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"Recently, a little bird - well, maybe a Big Bird - told us that the STEM movement is spreading and reaching out to the pre-K crowd! Sesame Street has just launched on an Online STEM toolkit for students, parents and educators. They hope this digital destination will help the term "STEM" become as equally well known to their audience as another popular four letter Sesame term, "ELMO.""

"This is an archived Google Hangout video and audio recording of a STEMseeds interview with K-4 elementary STEM teacher Kylie Sanders (@piedmontstem) on April 4, 2015. We discussed STEM lesson plans and project ideas, Kylie's experiences as a first year "traveling" STEM teacher, challenges aligning lessons to standards and more! Amy Loeffelholz shared updates from her "single gender" STEM Club experiments this semester, and everyone discussed their latest classroom lessons and projects. Check out our shownotes for links to referenced resources."

"A few weeks ago I presented at a teachmeet at the the Sydney Powerhouse Museum, AKA the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The topic was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) + X (STEM+X). The idea was to share some of the things you have done and/or are doing in your classroom or workplace around integrating STEM with other KLAs, for example, a STEM and PE project would be STEM + PE. When I was asked to present, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share how I've been using Minecraft in my classroom over the last few years and how it really can be used across all subject areas. Just like the 'play' within the game itself, what you do with it in the classroom is only limited by your own creativity and that of your students. Below I will share some of the cool things that my students and i have done and how they link to KLAs across the curriculum."

"Connecting STEM and the arts is an increasingly popular method of teaching as the STEAM movement gains momentum. It's easy to recognize the benefits students will enjoy when educators teach STEM through music. After examining the required curriculum for the year, incorporate music into lesson plans to engage more students and expand their STEM repertoire. "

"Last year, I posted 5 STEM Activities that could be completed easily in the classroom. I often get positive feedback regarding this post, and requests for more STEM challenges. Without further adieu, I give you 5 more easy STEM challenges to promote collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving with your students."

"Over the last several decades, the United States has declined as an economic and educational global leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). To regain economic success and global competitiveness in these fields, government at all levels should launch campaigns that raise STEM awareness and increase student engagement. Actively leveraging social media channels is one potential path to drive K-12 excitement in STEM education and jobs through challenges."

"Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) topics are receiving increasing emphasis in the curriculum. The Web offers plenty of fun activities to engage students in STEM, and sites such as iExploreSTEM offer resources, activities, printables, conferences and workshop information for educators. The following activities offered by iExploreSTEM covers all four STEM subjects."

"Part 1 Then click here to see those first ten. Part 2 Now up to 20 resources Part 3 Check out these 10 to make 30 Part 4 A list that now supplies up to 40 STEM sites Part 5 An amazing 50 STEM sites. Part 6 Now at 60 sites and more to come Part 7 Click here as we get closer to 80 STEM sites"

"Girls are smart, creative and talented - they have the right stuff for STEM careers. So where are they? It's still a front-burner issue - women in STEM; or, more to the point, the lack of women in STEM fields."

"Today, teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics mostly stick to the theoretical aspects. Students must know the number of degrees in a triangle, but rarely do they get to put that knowledge to use through structured lessons. STEM Education in the 21st Century Read More The tools listed here are transforming the way teachers approach STEM education. Integrating these new tools into their lessons can help teachers teachers reinforce theoretical concepts by demonstrating their real-world applications. By showing students that the knowledge is relevant and useful, teachers can help them unlock new realms of creativity in all scientific realms and possibly change their future career trajectories."

"The Maker Movement has proved itself to be a valuable component of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education ecosystem. The underlying philosophy of this movement involves open-ended creativity, development of critical thinking and intellectual flexibility, as well as instill confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The blueprints for building a makerspace are fairly straightforward, and usually incorporates a few key items like 3D printers, sewing machines, power tools, soldering gear, and maybe a laser cutter. But is it as simple as "build it and they will come?" To help answer the question of "So you have a makerspace, now what?" Jaymes Dec, middle school technology teacher and founder of NYC Makery, served up some valuable advice at our recent SOWING Circle Meetup (SOWING stands for Science Outreach Working to Inspire the Next Generation, and is a gathering for anyone who works as a STEM educator to share resources and brainstorm ideas). In his talk, Jaymes outlined a series of questions to help educators maximize the impact of making in STEM."

"Does STEM scare you? I know it scared me. When I was a kid, I watched my brother take apart an entire computer and put it back together without a manual or guide. Me, I could barely change a lightbulb. And no matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to put IKEA furniture together backward. You should see my bookcase. Very embarrassing. It was with this same trepidation and insecurity that I approached STEM. What could I teach kids? I'm not an engineer! I'm not a scientist! I'm not a mathematician! It wasn't until I reluctantly volunteered to help out with a robotics after school program that I started gaining confidence. I put together my first robot (with a lot of help, TLC from the co-instructor, and even guidance from some eight-year-old kids) and its been downhill from there. I soon realized that leading successful STEM experiences has less to do with your actual knowledge as an instructor (though it helps), and more to do with the MINDSET you take with kids. Here are the five MAKER mindsets and how YOU can develop them starting tomorrow."

"Representation matters: Girls do better on science tests when their textbooks include images of female scientists. And a 2017 survey by Microsoft found that girls in Europe begin to show interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields at 11 years old but lose it at around 15-and a lack of female role models is one reason for the drop in interest. That's why we've created this list of books showing girls and women who are passionate about STEM fields. After asking librarians for recommendations, pulling still more from School Library Journal, and checking best-seller and award lists, we selected picture books, biographies, novels, and memoirs appropriate for kids from kindergarten to 12th grade. These books-most of which were published in 2016-represent a wide range of STEM fields, from marine biology to volcanology to math. "

In response to concern over kids' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), companies have been churning out cool toys that teach them coding and logic skills. The idea: get kids hooked on STEM early, and via their toys. Since there are so many more STEM toys on the market these days, it can be difficult to figure out which ones will be the most worthwhile. Below, Working Mother's picks for the best toys and games that teach the basics of coding. Your kid will be building her own robot in no time.

"Our nation's continued economic prosperity is closely linked with student success in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Use these resources to explore the critical role STEM education plays in driving innovation, and how schools and districts can expand the capacity and diversity of tomorrow's STEM workforce."

"Whether you are looking for resources related to integrating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or infusing arts, design, and humanities to transform STEM into STEAM, this curated compilation will help you strategize around different approaches to integrated studies."

"I read Fareed Zakaria's work often. He's a great journalist for the Washington Post and a TV news anchor with his own show on CNN. I dug into a piece yesterday he wrote titled "Why America's Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous". Unlike Zakaria's articles on foreign policy, which are insightful, thought-provoking, and in-depth, this article paints an innacurate and overly-simplified picture of what STEM education is and should be. Worse yet, his argument injects dangerously reductive rhetoric into the public debate on education, where we already see heightened emotion and political division. Maybe this type of reaction is what Zakaria is aiming for. He releases a new book today on this same topic called "In Defense of a Liberal Education". "

"The question is, to prevent this deterioration in scores and perceived ability, how do we empower elementary school girls to embrace an interest in STEM and develop leadership skills that will help them navigate their way through school to be prepared to choose any career, including STEM? How can educators address the main factors at this critical 9- to 12-year-old window that are standing in the way of more girls going into STEM fields?"

"Microsoft's Hacking STEM Library is divided into activities that take multiple days to complete and activities that can be completed in one day. All of the activities in the Hacking STEM Library include detailed directions, materials lists including places to acquire materials, and lesson objectives. The homemade wave machine project is an example of a one-day project. This lesson on harnessing electricity to communicate is an example of a multiple day project."

"One of the most basic methods of piquing student interest in a STEM concept is to make the subject relatable to another topic they enjoy. Combine sports and STEM to engage more students when teaching these concepts."