Defined STEM Animated Introduc…

pirvine — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:32:16 +0000

Defined STEM Animated Introduction: http://t.co/YqTZVbNP

“Educators Look for Resources, New Programs Amid STEM Push “

pirvine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:25:09 +0000

Districts, schools, and individual educators are struggling to keep up with new emphases on science, technology, engineering, and math education. Resources and partnerships are available to those who know where to look.

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From “the JOURNAL” written by D.A. Barber -12/13/11

“Broadband, Social Networks, and Mobility Have Spawned a New Kind of Learner”

pirvine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:23:03 +0000

From “the JOURNAL” by John K. Waters 12/13/11

“Students are different today because of technology. Every educator knows this, of course, but this change is about much more than agile thumbs, shriveling attention spans, and OMG’d vocabularies. According the Pew Research Center, the combination of widespread access to broadband Internet connectivity, the popularity of social networking, and the near ubiquity of mobile computing is producing a fundamentally new kind of learner, one that is self-directed, better equipped to capture information, more reliant on feedback from peers, more inclined to collaborate, and more oriented toward being their own “nodes of production.”

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STEMConnector™ website launc…

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:19:54 +0000

STEMConnector™ website launches today. http://t.co/BbbJs19I

Defined STEM launches Mars Curiosity Content

kristy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:26:38 +0000

On Saturday, November 26th, NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory, the Curiosity Rover, which has 10 science instruments to search for evidence Mars had environments favorable for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks so its spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth.

You can help bring real life relevance into your classroom by exploring
Defined STEM’s thematic units highlighting the Mars Rover!

Performance Tasks: End Products

Model: Students willcreate and design a rover capable of safely transporting Astronauts as they explore Mars!
Commercial: Create a one to two minute audio or video advertisement encouraging people to visit Mars and use the Martian Spaceport.
Virtual Fieldtrip: Design a virtual fieldtrip that will take the viewer on a journey from Earth to Mars. Include within the trip the vehicles that will be used and will be utilizing the spaceport.

Literacy Tasks: Students will write a technical report that defines the mission goals and explains how the instruments of Curiosity will support the scientific research

Simulations: Using on-line simulations, students will work on remotely navigate a Mars rover between specific points on a rocky terrain.

“GHS to showcase project-based approach”

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:20:05 +0000

“A move to incorporate hands-on, project-based learning is under way at Gustine High School, where staff members will share the new approach with parents and interested community members at a meeting next week.”

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“Carnegie Science Center launches program for STEM education”

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:17:13 +0000

“Carnegie Science Center and Chevron today announced the launch of the Chevron Center for STEM Education and Career Development, a program dedicated to improving education in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

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“Why Explore Space?”

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:12:06 +0000

I watched with the world in 1981 as the Space Shuttle Columbia launched. 26 years later I read this article and as it is still relevant today…

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“I believe America should look to its future – and consider what that future will look like if we choose not to be a spacefaring nation.”

–NASA Administrator Michael Griffin

NASA Launches Most Capable and Robust Rover to Explore Mars

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:04:08 +0000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 10:02 a.m. EST.

“We are very excited about sending the world’s most advanced scientific laboratory to Mars,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “MSL will tell us critical things we need to know about Mars, and while it advances science, we’ll be working on the capabilities for a human mission to the Red Planet and to other destinations where we’ve never been.”

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STEMconnector Launches 11/30/2011

pirvine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:58:28 +0000

“STEMConnector™ is a nationwide collaboration of companies, nonprofit associations and professional societies, STEM-related research & policy organizations, and academic institutions concerned about the plight of STEM education in the United States.

STEMConnector™ is designed to link ‘all things STEM’ by constructing a comprehensive Web Site that provides connections to national, state and local STEM entities and their own content through a variety of search tools.”

Learn more after the jump