Next Week's Long Beach Conference Highlights:
 
• Keynote Presentations from Dr. Don P. Giddens, Chair of the National Academy of Engineering's committee on Public Understanding of Engineering Messages and Christine Purcell and Tom Fitzgerald, who have operational, engineering, and program management experience in highly technical industries and with the Space and Missile Systems Center, LAAFB.
Photo: Long Beach Convention Center (Credit: Destinations Magazine)
• 100+ professional development learning sessions – highlights include:
- Professional Development Plans for Technology Education Educators
- Teaching STEM Using Underwater LEGO Robots
- Bio-Related Technology: Activities to Meet the Standards
- NASA INSPIRE Project
- Integrated Mathematics, Science, and Technology Grades 6-8
- Woodworking and STEM Mixed Program Success!
- Robotics: How to Implement, Integrate, and Inspire
- Fostering and Assessing Creativity in STEM Education
- Changing STEM Laboratories: Centers of Applied Learning
- Serious Games and Virtual Learning
• Specialized pre- and post-conference workshops: Basic Grant Writing, CEENBoT Robotics, Survival Master: A 3-D Computer Game, Studio Animation and HD Video for the Technology Laboratory, Teaching Renewable Energy Technology, DESIGN SQUAD: As Built on TV, and the post-conference, full-day workshop, Robotics, Engineering, and Automation.
• CITEA Annual Luncheon and Awards Dinner, the association's annual networking events.
• CITEA Session Programming: two days of specialized sessions developed by CITEA:
- Using Outdoor Power Equipment to Introduce Students to Automotive Technology
- Simple Marquetry Project for Your Wood Technology Program
- Funding Your Wood or Construction Program
- Building a Program Combining STEM and SHOP
- Using NCCER National Certification to Build Your Program
- The Door to a Clean Energy Future is Through the Sun
- The Engineering Design Process and Design for Manufacture
- How to Make an RC Plane With a Laser
- CTE Online – Using an Online Curriculum Tool
- Western Regional Roundtable – CITEA
- Teaching STEM Concepts in Electric Guitar Building
- Using Small Engines to Teach Critical Thinking
- Low-Cost Casting for High School Shops
• Engineering byDesign™ series of learning labs being offered for elementary, middle, and high school teachers Thursday through Saturday.
• Educational Tours of local facilities (including ACE Clearwater Enterprises, Northrup Grumman, the International Printing Museum, and the California Science Center).
• Action Labs: an entire slate of vendor-sponsored Action Labs. These are FREE sessions that focus on the latest technologies and topics to help YOU become a better teacher.
• Vendor Interaction in the Exhibit Hall – plus free lunch on Friday for all registered attendees.
• Networking: endless opportunities to network with colleagues in your state and around the globe.
The STEM movement has never been stronger than it is today. Educators from all over the world will come together to help define what technology and engineering education should be in our schools today and tomorrow.
Are you still thinking about attending? You should be. You don't want to miss the premier event for your industry and profession—and the chance to be exposed and participate in a plethora of educational opportunities.
So plan to join your colleagues next week in Long Beach. Preregistration is closed, but you can register on-site beginning Wednesday, March 14th from 11:00am-5:00pm, in the Long Beach Convention Center. Registration payment can be made by credit card, check, cash, or valid PO when you arrive.
For the latest conference information, go to www.iteea.org/Conference/conferenceguide.htm
For specific CITEA programming details, go to: www.iteea.org/Conference/CITEAprogram.pdf
Don't miss out. There's still time. Plan to join your colleagues in Long Beach! |
Fees for Survival Master Preconference Workshop to be Reimbursed by Hofstra
 The Coordinators of the “Survival Master: A 3-D Computer Game” preconference workshop, scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 1:00pm-4:00pm in Long Beach, CA have announced that the $95 workshop registration fee will be waived for all participants until the workshop is filled.
Workshop Description:
Simulations and Modeling in Technology Education (SMTE) is a five-year National Science Foundation-funded project that is researching the potential of a hybrid instructional model that blends computer gaming and physical modeling using tools and materials. The project, conducted by Hofstra University, has designed a three-week-long, 3-D computer game called Survival Master and a companion physical modeling curriculum specifically for middle school engineering and technology education students and teachers based on Standards for Technological Literacy. Project research is comparing student learning and engagement in gaming and in more traditional physical modeling delivery modes.
This preconference workshop will offer teachers a chance to play the computer game under the supervision of the project developers and expert engineering and technology educators who have pilot-tested the materials. Participants will be provided with complimentary access to the game and the physical modeling curriculum for use with their classes.
The 3-D computer game teaches students about surface area and volume of geometric shapes, heat flow, and structural design in the context of a challenge to design a shelter for survivors of an earthquake in a very cold climate. The shelter must be designed to retain the heat generated by four survivors and withstand a given snow load and wind load. Participants must bring a laptop computer (Windows-based only) and a mouse. An introductory three-minute video about Survival Master can be viewed at www.gaming2learn.org.
Register on-site in the Long Beach Convention Center Wednesday, March 14, 11:00am-1:00pm or email Michael Hacker at mhacker@nycap.rr.com to reserve your spot! Space is limited! Sign up today! |
Call for Manuscripts for The Journal of Technology Studies (JOTS)
 The Epsilon Pi Tau Executive Board is proud to announce this call for manuscripts for the planned Volume XXXVIII publication. JOTS publishes accepted papers online at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/ as they clear the production pipeline. The complete Volume will be published online AND in paper format upon completion of the Volume at the end of the 2012 calendar year. There will be a rolling deadline for submitting manuscripts.
Volume XXXVIII
Number 1, Spring 2012—Non-Theme Articles
Number 2, Winter 2012—Theme Articles (Diversity in Technology Professions: Challenges and Opportunities)
Publication Guidelines can be found at
www.epsilonpitau.org/associations/2760/files/Journal%20Guidelines.pdf. Email submissions should be sent to the editor at jots@bgsu.edu. For peer review process questions, contact the Editor at: msarapin@purdue.edu |
Attention ITEEA Members
 Did you know that you can post your resume for FREE for two months on the ITEEA website? If you are interested, please forward your resume to iteea@iteea.org.
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New Online Design Education Tool and Architecture Competition
 The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) recently launched a free online educational tool to connect teens, teachers, and architects to project-based learning opportunities. To celebrate, CAF is inviting U.S. high school students (at least 13 years old, Grades 9-12) to enter its 2012 National High School Architecture Competition. The challenge: redesign your school cafeteria for healthy eating in a sustainable space. Registration and consent forms are due April 4, 2012; final project submissions are due May 23, 2012.
Explore DiscoverDesign.org and learn more about the competition.
Source: A + DEN (Architecture + Design Education Network), March 2012
Photo Credit: Krista Jones
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TEEAM Spring Conference
 The Technology and Engineering Education Association of Maine Spring Conference is scheduled for Friday March 23, 2012 at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, ME.
Come find out how technology and engineering are part of the Next Generation of Science Standards and what it means to you. Hear about innovating ideas in engineering workshops. Hear the latest on wind-power design challenges, initiatives, and the National Wind Senators Program, coming to Maine this summer. See the latest short documentaries on "Innovation Imagination and Making Stuff!" at the TEEAM Film Festival. See cutting-edge ideas and talk to technology and engineering educators and vendors at the Exhibit Hall. Join in a community dialogue regarding current issues and opportunities in Technology and Engineering Education. Catch up with old friends and meet new colleagues!
For Registration and an agenda visit: http://teeamaine.org/spring-conference.html.
Questions can be directed to Gus Goodwin, TEEAM President, at goodwg@portlandschools.org.
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Free Professional Development Content from ASCD Available on the New iTunes U
 ASCD, a global leader in providing programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner, is pleased to announce it has made a variety of free professional development content available on the new iTunes U.
Through the new ASCD iTunes U channel, educators can stay up to date with the most recent audio and video professional development content, including:
- ASCD webinars
- Archived conference presentations
- Interviews with ASCD authors
- Video profiles of educators
The new ASCD iTunes U channel offers resources on many educational topics, such as teacher effectiveness, school reform, assessment, and Common Core State Standards. Educators can now take these professional development resources with them on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or any laptop with iTunes.
To discover ASCD content, search for "ASCD" on iTunes. The ASCD iTunes U channel can also be accessed here. Educators can subscribe to multiple ASCD feeds, which are automatically updated so that they never miss a resource. The association will regularly update the channel with content that is currently available on www.ascd.org and will develop exclusive iTunes U content in the future.
For more information about ASCD’s multimedia-rich professional development content, visit www.ascd.org/onlinelearning. For more information about other association initiatives and membership, visit www.ascd.org. |
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Life Insurance Benefit Increases for ITEEA Members
 Effective February 1, 2012, life insurance coverage purchased by ITEEA members on or after February 1, 2000 has automatically increased 33.3% at no additional cost to the members. This benefit increase also may apply to group term life coverage a spouse has in force under this plan.
For example, if an ITEEA member purchased $750,000 in coverage, life insurance coverage will increase 33.3% to $1,000,000 effective February 1, 2012, with no increase in premium. In these economic times, Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc. is pleased to pass along to ITEEA members this good news about the decision to permanently raise the benefit and feels it is an indication of the strength and quality of the program.
Complete information is available at www.ftj.com/ITEEA. |
International Space Station National Lab Education Project
 The ISS National Lab Education Project, or ISS NLEP, has released a solicitation for proposals of STEM-related educational experiments that utilize the unique ISS microgravity platform. Proposals are being accepted from the higher education communities through March 23, 2012. Seven areas of opportunities are available. These areas include general facility simulation-based, ground-based, in-orbit activities as well as specific areas that are already developed and ready for advancement.
To access through Grants.gov, click here.
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The Conrad Foundation Reports:
 • Challenge Update: Innovation Summit is Around the Corner
Congratulations again to the 2012 Spirit of Innovation Challenge Finalists! As most of you know, the Innovation Summit is right around the corner! Leading entrepreneurs, government officials, and world-renowned scientists will join student innovators to select a grand prize winner in aerospace exploration, clean energy, and health and nutrition.
This year, we are giving everyone the chance to attend the Innovation Summit—virtually. We’ll be tweeting information about the Summit between now and March 28 by using the hashtag #ConradSummit2012. During the Summit, from March 29 to March 31, we’ll host a real-time Twitterfall on the home page of www.conradawards.org, allowing you to read about the Summit events as they happen. Follow @ConradAwards today!
• College Tips: Ten Scholarships for Any Student
Looking for college scholarships? There are still funds available for every type of student – you don’t have to win the academic decathlon championship to qualify. Check out these scholarships and apply, apply, apply! www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2012/02/23/ten-scholarships-for-average-students-who-are-not-athletically-inclined/
• Partner Pulse: Lockheed Martin to Turn Waste Wood into Clean Energy
Every year, loggers in Canada harvest millions of cubic meters of wood. However, only about 40 percent of cut timber is processed into value-added products. The remainder of this wood is discarded, leaving a lot of waste. Now, Mustus Energy and Lockheed Martin Canada are working together to build a new biomass-fueled power generation plant, which will turn unwanted timber into clean energy. Using waste wood to fuel a clean combustion process, the plant will provide enough energy to power more than 30,000 Canadian homes when complete. Read more about Lockheed Martin’s energy conservation efforts here: www.lockheedmartin.com/us/ms2/features/120221-if-a-tree-falls-in-the-forest.html
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NASA News
 • NASA's Digital Learning Network Presents "STEM Through the Eyes, Ears, and Heart of a Woman" Webcast Series
In honor of Women's History Month, NASA's Digital Learning Network is pleased to invite you and your students to take a look into the intriguing world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from a woman's perspective. This free webcast series, titled "STEM Through the Eyes, Ears, and Heart of a Woman," will feature a female NASA STEM professional, along with a high school senior from NASA's Women in STEM High School Aerospace project, also known as WISH.
This hour-long webcast will take place each Wednesday at 1 p.m., Eastern time, during the month of March.
For more information and to watch the webcasts online, visit the DLN website at http://dln.nasa.gov
Inquiries about this webcast series should be directed to Caryn Long at Caryn.Long@nasa.gov.
• Pre-Service Teacher Institutes at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
The Pre-Service Teacher Institute is a one-week summer residential session for early childhood and elementary education majors preparing to teach in an elementary or middle school classroom. Three institutes will take place this year: June 18-22 (for Houston and surrounding areas), June 24-30, and July 8-14, 2012. All events will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
College students from diverse backgrounds will be exposed to aerospace, mathematics, and science enrichment activities. Preservice teachers are able to interface with NASA personnel and tour Johnson Space Center facilities while learning to incorporate NASA's cutting-edge research into lesson plans for elementary and intermediate school students.
Full-time undergraduate students in their junior or senior year are invited to apply. The application period closes on March 15, 2012. For more information, visit http://education.jsc.nasa.gov/psti/index.htm. Please email any questions about this opportunity to Sharon Griffin at sharon.v.griffin@nasa.gov.
• 2011-2012 NASA Aeronautics High School Contest
The Environmentally Responsible Aviation project invites students in Grades 9-12 to submit a well-documented research paper (up to 12 pages) to demonstrate understanding of the environmental impact of aircraft noise and emissions. Specific topics are listed on the contest website. The deadline to enter is March 19, 2012.
For more information about the contest, visit http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/competitions_high_era.htm.
Questions should be directed to Dr. Elizabeth Ward at Elizabeth.B.Ward@nasa.gov.
NASA Education Express Message – January 19, 2012
• 2011-2012 Green Aviation University Engineering Contest
The Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project invites undergraduate and graduate students to submit a well-documented design paper for a large cargo aircraft that produces less noise, fewer emissions, and is more fuel efficient than current models.
Participants, either teams or individuals, must be enrolled full time in an accredited college or university. International students may participate but are not eligible for cash prizes or student internships. Entries are due May 7, 2012. For more information about the contest, visit http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/era_univ/competitions_univ_era.htm. Questions about the contest should be directed to Dr. Elizabeth Ward at Elizabeth.B.Ward@nasa.gov.
NASA Education Express Message – January 19, 2012 |
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ITEEA's annual conference will be in Long Beach, CA next week. Take this unique opportunity to join your colleagues as you address and answer such questions as: What is technology? What is engineering? What steps should be taken to change traditional perceptions?
