CTETE Update

CTETE Application for Annual Conference Participation

The Council on Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE, formerly CTTE) will sponsor three types of special interest sessions at the 75th Annual ITEEA Conference in Columbus, Ohio, March 7-9, 2013:

1. Paper/Research presentations (blind reviewed)
2. General Conference sessions (peer reviewed)
3. Poster presentations (peer reviewed)

At the time of application, all presenters and copresenters must be ITEEA Professional Members through the end of the conference (March 9, 2013). Failure to meet this requirement will result in the cancellation of your session. All presenters and copresenters must be fully preregistered for the conference by January 15, 2013. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the cancellation of your session. ITEEA/CTETE does not provide honorariums or cover travel, registration fees, conference expenses, etc. Please note that AV equipment other than a projection surface/screen is NOT provided.

To apply for a CTETE presentation, request a form from rbrown@ilstu.edu and submit it as an email attachment (as a MS Word or PDF file) by June 1, 2012.

The council’s new web address is www.ctete.org. For further information, please contact Ed Reeve (2010-2013 President, CTETE) at ed.reeve@usu.edu.

Passing – Fred Ruda

Dr. Fred Ruda, Chair of the Technology Studies Department at Fort Hays State University, passed away on April 8 as a result of a vehicular accident. Fred, known as “Doc” to the many students who thrived under his guidance, was an active ITEEA member and a regular registration volunteer. His was often the first face that attendees saw upon arrival at conference, and he had a smile and a warm greeting for everyone.

Fred had received both the Wilkinson Meritorious Service as well as the Distinguished Technology Educator distinction from ITEEA. He was actively involved with Fort Hays’ TECA organization and took great pride in his TECA students and their successes.

Fred is survived by his wife, Sherrill, his children, Troy and Karrie, and a number of grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.

Scholarship Funding Requests

Three scholarships that honor present and former ITEEA members are currently seeking donations:

• Scholarship in Honor of Larry Claussen. Larry’s life passion was working with young people – this was evidenced by 40-plus years in education, teaching junior high to college-level students in Springfield, SD, Hector, MN, Sioux Falls, SD, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and Wayne State College (NE). This scholarship’s purpose is to encourage professional development participation of undergraduate junior and senior TECA members at the annual ITEEA Conference. Donations can be mailed to ITEEA and made out to "FTEE." Please designate "Claussen Scholarship" in the subject line.

• Scholarship in Honor of Don Mugan. Don is retiring from Valley City State University where he was an educator for 40 years and has provided an outstanding education for hundreds of technology education teachers during that time. Potential contributors should contact Jim Boe at Jim.Boe@vcsu.edu for more information.
  
  
• Scholarship in Honor of Fred Ruda, DTE. Fort Hays State University is establishing a scholarship to honor Fred Ruda, who passed away in a car accident last month. Fred was Chair of the Technology Studies Department at Fort Hays for 33 years and impacted the lives of countless students. Donations can be made out to Fort Hays State University, with “Fred Ruda Scholarship” in the subject line and mailed to: FHSU Foundation, Robbins Center, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS  67601.

Children’s Technology and Engineering Seeks Authors

Children’s Technology and Engineering is seeking authors for the 2013-14 publishing year.

Theme for Volume 18: Teaching STEM

• Volume 18, #1: Design
• Volume 18, #2: Scientific Inquiry
• Volume 18, #3: Integrative Curriculum Design
• Volume 18, #4: 21st Century Skills

Potential authors should contact Katie de la Paz at kdelapaz@iteea.org for more information.

Northeast Ohio Engineering and Technology Educators Get on Board GRC Event

Realizing it was a natural extension of their STEM-oriented curriculum, a growing number of engineering and technology education teachers in Northeast Ohio have quickly “gravitated” to the International Soap Box Derby Gravity Racing Challenge (GRC) event, which will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012, from 8 am to 4 pm at Akron Derby Downs, 1000 George Washington Blvd., Akron, Ohio.

Known as the T & E part of STEM, these highly qualified teachers primarily use the “design and build” component in the “learning cycle” (constructivism) model for instruction. The GRC event is an authentic problem-based learning activity that engages students in the engineering design process, the foundation of invention and innovation. In its third year, the GRC will have well over 100 teams for the May 19th event.

The GRC event encourages all STEM teachers to implement the Masters of Gravity curriculum, an educational multimedia package produced by Western Reserve PBS. The lessons are based on the All American Soap Box Derby, a tradition that intrigues and excites youngsters of all ages. Other competitions within the GRC event that teams may participate in for the overall championship include the Program Cover Design, Banner Design, Team Shirt Design, Derby Car Graphic Design, Team Infomercial, Photography, and Mini Gravity Racer.

Admission is free to the public. For additional information, contact  Linda Hubbell, Education Director, International Soap Box Derby - Gravity Racing Challenge, at hubbell@johnstown.net or 740-817-0345. Questions may be emailed to Vic Stefan at stefanvic@lakelocal.org.

Registration is Now Open for the Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2012!

"Zero Robotics" is a robotics programming competition where the robots are SPHERES satellites inside the International Space Station. The competition starts online, where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Participants can create, edit, share, save, simulate, and submit code, all from a web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists are selected to compete in a live championship aboard the ISS. An astronaut will conduct the championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast! There are three types of Zero Robotics tournaments:

• High School Tournament: Geared towards students in Grades 9-12, the tournament takes place from September-December each Fall. This is a nationwide event open to any teams from the U.S.
• Middle School Summer Program: For younger students, this is a 5-week program where students learn to program through a graphical interface. The program will take place at TBD locations (where the SPHERES team has a strong presence). The first open program is expected to start in the Summer of 2013.
• Open Challenges: These are open to everyone from around the world, including professionals, educators, university students, etc. You can participate individually or as a team. These competitions usually involve working on complex algorithms that will help future spaceflight missions.

All tournaments are free of charge. All you need to participate is to create an account and register your team for an active tournament. High school and middle school teams also need a primary mentor.

Design Squad Nation Heads to Queens on May 19

If you're near Queens, NY on May 19th, be sure to visit the NY Hall of Science for a special one-day Design Squad Nation event! Kids can do hands-on activities and watch DSN's host, Nate Ball, show off his dance moves and explain the electrical engineering behind his supersized Dance Pad! Go to www.nysci.org/visit/events/event/designsquad2012 for more information.

From EbD™ –  Technology and Engineering Professional Development for Educators

Announcing Foundations of Technology, Third Edition Summer Workshops

Curriculum: With the introduction of Foundations of Technology3 (3rd Edition) comes an entirely new concept in curriculum development and instructional planning. The interactive guides provide instant access to resources that have been developed to supplement the course.

Professional Development: Teacher effectiveness – how? With the ongoing professional development from STEM±CTL, teachers learn the content of the course, how to work with others from all across the country in real time, and how to use the assessments to understand student needs. Through ebDonline™ teachers can understand the relationship of how teachers can work together towards common goals.

Assessment: Through formative and summative assessments, teachers will understand how the online assessment system works and how to interpret the data to improve instruction and raise student attainment and become familiar with the end-of-course design challenge.

Summer Professional Learning Opprtunity:
One registration fee entitles the participant to these benefits:

• Five days of intensive training on the latest edition of Foundations of Technology3 from STEM±CTL TECs (Teacher Effectiveness Coaches).
• Focus on the content and the interrelationships with Common Core mathematics, English Language Arts, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Grand Challenges for Engineering.
• Enrollment and implementation strategies for ebDonline™ – the online professional learning community that connects teachers with those across the country teaching the same content.
• Practice assessments for teachers to understand the online system and the format of the design challenge.

The EbD™ Foundations of Technology3 summer workshops will be offered at four locations:

• Maryland:
  June 25-28 - Anne Arundel County
  Broadneck High School, Annapolis, MD
  Trainers: James Deitrich / Michael Howard
  REGISTRATION DEADLINE: June 1

• Maryland:
  August 6-8 - Caroline County
  North Caroline High School, Ridgely, MD
  Trainers: Greg Strimel / Michael Howard
  REGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 5

• Maryland:
  August 6-8 - Howard County
  Reservoir High School, Fulton, MD
  Trainers: James Deitrich / Victoria Lee
  REGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 5

• Oklahoma:
  July 16-20 – Oklahoma City
  Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City
  Trainer: Tanner Huffman
  REGISTRATION DEADLINE: June 15

Complete information on these and other EbD™ summer workshops is available at www.iteea.org/EbD/PD/.

Technology Education Hands-On Professional Development for Educators…

…Featuring CAD, Laser Technologies, and Rapid Prototyping – TEC to Host 18th Annual Accredited TEC Summer Institute for Educators

Tech Ed Concepts, Inc. (TEC), North American Academic Distributor of 3D Engineering and Manufacturing Software, Hardware, and Curriculum Programs, is excited to host its 18th Annual TEC Summer Institute (TSI) this July at TEC Headquarters and the Grappone Conference Center, Courtyard Marriott in Concord, NH.

Exclusively designed for Educators, TSI provides 24+ instructional hours of hands-on training, classroom materials, and innovative curriculum designed to assist technology educators by increasing their knowledge of CAD, Laser Technologies, and Rapid Prototyping. The three days of hands-on training are taught by certified professional instructors. Course offerings feature Envisioneer™ 3D Architectural, Interior, and Landscape Design software, KeyCreator™ CAD/CAM software, Laser Technologies with GCC Lasers, as well as Intro to 3D Rapid Prototyping. Educators who participate also have the opportunity to earn graduate credits accredited through the University System of New Hampshire. Session 1 is being held July 18-20, and Session 2 is July 23-25.

For additional information regarding the 18th Annual Accredited TEC Summer Institute for Educators, contact TEC at 1-800-338-2238, visit www.TECedu.com, or email: info@TECedu.com.

2012 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge Winners Announced

High school innovators recognized for creating breakthrough technologies

Four teams of high school students unleashed a new wave of product development and entrepreneurism, receiving top honors at the 2012 Innovation Summit, the final round of competition for the 2011-2012 Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Conrad Challenge).
 
The conference took place March 29-31 at NASA-Ames Research Center. It gathered 15 finalist teams, who have been competing since fall 2011 to develop innovative products that tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues in the areas of aerospace exploration, clean energy, and health and nutrition. The program is hosted by the Conrad Foundation.
 
The following four teams were named this year’s Pete Conrad Scholars:

• Moonwalking Manakins, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy, TX for its SPacemaker device that stimulates an astronaut’s heart contractions at a healthy pace in order to reduce heart atrophy and atrophy of other organs incurred during space travel.
• Infinity, West Salem High School, West Salem, OR for its Infinity Suit, which utilizes a newly developed fabric constructed of phase-changing crystals to provide a better alternative to the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) used in astronaut spacesuits.
• Operation Gulliver International, Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FL for its Operation Gulliver International water filtration device that removes bacteria, pathogens, and viruses from disease-spreading water in developing countries or those hit by natural disasters.
• Team H20, St. Francis Academy, Conroe, TX for its H20 water purification system, which utilizes an affordable retrofit/replacement wheel for bicycles that purifies dirty water as the user rides their bicycle to and from work in developing countries that lack potable water.

The winning teams were selected by an elite panel of judges consisting of industry experts, leading entrepreneurs, government officials, and world-renowned scientists. The judges critiqued each team’s product based on commercial viability, scientific soundness, and its potential to support global sustainability. Each winning team received a Next Step Grant of $5,000 to continue product development.

Connecticut Light and Power (CL & P) "Live Green - Win Green" Contest Results

The Rockville High School technology education department’s “RHS Green Team” (pictured) is the proud winner of this year’s $20,000 Grand Prize CL & P “Live Green – Win Green” contest. A special thanks to all our supporters. It’s all about the kids. It’s about how Connecticut schools plan to go green. The judges really liked our theme, which was about developing the minds of today’s generation of STEM-educated scientists and engineers to solve tomorrow’s problems with greener solutions. The grant will go a long way toward making our proposed STEM lab a reality. You can learn more about the contest and view all of this year’s contestants on the CL & P website. Qualifying high school teams needed to submit an essay about what their plan is to go green if they were to win the contest, along with a two-minute video showcasing their objective. You can view the contest essay and video entries online. Check it out at this link: www.clpenvironments.com/LiveGreenWinGreen.php

NCTL Influences Out-of-School Engineering

The Museum of Science-Boston's new Family Engineering outreach program offers out-of-school-time activities via community events that complement the Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®) classroom curriculum created by the Museum of Science's NCTL. The project also uses EiE's five-step Engineering Design Process.
Learn More

Source: NCTL ENEWS 4/20/12

Just Published!

Spring 2012 Comprehensive Resource on Planning and Implementing STEM ROBOTICS Education Programs for Gifted Students

STEM Robotics in the Gifted Classroom: Meet ROBO-MAN!
Upper Elementary through Secondary Levels
(ISBN 0-910609-61-6)

Harry Roman discusses the history of robotics, current robotic applications, robot design and math, STEM robot challenge lessons, and classroom robotic activities. This is an essential book for parents and educators that contains many specific suggestions for use by teachers of the gifted in presenting an integrated STEM ROBOTICS PROGRAM.
Available by ordering from Amazon.com.

Representative Honda to Author New STEM Education Bill

On Tuesday, April 3, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) wrote a post entitled, “Helping Our Students Thrive in a High-Tech Environment,” for The Hill’s Congress Blog. In the article, Honda applauds President Obama’s call to produce one million more STEM graduates over the next ten years. He also discussed the bill that he introduced last winter, the STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011 (H.R. 3373), and how it addresses the STEM education deficit at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition, Honda announced that he is developing an additional STEM education bill to be introduced later this year that will focus on teacher preparation. The legislation will be designed especially to help elementary and middle school teachers develop competencies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching.

2012 Lunabotics University/College Recruitment Fair...

...For High School Juniors and Seniors
As part of NASA’s Third Annual Lunabotics Mining Competition, a University/College Recruitment Fair will be held on May 26, 2012 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Top colleges and universities from across the U.S. will be at the fair to share information about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics opportunities at their schools. NASA scientists and engineers will be available to answer questions about specific majors and technical career paths.

Students interested in attending this free recruitment fair are asked to register online before May 11, 2012. To register, visit www.secorstrategies.com/nasa-lunabotics. Inquiries about this event should be directed to Mary Baker at Mary@SecorStrategies.com. To learn more about NASA's Lunabotics Mining Competition, visit www.nasa.gov/lunabotics.

NASA News

• Preservice Teacher Institutes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has partnered with Oakwood University to offer a two-week Preservice Teacher Institute taking place July 14-27, 2012, in Huntsville, Alabama. This residential session is for education majors preparing to teach Grades 4-8.

Participants will engage in hands-on learning experiences designed to develop their skills for teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics using NASA-developed curriculum resources. Full-time undergraduate students in their junior or senior year at minority institutions are invited to apply. Housing, meals, travel assistance, and a stipend will be provided.

Applications must be postmarked by May 11, 2012. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/education/msfc/psti. Please email any questions about this opportunity to Marilyn Lewis at marilyn.h.lewis@nasa.gov.

Source: NASA Education Express Message, April 5, 2012

• International Space Station EarthKAM Spring 2012 Mission
Middle school educators are invited to join NASA for the International Space Station EarthKAM Spring 2012 Mission taking place May 8-11, 2012. Find out more about this exciting opportunity that allows students to take pictures of Earth from a digital camera aboard the International Space Station.

International Space Station EarthKAM is a NASA-sponsored project that provides stunning, high-quality photographs of Earth taken from the space shuttle and the space station. Since 1996, EarthKAM students have taken thousands of photographs of Earth by using the World Wide Web to direct a digital camera on select spaceflights and, currently, on the space station.

For more information about the project and to register for the upcoming mission, visit the EarthKAM home page www.EarthKAM.ucsd.edu. If you have questions about the EarthKAM project, please email ek-help@earthkam.ucsd.edu.

• 2012 Educate to Innovate Conference
NASA’s Aerospace Education Services Project and the Kentucky Southeast-Southcentral Education Cooperative are presenting two Educate to Innovate opportunities this summer. These conference workshops will explore engineering design challenges, problem-based learning activities, distance-learning modules, inquiry-based lessons, literacy across the curriculum, and hands-on projects. Event agenda items will target the next generation standards of learning for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Workshop participants will experience eight breakout sessions with hands-on activities over the two-day training. Participants also can sign up for a free 90-minute virtual follow-up with one of NASA’s aerospace education specialists.

Two separate conference opportunities are available. The first will take place June 20-21, 2012 at Eastern Kentucky University. The second will take place June 26-27, 2012 at Corbin Center for Technology and Community Activities in Corbin, KY.

The registration deadline for these events is May 31, 2012. For more information and to register online, visit https://coetech.eku.edu/registration/Online_PD_RegForm.php. If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Brandon Hargis at Brandon.hargis@nasa.gov.

• 2012 National Community College Aerospace Scholars Program
National Community College Aerospace Scholars, or NCAS, is an interactive, online learning experience featuring engineering career possibilities. It is highlighted by an on-site experience where selected students are encouraged to study mathematics, science, engineering, or computer science by interacting with engineers at NASA.

The only cost to participants is a $30 registration fee. NASA covers travel, food, and lodging. NCAS is open to community college students throughout the United States. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have access to the Internet.

Applications are due June 6, 2012. For more information and to apply online, visit http://ncas.aerospacescholars.org/. Questions about this opportunity should be directed to jsc-ncas@mail.nasa.gov.

• NASA G.I.R.L.S. Mentoring Project
NASA is looking for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators. To jump-start the future of potential explorers, Women@NASA has created a mentoring project that offers a one-of-a-kind experience for middle school girls. Participants will get to explore the possibilities of a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The project will feature one-on-one mentoring from women working at NASA. Participants will complete online lessons with their mentors while virtually connected through Skype or Google Chat. Applicants must be U.S. citizens in Grades 5-8 or home-school equivalent. The mentoring project will take place over a five-week period during the summer.

Applications will be open for submission on May 15 and are due June 15, 2012. The NASA G.I.R.L.S. website and social media accounts will be updated when application submission is opened! For more information on how to follow along on Twitter or Facebook, go to http://women.nasa.gov/get-involved.

For more information and to register online, visit http://women.nasa.gov/nasa-g-i-r-l-s/. Email any questions about this opportunity to hq-women@nasa.gov.

Source: NASA Education Express Message, April 19, 2012

• Host a Real-Time Conversation With Crewmembers Aboard the International Space Station
NASA is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers, and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contact between November 1, 2012, and May 1, 2013. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, NASA is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are due July 2, 2012.

Using amateur radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an amateur radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crew member on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. The technology is easier to acquire than ever before. ARISS has a network of mentors to help organizations obtain the technology required to host this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students.

Interested parties should contact Teaching From Space, a NASA Education office, to obtain complete information, including how the technology works, what is expected of the host organization, and how to obtain the proposal/application form by sending an email to JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov. Additional information can be found at www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html.

Source: NASA Education Express Message, April 26, 2012