Darling, Dowdle, and Wright working together at Bloomfield High School

Bloomfield High School Fitness Room

At the 2008 RAC-CEMS Collaboration Event, a three-teacher team was recognized for their Excellence in STEM Teaching. Ed Darling, Mike Dowdle, and John Wright have synthesized a unique Integrated Physics-Biology-Technology learning experience for high school seniors.

The focus of the study: the school’s fitness center. The parameters for the activity are that students must develop a research question for study, develop a plan for data collection and analysis, and plan with their group how to best work together to complete the tasks.

The students presented their projects in the form of their own “Mythbusters” video episodes, to show they had applied what they had learned in class to solve a real world problem. According to Ed Darling, an eye opening experience was, “Watching students who in class often are only minimally engaged in traditional learning activities take on leadership roles when given a learning opportunity that matched their preferred style”.

Each team was comprised of three students; one specalizing in each subject matter. The team of teachers was supported by their administration who allowed them to alter the schedules of the students for the day in order to complete the project.

Thank you Mr. Darling, Mr. Dowdle, and Mr. Wright for your commitment to excellence in STEM teaching, and sharing your project with the community!

GIS/SIG

 

GIS stands for Geographic Information Sharing; SIG stands for Special Interest Group…

This educational group’s primary mission is to foster the understanding of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology.

The group is gearing up for their 18th Annual Spatial/Digital Mapping Conference;  a professional forum in the Rochester – Genesee Finger Lakes region for GIS education, data sharing, communication and networking with other local, state and national users.

The morning keynote speaker, Geoff Zeiss is the Director of Autodesk Geospatial Technology. His presentation, entitled: “The Convergence of BIM, CAD, GIS, and 3D Simulation: Implications for Government” will explore new technologies that provide a seamless view of buildings and infrastructure. 

The afternoon keynote address will be co-presented by Jonathan Cobb of Waypoint Technology Group, LLC, and Austin Fisher, Vice President of Fountains Spatial, Inc. They will be presenting “Geospatial Mercenaries: The Balkans and Beyond“.

Check out the GIS/SIG website for more information on this exciting event!

Keep Your Kids Interest in Science with Holiday Gifts

Do you have a kid that is interested in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM)? Do you want to get your kid interested in these subjects?

When I was a child, I always had an interest in putting things together. I still do! I don’t know if it is a learned behavior or not. I loved puzzles. I wanted to help my dad put the bike (or anything) together. I saw my older brother putting together his toy model car and I wanted to do that! But that was a boy toy. I couldn’t play with it or get one for myself! Now, when I buy or someone gives me something that needs to be put together, I don’t go to sleep until it is. Just in case you’re wondering, I got BS in Computer Science and now I’m studying to be a High School Math Teacher.

I also collected bugs. Yes, I was a girl who collected bugs! I don’t remember why I started doing this. It may have been for a school science project and then I made it a habit. But, whenever I saw dead bugs around my house or on my way home, I picked them up and put them in a yogurt cup in the kitchen closet. They may even still be in my mom’s house! After a while, I was able to see the bones or interior structure of some of them. Even though it’s not what I studied, I love biology, the Discovery channels, all doctor’s programs on TV and nature.

My older niece got her first camera when she was in Kindergarten. It was a Polaroid. She kept on getting upgrades often, until she got a video camera, taped it to a remote control car, turned the camera on and off it went to record. We’re hoping she gets an engineering or a science related education. She still has a couple of years to think about it.

What are your kids into? What are you doing to keep them interested in STEM subjects?

One way to keep your kids interested in STEM subjects is by giving them games related in the STEM subjects they like. To find STEM related games, go into your favorite toy store web site. Look in the learning category and then in science and discovery. Then, it’s probably going to be divided into specific science categories. It may also have an option to select by gender but I don’t think it’s necessary to use this selection by gender with science “toys”.

Here are MY PICKS of toys that may get your kids interested in science at an early age or encourage them to pursue a science related career, if they’re already interested in science.

Subject	Ages	Toys
STEM	Babies & Toddlers	Blocks, Shape Sorters, Stacking Shapes, Farm Animals, Counting/Number Games
STEM	Preschoolers	Mazes, Puzzles, Towers, Legos, Counting/Number Games
Dinosaurs	4 to 10	Big Bucket of Dinosaurs
Nature, Physics, Chemistry, Air and Water	5 to 9	Little Labs: Stepping into Science
Geology	5 and up	The Young Scientists Set #2: Weather Station – Solids, Liquids, Gases – Volcano
Astronomy	7 and up	Planet Quest
Dinosaurs	8 and up	Dinoworks: Cast & Paint – 19″ Tyrannosaurus Rex Casting Kit
Anatomy & Biology	8 and up	Edu Science Human Body Learning Game with Bonus Stethoscope
Bug Science	8 and up	Backyard Safari Night & Day Bug Habitat
Chemistry & Physics	8 and up	Edu Science Junior Scientist Kit
Microscopes	8 and up	Edu Science Quick-Switch Microscope (comes in different colors)
Electricity	10 and up	Electronic Playground and Learning Center

Can you share with us how you got interested in science, technology, engineering or math or some of the related things you did as a kid?