All Blog Posts (240)

AGENCY: National Science Foundation on behalf of the National Science and Technology Council

SUMMARY: The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 calls for the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) to create a 5-year Federal STEM education strategic plan. In February 2012, the CoSTEM released…

Here are a few new resources I've recently learned about:

Nature Works Everywhere

http://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/

Introducing a new online portal providing teachers and students with tools to explore and understand nature's fantastic factory.  The Nature Conservancy and its scientists have partnered with Discovery Education to create Nature Works Everywhere to help…

The first draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) was released May 11 and will be online for public comment until June 1.

In a process managed by Achieve, 26 states led the development of the Next Generation Science Standards. The NGSS is based on A Framework for K–12 Science…

http://www.adventureandscience.org/roadkill.html

Cyclists can now help scientists by reporting animals flattened by automobiles.

An organization that pairs data-collecting outdoor enthusiasts with researchers launched a roadkill-observation project this week. Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation is calling on everyone from…

If you are interested in using drawing to better understand how students are learning science and how your teaching is affecting their learning, check out http://drawntoscience.org/. Lots of great (free) resources!

Teachers: Register now for the Lure of the Labyrinth Challenge, April – June 15!



The Education Arcade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is pleased to announce the Lure of the Labyrinth Challenge—a free online math challenge for grades 6–8. While playing Lure of the Labyrinth, students use mathematical thinking skills to progress through a compelling graphic-novel story.



Funded by a Next Generation Learning Challenges Grant, the Challenge invites groups…

From the National Environmental Education Foundation - increasing STEM knowledge and expanding STEM education and career opportunities for students is a national priority. Recognizing the role of the environment as a portal for STEM learning, EE Week's 2012 theme is Greening STEM: The Environment as Inspiration for 21^st Century Learning.  When you register for EE Week, you will join a national network of…

The Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) is asking 10– to 15-year-olds for artwork to go on the front cover of their middle school journal. Submit your students' best artwork. Types of media accepted, but not limited to: oil, acrylic, or watercolor painting; charcoal or colored pencil drawing; 3D submissions such as sculpture; and computer generated graphics. Deadline is May 15, 2012. Complete information can be found…

Education Blog Award Winner, Jose Picardo shares A-Z Internet resources: "some of the best free internet resources for education. This page is constantly updated; every time I come across a new piece of software or an exciting website, I list it here." 

Resources include everything from an audio blogging site, Glass Giant for making pictures, Hot Potatoes for making interactive exercises, JamGlue for recording and mixing tracks, Mahara for creating online portfolios, Pen.io for simple…

Join schools across the country and world in celebrating March Polar Week, which coincides with the spring equinox, one of two times a year when everyone on the planet gets 12 hours of sunlight.  We want to celebrate on a global scale by focusing on the science being conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic.

• Unite with educators, researchers, students, and communities in the study of the Polar Regions.

• Launch a virtual balloon and watch our learning…

The actor Alan Alda has created a contest where anyone — including scientists — can offer an explanation of what a flame is; 11-year-olds will judge which answer is best. From the NYT - A Challenge to Make Science Crystal Clear.

From Google's Official Blog - you can read the entire blog post but I thought that lots of folks might be interested in how to protect your personal data if you still want to use Google tools: If you don’t think information sharing will improve your experience, you can use our privacy tools to do things like edit or turn off your…

Hello All- 

A couple of months ago I was reminded of the importance of social networking in the "21st Century Classroom."   Out of the blue, I received an email from Jason Krueger of Stratostar Systems in Indiana.  It turns out that we were each trying to do the same thing- get kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  You can imagine my reaction when he mentioned that he would like to help my students send experiments into space.  This Friday, my…

From the Math Forum Newsletter: What are leap years?

2012 is a leap year, so this month ends on Wednesday, February 29th.

In the leap year of 1996, the Forum began a free ask-an-expert service for math students and their teachers. Since then, Ask Dr. Math has helped millions understand why some years have 366 days, plus lots more mathematics about calendars, including

• how to take leap years into account when reasoning the day of the week one year forward from any…

Latest Report from the US Department of Education's "What Works Clearinghouse."…

While few schools offer computer-programming courses at the middle- and high-school level, free resources such as RoboZZle and Scratch are available online.  One educator says computer programming can help students learn important critical-thinking skills. "These skills are completely transferable," computer-science…

Calling all Earthlings! Take a few minutes to get involved in the GLOBE at Night campaign to preserve dark skies! GLOBE at Night is a citizen-science campaign open to people all over the world to raise awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and report their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone. Light pollution threatens not only our “right to starlight”, but can affect energy consumption, wildlife…

The 2011 Classroom BirdScope magazine is hot off the presses and contains the best of BirdSleuth student research! You can request a free copy by filling out this brief survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/57LQ6LS. If you'd like additional copies, they are available for sale on the site…

Education Week's Digital Education blog provides a wrap-up of what they think were the five biggest ed-tech themes of 2011.  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2011/12/five_ed-tech_themes_in_2011.html