast Center for Arts Integration

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Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning | Southeast Center for Arts Integration

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The term, 21st Century Skills, has become one of the most referenced catch phrases in contemporary culture. The definition of those skills has been expanded and refined over time until it now amounts to nearly a full page of text on the official website the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Although there may not be absolute consensus, most educators do agree that there is a set of critical skills and knowledge that today's students will require in order to succeed in the world they will enter as adults.

They must be able to think critically and creatively.

They must have organizational skills.

They must be able to work well with others.

They will need to be self-confident, self-motivated, and self-disciplined.

They will be required to understand and use Mathematics, Science and Technology.

They will need to be highly effective communicators.

They will need to understand and appreciate cultural diversity.

In order to meet these needs, schools and school districts have rushed to implement a plethora of highly structured and very expensive programs in every curriculum area. States and districts have created detailed pacing guides that dictate scope and sequence for every subject. In addition to State and Federal testing, district and local standardized assessments are common practice even in the primary grades. Yet, in spite of the huge investments of time and money, few students can demonstrate mastery of the skills that have been identified as critical to their success.

Yet there is a well known teaching practice that has been shown to help students understand and practice these important skills. It combats the often arbitrary fragmentation of the curriculum and brings multiple curriculum areas together to explore key concepts in real world contexts. It offers students multiple paths to understanding of key concepts and important ideas. It allows individuals to access information and to process it in ways that are developmentally appropriate to each learner. Furthermore, this remarkable teaching practice is no secret. It is currently in use in hundreds, if not thousands of schools worldwide. It's called arts integration. It is, very simply, a process of using the arts-visual art, dance, drama and music-to enhance learning experiences across the curriculum

There are manifold reasons for the efficacy of arts integration.

The engagement factor is perhaps the most easily understood. Study after study has shown that sitting and listening to a lecture is perhaps the least effective learning strategy of all, while participating in an activity is the most effective. The arts provide a wide variety of engaging activities that provide a context for understanding. Dance demonstrates a comparison of solutions and mixtures, or the inner workings of a cell. Drama illustrates history. Music models how sound waves work. Simply reading or hearing facts cannot compete as a learning experience.

Arts Integration employs strategies that are compatible with current scientific knowledge of the human brain and how it functions. Howard Gardner proposed his Theory of Multiple Intelligences decades ago and contemporary brain research confirms his hypotheses. We know now that different regions of the brain manage different functions and that each individual has a whole series of intelligences that are both innate and experiential. We also know that our intelligences are not static, but fluid and capable of growth throughout our lives. We know that some people learn more easily through the spoken or written word, while others can more easily comprehend visual or kinesthetic information. The arts provide an arena where the seven intelligences-the visual/spatial, the kinesthetic, the musical/rhythmic, the interpersonal and intrapersonal, the natural, the mathematical/logical and the verbal linguistic- are all recognized and addressed. From the third grader who creates and performs a dance to demonstrate the water cycle, to the high school senior who builds an abstract sculpture of geometric forms, students who have an opportunity to learn through arts integration are able to explore the subject through all their intelligences in ways that have personal meaning for them. The result is deeper understanding and greater ability to apply their knowledge to other situations.

The arts process skills provide a strong platform for learning across the curriculum. They are strongly connected to process skills in Science, to problem solving skills in mathematics, and to communication and information skills in Language Arts. All these skill sets are about more than merely acquiring information. They are about processing that information in order to be able to understand and apply it. Observing, recording and organizing information, collaborating, planning, practicing, revising, making predictions, experimenting, and communicating are among the arts process skills, but these are equally critical skills for every curriculum area. Arts integration offers students myriad opportunities to practice these skills in the context of an experience that is meaningful to them.

Arts integration is not a new teaching strategy. Nearly every teacher employs at least a smattering of arts integration. Students illustrate stories and poems. They act in skits about famous historical events. They sing patriotic songs and draw portraits of famous people. However, unless the students receive meaningful instruction in the arts, they probably miss an important part of the experience. Making art, whether it is visual art, music, drama or dance, is a process of making informed choices. Students who do not receive instruction in the arts may not be aware of the kinds of decisions they can make and thus may not be able to express themselves or communicate their ideas as they intend. Just as students require instruction in understanding and using words, they need the opportunity to learn the language and the elements and principles of the arts. Then and only then can they really bring their visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic, kinesthetic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences to bear on the topic at hand.

Thoughtful arts integration offers students an authentic context for 21st century learning. It gives them the opportunity to explore the important concepts and to acquire and practice the critical skills they need to succeed in the world they will inherit. If we take the performance of a play as an example, the connections to the critical skills listed above are clear. All members of a drama production are required to plan together and to make critical and creative decisions about each part of the production. Any kind of group effort requires organizational skills, and the conventions of theatre teach students to accept responsibility for their share of the organization; from meeting schedules to organizing props and costumes. They must learn the necessary social skills to get along with other cast members. They must have the confidence to participate and have the motivation to stay engaged in their tasks without undue oversight.. The technical aspects of theater-scenery, costume, lighting, sound and special effects require a command of multiple technologies. Actors, directors, technical crew are required to communicate effectively if the production is to succeed. Audience awareness is a central component of drama and that awareness includes the cultural diversity of an audience and how they will perceive the plan from their cultural perspective.

No matter what art form is integrated, there are strong connections to the skills for 21st century learning. Each art form offers its own unique context where students can learn to acquire and process information and apply that learning in their own life.

Martha Burdette, 2011

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
southeast center for arts integration blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term, 21st Century Skills, has become one of the most referenced catch phrases in contemporary culture. The definition of those skills has been expanded and refined over time until it now amounts to nearly a full page of text on the official website the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

# data[].attributes.headline
Rocking your Writing Program: Integration of Visual Art, Language Arts, & Science [eScholarship]

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Rocking your Writing Program: Integration of Visual Art, Language Arts, & Science [eScholarship]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rocking your Writing Program: Integration of Visual Art, Language Arts, & Science

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author(s): Poldberg, Monique M.; Trainin, Guy; Andrzejczak, Nancy | Abstract: This paper explores the integration of art, literacy and science in a second grade classroom, showing how an integrative approach has a positive and lasting influence on student achievement in art, literacy, and science. Ways in which art, science, language arts, and cognition intersect are reviewed.

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Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning | Southeast Center for Arts Integration

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Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning | Southeast Center for Arts Integration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The term, 21st Century Skills, has become one of the most referenced catch phrases in contemporary culture. The definition of those skills has been expanded and refined over time until it now amounts to nearly a full page of text on the official website the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Although there may not be absolute consensus, most educators do agree that there is a set of critical skills and knowledge that today's students will require in order to succeed in the world they will enter as adults.

They must be able to think critically and creatively.

They must have organizational skills.

They must be able to work well with others.

They will need to be self-confident, self-motivated, and self-disciplined.

They will be required to understand and use Mathematics, Science and Technology.

They will need to be highly effective communicators.

They will need to understand and appreciate cultural diversity.

In order to meet these needs, schools and school districts have rushed to implement a plethora of highly structured and very expensive programs in every curriculum area. States and districts have created detailed pacing guides that dictate scope and sequence for every subject. In addition to State and Federal testing, district and local standardized assessments are common practice even in the primary grades. Yet, in spite of the huge investments of time and money, few students can demonstrate mastery of the skills that have been identified as critical to their success.

Yet there is a well known teaching practice that has been shown to help students understand and practice these important skills. It combats the often arbitrary fragmentation of the curriculum and brings multiple curriculum areas together to explore key concepts in real world contexts. It offers students multiple paths to understanding of key concepts and important ideas. It allows individuals to access information and to process it in ways that are developmentally appropriate to each learner. Furthermore, this remarkable teaching practice is no secret. It is currently in use in hundreds, if not thousands of schools worldwide. It's called arts integration. It is, very simply, a process of using the arts-visual art, dance, drama and music-to enhance learning experiences across the curriculum

There are manifold reasons for the efficacy of arts integration.

The engagement factor is perhaps the most easily understood. Study after study has shown that sitting and listening to a lecture is perhaps the least effective learning strategy of all, while participating in an activity is the most effective. The arts provide a wide variety of engaging activities that provide a context for understanding. Dance demonstrates a comparison of solutions and mixtures, or the inner workings of a cell. Drama illustrates history. Music models how sound waves work. Simply reading or hearing facts cannot compete as a learning experience.

Arts Integration employs strategies that are compatible with current scientific knowledge of the human brain and how it functions. Howard Gardner proposed his Theory of Multiple Intelligences decades ago and contemporary brain research confirms his hypotheses. We know now that different regions of the brain manage different functions and that each individual has a whole series of intelligences that are both innate and experiential. We also know that our intelligences are not static, but fluid and capable of growth throughout our lives. We know that some people learn more easily through the spoken or written word, while others can more easily comprehend visual or kinesthetic information. The arts provide an arena where the seven intelligences-the visual/spatial, the kinesthetic, the musical/rhythmic, the interpersonal and intrapersonal, the natural, the mathematical/logical and the verbal linguistic- are all recognized and addressed. From the third grader who creates and performs a dance to demonstrate the water cycle, to the high school senior who builds an abstract sculpture of geometric forms, students who have an opportunity to learn through arts integration are able to explore the subject through all their intelligences in ways that have personal meaning for them. The result is deeper understanding and greater ability to apply their knowledge to other situations.

The arts process skills provide a strong platform for learning across the curriculum. They are strongly connected to process skills in Science, to problem solving skills in mathematics, and to communication and information skills in Language Arts. All these skill sets are about more than merely acquiring information. They are about processing that information in order to be able to understand and apply it. Observing, recording and organizing information, collaborating, planning, practicing, revising, making predictions, experimenting, and communicating are among the arts process skills, but these are equally critical skills for every curriculum area. Arts integration offers students myriad opportunities to practice these skills in the context of an experience that is meaningful to them.

Arts integration is not a new teaching strategy. Nearly every teacher employs at least a smattering of arts integration. Students illustrate stories and poems. They act in skits about famous historical events. They sing patriotic songs and draw portraits of famous people. However, unless the students receive meaningful instruction in the arts, they probably miss an important part of the experience. Making art, whether it is visual art, music, drama or dance, is a process of making informed choices. Students who do not receive instruction in the arts may not be aware of the kinds of decisions they can make and thus may not be able to express themselves or communicate their ideas as they intend. Just as students require instruction in understanding and using words, they need the opportunity to learn the language and the elements and principles of the arts. Then and only then can they really bring their visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic, kinesthetic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences to bear on the topic at hand.

Thoughtful arts integration offers students an authentic context for 21st century learning. It gives them the opportunity to explore the important concepts and to acquire and practice the critical skills they need to succeed in the world they will inherit. If we take the performance of a play as an example, the connections to the critical skills listed above are clear. All members of a drama production are required to plan together and to make critical and creative decisions about each part of the production. Any kind of group effort requires organizational skills, and the conventions of theatre teach students to accept responsibility for their share of the organization; from meeting schedules to organizing props and costumes. They must learn the necessary social skills to get along with other cast members. They must have the confidence to participate and have the motivation to stay engaged in their tasks without undue oversight.. The technical aspects of theater-scenery, costume, lighting, sound and special effects require a command of multiple technologies. Actors, directors, technical crew are required to communicate effectively if the production is to succeed. Audience awareness is a central component of drama and that awareness includes the cultural diversity of an audience and how they will perceive the plan from their cultural perspective.

No matter what art form is integrated, there are strong connections to the skills for 21st century learning. Each art form offers its own unique context where students can learn to acquire and process information and apply that learning in their own life.

Martha Burdette, 2011

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
southeast center for arts integration blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Arts Integration: The Authentic Context for 21st Century Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term, 21st Century Skills, has become one of the most referenced catch phrases in contemporary culture. The definition of those skills has been expanded and refined over time until it now amounts to nearly a full page of text on the official website the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

# data[].attributes.headline
Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.subject
Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Arts integration specialist Susan Riley looks at some of the ways in which teaching with the arts can meet and enhance Common Core requirements.

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STEM Resources Collection | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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STEM Resources Collection | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This collection of STEM instructional resources focuses on all things Kentucky. Teachers and students have access to video and images from award-winning KET programs, with educational support materials developed in line with state academic standards. Topics include life sciences, geometry, and biology.

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MaKey MaKey Quickstart Guide - learn.sparkfun.com

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MaKey MaKey Quickstart Guide - learn.sparkfun.com

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Introduction

Welcome to the world of Makey Makey! A world where everyday objects are much more than they appear. Bananas are more than just a curvy fruit --- they're keys to a virtual piano. Play-Doh isn't just a child's toy --- it's the controlling force behind Pacman's up/down/left/right. And your simple pencil drawings are a portal to Portal.

Be prepared to look at everyday objects in a whole new light. Be stoked! The world is your construction kit.

Materials Required

Makey Makey --- The star of the show! The kit should already include:

Mini-USB Cable

Alligator Clip Cables

Tinned Tipped Wires

A computer (Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux) with an Available USB Slot

Button Material (e.g., fruit, Play-Doh, tin foil, copper tape, pencil, a friend)

A Primed Imagination

Suggested Reading

What is the Makey Makey?

The Makey Makey is a collaborative project between Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum of the MIT Media Lab and SparkFun Electronics. It's an invention kit that encourages people to find creative ways to interact with their computers by using everyday objects as a replacement for keyboards and mice. With the Makey Makey, you could replace your space key with a banana, use Play-Doh to move and click your mouse, or high-five your best friend to advance PowerPoint slides.

Hardware Overview

Top Side

The Makey Makey is a two-sided circuit board. On the more simple top side, the Makey Makey has six inputs: the up/down/left/right arrow keys, as well as the space bar and mouse left click:

Each of those inputs as well as the very important "Earth bar" are available in the form of what I like to call "alligator-bait" connectors. You'll use the included alligator clip cables to clip right into the hole pairs. This will all be made much more clear in the next section. For now, let's keep summarizing your Makey Makey.

If any key is activated with the "Earth Bar," an associated LED will light up next to the pad.

Back Side

When you flip the board over to the back side, you will notice a mini-B USB connector and POWER LED. The connector is where you will connect the USB cable to a computer. The LED will light up when the board is powered.

You've also got access to 12 more keys via the black female headers:

W, A, S, D, F, and G on the keyboard side

up/down/left/right mouse movement and left/right clicks on the mouse side

The bottom header has six additional ground (aka Earth) outputs.

The top header is an expansion/output header. They KEY OUT and MS OUT are connected to the LEDs on the back to indicate whether you're pressing a keyboard or mouse key, respectively. This can be used to connect low-power LEDs and small motors. The RESET will reset the board when connected to ground. There are also pins for power through the 5V and GND. The last two pins (PGD and PGC) are used by the factory to program.

The pins broken out through the black female headers are all available in the form of "jumper-wire" connectors to connect male jumper wires, header pins, stripped wires, or tinned tipped wires.

Hardware Hookup

The simplest Makey Makey key you can make is one that only uses your fingers. Below are instructions to make yourself into a key!

Connect a USB Cable

First, grab the mini-USB cable included with the Makey Makey and insert the cable into the connector. Connect the other end to a USB port of your computer.

Ignore Pop-up Windows

When you first insert the Makey Makey into your computer, a window may pop up. You can cancel or close out the window.

Connect Earth

Touch the Earth bar to ground yourself.

Connect Yourself

Simultaneously touch the SPACE pad. The LED above the SPACE key should light up, and a space command should be sent to your computer.

Now try leaving one finger on the Earth bar while quickly tapping the space button. Getting a feel for it? It should work just like your standard space key!

Testing With a Text Editor

Open up some sort of text editor (Notepad, Word, TextEdit, etc.) on your computer to confirm if the Makey Makey is sending a space to your computer. Remember, just as with your boring ol' keyboard, your computer will interpret keypresses differently depending on what program is active. You can also use your mouse to click between the words in the textbox shown below.

Online Apps for Makey Makey

Looking for some fun games to test out the Makey Makey? Click on the link below to try out the online apps provided by JoyLabz!

Making Your First Key

Makey Makey Key-Making Materials

To make your "standard" key with the Makey Makey you need the following:

A connection to a Makey Makey input. This can be done using alligator clips on the the hole pairs, or jumper wires on the black connector sockets.

Connection to a Makey Makey ground (Earth). Again, you'll connect to earth using either alligator clips or jumper wires.

Some sort of key material. This is the fun/creative part! There's a world of Makey Makey keys out there. Anything that's even slightly conductive is just waiting to become a computer input. The classics include your fingers, bananas and pencil scratchings.

Something to activate the key by connecting between the key material and the ground input. Your fingers work pretty well for this. Anything even slightly conductive will do, though.

Making a Key

Activating a key means creating a closed circuit. For the circuit to work, electrons have to be able to flow from the Makey Makey input key to Makey Makey's ground. Usually your fingers will be the missing link between those two:

Image courtesy of JoyLabz

Let's try making a bona fide Makey Makey key. First, you'll need to find some sort of key object. Dig around your house, check your fruit basket or coin purse, or grab a pencil and make a drawing to try it out.

Pick out your favorite-colored alligator clip cable, open one of the jaws, and snap it down onto your key. Clip the other end of the clip into one of the Makey Makey top-side inputs. SPACE is great for testing purposes, so we will start with that key pad:

Now, grab a second cable for the ground connection. Black is the classic "ground color", but set your own trend and pick whatever you want. Clip one end of one cable into the Earth bar and let the other end dangle for now.

Open up some sort of text editor (Notepad, Word, TextEdit, etc.) on your computer. Or you can click between the words in the test box provided below.

Finally! Grab the dangling end of the ground cable with one hand. Make sure you're touching the metal part of the clip. Then use your other hand to touch the banana, or whatever your key might be. BAM! Space!

Experimenting With Key Materials

Don't have a banana? Try experimenting with different materials. Some materials conduct better than others. Certain materials can also be conductive over a period of time. Try it out!

Below is an example of a hand-drawn key from a standard pencil. A dotted circle was drawn on two sides of a piece of paper and extended to the center. Lines of alternating lengths were drawn (short and long) from each extension with a gap between the lines so that one finger could be used as the key.

The first drawing with the thin lines labeled "Button 1" was a poor conductor on paper. However, the second drawing with the bold, thick lines labeled "Button 2" was able to conduct. In this case, the pencil was only able to conduct when there was enough of the material. After a few uses, the lines faded and required another layer of graphite.

Using the Back

Remember the black connectors on the other side of the board? There are additional keys that you can connect! You can follow a similar set of steps, replacing alligator cables with jumper wires. The wires included with the Makey Makey is one type of jumper wire. Jumper wires can be a bit tougher to connect to keys. An easy solution is to connect an alligator cable to the free end of the jumper.

Let's try it out. Insert one end of the tinned tipped wire fully into a socket. Connect the other end to a conductive material. You may need to use an alligator cable to extend and connect to the material. Repeat for the ground connection.

The example below is similar to the hand-drawn button. Strips of copper tape were used for "Button 3" instead of a pencil. Since the material is more conductive and thicker than the hand-drawn lines, only two stripes were used. Regular tape was used to secure the tinned ends of the wire against the paper and table. After a few uses, the copper fared better than the graphite pencil.

Adding More Keys!

To add more keys, simply connect another alligator clip to another Makey Makey input (e.g., arrow keys or mouse click) and connect the other end to a key material. No further ground connections are necessary as long as there is one available. Be creative and connect as many keys as you can to the Makey Makey!

Jim and a Makey Makey connected to various types of keys!

What Makes a Key? Conductivity.

A material is a conductor if it allows electricity (even just a tiny bit of it) to flow. This is the magic behind the Makey Makey: most of the world is conductive! Anything metal will almost certainly conduct electricity. The "standard" conductors are copper, silver, gold, etc. But with the Makey Makey our conductor scope grows. Most organic materials --- things like human skin, liquids, foods and frog legs --- are at least a little conductive. And that's really all the Makey Makey needs.

If an object isn't conductive, it's an insulator. Common insulators include plastic, glass, ceramic and wood. You can usually tell just by looking at something whether it's an insulator or conductor. You'll have to watch out for objects like this, as they just won't work with the Makey Makey. To get around that, though, you can line them with a conductive material (like copper tape, or just regular old wire) or paint. This creates the illusion that they're conducting electricity.

Makey Makey held against an enclosure and connected to a controller with copper tape and alligator cables.

Resistance is a measure of exactly how conductive a device is. Resistance can be measured with just about any standard multimeter. Any object with a resistance of about 4.5MΩ (that's a really high resistance) or less should work as a Makey Makey input. If you're not sure if something will work with the Makey Makey, whip out a multimeter (buy one if you have to; they're an essential tool for electronics hobbyists) and test that resistance! Or, better yet, just connect it to your Makey Makey and experiment.

Remapping Keys

The Makey Makey v1.2 Classic has an option if you ever need to change the default keys. To remap the key, you will need to go online and head over to JoyLabz using any internet browser. Click on the button below to open a new window.

Following the instructions provided by JoyLabz is pretty straightforward, but we also outlined the instructions below. By clicking on the link, it should have opened up a new tab or window. You will have two options. Click on the Makey Makey Classic.

Heads up! When reprogramming the Makey Makey keys, you will need to have the browser window active. If you happen to click outside of the window, it will become dark. All you need to do is use your mouse and click back on the reprogramming window.

The page will also time out if you take too long of a break. When this happens, you will need to start at the beginning.

Once selected, the prompt will ask you to check and ensure that you have the correct Makey Makey version. On the back side with the black female headers, you will notice that the board has a version number printed as v.1.2 If you do not have that version, you will not be able to remap the keys with these instructions. If it is v.1.2, proceed by connecting the Mini-USB cable to the Makey Makey and clicking on the START button. For now, do not connect the other end to your computer's USB port.

Grab two alligator clips and connect the up (↑) and down (↓) arrows together. Then connect the left (←) and right (→) arrows. Once connected, connect the other end of the USB cable to your computer's USB port. You will notice the green LEDs begin to fade in and out, indicating that the Makey Makey is in programming mode.

The browser will eventually respond with a note indicating that the Makey Makey is detected. If you do not see the message, you may need to unplug the USB cable from your computer and start again. Also, make sure that the browser to remap keys is active. Otherwise, follow the prompt by removing the alligator clips if the Makey Makey is in programming mode.

With one hand, ground yourself by touching the exposed GND pads. With the other hand, touch the left or right keys to navigate to the key that you are interested in remapping.

Note: You will only be able to use the Makey Makey to navigate. You will not be able to use your keyboard or mouse.

The key that will be remapped will be highlighted yellow. Let's remap the left mouse "CLICK" on the Makey Makey. Navigate to the left mouse "CLICK" button. Once selected, keep one hand on GND and touch the "CLICK" pad to remap the key.

The key that is being remapped will be highlighted green. The replacement key will be highlighted yellow. At this point, you can select the replacement key located at the bottom of the browser. Navigate through the keys using the Makey Makey's arrow pads. Let's select the "enter" key by moving to its icon and touching the "CLICK" pad.

The browser will have a nice animation and replace the old key with a new key. At this point, you can continue to remap the other keys. For now, we will just remap one key.

Navigate to the SAVE button by pressing on the down pad. Here, you will be able to SAVE the remapped key, CANCEL any changes that you have made, or RESTORE the Makey Makey default keys. Let's save the remapped key by pressing on the "CLICK" pad.

A prompt will pop up asking you to confirm the save. Use the left arrow pad to highlight "YES". Click on the "CLICK" pad to confirm.

The settings will save and you will be greeted with a "SUCCESS!"

Troubleshooting

Not working as expected? Check out the Troubleshooting section for the Makey Makey v.1.2 Classic:

You may even want to check out their Frequently Asked Questions:

Resources and Going Further

If you're left with any questions after reading this tutorial, here are all the Makey Makey-related resources we can find:

Example Projects

Sometimes following by example is the best way to learn. If you're not sure where to start with the Makey Makey, give these examples a look-over. I hope they inspire you! If you want your project added to this list, post it in the comments below, or send us an email!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the world of Makey Makey! A world where everyday objects are much more than they appear. Bananas are more than just a curvy fruit --- they're keys to a virtual piano. Play-Doh isn't just a child's toy --- it's the controlling force behind Pacman's up/down/left/right.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SMU President's Scholar Christian Genco uses food and technology to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the SMU Talent Show on September 28, 2012. A senior computer science major, he designed this homemade musical instrument using a prototype "invention kit," assigning each piece of food and drink a particular note to play.

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Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education: Full STEAM Ahead - Google Books

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Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education: Full STEAM Ahead - Google Books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This theory-to-practice guide offers leading-edge ideas for wide-scale curriculum reform in sciences, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics--the STEAM subjects. Chapters emphasize the critical importance of current and emerging digital technologies in bringing STEM education up to speed and implementing changes to curricula at the classroom level.

# data[].attributes.headline
Conceptual Framework for Non-Algorithmic Education in STEAM Education: Toward Metacognitive Strategies: Educational IS&T Book Chapter | IGI Global

# data[].attributes.subject
Conceptual Framework for Non-Algorithmic Education in STEAM Education: Toward Metacognitive Strategies: Educational IS&T Book Chapter | IGI Global

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
conceptual framework for non-algorithmic education in steam education: toward metacognitive strategies: educational is&t

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Conceptual Framework for Non-Algorithmic Education in STEAM Education: Toward Metacognitive Strategies: Educational IS&T Book Chapter | IGI Global

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Conceptual Framework for Non-Algorithmic Education in STEAM Education: Toward Metacognitive Strategies: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2218-8.ch010: This chapter is based on a theoretical study of reflexivity, as a non-algorithmic method for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematic (STEAM

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum | TeachHUB

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum | TeachHUB

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"On Wednesday in science class, Mr. Newton says, 'You know if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of I listen closely. On Thursday, I start hearing the poetry. In fact, I start hearing everything as a science poem. science in everything.'
Mr. Newton has zapped me with a curse of SCIENCE VERSE!"
~ The Science Verse by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

It's easy to feel as if there aren't enough hours in the school day to properly address all the curriculum expectations that we must teach our students. The challenging part is addressing curriculum expectations in a meaningful way where students are engaged and motivated throughout the lesson.

One of the most powerful strategies that we have ever learned as teachers is taking a cross-curricular approach in planning lessons and units for the school year, as we are able to incorporate curriculum expectations from various subject areas to create an engaging activity.

By developing cross-curricular activities that are both fun and motivating, teachers can easily integrate science into different subject areas-it only requires a bit of planning and creativity!

We all know that Science and Math are easy to teach together, but did you know that Science can be creatively woven into other subject areas? Science can be integrated into English Language Arts, The Arts, Health & Physical Education and Social Studies to create engaging lessons and activities that your students will just love!

Here are some easy ways to integrate science across the curriculum.

Teaching Science with English / Language Arts

Science can be integrated into English Language Arts in order to touch upon curriculum expectations for reading, writing, oral communication, and media literacy.

Science poems!

Teachers can begin by sharing science poems with their students. There are so many excellent resources available.

Some great examples are:

Your students can then have their own Poet's Corner by writing various poems (e.g. haiku, tanka, free verse, sonnet) to reflect science concepts and then sharing them with the class!

Science Video Writing Activities

An excellent short movie to share with your class is The Story of Bottled Water. This lesson is a great way to incorporate media literacy into your science lessons (and vice versa!) and promote a healthy discussion with your students regarding the environmental implications of their daily actions. The Story of the Waterbottle Worksheet

Students can also watch the movie Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992), which discusses how the rainforest is being destroyed and various animals and characters are losing their homes and natural habitat.

Students can write letters, journals, narratives, poems, or newspaper articles as one of the movie characters.

Organizing Science Info

Give your students a particular topic and have them use Venn Diagrams, T-Charts or other graphic organizers to compare and contrast the main ideas. This activity can then be extended if students prepare a written response, deliver a speech or participate in a classroom debate.

In the past, our students have taken part in a classroom debate where they act as characters determining whether a deposit should be mined in a fictional town. It is lots of fun and students really take their roles seriously!

Teaching Science & the Arts

By incorporating Science and the Arts together, students will be immersed in activities that allow them to experience and then express the natural world around them.

Teach the Elements with Mixed Media

Try to provide students with media related to the science unit they are studying.

For example, students learning about the water cycle can:

produce water color paintings,

use clay to discuss the earth's crust and the effect temperature and pressure have on materials, or

or sitting outside using oil pastels to depict the changes in the fall foliage.

Upcycle Art Projects

Have students bring in a variety of items from home that would have either been recycled or tossed in the trash and use these items in their artwork. Students can upcycle these items into interesting works of art.

Examples include:

painting jars,

using scraps of fabric to make braided bracelets, or

creating interesting 3-D/mixed media paintings.

The possibilities are endless and students will be able to express their creativity while learning about recycling, reusing, upcycling, and sustainability.

Demonstrate Science Concepts through Movement

Have students get up and out of their seats to move around! Not only will students be incorporating science concepts throughout their drama activities, but being able to get up to stretch and move around will help students release a bit of energy and help them refocus on the task at hand.

Students can act out changes of state by starting off as a frozen piece of ice, melting into a pool of water, and then evaporating into vapor. The same concept can be used to learn about the water cycle, particles, and the four layers of the Earth.

Science, Health & Physical Education

Students can take part in fun and lively physical education lessons that incorporate science concepts in a unique way.

Biology & Nature Walks

When learning about habitats, environmental awareness, ecosystems, or the diversity of life, have students go out on a hike in your area or to a nearby conservation area. Be on the lookout for various environmental programs offered by your state or province that would provide students with a science lesson while participating in physical activities; for example, students can plant trees, visit local parks to remove litter, or measure and inventory trees.
Science & Fitness Circuit Cards
Phys Ed Physics

What better way to learn about physics than to get students physically moving? In this invigorating activity, students can measure the amount of time it takes them to walk, jog, or sprint a particular distance and then calculate their speed and average speed. Students can alter the variables to determine what affects the speed of their performance.

Science Fitness Circuits

Set up various cardio, strength-training, and stretching circuits during your Phys Ed classes where students learn about the human body while visiting each station. During the fitness circuit, students could learn about the aorta while doing jumping jacks, triceps while completing push-ups, and Achilles tendons as they perform front leg raises.

Teaching Science with Social Studies

History and science fit together seamlessly. Scientific innovation has been a driving force in societal change.

To put it in perspective for students, have them consider what life would be like without the internet, phones or electricity. Or what it would be like to look up at the stars and not know what they are.

If you're teaching an historical time period, you can focus on scientific discoveries and technological advances during that time. Have students create a presentation that highlights one or more scientific innovations and how they effected society (both then and now).

To tie in current events, you can track the activities of the Mars Rover and its historic missing taking place right now. Check out video of Curiosity's landing on our neighboring planet.

Creating Activities Across ALL Subjects

The last cross-curricular suggestion can actually incorporate several subjects into one engaging lesson where students work together to develop commercials or public service announcements.
Share your lesson ideas for teaching science across the curriculum in the comments section!
This fun and motivating activity will allow teachers to cover expectations in reading, writing, oral communication, the arts (both visual arts and drama), media literacy, science, and, depending on the topic, even health & physical education.

Pollution PSAs

For example, students can create a public service announcement in small groups on the topic of pollution. As a cross-curricular activity, students would be gathering information, writing a script, acting out their roles, designing props and backgrounds, understanding the role of media, and delivering a powerful science and health message. Students can then present their public service announcements to other classes within the school to spread their message.

As a way to help you get started, we have included two resources for you to use with your students: first, the "Ban the Bottle" worksheet to be used when viewing "The Story of Bottled Water" and, second, three samples fitness activities to integrate the human body study with physical fitness. Good luck and start planning!

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum

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"On Wednesday in science class, Mr. Newton says, 'You know if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of I listen closely. On Thursday, I start hearing the poetry. In fact, I start hearing everything as a science poem. science in everything.' Mr. Newton has zapped me with a curse of SCIENCE VERSE!"

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Snacks: Light Color & Seeing | Page 2 | Exploratorium

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Snacks: Light Color & Seeing | Page 2 | Exploratorium

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Bechtel Central Gallery 3: Seeing and Listening

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Join a growing variety of similarly minded STEAM educators to share expertise and plans for better learning experiences for your students and you.
STΣ@M is an acronym that represents how all topics in subject areas relate to each other and to the real world.

The sentence that defines this is: Science & Technology, interpreted through Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements.

The A stands for the broad spectrum of the arts going well beyond aesthetics; it includes the liberal arts, formally folding in Language Arts, Social Studies, Physical Arts, Fine Arts & Music that each shape developments in STEM fields.

It is a framework for teaching that is based on natural ways of learning, customizable for ALL types of students and programs and is FUNctional! FAQ for Educators pdf & What is STEAM?

Shifting to a STEAM perspective means understanding learning contextually; not only in terms of having a framework that illustrates where the subjects overlap, but also in providing a living and adaptable learning structure for ever-changing personal and global development.

STEAM is showing success in schools all around the world to better teach academic and life skills in a standards-backed, reality-based, personally relevant exploratory learning environment.

STEAM Educators report feeling rejuvenated by richer living work environments. They have the ability to use more diversification of teaching methods and be more of a facilitator to learners. It empowers educators to meet the guidelines in a variety of unique and engaging ways and to meaningfully cross-reference concepts and vocabulary. They have the opportunity to teach collaboratively, exchange ideas, have easier preparations for substitutes and have more productive common planning times. The teachers report feeling the positive shift from ME to WE in the staff as well as with students.

They state that through the structure of rubric-based portfolios and process work, they have a better (broader and deeper) understanding of what their students prove they know in different ways including what they can tangibly accomplish. Educators can better match their learning objectives and goals to the variety of learners they encounter. They can cater the themes to those of interest to the local students and community.

Classrooms: Embedded in the framework is a system to establish well-balanced teams among educators and students based on a variety of characteristics. All participants have ways they are advanced and are challenged. With this system, their skills are used for leading in some areas while other areas are strengthened through observing and assisting. Educators instruct within their specialty with co-planned thematic units that everyone contributes to in projects related to the required benchmark concepts and skills. There are times when various groups of educators co-teach overlapping subject areas and assignments. However, most of the time, educators still are able to work focused on their own schedule and tie to the theme when it is convenient in their plans. Special times are designated for working on projects, so that as new concepts are learned they can be applied and built upon. The classrooms and common areas become a network of specialty topics in a living and growing discovery place.

For answers to commonly asked questions, see our FAQ Page.

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Join a growing variety of similarly minded STEAM educators to share expertise and plans for better learning experiences for your students and you. STΣ@M is an acronym that represents how all topics in subject areas relate to each other and to the real world.

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Here's a list of the many resources that are out there for STEM and STEAM: from explaining what it is, to sample lessons, to ways that it connects to the Arts. This is a living list, so please feel free to add any resources you have found in your travels in the comment section below!

STEM presentations:

Creating a Global Focus on STEM education is a very well-done powerpoint that gives a "big picture" to STEM.

The STEM Education Coalition has a whole section of resource links to over 50 different presentations worldwide.

The Journal highlights how teachers and administrators are looking for resources to support STEM.

What is STEM education is a prezi from Todd Ensign that was provided to West Virginia teachers.

STEM/STEAM Lessons:

How to Smile is a site that houses fantastic math and science activities, with a dose of creativity thrown in.

PBS STEM Resource is a phenomenal site with lessons for K-12 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as well as professional development for teachers.

STEAM Education Lessons provide several high-quality STEAM lessons that you can browse through.

STEAM Resources:

The STEAM Academy is a terrific site for advocating and sharing authentic STEAM projects and efforts.

Planting T's is a website dedicated to promoting design thinking in K-12 education.

Working in Scratch: Putting STEAM into Cross-Curricular Collaboration is a prezi that gives practical applications for using the computer program SCRATCH in the arts classrooms.

Going from STEM to STEAM is a prezi about how creativity and self-expression give life to technology and science.

100+ STEM and STEAM Resources Livebinder has a variety of tools, videos and resources for you to browse.

STEAM Apps and Websites:

Amaziograph - How can you pack so much STEAM into one little app?Explore tessellations and symmetry by creating kaleidoscopes and mirrors using the graph and art brushes in the app.Easy to use interface, so it works for all grade levels.

Adobe Capture - We are loving all of the free tools that Adobe has been releasing recently and this one is at the top of our list. The app lets users take a photo of something and then trace the outline. A student can then erase parts, color it in, or enhance areas, all based on the initial sketch provided by the photo.

- They call this an app that makes "graphic design for everyone".I have to say, it's super easy to use and has so many applications that could connect arts and other content areas.I'm having a lot of fun playing with this app this week!

IDEO Method Card - Want to use legendary IDEO methods right from your phone?Now you can. Use it as a way to promote critical and creative thinking routines at any point in your lessons.

BoomWriter - Looking for a way for students to collaborate on story creation, ideas, and even projects?This is a great free web-based tool to explore.

MySimpleShow - If you are considering trying some more flipped classroom lessons (having students view the lesson prior to class so you can get hands-on right from the get-go), this is a great tool to consider.Also great if you want your students to teach each other!

Soundation - This is a free online recording studio that you can use anywhere.Students can collaborate on a piece of music and not even be in the same room.Compose, record and produce in one spot.

SF MoMA Teacher Resources - This section of the San Francisco MoMA site for teachers is a goldmine!There are articles you can select and read with students, video interviews, project ideas and an entire section dedicated to STEAM.

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Here's a list of the many resources that are out there for STEM and STEAM: from explaining what it is, to sample lessons, to ways that it connects to the Arts. This is a living list, so please feel free to add any resources you have found in your travels in the comment section below!

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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by DS Examiner

I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared.

But I won't. Because, frankly, this guide to STEM opportunities is for you:

You're going to take the first step on Mars.

You're going to plant farms on skyscrapers.

You're going to discover a cure for cancer.

Nuclear fusion. Virtual reality. Clean water for all. With the world facing 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering, your interest in math and science is set to pay off-big time.

You'll be the one using your problem-solving skills to find answers to impossible challenges.

You'll be the scientist leading an exploration of the Mariana Trench or the engineer building a next-generation robot.

You'll be the graduate finding a great job and earning a hefty salary.

It's your life. Know that amazing things are possible.

STEM Fun for Kids Grades K-12

Cool STEM Websites

Ask Dr. Universe: Washington State University's Ask Dr. Universe allows kids to explore various STEM topics and get answers to common questions. Have a question not covered on the site? Submit it on their "Ask" page!

Code.org: No one is too young (or old, I might add) to code. Learn how to build an iPhone game, write your first computer program, draw in JavaScript and much more.

Engineering, Go for It! (eGFI): Discover the nuts and bolts of engineering. This website contains advice on careers, entertaining info on all kinds of fields and links to the eGFI magazine.

EPA Students: Searching for news on the environment, homework resources, info on contests or ideas for an environment-based school project? Check out this website run by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Exploratorium: One of my favorites. The website of the San Francisco-based Exploratorium is jam-packed with interactive activities, videos, apps, links and more.

Extreme Science: Extremely interesting. Here you'll find wild and weird facts about nature, resources for science projects and info on all kinds of world records.

How Stuff Works: I visit this website every day. It has hundreds upon thousands of articles that explain the wonders of science (and almost everything else on the planet).

Museum of Science + Industry Chicago Online Science: Apps and activities and videos, oh my! Play games, watch baby chicks hatching, create virtual chemical reactions or use forensic science to analyze different types of candy.

NASA Education for Students: Career information, image galleries, NASA Television, features and articles ... whatever you'd like to know about aerospace, you're sure to find it here.

NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA): SEMAA was developed to increase the participation of historically underserved K-12 youth in STEM fields. School activities and summer sessions are held throughout the nation.

NOVA: The website for PBS's popular science show is overflowing with videos and articles. Explore the wonders of evolution, nature, physics, math-practically any STEM subject that rings your bell.

Science Buddies: Get stuck on science. This website has over 1,000 ideas for science fair projects, project guides, project kits and detailed profiles of STEM careers.

Science Channel: Question everything. Along with a rundown on the Science Channel's TV programs, this website has plenty of videos, quizzes, games and the latest science news.

STEM-Works: In addition to articles and job information, STEM-Works has stocked their site with interesting activities. Test your skills in the reptile quiz. Rescue an athlete in the Bionic Games. Or, simply follow the path of great whites with the Global Shark Tracker.

TechRocket: A year-round online learning destination for kids and teens. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

Tynker: A computing platform that allows children to develop programming skills through fun, creative courses. Join the millions of kids from around the country learning to code with Tynker!

STEM Challenges and Contests

Siemen's We Can Change the World Challenge: You have the power to save the planet. In Siemen's K-12 environmental sustainability competition, teams from across the country compete to improve their own communities. Lots of prizes.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision: ExploraVision is a K-12 science competition with a difference. Teams of two to four students work with a teacher to simulate the challenges of real research and development.

STEM Awards

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: This annual prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders (age 8 to 18) who have made a significant positive difference to people and/or the environment. The top 10 winners receive a $5,000 cash award to support their education.

The NEED Project's Annual Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement: NEED's annual award was established to recognize K-12 students who achieve excellence in energy education in their schools or communities.

President's Environmental Youth Awards: The PEYA program celebrates K-12 students, school classes, summer camps or youth organizations that are promoting environmental stewardship. Every year, one outstanding project from each region is selected for national recognition.

STEM Career Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics K-12: The U.S. Department of Labor has been busy. Here you'll find charts, maps and many other resources on careers and the U.S. economy.

WeUseMath.org: Ever wondered (as I frequently did) when you're going to use math in real life? This website on math careers has more than a few answers.

Government STEM Initiatives

Educate to Innovate: Launched in 2009, Educate to Innovate aims to move U.S. students from the middle to the top of the heap in science and math achievement. It's spawned a number of federal efforts and philanthropic initiatives (see below).

STEM AmeriCorps: This multi-year initiative is focused on placing AmeriCorps members in STEM non-profits (such as FIRST) to work in underserved communities.

White House Science Fair: At this science fair, the President serves as the host! Students are honored for innovative projects, designs and experiments while the White House streams the event live.

Women in STEM: In collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has instigated a number of efforts to increase the participation of girls in STEM subjects.

Philanthropic STEM Initiatives

Change the Equation: Led by CEOs, this nonprofit seeks to mobilize the business community to improve the quality of STEM education across the U.S.

Connect a Million Minds (CAMM): Sponsored by Time Warner Cable, CAMM is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative that aims to inspire students to develop STEM skills.

US2020.org: The ultimate aim of this nonprofit is to mobilize one million STEM mentors annually by 2020.

Youth Inspired Challenge (YIC): Created by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), YIC is designed to expand the impact of STEM learning outside the classroom.

STEM Fun for Elementary School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

PBS Kids

Cyberchase: Help Jackie, Matt and Inez use math to protect the digital universe from evil. Don't worry: Cyberchase has lots of math games, videos and activities to aid you in your quest.

Design Squad Nation: Design anything (!) your mind might imagine. Through Design Squad challenges, videos and tutorials, you'll discover all there is to know about engineering principles.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!: Pre-K STEM games, activities and videos galore. The adventurous Cat in the Hat is even ready to lead you on an exotic math safari adventure

The Greens: Wondering what you can do to protect the planet? The Greens have some great ideas, including games, activity guides and their very own carbon calculator.

Lifeboat to Mars: Explore the world of biology with this free online game. In one simulation (Microland) you control hungry microbes. In another (Ecoland), you have to balance out the space station's ecosystem.

Zoom: Hot science and cool ideas. You'll find all kinds of activities and experiments on Zoom's website, including things like lemon juice rockets, crazy straw bridges and bubble cities.

Science Games and Apps

Math Games and Apps

STEM Contests

Junior FIRST® LEGO® League: Are you a LEGO® fiend? Then this is the contest for you. You'll use LEGO® bricks to design and build a moving model; then, you'll assemble a Show Me poster to showcase your solution. For kids age 6 to 9.

NSBE KidZone Elementary Science Olympiad: Collect a team and test your science skills in 18 different events at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) National Convention. Open to grades three to five. Those in kindergarten through second grade compete in a non-competitive league.

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

STEM Camps

Audubon Nature Camps: Audobon offers a ton of Nature Camps throughout the country. Beginning in April, they start taking applications for Wild Birds Pathways to Nature.

Camp Invention: Daydreams become discoveries at this summer day camp. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention presents essential STEM concepts through creative hands-on activities.

Camp KAOS: To infinity and beyond! These cool flight and space adventure-themed camps take place at the Smithsonian-affiliated Kansas Cosmophere and Space Center (KAOS) in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Destination Science Camp: Spend a week this summer creating robots, building a digital music system, training an electric-powered chameleon or even preparing for a mission to the moon! Held at 130 locations in six states.

Digital Media Academy Adventures Camp: Digital Media's award-winning camps cover everything from cartoon creation to computer programming to advanced robotics with LEGO® EV3. For kids age 8 to 12.

Engineering for Kids: Engineering for Kids is an education company for kids age 4 to 14. It offers a variety of STEM programs, including in-school field trips, birthday parties, workshops and camps.

Engineering Summer Camps: Interested in building the world's future? The Engineering Education Service Center has put together a state-by-state list of engineering summer camps.

iD Tech Camps: The sky's the limit at iD Tech's day and overnight camps. Make your own video game, program your own app or even code in Java.

KinderCare® Summer Camps: From the wacky wet science of water to the basics of surviving in the wilderness, KinderCare offers a variety of programs for pre-K through school-age kids.

Science Explorers: Sharks and submarines, potions and slime, castles and catapults .. whatever you love, these science summer camps have just the activity for you. Offered in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Snapology: Snapology partners with schools around the country to offer STEAM programs, contests, and camps. The programs are interactive, which allows kids to learn through hands-on instruction and play. Programs are offered in a number of different formats, including after school, on weekends, and over the summer.

Vision Tech Camps: Vision Tech offers camps for kids ages 7-17 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Camp topics include robotics, programming, minecraft, and more.

Youth Digital Summer Camps: Design 3-D models for Minecraft, create your own video game or even direct a 3-D animation! These camps focused on digital technology are held in various southern cities. For kids age 8 to 16.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Elementary: Dreaming about what you want to be when you grow up? These videos about jobs in science, technology, engineering and math can help you decide.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Middle School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

The Big Brain Theory - Discovery Channel: Competitors on this TV show have just 30 minutes to come up with a solution to an (seemingly) impossible engineering challenge.

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Bill's entertaining television episodes cover everything from comets to the science of music. Have some fun with his home demos.

Chi Alpha Mu: Otherwise known as the National Junior Mathematics Club, Chi Alpha Mu is the younger sibling of Mu Alpha Theta. Check out its list of contests and summer grants.

Environmental Health Student Portal: Interested in learning more about chemicals, air quality and water pollution? This website has videos, games and experiments to help you along.

Kids Ahead: A STEM bonanza. Kids Ahead is packed with all kinds of resources, including scavenger hunts, videos, articles, links to local activities and fun events and info on cool jobs, that inspire and excite.

MathMovesU: Hone your math skills with online games, virtual thrill rides and national competitions! MathMovesU also offers a variety of scholarships and sponsorships.

MythBusters - Discovery Channel: The folks at MythBusters use experiments to bust rumors, myths and urban legends. (During their Cannonball Chemistry experiment, they accidentally drove a cannonball through the side of a house.)

Sally Ride Science: Founded by America's first female astronaut, Sally Ride Science hosts a number of student programs, including science festivals and overnight camps.

Science Bob: Bob is a science teacher who loves to experiment (often on Jimmy Kimmel). His website has videos, links and plenty of ideas for build-your-own experiments and science fair projects.

SciJinks: It's all about the weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and NASA put together this educational website to teach kids about meteorology and earth science. Check out their games section.

Scratch: Designed for kids age 8 to 16, Scratch is a place where you can program your own interactive stories, games and animations. A project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

TechRocket: A great learning tool for kids interested in programming, graphic design, and more! Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

AMC 8: Test your math skills in this 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice contest (held every November).

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series: MATHCOUNTS holds a series of "bee-style" contests in over 500 local chapters. Top teams advance to the state competition and then to the National Competition in May.

MATHCOUNTS Math Video Challenge: Create your very own math video with your friends and classmates and be in the running to win a college scholarship!

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

Rocket City Math League (RCML): Sponsored by Mu Alpha Theta, RCML is a year-long, four-round math competition. Trophies are mailed to top-ranked middle school and high school students at the end of the year.

U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS): Pit your problem-solving skills against some of the toughest conundrums out there. Because of the level of difficulty, USAMTS allows students a full month or more to work out solutions.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Middle School: Wondering what the future might hold? Explore some of the options available to you in science, technology, engineering and math. Lots of videos.

Kids.gov Jobs: Get the skinny on every job under the sun. Wondering what marine biologists do? Want to watch a video on becoming a veterinarian? You're in the right place.

iON Future: If website browsing isn't your style, you can always play this free STEM career exploration game. It's geared toward middle school and early high school students.

NASA Look to the Future: Careers in Space: You don't have to be an astronaut to work in the space program. NASA has a list of other professions, including robotics engineer, computer scientist and oceanographer, for you to consider.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for High School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

Arrick Robotics: This the prettiest website in the world, but if you're looking for robotics resources, this is the place to be. Includes lists of competitions and contests, groups and clubs, games and simulation.

Codeacademy: Learn to code interactively (and for free). Codeacademy offers coding classes in major programming languages like Python, PHP, jQuery, JavaScript and Ruby.

DiscoverE: Thinking about engineering? DiscoverE has a selection of resources on careers, preparing for college and research schools. You might also want to check out their list of videos, trips, websites and hands-on activities.

Mu Alpha Theta: Also known as the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta has over 100,000 student members. It organizes a national math convention, offers special awards and provides competitions.

Student Science: A central spot for science news, blogs, resources and information about Intel competitions. Sample article titles include "Native 'snot'" and "A library with no books."

TechRocket: Neat tool for exploring programming languages, 2D and 3D game design, and more. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

STEM Grants and Opportunities

InvenTeam: InventTeams are made up of students, teachers and mentors who receive grants of up to $10,000 to devise technological solutions to real-world problems (you can choose your own problem).

iSTEM Scholars Program: Live in California and looking at a STEM-related profession? You might want to consider this after-school and summer program. You'll go on field trips, receive individual tutoring and be prepped for national tests.

Planet Connect Student Grants: Have a passion for protecting wildlife and native habitats? Planet Connect offers high school students grants of $1,000 to implement local projects and participate in wildlife or natural resource internships.

STEM Career Resources

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Girls

Cool STEM Websites

STEM Awards

NSTA Angela Award: The National Science Teachers Association awards a $1,000 US EE Savings Bond to one female student in fifth through eighth grade who is involved in or has a strong connection to science.

STEM Camps

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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by DS Examiner I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared. But I won't.

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WV STEAM | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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WV STEAM | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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West Virginia STEAM is a series of videos designed to inspire middle and high school students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

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RISD STEAM | RISD STEAM | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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RISD STEAM | RISD STEAM | Classroom Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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Problem solving is often guided by disciplinary frames of reference, which can restrict our ability to see other possibilities. These exercises use object-based learning to underscore the idea that there is more than one way of analyzing and knowing the world, and that through multiple ways of knowing, we develop more complex understandings and new solutions.

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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This publication features the bridges between Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and the Arts. In this context, the journal acts as a forum for open dialogue of STEAM as well as expanding the body of transdisciplinary knowledge.

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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This essay explores the challenges that novice elementary teachers may face as they attempt to enact the practices of STEAM education. Specifically, I will explore research that suggests that novice elementary teachers lack confidence in their ability to lead lessons rooted in either scientific inquiry or arts-integration.

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Discover information, examples, and tools related to incorporating aspects of the arts, design, and the humanities into STEM-based school activities.

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STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong? - Education Week Teacher

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STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong? - Education Week Teacher

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A tug of war is currently looming between proponents of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) and advocates for STEAM lessons, which add art to the mix. Whichever side you come down on, here are some ideas for you to mull over.

STEM

First, consider the why and what of STEM education. Both private and public sectors report that 21st-century workers require skills that many of today's graduates don't have. Students need more in-depth knowledge of math and science, plus the ability to integrate and apply that knowledge to solve the challenges facing our nation. Children who study STEM also develop a variety of skills that are essential for success: critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, collaboration, and entrepreneurship, to name a few.

A number of K-12 programs currently fly under the STEM banner. However, a 2014 study published by the America Society for Engineering Education identified several characteristics of quality STEM programs:

1. The context is motivating, engaging, and real-world.
2. Students integrate and apply meaningful and important mathematics and science content.
3. Teaching methods are inquiry-based and student-centered.
4. Students engage in solving engineering challenges using an engineering design process.
5. Teamwork and communications are a major focus. Throughout the program, students have the freedom to think critically, creatively, and innovatively, as well as opportunities to fail and try again in safe environments.

STEM, then, is a specific program designed for a specific purpose-to integrate and apply knowledge of math and science in order to create technologies and solutions for real-world problems, using an engineering design approach. It's no surprise that STEM programs need to maintain an intense focus.

STEAM

Recently, the idea of adding the arts to STEM programs has been gaining momentum. Surprisingly, I've heard push-back from both camps:

1. From STEM proponents: STEM lessons naturally involve art (for example, product design), language arts (communication), and social studies and history (setting the context for engineering challenges). STEM projects do not deliberately exclude the arts or any other subject; rather, these subjects are included incidentally as needed for engineering challenges.

The focus of STEM is developing rigorous math and science skills through engineering. How can you focus on other subjects (such as art) without losing the mission of STEM or watering down its primary purpose?

2. From arts proponents: Engineering and technology can certainly serve the artist and help create art. But if we're talking about how one can use art in engineering... as an artist, it seems we're missing the point and devaluing, or not realizing, art's purpose and importance. We have it backwards.

So how exactly can teachers fit the arts into STEM programs and do justice for both STEM and STEAM? What would an ideal STEAM program look like?

That's what artist and educator-turned-STEAM-enthusiast Ruth Catchen is determined to find out. She currently works with a team of STEM writers and program developers who are using crowdfunding to develop and pilot a STEAM program in Colorado.

According to Ruth, the arts are a great learning tool and can serve as an on-ramp to STEM for underrepresented students. Engaging students' strengths using art activities increases motivation and the probability of STEM success. She views art as a way of offering more diverse learning opportunities and greater access to STEM for all types of learners.

Art also provides diverse opportunities for communication and expression. Ruth believes that in our technically-focused world, we have a responsibility to educate the whole child to become a global citizen in his or her community. She aims to do just that while staying true to the specific purpose of STEM education.

How Do We Solve the STEM vs. STEAM Conundrum?

Let's circle back to the question of how to include the arts in STEM in an authentic way. We could change the scope of STEM so that it focuses equally on learning in all subject areas-but why do that? We already have effective teaching methods for doing that: problem-based learning.

So let's try another question. Can we combine art with just one of the STEM subjects-perhaps science-and ignore meaningful subjects like math and engineering? We certainly could-but that would be just art and science, not STEAM.

What about having students do individual STEAM projects? Again-that's not faithful to basic STEM principles, which always include teamwork. So would that be STEAM or just a good individual project?

I propose we shape STEAM programs by exploring opportunities where art naturally fits in the STEM arena. Art can be treated as an applied subject-just like math and science. Here are a few ideas for giving STEM projects some STEAM:

Design. Art can serve a practical function. Students might apply design and decoration to products that were created during the course of a design challenge. They could use computer graphics to create logos or stylized designs to include in communications or presentations. Through industrial design, students could improve the appearance, design, and usability of a product created during a STEM project.

Performing arts, such as drama and speech. What about technical or persuasive writing? Those arts fit naturally into the "Communications" stage of the engineering design process. They would work well as part of a STEM project. (If you want students to get REALLY ambitious and creative, check out this video of students in Paraguay who made instruments out of discarded materials!)

Creative planning. As students brainstorm solutions for an engineering problem, encourage them to adopt a playful, inventive, artistic approach. Calling on their artistic right brain can help them to generate more creative and innovative thinking.

Just one word of caution, though. Art is often touted as a method of adding creativity to STEM-but keep in mind that engineers are rarely lacking for creativity and ingenuity. Just look at the world around you for proof. The purpose of STEAM should not be so much to teach art but to apply art in real situations. Applied knowledge leads to deeper learning.

All of that is to say: I don't yet have a clear picture of what an ideal STEAM project looks like. In my effort to find some clear examples, I wrote Dr. Howard Gardner to ask him if he had ideas for how to include art in STEM. He responded: "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."

I don't think anyone could say it better than that. A STEM program is just one part of a child's education, focusing on math and science. But our children need a well-rounded, quality education that enables them to make informed decisions that will impact the world and the way they live.

We need students who are motivated and competent in bringing forth solutions to tomorrow's problems. When push comes to shove, it's not STEM vs. STEAM-it's about making every student a fully-literate 21st-century citizen.

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A tug of war is currently looming between proponents of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) and advocates for STEAM lessons, which add art to the mix. Whichever side you come down on, here are some ideas for you to mull over. First, consider the why and what of STEM education.

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STEAM education - taking a co-design approach | Online publication for school educators | ACER

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STEAM education - taking a co-design approach | Online publication for school educators | ACER

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Australian Council for Educational Research - ACER

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The STEAMpunk Girls project that launched this month involves researchers from University of Technology Sydney working with students and teachers from four high schools to co-design a project-based learning program. In today's Q&A, we find out more from Tida Tippapart (Hatchery Program Manager at UTS and one of the key staff members working on the STEAMpunk Girls program) and one of the teachers involved, Lisa Wark (Head Teacher TAS - Technological and Applied Studies - at Riverside Girls High School). What is STEAMpunk girls, and why STEAM instead of STEM?
Tida Tippapart: STEAMpunk Girls has a vision of a more innovative Australia where young women have agency and are positioned as active change agents to Australia's innovation sector. It aims to create a space where young women can influence the conversation around STEAM education.

STEAMpunk Girls is an educational program that advocates for young women (ages 12 to 16) to challenge why STEAM is important for careers of the future. This program exposes students to the STEAM industries and female role models working with and across these fields.

It provides a safe and experimental environment that promotes a 'learn by doing' mindset and encourages young women to apply interdisciplinary approaches to solving real world issues. Our point of difference is the inclusion of entrepreneurial methods as the cornerstone of the program.

Whilst the acronym STEAM stand for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths, the program looks to broaden the definition to look at transdisciplinary ways of working. We don't want to limit the students to thinking that the disciplines are siloed, instead we want the students to imagine STEAM education as space for them to explore the possibilities of how the disciplines work together. STEAM education empowers students to develop foundational skills needed for the contemporary workforce. This cross-disciplinary, integrated style of education equips students with interdisciplinary and innovative skills such as entrepreneurial and design thinking, and critical thinking capacities.
Who is involved in the project and how long will it run for?
TT: The program will run a pilot session from May (Term 2) until mid-August. During the pilot we will work with four schools from inner-city Sydney and Western Sydney to test some of the content we have developed. The program will be a blended PBL experience, the participating students will be invited to come to UTS to take part in think tanks and workshops that are designed to expose the students to some of UTS' unique programs, research units and facilities. The students will then be asked to create projects over the course of the term. These projects will be tied in with the National Science Week's Agenda on 'future earth'. The students will work on developing projects that will then be presented at a final showcase in August as part of the Sydney Science Festival.
Lisa, you're one of the teachers involved. Why is STEAM education important from your school's perspective, and particularly for girls?
Lisa Wark: As Head Teacher TAS (Technological and Applied Studies), I currently supervise nine experienced staff members and one beginning teacher who teach subjects within this key learning area. The subjects taught in our faculty at Riverside include:

Years 7-8: Technology Mandatory, Information and Communication Technology;

Years 9-10: Food Technology, Textiles Technology, Graphics Technology, Industrial Technology- Timber, Information and Software Technology; and,

Years 11-12: Engineering Studies, Community and Family Studies, Textiles and Design, Industrial Technology-Multimedia and Hospitality.

The school has a strong tradition of academic excellence achieved through inspired teaching. Students are articulate and passionate about having a voice which they achieve through many activities including involvement in the community.

The first time I taught senior computing was in 1991 at a girl's school in South Western Sydney where we had five classes in that subject. However, over subsequent years the numbers opting to pursue Information and Communication Technology based courses, especially in the senior years, began to decline.

Unfortunately, at Riverside I have also witnessed the continued decline in girls selecting these subjects, not only in the senior years, but also as a pattern of study in Stage 5, Years 9 and 10. The Science faculty at the school were also experiencing similar issues. A time for change had arrived, so in 2015, driven by the Head Teacher Curriculum, the school embarked on developing a STEM growth model. Adopting a growth model recognised and supported the need for professional learning of staff.

The students we currently teach face uncertainty about career opportunities and future jobs. The job market is also becoming increasingly global and interest in Science, Engineering and Technology careers is diminishing especially for girls. To help address this situation we have focussed on strategies and curriculum opportunities to build capacity in our students to be flexible, resilient, see and act on opportunities as well as innovate.

STEM at Riverside Girls High School provides experiences for our students to develop creative and collaborative approaches to solve complex problems, critically think, take initiative for their own learning, see and act on opportunities as well as innovate. It is particularly important that our young women realise that they have a voice that can be heard and potentially make significant differences in the world, our entrepreneurship unit of work and Young Change Agents projects supported this concept. However, engaging students interest in STEM options still proves to be challenging.

We needed to find pathways to ignite STEM passions of our female students who tend to adopt a more traditional pattern of study so a connection with the Arts provides one avenue. Introducing such things as wearable technology units of work, using 3D printing to create fabric for costumes or creating interactive art installations can help students see STEM in action and spark their enthusiasm. Promoting a STEAM approach at Riverside has been one way to engage and stimulate student interest and develop cross curriculum opportunities. However, it is still essential that the focus remain on STEM related activities in these cross-curriculum opportunities. Using the "how might we..." questions to stimulate creative and critical thinking about the world around them provides fantastic STEAM opportunities that engage our female students.

At Riverside, it has been determined that greater long-term impact and benefit for students is gained through incorporation of STEM activities within the curriculum. We do engage in extra -curricular opportunities such as Young Change Agents, Women in IT and Engineering when the opportunity arises. All Year 7 and 8 students are involved in STEM related teaching and learning activities through the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) classes. The Year 8 ICT students also complete an integrated unit of work titled Post Earth Pioneers.
What's it been like to be involved in the co-designing model?
LW: It was an invaluable opportunity as a teacher to take part in this co-designing model to develop a project curriculum. As teachers, we don't often take the opportunity to work with our students in gaining real empathy to develop our teaching and learning programs and units of work. This is a very powerful tool to employ in a school setting as those who take part in the process have a greater sense of ownership and potentially work harder to ensure its success. I have since used this concept to co-design an assessment regime for Year 10 Textiles Technology students.

In addition, being able to express our thoughts and opinions with a researcher in the field was also empowering. Throughout the process it was made clear to us that our opinions and that of our students were valued. During the program the students were fully engaged in the activities and felt empowered by the process. They were very keen to return to school and interview students to gain empathy about STEM/STEAM. The tour of the University gave the students a good insight into opportunities, with the 360 data room the highlight. Our students have shared their experiences with our parent community at one of our STEM morning teas, which was well received.
Tida, why did you decide to use the co-design approach? Is it fair to say you'll be designing 'on the go' then, from the student and teacher feedback and input at various stages?
TT: Yes, the co-design element is a really important feature of the program because it has given us the time to develop the program in consultation with the students and really understand their pain points and aspirations. Working closely with the teachers has also been an incredible opportunity to find out how the program can support teachers with resources and creating a community of practice so that teachers can share knowledge.

The designing as you go method is very much because we are constantly learning and adapting as we go, it's about applying that start up mentality.

The pilot is officially launched on May 25, but a lot has already happened hasn't it?

On 15 November we invited three schools to participate in the co-design process of the program. The co-design workshops were created to explore how young women would engage with STEAM content. The three participating schools were chosen based on an identified interest in or talent for STEAM education. The importance of representing young women from low SES areas and existing engagement with UTS also played a role in choosing the schools to participate.

The participating students were invited to an introduction into STEAM and heard from guest speakers working across these fields to help them understand how STEAM involves an integration and interconnection of different disciplines and the resulting opportunities for collaboration and the development of new products, services and ways to problem solve complex issues. The students then came to the Hatchery to undertake a small design thinking workshop that used some of the Hatchery content to inform the design thinking approach. The students were then given a basic introduction into empathy and interviewing techniques, with the aim that students would then go back to the schools to interview other girls on the value of the arts and its importance to STEM and STEAM education.

On 25 November, the students came back to UTS to unpack their findings and to begin to ideate potential content ideas and themes. The girls were asked to design a STEAM school of the future which yielded some interesting themes and contents ideas that can be used for the pilot. They also had the opportunity to explore different branding options for the program and identify which elements they positively related to STEAM.

The co-design workshops were highly successful with both students and teachers engaged with the content and experimental nature of the workshops. There were key themes that emerged from the workshops that included how entrepreneurship could be fused into the program, and an interest in topics such as space, sustainability and design.
And what are the next steps?
TT: We're testing out our methods and piloting the content in Term 2 with four different schools. The pilot will be a mixture of PBL and think tanks to create an immersive learning experience that stretches from May to August. We are working on creating a program that will support young women to develop entrepreneurial projects that incorporate elements from different STEAM fields. A large component of the program has been modelled off the learnings and teachings from UTS:Hatchery, an extracurricular program that supports students to develop their entrepreneurial skillsets.

In what ways do you encourage female students to continue with STEAM studies into senior high school and beyond?

Do you use classroom activities that reflect the real-life situations students are likely to face once they leave school?

When promoting STEAM study and careers, do you use both male and female role models?

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STEAM education - taking a co-design approach

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The STEAMpunk Girls project that launched this month involves researchers from University of Technology Sydney working with students and teachers from four high schools to co-design a project-based learning program.

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Curiosity Machine - Hands-on Science Projects

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Free hands-on science and engineering projects for families and educators. Build 80+ projects with everyday household materials.

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STEAM is the fusion of arts, sciences, technology, engineering, and math. The arts and sciences are more complimentary than you might first think. Discover some simple ways to get started in your own classroom and learn how one school district got started.

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ARTSEDGE: ARTSEDGE Lessons for Elementary School (Grades K-5)

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ARTSEDGE: ARTSEDGE Lessons for Elementary School (Grades K-5)

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ARTSEDGE: ARTSEDGE Lessons for Elementary School (Grades K-5)

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ARTSEDGE Lessons for Elementary School (Grades K-5)

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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"Confidence in STEAM" by Aaron S. Zimmerman

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This essay explores the challenges that novice elementary teachers may face as they attempt to enact the practices of STEAM education. Specifically, I will explore research that suggests that novice elementary teachers lack confidence in their ability to lead lessons rooted in either scientific inquiry or arts-integration.

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The Impact of Integrated Movement-Based Activities on Primary School Aged Students in the Classroom

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The Impact of Integrated Movement-Based Activities on Primary School Aged Students in the Classroom

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How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive | MindShift | KQED News

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How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive | MindShift | KQED News

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Art has long been recognized as an important part of a well-rounded education - but when it comes down to setting budget priorities, the arts rarely rise to the top. Many public schools saw their visual, performing and musical arts programs cut completely during the last recession, despite the many studies showing that exposure to the arts can help with academics too. A few schools are taking the research to heart, weaving the arts into everything they do and finding that the approach not only boosts academic achievement but also promotes creativity, self-confidence and school pride.

The arts integration experiment at Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler (IAA) in Burlington, Vermont, started six years ago as an effort to break up socioeconomic imbalances in the district. Both the elementary schools in Burlington's North End were failing and both had high levels of poverty (95 percent of IAA students qualified for free and reduced-price lunch), a large refugee population and lots of English-language learners. District leaders began having conversations with community members about turning Wheeler into a magnet school focused on both art and academics.

What does art integration look like? Recently, a fourth-grade lesson on geometry examined the work of the famous Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. The class talked about his work and then created their own art using angles in the style of Kandinsky. Students had to be able to identify the angles they'd used and point them out in their art.

"Higher analytical thinking and reasoning and student voice fit so well with the arts," said Bobby Riley, the school's principal. Teachers are seeing ways to make connections between subjects and watch as students find creative confidence and voice in their expression.

The school is seeing results from the experiment.

'Arts integration seems to be the best form of differentiation out there because it taps into so many different interests and abilities and forms of learning.'

Before IAA became an arts-integrated magnet school, only 17 percent of its third-graders were proficient in math on the NECAP test, Vermont's standardized test. After five years, 66 percent met and achieved the standards. The school still has high levels of poverty, although now that poverty is less concentrated, and there are still high numbers of English-language learners and non-English speaking families. Riley says referrals to the office are almost nonexistent during arts integration periods, and students and their families are more engaged with the school.

IAA is still a public school, but now parents from outside the North End can choose to send their kids there. "Parents are interested in the arts model, interested in a different approach," Riley said. The first year most kids still came from the neighborhood, but gradually the socioeconomic levels have evened out. Wealthier families are choosing to send their kids to IAA because of its program. Riley says the majority of students still walk to school - it hasn't lost its sense of place in the community - but now only about half the students qualify for lunch programs.

The program is also helping connect parents from immigrant communities to the school. "Art is a big part of many of their cultures, so I think they appreciate that experience," Riley said. "I think they like the community vibe of the school."
ART IS NOT EXTRA, IT'S INTEGRAL
Art is not a second thought at the Integrated Arts Academy (IAA). Instead, artistic learning goals are held up as equals to academic standards and teachers work hard to design lessons that highlight content through art.

"If you pick a subject area like science, social studies, math or literacy and you integrate it with an art form, what you do is connect the two and find ways to really integrate the two so they lean on each other," said Judy Klima, an integrated arts coach at IAA. An arts specialist co-plans and co-teaches alongside the general education teacher to help ensure academic learning is happening through an art form and visa versa.

For example, one third-grade science unit on leaf classification integrated visual arts into science. The teaching team used the close observation of leaves in science to teach about realistic versus abstract art. Students drew realistic drawings based on a leaf's edge pattern. Then they made abstract art based on the scientific qualities of the leaf.

"When you engage hands-on and you are creating your own learning, you are deepening your level of understanding about a specific topic," Klima said. In this case, students thought differently both about classification and characteristics, as well as about the differences between art forms.

Teachers rotate through visual art forms, music, dance and theater. One fifth-grade class came up with dramatic renditions of the Revolutionary War. They used the facts in their social studies curriculum to build scripts and then discussed the dramatic connections through volume, tone of voice and perspective.
TRANSITIONING TO AN ARTS FOCUS
The Integrated Arts Academy's success has come with a lot of hard work. "If you taught in a traditional method and then you come to arts integration, you have to change everything," Klima said. "You really have to understand creativity and that it's critical to students' understanding." While all IAA teachers were given the option to stay at the school when it became a magnet, some chose to leave.

"The classroom is a teacher's island," Riley said. "They have their students and their curriculum, teaching the way they teach. The arts integration really pushed us to collaborate. Opening up our practice and reflecting on it is a big part of what we do." He said that's not the norm at many U.S. schools. And that's why he knows the collaboration necessary to integrate arts into academics doesn't necessarily come naturally to many people.

In his role as school leader, Riley has focused on building up educators' capacity to effectively collaborate. "You can't just tell people to collaborate," he said. "You have to put the structures and skill-building in place." IAA has two teacher retreats a year where teachers create art and try out lessons together. It's a time for community-building and collaboration, a space for teachers to stretch themselves as artists, too.

The school has also formed strong partnerships with the arts community in Burlington, taking advantage of its expertise through artist-in-residency programs and in turn helping to create a more vibrant arts scene. They've even started bringing graduate students in from across the state interested to learn and practice arts-integration strategies. While only in its second year, Riley hopes the Art Connect program can help spread these ideas to schools where participating teachers land.
ART AS DIFFERENTIATING TACTIC
At Cashman Elementary School in Amesbury, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Peterson doesn't have the benefit of a schoolwide focus on arts integration to bolster her commitment to the practice. But she perseveres because she sees the approach making a difference for her fourth-grade students.

"I have to keep remembering and reminding myself that this is one of the best avenues to take. Because when kids are learning through the arts, they end up getting a deeper understanding and the concepts end up sticking much better," Peterson said. Her strong suit is music - she used to teach piano. When she went back to the general education classroom, she thought music could bring some joy and creativity to the academics she taught.

Peterson might ask her students to listen to "Sabre Dance" by Aram Khachaturian several times, often during snacks or at another transition time. As a class they talk about the dynamics of the music, its tempo and instrumentation. Then students draw cartoons illustrating a story they've developed based on their interpretation of the music. Peterson asks students to develop a setting, plot and storyline, ultimately having them write out their story.

"They're definitely more invested because they're pulling from their own experience and it's their own interpretation," Peterson said. They write elaborate stories and then talk about the differences in each student's interpretation of the music.

"Arts integration seems to be the best form of differentiation out there because it taps into so many different interests and abilities and forms of learning," Peterson said. In the writing example, kids who hate writing happily develop complicated storylines and write pages upon pages of their own ideas.
WHY ISN'T ARTS INTEGRATION MORE POPULAR?
As with most deviations from what has been done in schools for hundreds of years, many teachers see art as secondary to the academic standards they must get through. Even Peterson said she feels that pressure, but she knows she can teach the standards through art in a way that also gives students some independence to stretch their creativity.

Arts integration can also be a hard model for teachers to buy into if they don't feel like they themselves are competent artists. "Art scares people who are not in the arts," said Michelle Baldwin, a lead teacher at the private Anastasis Academy, where art is central to everything done in the classroom. "If they don't have a lot of experience or don't feel like they are good at anything in the arts, it becomes a personal insecurity issue."

But she points out that teachers don't have to be experts to open up the door for students. There are experts willing to share their knowledge online, not to mention collaborations with local and state arts organizations to support this kind of work.

Elizabeth Peterson often feels out of her depth in visual arts, but that doesn't mean she discourages it in her class. "I'm not a very good illustrator, but if you bring it into your classroom, some of your students might be," she said. "Having an atmosphere of being open to various art forms is all your students need."

Despite calls for more art in schools, artistic ability often isn't recognized as a skill equal to computer coding or engineering by society. Many parents want their kids to study something that clearly leads to a stable job. Until the arts are held in high esteem, they will always come second in traditional schools, Baldwin said.

"Even if parents say they value the arts, they still have that ingrained industrial method of education that people have a hard time letting go of," Baldwin said. And, in her opinion, it's very hard to be creative within the narrow limitations of what traditional school and its standards ask kids to do. "You can't be creative when you are in a box, when you have no way to make your own choices and decisions," she said.

Some teachers using an arts integration model, like Elizabeth Peterson, are working to help teachers understand how art can be built into any kind of classroom. A big part of that is being able to pitch the idea to administrators and defend what might look like some whacky practices to people who wander into the classroom on a given day.

How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive

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How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive

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Art has long been recognized as an important part of a well-rounded education - but when it comes down to setting budget priorities, the arts rarely rise to the top. Many public schools saw their visual, performing and musical arts programs cut completely during the last recession, despite the many studies showing that exposure to the arts can help with academics too.

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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The STEAM Journal | Journals at Claremont | Claremont Colleges

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This publication features the bridges between Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and the Arts. In this context, the journal acts as a forum for open dialogue of STEAM as well as expanding the body of transdisciplinary knowledge.

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STEAM is a student-led effort to ignite communications between disparate fields in academia, business, and thought. Our focus is broad but our starting point is uniting the Arts with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). We started at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and have grown on campuses throughout the United States.

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Grades 3-5 Biodiversity STEAM Curriculum - Biodiversity PEEK

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Grades 3-5 Biodiversity STEAM Curriculum - Biodiversity PEEK

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(Also suitable for most 6th graders!)

This is a sample of 7 core lesson plans for grades 3-5 Biodiversity PEEK. The full curriculum consists of over 25 complete lesson plans. That's enough for a full semester of weekly STEAM activities, and so many interdisciplinary project-based extension activities that you can use it as a base curriculum for an entire year!

Take a PEEK at a sample lesson here!

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Grades 3-5 Biodiversity STEAM Curriculum - Biodiversity PEEK

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(Also suitable for most 6th graders!) This is a sample of 7 core lesson plans for grades 3-5 Biodiversity PEEK. The full curriculum consists of over 25 complete lesson plans. That's enough for a full semester of weekly STEAM activities, and so many interdisciplinary project-based extension activities that you can use it as a base curriculum for an entire year!

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Planting T's | a blog promoting Design Thinking in K-12 Education

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Planting T's | a blog promoting Design Thinking in K-12 Education

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I owe it all to my wife and a little bit of curious wandering. She is an artist. For a mechanical enginerd, Spock-like logical thinker, and excel spreadsheet fanboy, she might have well been an unicorn of cognitive disruption. I followed her on lots of dates to museums and galleries. I made the novice mistake of saying things like:

"A kindergartener could splatter paint like that, but you don't see those in a museum."

"That is just plain weird...and I'm a little uncomfortable."

If I knew then what I know now, I would have been able to see the inquiry, experimentation, and fabrication that went into those works. Each artist was incredibly capable of landscapes, portraits, sketched figures, etc, yet they chose - with purposeful intentionality - to create the works masterpieces above. Rothko's work reflects inquiry into how color can can affect behavior and moods and consume the viewer. Pollack experimented tirelessly to challenge the status quo of painting on an upright easel and instead explored a technique that allowed paint to meet canvas from multiple dimensions. Pras piled a bunch of trash in a way that...seriously...I don't care who you are...that is awesome. He fabricated something from nothing while exhibiting extraordinary craftsmanship. Hmmmm..starting to sound like our Maker|Design|Engineering culture.

Years later, I hope I'm a little wiser and find myself leaning increasingly more on the art world for inspiration not just from a creativity standpoint, but on pedagogical one. I'm desperate to learn more about how to cultivate creative thought and action AND assess and provide feedback in a way that cultivates our for Maker|Design|Engineering at MVPS. value standards

A recent source of inspiration is the book Art of Critical Making published by RISD . I've read it, highlighted , and initiated a book study with some of our arts faculty to better understand how to bring the ideas in book into actionable classroom norms. It's that good, and I'm convinced that the art studio model of critiques and self assessment holds at least part of the secret recipe to meaningfully assessing MakerED builds. Additionally, I feel even more strongly that the maker community we imagined over a year ago along with the culture we hoped to cultivate is rooted in what I now know to call the Art of Critical Making:

Indeed, works of art are the result of inquiry, experimentation, discovery, and innovation, and as such, they offer the opportunity to develop and exercise these very same skills. (Art of Critical Making, loc 1775)

Below is a sampling of segments from the book that seem to directly align with our value and process standards for Maker|Design|Engineering at MVPS.
Fabrication:

RISD's studio model is built around two key elements: critical thinking, the ability to process and evaluate information while challenging assumptions and employing multiple ways of knowing; and critical making, the process of creating things by altering materials and giving form to ideas. Critical making requires critical thinking and social consciousness along with embodied knowledge if it is to be distinguished from making in general. Critical making should also be understood as different than production where the thinking is complete before the fabrication begins. In critical making, the very process itself opens up new possibilities for deep, expansive thinking and the serious inquiry that stimulates discovery. (Art of Critical Making, loc 1555)

Craftsmanship:

RISD is a place where students are developing their own creative capabilities as professional artists and designers, learning how to use their own hands to craft diverse materials into objects. Walking around campus, one primarily sees students working with their bodies at easels, drafting desks, kilns, saws, and machines, and lots of things propped, pinned, piled, strewn, and hung. Yet contextualizing is always there. In expressive arts such as painting, ceramics, or sculpture, context is often fairly subjective. While most artists consider their work a contribution to society and social discourse, they frequently draw on personal experiences of the world as sources, trusting that unknown audiences will share their interests or appreciate their perspectives. In design fields such as architecture, graphic design, or industrial design, context is often made explicit in the creative process. Designers make things for particular people, places, and situations, whose qualities and meanings they study in order for their designs to be most relevant. (Art of Critical Making, loc 874)

Idea Exchange :

Artists and designers train to approach the lively aspects of the materials with which they work with multileveled engagement and creative play. They become absorbed in the conversations, dip in and out, and enter experiences of making collaboratively in working states that reject the question, "Where does your input end and the input of the material begin? (Art of Critical Making, loc 2118)

Observation & Judgement:

Critiques can be behavioral learning experiences that help participants learn about social interaction, expressions of support, and disagreement. Successful critiques are about perceptive, constructive feedback, not a judgment of good or bad, but an offering of "I experience this - was that your intention?" or "What if . . . ?" Critiques provide a pathway through which students develop a lifelong ability to self-evaluate and to reflect on improving, articulating, and evolving their ideas. The benefits of this kind of conscious awareness of how a work succeeds in communicating an intended outcome and the cultivation of honest response surely have applications not just in art and design but in multiple circumstances. (Art of Critical Making, loc 453)

I hope that readers (that's you!) will comment on what they like, what's missing, and how they might translate to their own classrooms or places of work. Steve Jobs said that "you can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards". I'm at a place where I'm committed to the idea that self assessment a-la the art studio model should be considered an increasingly valid and reliable method of assessment especially for domains like art and design that are rooted in creative thought and action. I genuinely want to invite this reader community to engage in some discussion to help me connect some dots.

Time flies when you are having fun! I launched the Technology, Engineering, and Design (TED) course 2 years ago. The curriculum, my teaching style, and the space(s) have changed significantly since then - largely in response to my students' feedback. Because TED is a one semester elective, I have had a chance to test 4 prototypes. I've tried engineering themes (GIS, Environmental Engineering, Product design). I've tried different projects (architecture & construction, bike redesign, furniture design & fabrication). I've tried different assessment strategies (a magazine/portfolio, project deliverables, standards based). Learning from those prototypes and iterations I feel like I have finally gotten pretty close to a replicable semester experience. That is saying a lot considering I have really enjoyed changing up content and themes each semester.

You may have read my previous post where I shared this semester's syllabus...full of hopes and dreams. Being 6 weeks in I thought it might be worthwhile to reflect on how things are going. At this point the TED course is ⅔ of the way through assistive technology foundations. Foundations are 2 week project sprints meant to:

1. use project type (wood working, electronics, 3D printing) to acquaint students with protocols, tools and materials available

2. use specific deliverables to teach students my expectations for we work

3. use a semester theme to enforce consistency and human centered design practice

The foundation projects were presented to students in the form of mini-design briefs (below).

This started out great! Each group of students was excited about the project they would start with (seemingly forgetting that each group will get a chance to do each of the projects regardless). Below are what some typical days looked like:

As the first round of projects wrapped up, it was fun to see the how the next group learned from the previous. One of the key hypotheses I continue to test is how projects evolve after students critique the builds from the previous group. The "exit ticket" out of one foundation build and into the next is 1) a clear deliverable and 2) honest critique and feedback on each other's work. In particular, students are getting more comfortable with sharing their pHails. In fact, just 20 minutes prior to me writing that last sentence a student exclaimed "Hey we forgot to share my pHail today AGAIN! Can we be sure to do it tomorrow?" The craving of feedback with an eye toward helping next project iterations is a key element of the maker community we want to build.

I think there are at least two reason why the pHailur (that just happened!!) culture has flourished this semester.

1. A full class period is protected at the end of each foundation round with the intent of doing formal critique

2. Students have generated empathy for users of assistive technology.

Regarding the latter, empathy for a variety of users has been generated largely through a partnership with Georgia Tools for Life - a non profit dedicated to testing and delivering assistive tech to people in need. GaTFL hosted myself and Trey Boden at their offices where we were able to ask if they would serve as both inspiration and outside evaluators for our students' work. Following that visit, our students were able to visit....virtually...using a piece of assistive technology called a VGo telepresence robot. Driving the robot around from our own school was an empathy exercise in its own right, but the real "aHa" moment was a tour of the seemingly endless wall of assistive devices - each with it's own story of how it made someone's life easier - more independent - with restored dignity.

In reflection of how things are going, I'm pleased. That is not to say that things are perfect. I will continue to iterate my instruction, but for the most part the culture of design and making that I hope to cultivate is taking shape. Students are coming in early and staying late, presumably because of their perceived shift from projects to purpose.

3-2-1-Launch. My syllabus for this semester's edition of my T.E.D - Technology, Engineering, & Design - class is live. This year at Mount Vernon Presbyterian school our Head of School, Brett Jacobsen, provided a bold provocation to the entire faculty: Be a Maverick. In a vague, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous(VUCA) world an innovative mindset is necessary to navigate. One pathway to innovation is by being a maverick. That is, mavericks vary and change their routes. They challenge assumptions. They experiment and test. They think big.

The pioneer in me - recently validated via by the StandOut Assessment - took the maverick message to heart. As such, I'm varying my route in the T.E.D. course this year and testing at least 3 new ideas:

1. HMW I redesign my syllabus to inspire and engage parents and learners?
Which is preferred? Static content that clearly delivers "just the facts" or dynamic content that engages and generates questions?

2. What if the E in T.E.D. were changed to entrepreneurship?
While students have previously had opportunities to build and make projects that were meaningful to them, that element of choice will include and added dimension this year. In addition to submitting a build permit (standard procedure for our Maker|Design|Engineering program) students will create a business strategy for launching their product to the marketplace. The hypothesis is that this additional dimension will help learners more meaningfully consider usability, marketability, and feasibility.

3. HMW practice PBL in an interdisciplinary that creates real meaning for each class involved?
You May have read about last year's edition of this experiment. This year, T.E.D., AP Physics, and Pre-Calculus will partner to design assistive technologies for real users. The hope is to better embed the designing process > generate more empathy > fabricate more meaningful products.

I've worked each of these tests into a syllabus I created using LucidPress (a favorite tool, BTW). Because I'm testing new ideas....I'm craving feedback. Bring it on!

How might we remind our community that we are all makers?

How might we make students' creative ideas tangible?

How might we design a space that invites creative and industrious behavior?

How might we create a space that communicates our culture of making?

How might we make a learning space that is magical.

Industrious. Buzz. Collaborative. Transdisciplinary. Shared purpose. Shared learning.

At MVPS we start with questions and divergent thinking. The how might we's listed above are just some of the questions terms our team is wrestling with as we work toward creating our maker-community. We're not designing maker spaces; we're building a maker community.

A maker space might be considered any space with the tools and materials to create - the art studio, the science lab, the writing lab, your kitchen. In that regard, there is nothing much special about a maker . A maker however, requires more. A community includes spaces, identities, and an embedded culture. It was with the above brainstorm and galvanizing of language that informed the design of the physical space more than anything else.

Designed to be a flexible creative and space, the HIVE will be home to 5 distinctive work areas. Leveraging common language from MVIFI's own Jim Tiffin, Jr. and the Studio(i) space which is already in action on our school's Founder's Campus:

"Agency" is the workshop space where our community can fabricate their designs with wood tools, a CNC machine, laser cutter, and various other material choices.

"Platform" is our digital creation space with access to 3D printers , vinyl cutter, micro electronics, and workstations for CAD, animation software and more.

"Joinery" is a common space that fosters collaboration, ideation, and assembly.

Learning spaces that instigate our community to experiment with their ideas and explore possibilities through the lenses of Art, STEM, or Humanities are located at the center of the space. They are central to not only the space butto the ethos of continual experimentation and seeking of new understandings.

Flexible space at the entrance to invite inquiry, research, and sharing of ideas with both internal and external experts. It is also space to hangout and manifest ideas.

Central to our hopes and dreams for the space is the idea that we are all makers. Especially if we broaden our definition of making to include art, design, writing, etc. To help scaffold that idea for students, we are working on various pathways - not labels - through which student can engage in cross-disciplinary inquiry, experimentation, and fabrication. Students may view their builds in progress through the lenses of:

Artisans - those who create for beauty;

Tinkerers - those who create for function;

Hackers - those who (re)create for a purpose.

Below are some "before" pictures of Bo Adams and I finishing clean up before construction. In January, we look forward to opening the HIVE and continuing the MVIFI design work of building our Maker, Design, and Engineering program.

I don't want to say I planned to fail, but I also don't deny that I didn't see this coming. This year's major project for my technology, engineering, and design class (T.E.D.) is a prototype in more ways than one. The Bike Project was born out of a generous grant from MVIFI's XLR8 summer grant that was awarded to teachers proposing interdisciplinary PBL projects for the 2015-16 school year. The Bike Project is a collaboration between my T.E.D. class, AP Physics, and Algebra II. You can read my amazing colleagues' - Robin and Zach - summary of the project on their blogs.

Project Purpose:

From the beginning, the project was focused on testing the hypothesis that we could pull off meaningful interdisciplinary PBL despite challenges with class schedule, student age gap, etc. In other words, the focus of the project was on executing the PBL process and facilitating meaningful student experiences. We purposeful in our planning by using the Understanding by Design (UbD) model to ensure that the project would meet learning outcomes for our respective courses. [Here are the respective templates for T.J., Robin, and Zach that guided the project in our classes.] Who is going to argue with that logic?

For the T.E.D. class, in particular, my goals for students were to 1) perform a functional decomposition (left) of a bicycle, 2) formulate design ideas based off of insights gained from interviews with bike enthusiasts, and 3) create a design brief that will guide future work on the project while demonstrating student teams' ability to assess trade-offs and decision making. So what is the big #failup moment? Well... perhaps product is more important than teachers tend to let on?

Purpose based Project

Reflecting back, I am more and more convinced that product and process are equally important. p[-[ I don't mean to devalue the process by any means. That is where the learning happens. But the product - the thing - the solution - is why the learning happens. This project (for my class anyway) suffered from the age old adolescent question "Why are we doing this?" Point taken. There was excitement for the project and high levels of engagement early on, but the T.E.D students noted that too much time had passed between their initial "take apart" and conceptual stage and the time where new prototyping could happen. In the end, though, there never was a planned intent to actually fabricate the new bike component designs (focus on process, remember?).

Purposeful Products

Last semester I had quite a different "engagement curve" with my T.E.D. class major project. In meeting Alex and 3D printing a prosthetic hand, my class and I made noticeable shift from working on a project to working for a purpose. You can read about that project in the MVPS Magazine on page 14 or watch the action here. On a global scale you might look toward Cesar Harada's TED talk about the power of purpose based learning that is driven by a the creation of an innovation products.

The fact is that innovative products are sexy. Thinking made tangible is worth a 1000 words. Products demonstrate results, and, through making, the product lets you know if you got it right. Purposeful products - ones that are human centered and make an impact - are an awfully convincing demonstration that you got the process right.

I got accepted into the Georgia Tech K12 inventure prize challenge! I'm so excited to be able to bring this experience to my students. The inventure prize is televised on GA public TV every year, and I've watched the finalist the last couple of years. I'm really impressed by the creativity of the Georgia Tech students that compete for the $20,000 grand prize. Some of my favorite designed projects were a biometrics app that only allows you to unlock a cell phone; a universal phone charger that folds into the sized of a credit card; a redesigned crutch; robotic dog toys; and this year's winner the Safi Choo Toilet. This year's winner was particularly cool because 1) it was social entrepreneurial in nature, 2) was designed by an all female group of engineers, 3) tackled an issue that may otherwise have been swept under the rug (toilet and water sanitation in refugee camps).

Here are the cool benefits of the K12 challenge (narrative still reflects last school year's pilot):

During the 2012-2013 school year, the pilot program was tested at Peachtree Ridge High School and Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology. Seven lessons that guide teachers and students through completing an engineering design and entrepreneurship project were implemented. Students received feedback on ideas from professors during a Pitch Day at their schools. They also witnessed undergraduate innovation and voted for a K-12 prize at Georgia Tech's Fall Capstone Expo. Students then made and tested their own prototypes. The top 3 student teams from each school were invited to present their work at a VIP reception prior to the InVenture Prize. An additional 100 InVenture Challenge participants were audience members during the InVenture Prize. For the second year, the goal is to expand the program to an additional six to eight schools. ( https://inventureprize.gatech.edu/challenge/aboutus)

The materials and training provided by Georgia Tech are fantastic and I'm most excited about students pitching their ideas to GT professors. We piloted something similar at our school last year and the high stakes environment surrounding the "pitch party" was really eye opening and beneficial for students. The suggested lesson plans provided by GT are an adaptation of Stanford d.School's design thinking process. I feel good about that as I know that myself and my students are familiar with the process and have done several design challenges.

The K12 challenge does not compete with the college level entrants (pheeew), but I'm still really anxious about getting started. The main source of my anxiety is trying to determine which group of students to invite to participate. My plan was to do it as part of my new Technology, Engineering, and Design course, but I'm nervous about adding one more thing on top of what I already like as a course design. I also could do it with my makers club, but because we only meet briefly after school once a week. I'm nervous this may not be enough time to "make a dent". My essential question, then, is "Which best enhances student centered learning and creativity: work inside of class or outside of class (via clubs)? Are CTSOs like the TSA and FIRST Robotics an indication that the best student centered learning innovation happens outside of the classroom?

Amen! A beautifully written piece after the jump below that includes the importance of developing T shaped students and the positive changes we are making in education.

@OpenBadges: RT @TheCLAlliance: The Rise of Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace Learning: http://t.co/a2ynDMLp9p via @edutopia #edchat
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I owe it all to my wife and a little bit of curious wandering. She is an artist. For a mechanical enginerd, Spock-like logical thinker, and excel spreadsheet fanboy, she might have well been an unicorn of cognitive disruption. I followed her on lots of dates to museums and galleries.

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STEAM Education | Teaching Ideas, Resources and Articles

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STEAM Education | Teaching Ideas, Resources and Articles

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Explore Science: Earth & Space 2017 toolkit | NISE Network

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Explore Science: Earth & Space 2017 toolkit | NISE Network

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Explore Science: Earth & Space 2017 toolkit | NISE Network

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This material is based upon work supported by NASA cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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by DS Examiner

I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared.

But I won't. Because, frankly, this guide to STEM opportunities is for you:

You're going to take the first step on Mars.

You're going to plant farms on skyscrapers.

You're going to discover a cure for cancer.

Nuclear fusion. Virtual reality. Clean water for all. With the world facing 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering, your interest in math and science is set to pay off-big time.

You'll be the one using your problem-solving skills to find answers to impossible challenges.

You'll be the scientist leading an exploration of the Mariana Trench or the engineer building a next-generation robot.

You'll be the graduate finding a great job and earning a hefty salary.

It's your life. Know that amazing things are possible.

STEM Fun for Kids Grades K-12

Cool STEM Websites

Ask Dr. Universe: Washington State University's Ask Dr. Universe allows kids to explore various STEM topics and get answers to common questions. Have a question not covered on the site? Submit it on their "Ask" page!

Code.org: No one is too young (or old, I might add) to code. Learn how to build an iPhone game, write your first computer program, draw in JavaScript and much more.

Engineering, Go for It! (eGFI): Discover the nuts and bolts of engineering. This website contains advice on careers, entertaining info on all kinds of fields and links to the eGFI magazine.

EPA Students: Searching for news on the environment, homework resources, info on contests or ideas for an environment-based school project? Check out this website run by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Exploratorium: One of my favorites. The website of the San Francisco-based Exploratorium is jam-packed with interactive activities, videos, apps, links and more.

Extreme Science: Extremely interesting. Here you'll find wild and weird facts about nature, resources for science projects and info on all kinds of world records.

How Stuff Works: I visit this website every day. It has hundreds upon thousands of articles that explain the wonders of science (and almost everything else on the planet).

Museum of Science + Industry Chicago Online Science: Apps and activities and videos, oh my! Play games, watch baby chicks hatching, create virtual chemical reactions or use forensic science to analyze different types of candy.

NASA Education for Students: Career information, image galleries, NASA Television, features and articles ... whatever you'd like to know about aerospace, you're sure to find it here.

NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA): SEMAA was developed to increase the participation of historically underserved K-12 youth in STEM fields. School activities and summer sessions are held throughout the nation.

NOVA: The website for PBS's popular science show is overflowing with videos and articles. Explore the wonders of evolution, nature, physics, math-practically any STEM subject that rings your bell.

Science Buddies: Get stuck on science. This website has over 1,000 ideas for science fair projects, project guides, project kits and detailed profiles of STEM careers.

Science Channel: Question everything. Along with a rundown on the Science Channel's TV programs, this website has plenty of videos, quizzes, games and the latest science news.

STEM-Works: In addition to articles and job information, STEM-Works has stocked their site with interesting activities. Test your skills in the reptile quiz. Rescue an athlete in the Bionic Games. Or, simply follow the path of great whites with the Global Shark Tracker.

TechRocket: A year-round online learning destination for kids and teens. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

Tynker: A computing platform that allows children to develop programming skills through fun, creative courses. Join the millions of kids from around the country learning to code with Tynker!

STEM Challenges and Contests

Siemen's We Can Change the World Challenge: You have the power to save the planet. In Siemen's K-12 environmental sustainability competition, teams from across the country compete to improve their own communities. Lots of prizes.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision: ExploraVision is a K-12 science competition with a difference. Teams of two to four students work with a teacher to simulate the challenges of real research and development.

STEM Awards

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: This annual prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders (age 8 to 18) who have made a significant positive difference to people and/or the environment. The top 10 winners receive a $5,000 cash award to support their education.

The NEED Project's Annual Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement: NEED's annual award was established to recognize K-12 students who achieve excellence in energy education in their schools or communities.

President's Environmental Youth Awards: The PEYA program celebrates K-12 students, school classes, summer camps or youth organizations that are promoting environmental stewardship. Every year, one outstanding project from each region is selected for national recognition.

STEM Career Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics K-12: The U.S. Department of Labor has been busy. Here you'll find charts, maps and many other resources on careers and the U.S. economy.

WeUseMath.org: Ever wondered (as I frequently did) when you're going to use math in real life? This website on math careers has more than a few answers.

Government STEM Initiatives

Educate to Innovate: Launched in 2009, Educate to Innovate aims to move U.S. students from the middle to the top of the heap in science and math achievement. It's spawned a number of federal efforts and philanthropic initiatives (see below).

STEM AmeriCorps: This multi-year initiative is focused on placing AmeriCorps members in STEM non-profits (such as FIRST) to work in underserved communities.

White House Science Fair: At this science fair, the President serves as the host! Students are honored for innovative projects, designs and experiments while the White House streams the event live.

Women in STEM: In collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has instigated a number of efforts to increase the participation of girls in STEM subjects.

Philanthropic STEM Initiatives

Change the Equation: Led by CEOs, this nonprofit seeks to mobilize the business community to improve the quality of STEM education across the U.S.

Connect a Million Minds (CAMM): Sponsored by Time Warner Cable, CAMM is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative that aims to inspire students to develop STEM skills.

US2020.org: The ultimate aim of this nonprofit is to mobilize one million STEM mentors annually by 2020.

Youth Inspired Challenge (YIC): Created by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), YIC is designed to expand the impact of STEM learning outside the classroom.

STEM Fun for Elementary School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

PBS Kids

Cyberchase: Help Jackie, Matt and Inez use math to protect the digital universe from evil. Don't worry: Cyberchase has lots of math games, videos and activities to aid you in your quest.

Design Squad Nation: Design anything (!) your mind might imagine. Through Design Squad challenges, videos and tutorials, you'll discover all there is to know about engineering principles.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!: Pre-K STEM games, activities and videos galore. The adventurous Cat in the Hat is even ready to lead you on an exotic math safari adventure

The Greens: Wondering what you can do to protect the planet? The Greens have some great ideas, including games, activity guides and their very own carbon calculator.

Lifeboat to Mars: Explore the world of biology with this free online game. In one simulation (Microland) you control hungry microbes. In another (Ecoland), you have to balance out the space station's ecosystem.

Zoom: Hot science and cool ideas. You'll find all kinds of activities and experiments on Zoom's website, including things like lemon juice rockets, crazy straw bridges and bubble cities.

Science Games and Apps

Math Games and Apps

STEM Contests

Junior FIRST® LEGO® League: Are you a LEGO® fiend? Then this is the contest for you. You'll use LEGO® bricks to design and build a moving model; then, you'll assemble a Show Me poster to showcase your solution. For kids age 6 to 9.

NSBE KidZone Elementary Science Olympiad: Collect a team and test your science skills in 18 different events at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) National Convention. Open to grades three to five. Those in kindergarten through second grade compete in a non-competitive league.

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

STEM Camps

Audubon Nature Camps: Audobon offers a ton of Nature Camps throughout the country. Beginning in April, they start taking applications for Wild Birds Pathways to Nature.

Camp Invention: Daydreams become discoveries at this summer day camp. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention presents essential STEM concepts through creative hands-on activities.

Camp KAOS: To infinity and beyond! These cool flight and space adventure-themed camps take place at the Smithsonian-affiliated Kansas Cosmophere and Space Center (KAOS) in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Destination Science Camp: Spend a week this summer creating robots, building a digital music system, training an electric-powered chameleon or even preparing for a mission to the moon! Held at 130 locations in six states.

Digital Media Academy Adventures Camp: Digital Media's award-winning camps cover everything from cartoon creation to computer programming to advanced robotics with LEGO® EV3. For kids age 8 to 12.

Engineering for Kids: Engineering for Kids is an education company for kids age 4 to 14. It offers a variety of STEM programs, including in-school field trips, birthday parties, workshops and camps.

Engineering Summer Camps: Interested in building the world's future? The Engineering Education Service Center has put together a state-by-state list of engineering summer camps.

iD Tech Camps: The sky's the limit at iD Tech's day and overnight camps. Make your own video game, program your own app or even code in Java.

KinderCare® Summer Camps: From the wacky wet science of water to the basics of surviving in the wilderness, KinderCare offers a variety of programs for pre-K through school-age kids.

Science Explorers: Sharks and submarines, potions and slime, castles and catapults .. whatever you love, these science summer camps have just the activity for you. Offered in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Snapology: Snapology partners with schools around the country to offer STEAM programs, contests, and camps. The programs are interactive, which allows kids to learn through hands-on instruction and play. Programs are offered in a number of different formats, including after school, on weekends, and over the summer.

Vision Tech Camps: Vision Tech offers camps for kids ages 7-17 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Camp topics include robotics, programming, minecraft, and more.

Youth Digital Summer Camps: Design 3-D models for Minecraft, create your own video game or even direct a 3-D animation! These camps focused on digital technology are held in various southern cities. For kids age 8 to 16.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Elementary: Dreaming about what you want to be when you grow up? These videos about jobs in science, technology, engineering and math can help you decide.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Middle School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

The Big Brain Theory - Discovery Channel: Competitors on this TV show have just 30 minutes to come up with a solution to an (seemingly) impossible engineering challenge.

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Bill's entertaining television episodes cover everything from comets to the science of music. Have some fun with his home demos.

Chi Alpha Mu: Otherwise known as the National Junior Mathematics Club, Chi Alpha Mu is the younger sibling of Mu Alpha Theta. Check out its list of contests and summer grants.

Environmental Health Student Portal: Interested in learning more about chemicals, air quality and water pollution? This website has videos, games and experiments to help you along.

Kids Ahead: A STEM bonanza. Kids Ahead is packed with all kinds of resources, including scavenger hunts, videos, articles, links to local activities and fun events and info on cool jobs, that inspire and excite.

MathMovesU: Hone your math skills with online games, virtual thrill rides and national competitions! MathMovesU also offers a variety of scholarships and sponsorships.

MythBusters - Discovery Channel: The folks at MythBusters use experiments to bust rumors, myths and urban legends. (During their Cannonball Chemistry experiment, they accidentally drove a cannonball through the side of a house.)

Sally Ride Science: Founded by America's first female astronaut, Sally Ride Science hosts a number of student programs, including science festivals and overnight camps.

Science Bob: Bob is a science teacher who loves to experiment (often on Jimmy Kimmel). His website has videos, links and plenty of ideas for build-your-own experiments and science fair projects.

SciJinks: It's all about the weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and NASA put together this educational website to teach kids about meteorology and earth science. Check out their games section.

Scratch: Designed for kids age 8 to 16, Scratch is a place where you can program your own interactive stories, games and animations. A project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

TechRocket: A great learning tool for kids interested in programming, graphic design, and more! Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

AMC 8: Test your math skills in this 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice contest (held every November).

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series: MATHCOUNTS holds a series of "bee-style" contests in over 500 local chapters. Top teams advance to the state competition and then to the National Competition in May.

MATHCOUNTS Math Video Challenge: Create your very own math video with your friends and classmates and be in the running to win a college scholarship!

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

Rocket City Math League (RCML): Sponsored by Mu Alpha Theta, RCML is a year-long, four-round math competition. Trophies are mailed to top-ranked middle school and high school students at the end of the year.

U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS): Pit your problem-solving skills against some of the toughest conundrums out there. Because of the level of difficulty, USAMTS allows students a full month or more to work out solutions.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Middle School: Wondering what the future might hold? Explore some of the options available to you in science, technology, engineering and math. Lots of videos.

Kids.gov Jobs: Get the skinny on every job under the sun. Wondering what marine biologists do? Want to watch a video on becoming a veterinarian? You're in the right place.

iON Future: If website browsing isn't your style, you can always play this free STEM career exploration game. It's geared toward middle school and early high school students.

NASA Look to the Future: Careers in Space: You don't have to be an astronaut to work in the space program. NASA has a list of other professions, including robotics engineer, computer scientist and oceanographer, for you to consider.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for High School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

Arrick Robotics: This the prettiest website in the world, but if you're looking for robotics resources, this is the place to be. Includes lists of competitions and contests, groups and clubs, games and simulation.

Codeacademy: Learn to code interactively (and for free). Codeacademy offers coding classes in major programming languages like Python, PHP, jQuery, JavaScript and Ruby.

DiscoverE: Thinking about engineering? DiscoverE has a selection of resources on careers, preparing for college and research schools. You might also want to check out their list of videos, trips, websites and hands-on activities.

Mu Alpha Theta: Also known as the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta has over 100,000 student members. It organizes a national math convention, offers special awards and provides competitions.

Student Science: A central spot for science news, blogs, resources and information about Intel competitions. Sample article titles include "Native 'snot'" and "A library with no books."

TechRocket: Neat tool for exploring programming languages, 2D and 3D game design, and more. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

STEM Grants and Opportunities

InvenTeam: InventTeams are made up of students, teachers and mentors who receive grants of up to $10,000 to devise technological solutions to real-world problems (you can choose your own problem).

iSTEM Scholars Program: Live in California and looking at a STEM-related profession? You might want to consider this after-school and summer program. You'll go on field trips, receive individual tutoring and be prepped for national tests.

Planet Connect Student Grants: Have a passion for protecting wildlife and native habitats? Planet Connect offers high school students grants of $1,000 to implement local projects and participate in wildlife or natural resource internships.

STEM Career Resources

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Girls

Cool STEM Websites

STEM Awards

NSTA Angela Award: The National Science Teachers Association awards a $1,000 US EE Savings Bond to one female student in fifth through eighth grade who is involved in or has a strong connection to science.

STEM Camps

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

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The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

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by DS Examiner I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared. But I won't.

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Creating A Global Focus On STEM Education

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Creating A Global Focus On STEM Education

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Center for Global Education at Asia Society

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Creating A Global Focus On STEM Education

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Putting the World into World-Class EducationAsia SocietyCreating a Focus on Global Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) EducationDr. Anne McCl...