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Dyson is a unique company that has been on the cutting edge of innovation for years. First the vacuum, then the air multiplier, out of which came the hand dryer technology. Taking every-day items and applying modern technology to improve archaic designs has been Dyson's mission. A fairly successful one, I would say.

This lesson has students build their own barometers they can measure air pressure with. In this way students learn about the development and implementation of meteorological instrumentation. Students can measure air pressure for a given amount if time (say, a week or a month) and then discuss what qualities of their barometers could possibly be improved upon. This aspect relates to engineers constantly reevaluating their work and improving upon existing methods.

It just goes to prove that active teaching is essential in all subject areas, not just those involving STEM. Students need to be taught critical thinking skills, not just memorization of facts.

I don't have too many go to sites yet (I hope that improves in the near future) but I did run across this compilation of youtube videos related to science that I think will be helpful in the future. Given some of them are way too basic to use, but there used to be really cool look inside the cell type stuff. The original site shut down so I had to find where someone else posted the links on their blog so my apologizes if you can not access it at this time.

Hey Eric- Thanks for posting this website- I was looking through the videos and happen to come across some that I think might be useful for me when I start teaching very soon!

One of the newest and greatest innovations continues to be video games. In the past, educational games have never quite met expectations, but with grants and contests such as this one, hopefully the games improve and students can learn something while playing video games.

This looks like a great tool for kids today- especially considering how attached some kids are to games. Children need to know how they get sick and what is going on inside of them when they are sick. One concern I have is that the game may be giving the message that all bacteria are bad and will make them sick. This is a common misconception that has led to the over use of antibiotics and hand sanitizer. Children should be taught that although some bacteria are pathogens, most are not, and they actually help other animals (ie. Humans) carry out every day functions. Bacteria ≠ Pathogen.

About four years ago, I went to a facility planners conference and they said the most improperly used space in the school is the library. It should not be filled with stacks of books, but it should look more like a media center where you have gaming centers, areas for public wi-fi access and a small section for books, but it would not be the dominant feature of the media center. It would also not close with the school, but be an area that would be open to the general public after hours. We will probably not build another school in Spotsylvania in the next decade, but it will be interesting to see if divisions will be starting to convert what we currently see as a library into something else.

10 of the best apps for education As iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches become included in curriculum, here are several education apps you might enjoy As iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches become more integrated in classrooms, educators and students are looking for new ways to apply them to the learning process.

Ipads and Ipods are becoming a huge part of education. Unfortunately there are a limited amount of devices in my school, but whenever I can get them, my students love playing and creating on IOS devices. At the EdTech conference this year, they discussed BYOD (bring your own devices). I thought this was an interesting way to keep students up to date without stressing the schools budget.

The writer of this article mentions a concern that her and her teacher colleagues have about preparing their students to be "independent thinkers and problem solvers" ahead of "good standardized test takers". I really feel this should be a very important emphasis with regards to effective STEM education.