Make the Most of Your Professional Learning in 2023 with an ITEEA Workshop or EbDLab

Building an Elementary STEM Program

Integrated STEM is a powerful way to engage students in critical thinking and problem-solving learning experiences.  With a seemingly endless supply of resources, it can be hard to know where to start. This workshop focuses on proven strategies and highlighting effective resources to implement STEM in elementary schools and to build a sustainable STEM program. Julie and Tracy will share their years of experience in the STEM field to engage the participants in hands-on activities that can easily be carried out in the elementary classroom. In addition to discussing integrating STEM, participants will complete several activities that are STEL-based and cross-referenced to national standards, including NCTM and NGSS. Presenters: Julie Sicks-Panus, STEM Teacher, Plymouth Elementary School, NH and Tracy Young, STEAM Specialist, Little Falls School District, NY

EbD Exploring Technology (Grade 6) Engineering and technology impact every individual and society as a whole. Design and technology exist to solve problems through the use of creative solutions that work best by demonstrating careful selection of resources to generate the best outcomes. Exploring Technology has four knowledge skill builders (KSBs) that focus on Meeting Engineering and Technology, Design and Engineering, Project Revive, and Manufacturing the Masses. During this workshop, you will engage in hands-on projects, and problem-based learning to best understand the Exploring Technology courseware. Presenter: Blaire Thrasher, Technology and Engineering Teacher, East Coweta Middle School, GA

This lab will demonstrate how the introduction of coding and robotics accentuates the EbD TEEMs NxtGen curriculum. The courses align with NxtGen themes and science concepts. Lessons are age-appropriate and build from previous lessons yet can be taught individually. Classes PreK-2 will use Scratch with premade programs. Presenter: Scott Weiler, Director of Innovation, ITEEA STEM Center for Teaching and Learning  

ITEEA’s STEM CTL developed the Engineering byDesign™ (EbD) Industry Certification Pathway to encourage more students to work toward a selected industry credential while in high school. The EbD™ Industry Certification Pathway includes the following courses: Foundations of Technology, Technological Design and Engineering Design. Alternatively, a standalone Onshape Associate Certification Course is available. At the end of the course, students take the Onshape certification exam. This lab will prepare educators to use this course in its entirety as a standard computer-aided design course or  to strengthen Onshape currently being taught in classes. This lab is a two-hour “crash course” of the similar four-hour preconference workshop. Presenter: Brad Fessler, Technology Integration Specialist, Pine Grove Area High School PA and Norman Coloma, Technology and Engineering Teacher, Oxon Hill High School, MD

This lab introduces educators to Technological Systems, a course intended to teach students how systems work together to solve problems and capture opportunities. The course consists of four units/knowledge skill builders (KSBs) that build upon one another over the course of 18 weeks, including: Explaining How Technological Systems Work, Introducing Coding Concepts with Hands-on Applications, How Technological Systems Interact, and Applying Technological Systems in the Designed World. These KSBs are built in a format that enables teachers to teach in a physical, hybrid, and/or virtual format. Presenter: Blaire Thrasher, Technology and Engineering Teacher, East Coweta Middle School, GA

Looking for new ways to get your students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math? Enhance your existing K-12 curriculum with FREE, fun, and standards-aligned grab-and-go aviation-themed activities designed to cultivate students’ passion for careers in flight and STEM. Developed by EAA to encourage curiosity and invite youth to explore pathways to careers in aviation, you can create a new spark for your students by using the fascination of flight as a framework and a source of inspiration. Presenters: Kevin Sutton, Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University and Sharon Bowers, Senior STEM Education Specialist and Associate Director, Center for Integrative STEM Education National Institute of Aerospace.