EbD Curriculum Specialists Gear Up for Minneapolis!

With fishing pole in hand, the EbD™ Curriculum Specialists are ready for Minneapolis. During their stay in the Twin City, they will put on no fewer than twenty workshops. These range from preconference workshops for the EbD™ Consortium of States to the EbDLabs™ that will be going on throughout the week. Interested in what EbD™ is all about? Stop by the EbD booth on the Exhibit Floor and talk with the specialists and the teachers who are implementing EbD™ courses in their classrooms. The Specialists represent Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

EbD™ Curriculum Specialists
Front Row, Left to right: Kim Weaver, Joanne Trombley, Kirsten Perry, Melvise Powell, Amy Gensemer.
Back Row: Bill Giese, Dan Caron, DTE, Phyllis Jones, Mike Miller, Tanner Huffman, and Executive Director, Kendall Starkweather, DTE.

New Video to be Distributed to Attendees at ITEEA's Minneapolis Conference

A free DVD, INNOVATE: FUELING CHANGE, will be given out at ITEEA's Minneapolis conference registration while supplies last.

INNOVATE: FUELING CHANGE is a fast-paced, ten-minute video introducing teenagers and pre-teens to exciting careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The video follows a group of diverse high school students as they explore alternative energy resources by converting french-fry grease into biofuel. The students also visit a group of engineers who were members of the 2009 Penn State Solar Decathlon team, builders of a solar home. 

The video will be used in classrooms and after-school programs across the country for National Engineers Week (February 20-26, 2011) and beyond. Sponsors of the video are: Lockheed Martin, The SME Education Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Verizon.

The ten-minute video is now on YouTube for those who would like to view it in advance:
STEM Video link. For further information, contact Helene Lerner at helene@womenworking.com.  

Don't Miss Your Chance to Present in Long Beach

The Application to Present at ITEEA’s Long Beach conference, March 15-17, 2012, is posted on the ITEEA website at www.iteea.org/Conference/apptopresent.htm. Review the conference theme and strands below and plan to join your colleagues in Long Beach by sharing your knowledge and experience as a presenter. Presentations must address the conference theme and at least one of the strands. Presenters must be members of ITEEA. The deadline for presenter applications is June 15, 2011. Visit www.iteea.org/Conference/apptopresent.htm today!

2012 Conference Theme:
Changing the Conversation: Improving P-16 Technology and Engineering

Strand 1 – Changing Philosophical Thought
Why are we teaching technology and engineering? What are the commonalities between technology and engineering? What are the philosophical similarities between industrial arts, technology education, information technology, and engineering education? How does business and industry benefit from a person with a technological education?

Strand 2 – Changing Content and Practices
What content is important and how is it delivered? How has this instruction incorporated science, technology, and mathematics concepts? What is the impact of technology and engineering instruction on mathematics and science? What successes can we identify? Are assessment indicators available that prove the learning outcomes of technology and engineering education?

Strand 3 – Changing Teacher Preparation
How can Colleges of Education include engineering content in their instruction? How can Colleges of Engineering better address issues that come with the education profession? How should teacher preparation institutions that are in neither of these colleges address these issues? How do we strengthen inservice needs? Who has been successful in bridging these colleges and how has it made a difference? What institutions have a successful model that works and is transferable in preparing technology and engineering teachers?

Strand 4 – Changing Public Perception
What does the public know about technology and engineering? How can we adjust the public perception of technology and engineering to attract the best and the brightest to the profession? What resources promote the greater good of being an engineer? What resources promote the greater good of being a technology and engineering teacher? What steps should be taken to change traditional perceptions?

IASDR Conference

Marc de Vries of The Netherlands' Delft University reports that he has been able to get a special strand at a major design research conference in October/November this year for design education research. The primary focus of the conference is design at a professional level, and for the design strand no doubt there will be several presentations about design education at the tertiary level. Yet, Marc believes that an interaction between people who have experience in design education at the primary and secondary levels and those who have it at the tertiary level is beneficial for both. Marc is announcing the call for papers for the Design Education Research strand, and hopes that some of you will be interested in coming. It will be a nice opportunity for you to also get to know the world of design research a bit better, as he expects many important people in that field at the conference. Please contact Marc de Vries at M.J.deVries@tudelft.nl for additional information.

News From ITEEA's Facebook Page

• With some 8,000 free open educational resources about math and another 8,100 about science, many of which are interactive, video, or fun games, Curriki has a wealth of engaging content about STEM.
http://blog.curriki.org/2011/02/08/the-importance-of-stem/

• How do you make a cake the Design Squad Nation way? Mix together sugar, flour, and eggs, then add circuits, motors, and a scary monster to taste.
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/blog/ 2011/02/ dsn-cake-mix-1-c-sugar-
1-c-flour-add-levers- and-circuits-to-taste.html

• Teachers learn to build submersible robots
www.delawareonline.com/article/20110131/NEWS03/101310312/
1006/NEWS

• ITEEA member Brian Lien is making more news! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tricountytips/2011/02/01/princeton-class-builds-on-stem-learning

February 23, 2011 is Deadline for NASA Graduate Fellowship Application

Only a few days remain to submit graduate student applications for NASA's new Space Technology Research Fellowships. Applications are due by February 23 for the new NASA grants.

The fellowships will sponsor U.S. graduate student researchers who show significant potential to contribute to NASA's strategic space technology objectives through their studies. Sponsored by NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, the fellowships' goal is to provide the nation with a pipeline of highly skilled engineers and technologists to improve America's technological competitiveness.

NASA Space Technology Fellows will perform innovative space technology research while building the skills necessary to become future technological leaders. Information about the fellowships, including how to submit applications, is available at:
www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/grants/NSTRF.html

To learn more about NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist and the crosscutting space technology areas of interest to NASA, visit: www.nasa.gov/oct 

2011 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest

The National Academy of Engineering is pleased to announce the 2011 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest for students (boys and girls) in Grades 3-12. There are cash prizes for the top essays, and students’ essays are posted on the EngineerGirl! website. Previous winners have been invited to participate in student conferences and given recognition in local press. The topic this year is “Engineering & Human Service – Relief from a Disaster” and focuses on the importance of engineering in responding to disasters. The deadline for the contest is March 1, 2011. NEA is requesting that you share this email with the interested teachers.

EngineerGirl! website, an effort of the National Academy of Engineering, aims to encourage students to consider pursuing further studies in engineering and related technical fields. It is one of the top-rated sites on Google for engineering and young students. You can learn more about the National Academy of Engineering at our website, www.nae.edu. You can find the guidelines and related information on the EngineerGirl! 2011 contest at the website www.engineergirl.org, and information on the current as well as past contests can be found at www.engineergirl.org/CMS/Contest.aspx. We look forward to reading some exciting and creative essays this year. 

If you know of a student, parent, or educator who may be interested in the contest, please pass this information along, and if you have questions or seek clarification, please contact the National Academy of Engineering at engineergirl@nae.edu. We would like to recognize that this contest is possible through the support of our corporate sponsors this year, including our Gold Sponsor, EnergySolutions, and our Bronze sponsor, Bechtel.

Donnie Smith Chopper Class Challenge

There will be a group of Tech Ed Teachers and their students competing in the Donnie Smith Chopper Class Challenge in Saint Paul, Minnesota March 25-26, 2011. Check them out on Facebook.

Igniting Creative Energy (ICE) Challenge

Johnson Controls is helping teachers educate the next generation of green collar workers through energy efficiency programming, including the Igniting Creative Energy (ICE) Challenge. The ICE Challenge is designed to get young people thinking about energy efficiency and actively engage teachers and students in the energy discussion. 

Now in its 10th year, Johnson Controls has expanded the competition to include a category specifically about water conservation. Water efficiency is a growing concern – with nearly 36 states expecting to face water shortages within the next five years according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

About the ICE Challenge:

• The ICE Challenge is a national competition for kindergarten through 12th-grade students – future environmental leaders – to develop energy efficiency ideas and solutions.
• To mark the 10-year milestone for the program, Johnson Controls, in conjunction with program partner Kohler Co., is expanding the challenge to include ICE Water, a new category that focuses on water conservation.
• A new ICE Scholarship Fund has also been created to support winners who wish to further their education in energy and the environment.

More information about the ICE Challenge and the official contest rules can be found at www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org. 

Missouri Universities to Cut Low-Producing Programs, Many STEM-Related

The Springfield News-Leader (MO) (2/10) reports, "The Missouri Department of Higher Education today released a report about low-producing degree programs at public colleges and universities around the state," many of which will be discontinued. Missouri State University, for example, will end its Engineering Physics and Technology Education baccalaureate programs, as well as a masters program in Engineering Management, among others. '"Low-producing programs' are defined by CBHE policy as those producing fewer than 10 graduates per year at the baccalaureate level, five majors per year at the master's degree level, and three majors per year at the doctoral degree level, calculated over a three-year average." Commissioner of Higher Education David Russell noted, "Many fields that have been identified as crucial to the state's economic growth and global competitiveness were among the low-producing degree programs," an issue he said "must be addressed across K-12 and higher education."

Source: First Bell from ASEE, February 10, 2011

White House Launches 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge

The White House opened applications to the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge on On February 1, 2011. Students from public high schools across the country are invited to demonstrate how their school prepares them for college and a career by going to the Commencement Challenge website (link below) and submitting an application. The winning school will host President Obama as its 2011 commencement speaker.

“I’m looking for the school that’s doing the best job of preparing students for college and careers,” said President Obama. “The winning school will understand that their number one priority is making sure that our kids are learning what they need to succeed in this 21st century economy.”

The application includes essay questions and statistical information that illustrate how schools are promoting college and career readiness for all students while establishing a culture of student success and academic excellence. Applications must be submitted by Friday, February 25th at 11:59 pm EST. More information, including the launch video, can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/commencement. 

Meet Your Students Where They Are!

Teachers are needed to field-test Survival Master, a computer game designed for 8th Grade Engineering and technology education teachers and their students. Survival Master is a National Science Foundation-funded 3D game that teaches STEM standards-based concepts through engineering design.

The game challenges eighth grade students to virtually build a model of a shelter that can keep victims in Alaska alive after a devastating earthquake. If you would like to know more about the game, you can view an introductory three-minute video at www.gaming2learn.org. A parallel physical modeling version of the curriculum (to be taught more traditionally using tools and materials) has also been created. 

The Project team needs 12 technology and/or engineering education eighth grade teachers from across the country to field-test these new materials. Space is limited. We would like to invite you to consider participating as a field-test site. During about six weeks of instructional time you would teach components of both curriculum delivery approaches (the game and the physical modeling version) and collect data through pre- and post-testing. A field-test training workshop will be conducted at the Hofstra University Center for Technological Literacy on Long Island, NY from August 9-12, 2011. All expenses will be paid, and teachers who are accepted will be paid an honorarium of $1500 once the field test has been completed and data has been submitted.

For further information and an application to participate, contact Michael Hacker, Project Director, at mhacker@nycap.rr.com.

"Changing the Conversation" Website Announced

On behalf of the NAE Committee on Implementing Engineering Messages, co-chaired by Ellen Kullman (DuPont) and Charles M. Vest (NAE), Greg Pearson, Senior Program Officer at the National Academy of Engineering, is pleased to announce the official launch of the Changing the Conversation website (www.engineeringmessages.org).

Greg encourages you to share this with your friends and colleagues who may find the site of interest. The site’s effectiveness will depend critically on active participation by the engineering community.

The committee will be carefully monitoring usage of the site over the coming weeks with an eye toward gauging the site’s reception among its core audience. The committee envisions a broader promotion of the site sometime in the next several months.

Please contact Greg Pearson at gpearson@nae.edu with any questions or feedback.

Elementary STEM News From Ohio

• The Ohio Technology and Engineering Educators Association (OTEEA) Spring Conference will be held April 2, 2011 at Granville Middle School in Granville, OH 43023. This conference is for all teachers K-12 and includes sessions by elementary teachers presenting activities and lessons they have done with their classes and any thoughts or reflections they have as they have integrated STEM into their classes. For more on the conference, go to www.oteea.org.

Bob Claymier is also requesting presenters for this conference. If you are an elementary teacher (K-6) who has done integrated STEM lessons or activities and would like to share what you have done with others, contact Bob at technologyiselementary@yahoo.com. You would not need to pay to come to the conference, and you will receive a free box lunch.

• OTEEA will be offering elementary STEM hands-on workshops this summer and a follow-up online course this fall for college credit. The two-day summer workshops offer Ashland graduate credit and can be held at your school if enough people sign up. The online course is meant to be a follow-up to the hands-on summer workshops and will also be for college credit through Miami (OH) University. For details, contact Bob Claymier at technologyiselementary@yahoo.com. 

• INFOhio will be hosting a webinar on elementary STEM education. Have you heard the term STEM Education and aren’t sure what it is? Then come participate in this free INFOhio webinar on STEM Education. The focus will be on what STEM Education is, why it’s important, and how INFOhio can help! Learn how to use INFOhio to integrate STEM Education into your elementary classroom, boost your students’ interest level, and encourage them to use higher-level thinking skills. This webinar relates to INFOhio's 21st Century Learning Commons Essential Thing 11, 14, 15, 16 and 20. www.infohio.org/educator/webinars2010-2011.html#STEMelem

• Ioannis Miaoulis, Director of the National Center for Techonological Literacy and Director of the Museum of Science in Boston, briefly talks in this great, short (6 minute) video about the importance of teaching technology and engineering in STEM education. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B-g1_6QCWU

• Announcing a brand new resource for informal and after-school groups (SACC, 4-H, PTA night, Scouts, science clubs) as well as for elementary teachers! Family Engineering actively engages parents and their children in fun, hands-on engineering activities and events. This program is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to provide informal engineering learning experiences to elementary children and their families. The activities are of very high quality and very complete, so anyone could conduct a Family Engineering Night or do the activities with no previous engineering education experience. The program will be available this spring. More information is available at www.familyengineering.org.

If you would like to receive future newsletters on elementary STEM, please send Bob Claymier your email address and he will add you to the group. (He never gives this list to any other group or individual for distribution.)

Email: technologyiselementary@yahoo.com
Web: www.technologyiselementary.com

From the Technology is Elementary newsletter, Jan 28, 2011

STEM News From the Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin

• President Obama Honors STEM Mentors
On the heels of his commitments in the State of the Union Address to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and prepare 100,000 world-class math and science teachers, President Obama recently met with the 15 recipients of a prestigious Presidential award in STEM mentoring—the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). He congratulated them on their accomplishments and thanked them for their efforts to cultivate the next generation of American scientists, inventors, and high-tech entrepreneurs. By recognizing individuals and organizations that have dedicated themselves to nurturing the technical talent of our country, the PAESMEM awards highlight the crucial role that mentoring plays in unlocking the potential of promising young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. The awards recognize, in particular, mentoring efforts that have enhanced the participation of individuals who are typically underrepresented in STEM disciplines and fields, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Through a wide range of initiatives, including undergraduate research programs to provide students with valuable in-lab experience, teacher training programs for high school math and science instructors, and a science education outreach program for low-income families, this year's awardees are having an impact along the entire STEM pipeline. PAESMEM awardees receive $10,000 awards from the National Science Foundation, which administers the awards on behalf of the White House, to advance their mentoring efforts. They also receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC for a series of events, including professional development activities and meetings with members of the Administration. This year's awardees met with key staff from the White House Mentoring Initiative and the White House Council on Women and Girls, as well as Dr. Jim Gates, a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology renowned for his work in STEM education. More details on PAESMEM, including a list of this year's awardees, are online.

Source: TCEB – February 3, 2011 – Volume 17, Number 5 Online Version

• Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest in STEM
Samsung has announced that more than 1,100 schools nationwide entered the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest by responding to the question: "How can science or math help improve the environment in your community?" Finalists have proposed advanced solutions to issues such as transportation, building, energy, water, conservation, and waste management. The public online voting period to determine the winner of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest will continue through February 18, 2011 at www.samsung.com/solvefortomorrow. Part of Samsung's Hope for Children initiative, the program is geared towards encouraging teachers to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Beginning in September 2010, Samsung called on teachers across the United States to submit a short application for a chance to participate in the video competition. Samsung received over 1,000 submissions from around the country and selected 50 finalists to participate in the next phase of the contest. The 50 finalists received video creation kits that contained $50,000 of technology. "Samsung has made a significant effort to reinforce and raise awareness for STEM education, an issue that is critically important to education in the U.S.," said David Steel, EVP of Strategy and Corporate Communications, Samsung Electronics America. "By supporting government initiatives like Change the Equation, we are committed to providing students and teachers with the necessary technologies and resources to further their education."

Source: TCEB – February 3, 2011 – Volume 17, Number 5 Online Version

• "A World in Motion" Celebrates 20 Years of Inspiring and Engaging Students
From a modest beginning in a handful of classrooms in 1991, SAE International's award-winning, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education program, "A World in Motion" (AWIM), is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having touched the lives of millions of school students. AWIM offers interdisciplinary, project-based learning to students in kindergarten through high school. With 10 interactive curricula called "challenges," AWIM allows students to participate in an "engineering design experience," a problem-solving process taught at many engineering schools and used by engineering design teams working in the field. Since the program's inception, more than four million students have participated in the AWIM program.

In addition, over 25,000 professionals have contributed time as AWIM classroom volunteers. The program builds bridges between corporations and classrooms by giving teachers, volunteers, and students the opportunity to work together and learn from each other. "As the world becomes increasingly reliant on science, technology, engineering, and math, AWIM plays a critical role in exposing students to these subjects and careers," said Matthew Miller, director of the SAE Foundation and precollege programs. "We will continue to develop AWIM to keep the program interesting, engaging, and relevant to learners of all ages." The AWIM program is distributed to schools or teachers at either low cost or no cost through the SAE Foundation. For more information on AWIM, visit www.awim.org.

Source: TCEB – February 10, 2011 – Volume 17, Number 6 Online Version

News From the Museum of Science Boston

Dear STEM Supporter,

We commend the National Science Teachers Association for stating that citizens should be scientifically and technologically literate. We've advocated including science and technology in the National Science Education Standards since 2004. The NSTA's position reflects a trend to include engineering standards and assessments in national and state K-12 initiatives.
Learn More

Bravo!
Ioannis Miaoulis and the NCTL teamnctlinfo@mos.org

• NCTL Curriculum Chosen for Obama's "Educate to Innovate" Campaign
The Engineering is Elementary curriculum, created by the National Center for Technological Literacy®, was chosen recently by the Change the Equation organization as part of President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign to improve STEM education.
Learn More

• First Engineering Education Research Summit
At a summit hosted by Purdue University, Oregon Congressman David Wu announced his co-sponsorship of the Engineering Education for Innovation Act. The NCTL presented promising Engineering is Elementary curriculum studies, and summit organizers discussed building an engineering education and research community.
Learn More

• NASA and NGA Center Turn to NCTL Staff
NCTL Vice President Yvonne Spicer serves as an advisor on a new NGA Center committee helping governors build STEM agendas, and Museum of Science president and director Ioannis Miaoulis receives the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal "for exemplary leadership, dedication, and commitment to NASA."
Learn More

• Gateway Educator Wins Awards, Project Reaches Thousands
Dave Jurewicz won the Massachusetts Technology Education/Engineering Collaborative's 2010 Teacher of the Year Award. He worked with Sudbury, MA, teachers as part of the Museum of Science's Gateway Project. It has reached 379,900 students.
Learn More

2011 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index...

...Uncovers Inventive Perception Among Young Americans
Embracing Young Adults' Inventive Skills

The annual Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, which gauges Americans' perceptions about invention and innovation, this year surveyed young men and women ages 16-25. Almost three in four young women (71 percent) indicate they are creative, the characteristic they most associate with inventors (63 percent); however, less than one in three (27 percent) describe themselves as inventive. Men also follow this trend; 66 percent say they are creative, but only 39 percent describe themselves as inventive…

The Lemelson-MIT Invention Index also reveals that young women and men do not see the U.S. as leading the way in invention; 61 percent of young women view Japan as the leader, with the U.S. ranking second at 27 percent. Young men agree, choosing Japan first (54 percent) and the U.S. second (36 percent)…

The Lemelson-MIT Invention Index results indicate that young people have the skills necessary to invent, and also reveal that nearly half (49 percent) of young women are most interested in pursuing invention to improve the lives of others. Almost two in five men are also motivated to invent to improve lives (38 percent). 58 percent of the female respondents would make a health science or consumer product invention their top priority; men's inventive interest is geared towards consumer products or web-based inventions (54 percent)…

Other Interesting Survey Findings

• 39 percent of men and 36 percent of women think that inventors are people who most often work at home or in their garage, illustrating a misperception of inventors and their careers.
• Young adults show a preference for working in groups or with mentors (73 percent), the style typically associated with professionals in technical fields.
• Young women are most interested in thinking of and designing a solution (57 percent) when it comes to the inventive process; men are also interested in those steps, as well as building the solution (84 percent).

Read the full article or find our more about it at http://mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-11index.html#top or Lemelson-MIT Program.