Children's Council Seeks Nominations
 ITEA’s Technology Education for Children Council (TECC) is seeking nominations for President-Elect and Vice President for Communications. Contact TECC President, Marlene Scott, at Marlene_Scott@ccpsnet.net for additional information.
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Charlotte is the Host With the Most!
 Amidst a growing cityscape, Charlotte delivers cultural attractions and distractions, dining and nightlife for every style, and a Southern ambiance all its own. Mark your calendars now to attend “Green Technology: STEM Solutions for 21st Century Citizens.” You'll be immersed with others who want to remain at the top of the teaching profession as you focus on Professional Development, Vendor Interaction, Networking, and have the opportunity to participate in an array of specialized, technical labs and workshops.
The general sessions offer you the opportunity to hear from cutting-edge speakers such as John Warner, president of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. In addition, we've carved out plenty of time for you to network with your colleagues and share ideas in over 100 professional development learning sessions. In addition, there are five specialized preconference workshops as well as the International Luncheon and ITEA Awards Luncheon. Returning by popular demand are the Engineering byDesign™ series of learning labs offered for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Educational tours of local Charlotte facilities (to include the NASCAR technical institute, green retrofitted homes, and a solar manufacturer) are in the planning stages. PATT will return, offering three days of its own learning sessions, open to all registrants. Vendor interaction allows you to meet top corporate leaders at the ITEA Tradeshow and also hear about the latest offerings during special Action Labs presented by cutting-edge companies.
The ITEA Conference provides the perfect combination of top-notch educational sessions, networking activities, and opportunities to relax and enjoy all that Charlotte has to offer. The conference is scheduled for perfect early-spring weather, and housing at the ITEA hotels (co-headquarters Hilton and Westin) will open in the coming weeks. Both hotels are directly across the street from the convention center, and Charlotte is truly a walking city, offering much to do in the downtown area, and there are dozens of restaurants nearby.
Charlotte is within a day's drive for those on the east coast, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport connects the Carolinas to the world with more daily flights per capita than any other airport in the nation. A hub for US Airways, Charlotte is one of the most accessible conference destinations in the U.S., offering nonstop service to over 120 destinations worldwide via more than 600 daily flights. Bring your spouse and/or family to enjoy such sites as Discovery Place, the Mint Museum, U.S. National Whitewater Center, Lowe's Motor Speedway (home of NASCAR), the Reed Gold Mine, and the Billy Graham Library. Learn more at www.charlottesgotalot.com.
So don't miss out—BE THERE with us in March and check www.iteea.org/Conference/conferenceguide.htm regularly for updated conference information. Registration opens soon!
Paying for Conference
Before you apply for financial assistance:
- Compile facts on the ITEA conference.
- Create talking points as to how this conference program could improve education for your students.
- Stress to the administration that you will be attending as a representative of the school and district.
- Print the preliminary program and share it with your potential funding source.
- Apply to be part of the program, e.g., the Technology Festival.
- Have a small budget put together based upon the costs involved.
- Apply to be a Teacher or Program Excellence winner.
Where to look for funding sources:
- Talk to your immediate supervisor about using professional development monies.
- Ask your local PTA for assistance.
- Become friends with local civic groups that support education.
- Contact your district or state supervisor who deals with technology education.
- Do a search of local educational foundations.
- Check with your local teacher’s union.
For more detailed information about funding, go to www.iteea.org/Conference/funding.htm
To stretch your budget money even further, be sure to take advantage of the special preregistration pricing. ITEA Professional Members will pay $289 for a full conference registration prior to February 1, 2010 ($329 on-site), and Student Members will pay $74 prior to February 1 ($84 on-site). Encourage your colleagues to become ITEA members to take advantage of these special prices. Contact Maureen Wiley at mwiley@iteea.org for information on becoming a member. (Nonmember conference pricing is $374 prior to February 1 and $414 after.) |
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Sustainable Energy Conference
 ITEA member and California University of Pennsylvania assistant professor, Dr. Laura Hummell, and two CUP students recently attended the 2009 Sustainable Energy Conference. This conference allowed students and their professors the opportunity to learn more about numerous renewable energy projects they could recreate at their own universities. The Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) is a private nonprofit organization that promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy, and education initiatives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SEF seeks out, focuses on, and invests in economically viable, energy-related businesses, projects, and educational initiatives that create innovative, market-based technologies and solutions to enable environmentally sound and sustainable energy use. For more information, go to the organizational website for the Sustainable Energy Fund at www.thesef.org.
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Connecticut TEA Launches New Website
 With the arrival of the 2009/2010 school year, the Connecticut Technology Education Association (CTEA) welcomes you to a brand new website at www.cteaweb.org. Take a look at the new site and encourage other Tech. Ed. teachers to do the same. According to a source at CTEA, “All errors on the site are included for your amusement.” If you find an “oops” or have something that would make the site better, please contact CTEA at www.cteaweb.org.
CTEA Spring Conference
CCSU Student Center
Wednesday, May 13, 2010
Online Registration and Payment: www.cteaweb.org
From CTEA Trendsetter, Spring/Summer 2009 |
Testing the Robotic Hand
 NASA engineer Larry Li built a robotic hand that can catch a baseball and grasp a wrench. Show students how it works with this short film from The Futures Channel. A hands-on math/algebra activity for Grades 5–7 accompanies the film.
www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/science_technology/
testing_robotic_hand/
From NSTA Express, Week of August 24, 2009 |
Experience Design Squad
 Design Squad Fans, Have You Thought About Working With Kids Ages 6-10?
Our engineering and science competition show, FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman has a FREE Challenge Pack with everything you need to lead hands-on engineering and science activities with elementary-age kids. Kids will:
- build catapults
- design roller coasters
- learn about sound by making kazoos
The new FETCH 2010 Challenge Pack contains seven hands-on engineering and science activities that use easy-to-find, low-cost materials. You can easily incorporate the activities into your existing programming or use the tips in this booklet to create an engineering and science club.
To order your copy of the guide, send an email to fetchnews@wgbh.org. Be sure to include your name, organization, and mailing address (please indicate work or home).
Season 3 of Design Squad premieres October 7.
Online Workshop From NASA and Design Squad
NASA and Design Squad® have developed an online workshop for educators and after-school leaders to build their skills and confidence in guiding kids through engineering activities like those found in the On the Moon Educator Guide.
Completing this self-guided online workshop will allow educators to gain insight and strategies for strengthening critical-thinking skills and exciting their students about using the design process to arrive at solutions. In this self-guided workshop, participants will:
- Experience the design process in action. Learn and reflect on ways to use the design process to tap into students’ problem-solving skills and creativity.
- Watch an engineering activity. See how easy it is to integrate the design process into hands-on activities in the classroom.
- Get resources. Discover a variety of engineering activities from NASA and DesignSquad® for students in Grades K-12.
For more information about the online workshop, visit http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/workshop/welcome.html.
To download the On the Moon Educator Guide, visit www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/On_the_Moon_Guide.html. |
Opportunities
 STEM Research Program
Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Research Science Institute (RSI) is an intensive, six-week mentored, independent research program in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). Participants gain firsthand experience with open-ended, scientific inquiry in leading laboratories in the Boston area. Academic, corporate, and government-sponsored research teams invite RSI students to join in their ongoing projects, providing students an opportunity to make an original contribution in their fields.
Many RSI students use their RSI research projects as a basis for entry to science competitions, garnering top awards.
Students invited to the program receive free tuition, room, and board. Their only expense is transportation from their homes to MIT. This allows CEE to select RSI students solely on the basis of their accomplishments and intellectual potential. For more information and to apply, please visit www.cee.org/programs/rsi. Or contact Kathy Frame at kframe@cee.org.
Application Deadline: January 15, 2010
Application will be available online on October 15, 2009
Program Dates: June 20 through August 31, 2010
NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program
NASA's Aeronautics Mission Directorate is currently accepting scholarship applications from undergraduate and graduate students in aeronautics and related fields for the academic year beginning in fall 2010. Twenty undergraduate students in their second year of study will receive up to $15,000 per year for two years and a summer internship at a NASA center with a $10,000 stipend. Five graduate students will receive up to $35,000 per year for three years and two summer internships at a NASA center with $10,000 stipends. All applicants must be U.S. citizens. Applications are due January 11, 2010.
For more information about this opportunity and to apply online, visit http://nasa.asee.org. Questions about this scholarship should be directed to nasa.asp@asee.org.
Student Design Challenge
The EPA’s National Design Expo and P3 Sustainable Design Challenge will celebrate its sixth year in April 2010 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the founding of the EPA. The celebration will last for three days on National Mall in Washington, DC, and local school groups are invited to attend, visit the student design challenge tent and meet with engineers, scientists, and business leaders who are working to develop innovations designed to advance economic growth while reducing environmental impact.
The Beyond Benign Foundation will also be hosting a "Classroom on the Mall" at which you can schedule hands-on activities designed specifically for your students in order to turn this experience into a standards-based field trip that you can take back to the classroom. Save the date now and reserve a school bus for April 19, 2010. You won’t want your students to miss this opportunity. Find out more about the National Sustainable Design Expo and the P3 Sustainable Design Challenge at www.epa.gov/P3. For more information about the Classroom on the Mall and to make a reservation for your class trip, please visit www.p3expo.com/index.html. |
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Contests and Competitions
 National Engineering Design Challenge Registration Opens!
Experience engineering: Impact your community!
The NEDC is an annual engineering design competition for students in Grades 9–12. Teams of students design and build an assistive technology device to help a person with a disability. NEDC is a cross-curricular and service learning program that: educates young people about careers in engineering, increases disability awareness, promotes community involvement, and inspires a spirit of engagement and a willingness to help others. NEDC teams can win prizes, including a trip to Washington, DC, and cash for their schools. Registration is now open at www.jets.org/nedc.
Design an Engineering Poster
Engineers strive to make our lives better, easier, cheaper, more efficient, and more fun by solving problems in everyday life. Engineers are practical inventors. It is through the work of engineers that we are able to prevent devastation from hurricanes, explore other galaxies, and prevent illness from the worst diseases. The work of engineers includes everything from electric cars to iPods to airplanes and underwater robots. Almost everything you touch has been influenced or designed by an engineer directly or indirectly. It is impossible to think of a major technical development that hasn’t included the work of engineers.
“Engineers of America” is the theme for the Engineering Education Service Center’s 2009 poster contest. This year’s winning entry can be found in a display of inspiration, excitement, wonder, and curiosity. Posters should be fun, motivational, and inspire students to pursue a degree in engineering, technology, math, and/or science.
To enter, visit: www.engineeringedu.com/postercontest.html
Download a flyer: www.engineeringedu.com/EESCPosterContestFall2009.pdf
View the 2005-2008 winning posters here: www.engineeringedu.com/store/posters.html
The Contest deadline is November 6, 2009.
3, 2, 1…Blast Off!
Registration for the world's largest rocket competition, the Team America Rocketry Challenge, is open to 750 student teams in Grades 7-12 from any U.S. school, home school, or nonprofit youth organization. This year's challenge is to design, build, and fly a model rocket that reaches exactly 825 feet, stays aloft for between 40 and 45 seconds, and returns the raw egg payload uncracked. Download the application now and be sure to submit it by November 30! www.rocketcontest.org
ExploraVision Awards Accepting 2010 Entries
The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program, the world’s largest K–12 science and technology competition, is now accepting entries for its 2010 program year. ExploraVision students are able to discover the wonders of science and the potential for technological advancement while using their imaginations to contemplate a better future. The deadline for entries is February 2, 2010. For more information or an application for 2010, visit www.exploravision.org or email exploravision@nsta.org.
NASA University Design Contest in Exploration Systems
NASA invites college students to get involved with NASA's return to the moon by helping to design the tools and instruments needed for the next-generation manned moon rover. Student projects will tackle real problems to be solved for a successful manned lunar mission. The contest is open to U.S. citizens enrolled full-time in an accredited post-secondary institution in the U.S., including universities, colleges, trade schools, community colleges, and professional schools. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged, across departments and institutions. An email notice of intent is due by December 15, 2009. Final entries are due on or before May 15, 2010. For more information about the contest and to register online, visit http://moontasks.larc.nasa.gov. Questions about the contest should be directed to Dr. Elizabeth Ward at Elizabeth.B.Ward@nasa.gov.
Aeronautics Student Competitions
NASA’s Fundamental Aeronautics Program has announced its new competitions for the academic year. Students from high school grades through graduate school are invited to research and design an amphibious tiltrotor vehicle with civilian applications. The competition has two divisions: High School and College/University. Either contest is open to teams or individuals, and the program encourages interdisciplinary partnerships.
High school participants must be enrolled in an accredited high school, secondary school, or home school. For the high school division, a notice of intent is requested by December 15, 2009. Final projects are due March 1, 2010.
Undergraduate and graduate participants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university. For the college and university division, a notice of intent is requested by January 15, 2010. Final papers are due May 3, 2010. For more information about the contest, visit http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/competitions.htm. Questions about the contest should be directed to Elizabeth Ward at Elizabeth.B.Ward@nasa.gov.
NASA Lunabotics Mining Competition
NASA is challenging undergraduate and graduate student teams to design and build an excavator that could be used on the moon. Design teams must include one faculty or industry advisor with a college or university affiliation. Teams must also include two or more undergraduate or graduate students. A group of universities may work in collaboration, and multidisciplinary teams are encouraged. A university faculty advisor or student team may propose to receive up to $5,000 to support a student team. The team can use these funds to design and build a lunar regolith excavator. They may also use the money for travel expenses to compete in the Lunabotics Mining Competition at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25-28, 2010. Approved proposals will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline is February 28, 2010. For more information about the competition, visit www.nasa.gov/lunabotics. Please email any questions about this opportunity to Susan Sawyer at Susan.G.Sawyer@nasa.gov.
Are You a Top Star?
For almost 20 years, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has inspired and engaged educators and students of all ages. U.S. formal (K-12, college) and informal educators are invited to submit their best examples of using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics education. Those selected as Top Stars will receive national recognition and awards! More information is accessible at http://topstars.strategies.org.
AbilityOne Network Design Challenge
This Design Challenge was established to encourage college students to develop assistive technologies that can empower people with disabilities to overcome barriers to employment. Prototype reports for the 2009-2010 academic year are due Friday, April 23, 2010. Register today and receive updates and feedback as you embark on “What’s Next?” this school year. Register online at http://nish.org/designchallenge. Up to three awards from $3,000–$10,000 are given annually.
Alaska Design Challenge
Seniors majoring in technology education are encouraged to participate in the 2009-10 Alaska Design Challenge, a problem-solving competition where Technology Education students will learn about teaching opportunities in the Anchorage School District and about the excellent support offered by the system. Upon completion of an application, the participant will be given access to a design brief where they will create and electronically submit a solution prior to a deadline. The submission will be judged, and the two participants who rank highest will win a trip to Anchorage, AK, where they will present their solution to the Anchorage Schools Career and Technology Education Annual Conference in February 2010 and receive a $1,000 stipend. Travel, room, and meal allowance will be arranged and paid for by the sponsors. For complete information, visit http://cte.asdk12.org. |
Teachers to Defy Gravity
 The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery teacher training program provides educators with firsthand experience in the application of math, science, and engineering principles aboard microgravity flights, during which they will conduct experiments that test Newton’s Laws of Motion. On Friday, October 2, 2009, 30 teachers from Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania will bring their experiences and in-flight video back to the classroom to incorporate into lesson plans to help motivate and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers. Teachers recently prepared for their October 2 flight by participating in a workshop where they started to design the experiments they plan to execute in lunar, Martian, and zero gravity aboard a specially-modified aircraft that creates weightlessness in a similar manner to how astronauts train for space flight. Follow the teachers on their weightless journey via Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoWeightless) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GoWeightless).
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"Don't be Scared to Integrate Technology."
 TENZ National Council member Gary O’Sullivan recently returned from presenting the international keynote address at the 7th International Primary Design and Technology Conference in the UK. Coordinated by the Centre for Research in Primary
Technology (CRIPT) at the Birmingham City University, the conference attracted over 70 full delegates from 13 countries, with Gary being joined by two other presenters from New Zealand—Louise Milne from the University of Waikato and Mike Drain from Victoria University. In Gary’s keynote address, entitled “Technology Education: Making the Difference—Education for Enterprise,” he identified and addressed five key factors:
• What makes technology different?
• What is a creative connected curriculum?
• Current practice in primary technology in New Zealand
• Tensions between reality and ideology
• Fourth generation evaluation
“The basic thrust of the paper was that you don’t have to be scared about integrating technology,” says Gary. “In this case I was talking about integrating it with ‘Education for Enterprise,’ and if you know what you’re doing and you integrate it well, then the technology remains strong. If an area like technology is being squeezed in the curriculum, you have to be creative in how you look to deliver it—but as long as the technology is kept sound, it can successfully be kept on the agenda.”
Gary has linked the content of this keynote with the paper that he has submitted for presentation at the TENZ conference in Napier. The keynote address is published in full in the conference proceedings, which also contain 22 of the research papers presented plus a further nine under the “curriculum development” heading. For more about the conference or Gary’s presentation, email Gary at G.C.Osullivan@massey.ac.nz.
From TENZ t-news, Aug.2009, No. 38 |
Web-Based Resources
 FREE Images from NASA
NASA Images (www.nasaimages.org) is the largest collection of NASA media (still images, video, and audio) available from a single, searchable site. The site was created through a partnership between NASA and The Internet Archive. NASAimages.org enables unprecedented access for students, educators, scientists, researchers, enthusiasts, and the general public to NASA's vast imagery collection including stills, video, motion picture film, and computer visualizations on a single, searchable platform that is available to anyone, anytime, from anywhere at no cost.
FREE Energy Lesson Plans
Download FREE Hands-on, Multidisciplinary Educator Lesson Plans from the Alliance to Save Energy. Each of these plans can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed out. Lessons are available at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Go to: http://ase.org/section/_audience/educators/lessons
Designing and Engineering Mobile Phones
Your students are going to laugh when they see the size of the mobile phone that mechanical engineer Mike Spence worked on seventeen years ago. Mobile phone design and technology have certainly come a long way—but what haven't changed are the fundamental math and science skills designers and engineers rely on to make ideas a reality. Take your students to Motorola to meet an industrial designer, a mechanical engineer, and a human factors engineer in this short documentary.
Watch the movie: www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/hands-on_math/the_shape_of_phones
GM Education Website
The new and improved General Motors Education website at www.gm.com/experience/education/index.jsp serves as an additional education resource for parents, students, and teachers. It gives kids an opportunity to see how technology plays a role in their everyday lives. The site recently underwent a redesign to improve its organization and make it more kid-friendly via look and feel.
Here are some highlights of the new education site:
And for teachers:
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From NASA Education (education@nasa.gov)
 Defy Gravity!
NASA is offering undergraduate students an opportunity to test experiments in microgravity aboard NASA's reduced gravity aircraft. The opportunity is part of NASA's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program, which gives aspiring explorers a chance to propose, design, and fabricate a reduced-gravity experiment. Selected teams will test and evaluate their experiment aboard NASA's reduced-gravity airplane. The aircraft flies about 30 roller-coaster-like climbs and dips during experiment flights to produce periods of weightlessness and hypergravity ranging from 0 g to 2 g. Proposals are due October 28, 2009. To learn more about this opportunity, visit http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov. Questions about this opportunity should be emailed to jsc-reducedgravity@nasa.gov.
Blast Back to School With NASA Educational Resources
As you get ready for the new school year, consider adding a little space to your class. NASA offers educational resources for use in kindergarten through college, as well as resources for the informal education community. Many of NASA's educational products are quick and easy to find on the NASA website. Visit the NASA Blast Back to School page at www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/blast-back-to-school.html to find educational resources and NASA events taking place in your area.
New Education Materials Available at NASA.gov
The Educational Materials section of NASA's website offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level, and subject. The following items are now available for downloading.
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INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
1914 Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191
iteea@iteea.org www.iteea.org |
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