Low-Tech and No-Tech STEM for All Levels of Learners
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 ⬥ 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Presented by Melissa Henning
Session Description:
Put the “steam” back into STEM. Create STEM projects, learn about low-tech (free) tech tools, collaborate, evaluate tech tools to share with others, learn what “the hack” a hack means, and leave with STEM ideas to use tomorrow. This session is ideal for novice to experienced STEM teachers.
Purpose:
Have you heard the term hack? Do you already do STEM activities? Come to this session to learn how to put some steam into your STEM lessons. Find out about what the “hack” a hack means and why you should use them! STEM is a necessary component in all classrooms today. As educators, we need to find ways to reach all students and help them to better understand the topics within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
In this session. we will share a few no-tech STEM options, for those educators with limited tech options or simply looking for a no-tech STEM activity. Participants will even get to try their hands at creating a STEM activity, to step into the role of student and see what their students will be learning and doing. We will reflect on the activity and discuss possible management concerns. It is important for your students to also have time to reflect on activities (technology or no-tech) to gauge what worked and what didn’t work. Management is key in any classroom, but when working in cooperative groups it is imperative. We can’t miss the T in STEM and we will be sharing technology tools for the beginner/intermediate level users. Participants will also collaborate as they evaluate various STEM tech tools that could be used in the classroom. The evaluations of the tools will also be shared on our resources page. This is a fabulous workshop for those less familiar with STEM and hacking STEM. However, if the more experienced educator will gain new ideas and collaboration time with peers to “stem” your PLN and relationships.
Objectives:
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- Participants will learn the background and pedagogy of STEM hacks.
- Participants will work in groups to create at least one no-tech STEM project. We will then share how this no-tech STEM project could be used with a tech tool for deeper understanding.
- Participants will reflect on their projects and personal understanding of STEM.
- Participants will discuss and collaborate on management strategies during STEM activities.
- Participants will peruse and discover several STEM (Free) tech tools.
- Participants will collaborate with 1-2 other members of the workshop to investigate one low-tech (beginner) STEM tool in depth and present that tool to the group (similar to a Jigsaw learning opportunity). Tool information will be shared on our resource page for participants to access after the session.
Standards:
For Educators:
Designer
5b Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
Learner
1c Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.