Tuesday is National STEM Day and the White House has made an effort over the past year to improve STEM education and increase access to STEM opportunities for underrepresented groups such as women and minorities.
“We need to make this a priority to train an army of new teachers in these subject areas, and to make sure that all of us as a country are lifting up these subjects for the respect that they deserve,” said President Obama.
Teachers can integrate technology into their lessons or introduce STEM concepts by using these tools.
Kahoot! is a free service that has games designed by educators, the ability to design an original game, and enables classes to play them together. STEM students can learn how to solve real-world problems through game plan and imaginary scenarios.
- Mitch Resnick: Let’s Teach Kids to Code TED Talk
Mitch Resnick of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab gives demos and highlights the benefits of teaching kids to code so they can create their own technologies in his TED Talk.
Students can use this app to build anything through quest-based puzzle games, such as winged car or a robotic hippopotamus. The app adds students’ spelling skills to their ability to build and create. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play for 99 cents.
- How to Connect Science, Technology, Engineering, Robotics, Arts, and Math in the Classroom webinar
Karey Killian, library media specialist, talks to teachers in this webinar about how to engage with different types of students, how to connect students’ experiences with other students, how students can present their work to others, how to incorporate STEM objectives into the classroom, and how to use Skype classroom.
Students can use this app to learn the basics of coding, including procedures, loops, and conditionals. Students can guide their robot through 60 levels of puzzles involving coding. The app is best for a STEM-oriented classroom because the program is focused toward students who already have an interest in coding. The app is available on iTunes for $4.99 and Google Play for $2.99 and doesn’t have any in-app purchases.
The website has a digital collection of Earth science resources, a YouTube channel, and a resource center for teaching materials and workshops. The website has resources divided into education level to help teachers search for the right lesson in which to engage their students, including ideas for kindergarten students to higher education students.
Students can use this app to study biology by navigating different medically accurate 3-D models and animations of body systems. The app is available on iTunes for $4.99 and Google Play for $3.99.
The Exploratorium website has apps, videos, and publications that guide teachers in lessons to engage students in K-12 STEM education. The website works in coordination with the museum on science, art, and human perception in San Francisco.
This website has an ongoing list of “freebies” for science teachers to use in planning and during their lessons. Some “freebies” include discussion guides, specific lessons, studies, and tool kits.