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Email from DroneBlocks: We are excited to announce that  DroneBlocks  and  Drobots  are partnering to develop a unique STEAM-based competition for middle school students:  The   Synchronized Dancing Drone Competition!   Participating teams from across the country will submit their final performances in a virtual manner to be reviewed and graded by competition judges. The top four winning teams will be invited to display their Dancing Drone Performance during halftime of the high school  2019 BELL Vertical Robotics Competition  on  December 7th . Competition criteria include... Participation for current middle school students Evidence of demonstrating the "A" in STEAM Combining Drones + Programming with DroneBlocks + Music + Creativity Final projects shared through a virtual presentation Top-rated Final Four Teams will be invited to perform in front of hundreds of participants during the High S...

As you plan for fall, consider building in having your students participate in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest !  It can be a great way to implement any of the following into your classroom: teamwork, project based learning, STEM integration, community collaboration, leadership skills, public speaking...and more. From the site - "The contest challenges students in grades 6-12 to show how STEM can be applied to help improve their local communities. 250 state finalists will be selected to submit an activity plan." Applications are due Sept 6-Nov 13.

Check out the  Promoting STEM Through Literature project/books ! Teachers can use these resources to integrate literature and STEM/Maker activities.  A Design Thinking workbook for students to use is one of the resources. Current Book List: The Secret Subway - Shana Corey Crayon Man - Natascha Biebow and Steven Salerno The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid – Jeanette Winter How to Build a Hug - Amy Guglielmo & Jacqueline Tourville Ada’s Violin - Susan Hood Balloons Over Broadway - Melissa Sweet Beauty and the Beak - Deborah Lee Rose The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer Claymates - Dev Petty The Most Magnificent Thing - Ashley Spires The Marvelous Thing That Came From a Spring - Gilbert Ford Papa’s Mechanical Fish - Candace Fleming One Plastic Bag - Miranda Paul Ticktock Banneker’s Clock - Shana Keller Twenty-One Elephants - April Jones Prince Whoosh! - Chris Barton

All-Star Virtual Field Trip February 14 | 1:00 PM ET Join Discovery Education and the NBA for a Virtual Field Trip to the All-Star Game. This exciting 30-minute program will give students a glimpse behind the scenes and help them learn how NBA staff use STEM skills to bring the game to life! Register Now » Learn More » The Game Plan Join Head Referee Development and Training Monty McCutchen inside the NBA's headquarters and Replay Center for a conversation about his career pathway and how technology impacts his job on and off the court Meet Iveta Karapetian from the NBA’s Digital Content Strategy and Analytics team, who will share how math and science impacts the way fans experience the game of basketball Travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to hear from Hornets' Forward, Marvin Williams, who will share how STEM impacts his game Learn how Arena Events and Operations employees Trista Langdon and Alex Gerson use math ...

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has a wealth of STEM resources that can be made available to educators. How? Become a CAP Aerospace Education Members (AEM) ! Learn more about the benefits to you from the  Aerospace  Education Member Program Flyer , which include: curriculum resources that can be modified to your specific needs provision of materials from the STEM Kit Program (you may request 1 each year of membership - list is on 2nd page of above flyer) eligibility for $250 CAP AEM grants (awarded in September and March each year) eligibility to participate in the Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Program  eligibility to participate in the Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program AEMs are also eligible to take a free Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) Flight in one of MIWG's Cessna 172/!82 Aircraft with a highly qualified CAP Pilot who has received special training for such Educator Orientation flights. Cost? A one-time $35.00 Membership Fee Annua...

The REMC12E STEM/Maker CHALLENGE 2018 - 2019 School Year Are you interested in implementing STEM but not sure where to start? Do you need some fresh ideas to expand on the STEM activities you are already doing?   Would you like to try out using Maker materials that are new to you?   If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should participate in our STEM/Maker Challenge this year!  To participate, your students will complete STEM activities as part of your curriculum. You choose which ones and how many you would like to complete - and there is a “bonus” if you complete 4 or more! General Information Who: ANY classroom teacher in Branch or Calhoun County (even those that don’t know what STEM is!) When : 2018-2019 School Year What : Integration of STEM activities in your classroom activities Cost : FREE to participate! Why : STEM activities are most effective when included in classroom learning activities, and can expose students to new M...

I'm looking for some teachers in Branch or Calhoun county (Michigan) that would like to participate in an end of the year challenge! Challenge Title:  Why We Celebrate Memorial Day Challenge/Problem to Solve :  Challenge your students to explore why we celebrate Memorial Day.   Type: Multimedia Challenge Challenge Parameters : Challenge is limited to 10 teams Students must create all elements for the challenge The student product must meet the following criteria: Utilize the green screen to support the project Be equivalent to a G or PG movie rating (for instance, in use of language and dress) Possible Ideas: Historical news cast about Memorial Day Reenactment of historical event related to Memorial Day Public Service Announcement related to Memorial Day Interview of vetern(s) - what Memorial Day means personally Opposing Viewpoints panel - should we celebrate Memorial Day Time Frame : approximately 4-5 weeks April 30: Deadline to sign up...

From Christine Schneider, MeL Education Specialist: Not only do we celebrate reading in the month of March, we also celebrate women!  Here are some suggestions for using MeL resources to read about women who have made some major contributions in STEM: BookFLIX : Primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall is considered to be the world’s foremost expert of chimpanzees. Introduce children to her endearing subjects and work as both a scientist and activist with this  featured pair  from BookFlix. Britannica School : Britannica offers leveled reading on a multitude of subjects. Plus they include over 46,000 biographies. We’ve pulled together some resource packs you can use with your students.  First, click into any level of Britannica ( Elementary ,  Middle , or  High ), and then click on either  Women in STEM – Elementary  or  Women in STEM – Secondary . eBooks : Learn more about women and careers in computer programing, ...

I am looking for teachers that are willing to participate in a classroom challenge with their students! This challenge is open to all K-12 classrooms and student clubs in participating REMC12E districts. (This is nearly all school districts in Branch and Calhoun county.  Not sure if your district is included?  Email me to ask! Title: Build Model Test Course for New Vehicles Type : Engineering and Programming Challenge Challenge/Problem to Solve : You have been asked to develop a model test course for new vehicles. This course will test the controllability and speed of the vehicles as they move through the course. Challenge Parameters : Challenge is limited to 8-10 teams  Students must create all elements for the challenge  The designed course must contain the following:  An incline and decline of at least 24”  At least 4 turns, 2 each left and right  Tests for the model going slow, medium, and fast speeds  Time Frame : approximately...

From  Brenda Kragt - A session has been scheduled to show teachers the tools and exercises involved with the MDOT-TRAC (Transportation and Civil Engineering) Program.  All exercises are aligned to educational benchmarks.  Training is scheduled for: Date:    Monday, January 22, 2018 Time:   8:00am-3:30pm Location:  1501 E Kilgore Rd, Kalamazoo MI 49001 Teachers (grades 6-12) who attend will receive two modules of their choice.  Materials are replenished by MDOT.  Also, students in 7-12 th  grade become eligible to participate in our annual Bridge Challenge, and graduating seniors who’ve used the tools can apply for our Civil Engineering Summer Internship.  As always, there is no cost for the training or modules.  We’d love to see more schools/classrooms involved with TRAC!   The opportunities for both exposure to civil engineering (for middle and high school classrooms) and for students to...