Want to Get More Girls Into STEM? Give Them Real-World Work
A screen grab from Burlington High School’s Help Desk video, “All the Techie Ladies,” produced by the female members of the team. From the left: student Kelsey O’Brien and instructional technology specialist Jennifer Scheffer. In an effort to encourage girls’ interest in STEM, a high school in Massachusetts is giving students a chance to apply their skills at the school’s help desk. Students can join, regardless of their tech savviness, and learn on the job. The program’s combination of strong, fun, female role models and hands-on learning has helped boost girls’ confidence and excitement about tech. The all-student run Help Desk is part of Burlington High School’s Student Technology Innovation and Integration course. “It’s great you have this great coursework, but what’s the real-world application of these skills?” “Help Desk is not a real-world simulation,” said senior Cat Hoyt, “Help Desk is the real world.” “They’re hard, but fun,” said Kelsey O’Brien of her STEM classes.
6 Virtual Tours Of The Human Body For Free Interactive Anatomy Lessons
When it comes to interactive virtual views, we have gone to space and around the globe. So, it’s not surprising that we are also going within ourselves on a virtual journey of the human body. One of the finest tools available online is Visible Body. Unfortunately, it’s not free anymore. But you can see the beauty of it thanks to the free demo that allows you to explore the head and neck. If you are disappointed that there aren’t any free interactive anatomy tools, worry not. Google Body You can trust Google to take you everywhere. The Google Body browser is a Google Labs project that renders on Google Chrome and any other browser that supports WebGL (like Firefox 4 Beta). MEDtropolis The interactive website aims to educate entertain both kids and adult on bodily health; understanding the human anatomical structure is just part of the process. For instance, check out the narrated tours on Virtual Body. eSkeletons eSkeletons isn’t only about understanding human anatomy. DirectAnatomy
Inquiry Curriculum: | Science Companion
On Inquiry Science “Science can be introduced to children well or poorly. If poorly, children can be turned away from science; they can develop a lifelong antipathy; they will be in a far worse condition than if they had never been introduced to science at all.” The core philosophy behind inquiry-based, student-centered learning is that students learn best while doing science rather than merely reading about this or that aspect of science. First, students move from ‘what’ is happening in a given problem to ‘why’ it is happening, building a sense of relevance that deepens their understanding and retention. Next, inquiry-based learning challenges learners to explore the ‘how’s’ of learning, both in terms of the subject material, and also in terms of their own learning process. The “I Wonder” Circle® is at the heart of Science Companion’s approach to inquiry-based science learning, providing an enticing visual of the process of doing science.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Integrate the Arts, Deepen the Learning
John: We’ve got to find a way to reach all kids, every kid, no matter what. And the arts do that. They give us ways to engage kids, to get them involved, to have them be part of what we want them to be a part of, which is learning the curriculum. Diane: I got here during the summer and I had 18 letters of resignation on my desk from teachers out of 45. That was really scary. And then the discipline on the first day was shocking. Diane: After really fighting hard to stabilize Bates Middle School for the first three years it became obvious that we needed a whole school reform effort. Pat: Because we are an arts integration school every teacher is expected to use arts integration in their classrooms in some shape or form in every content area. Pat: The idea behind arts integration is that you learn the content area through the art so it sort of opens a new door to understanding. Stacey: We're going to start off with some artful thinking. Student: I chose the beginning. Student: Okay.
Education Week
Published Online: November 18, 2014 —Image by Moisey/Ildar Sagdejev/LucaDetomi/Randomil/Ross Brenneman By Anne Jolly 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. A number of K-12 programs currently fly under the STEM banner. 1. 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. Recently, the idea of adding the arts to STEM programs has been gaining momentum. 1. The focus of STEM is developing rigorous math and science skills through engineering. 2. So how exactly can teachers fit the arts into STEM programs and do justice for both STEM and STEAM? Design. Web Only
Think You’re Good at Multitasking? Take this Test. - Dave Crenshaw | Small Business Slice with Dave Crenshaw
There is a new and improved version of this video! Please visit: Think you’re a good multitasker? Know someone who thinks they are? Action Steps: Download the Multitasking Exercise example file here. the first row, recopy the phrase Multitasking is worse than a lie. Principles to Learn: When you think you are multitasking, what you’re really doing is “switchtasking”—switching back and forth rapidly between two or more tasks.There are 3 consequences of multitasking:Tasks takes longerMistakes increaseStress levels increase
5 Must-Have Apps for Improving Executive Functioning in Children
Children who struggle with executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, time management, and working memory perform much better when they have the assistance of a parent, teacher, or coach to help them apply these skills. This can be problematic when a child has five homework assignments due within two days and can’t even figure out how to get started. Unfortunately, personal support is not always available to help children know how, when, and where effectively to use their executive functioning skills. Fortunately there are a variety of powerful apps and technologies for improving executive functioning in children who may have weak executive functioning skills. While these apps will not transform children who walk around with a messy backpack filled with decaying, month-old lunches into highly organized and efficient people, they provide some support and scaffolding that can enhance children's overall executive functioning. Planning - 30/30 Working Memory App - Quizlet
