Topics: Educational Software, Education Technology, Science Lessons, STEM Lessons, curriculum
Thus far, I have never met a teacher who would willingly give up their document camera. Once teachers discover how practical and useful these devices are, they don’t ever want to let them go.
Unfortunately, the core content teachers often get first dibs at this kind of technology. Elective classes already require other resources like space and supplies, so if money is tight, this technology may not be available to these teachers.
Administrators making purchasing decisions should consider all the advantages of providing document cameras in various classes. Using these devices well can allow teachers to go beyond just displaying images. If our goal is to create higher-level thinkers, here are some ideas for students and teachers using document cameras in the classroom:
Topics: Science Lessons, curriculum, MimioView
We live in a highly technological age, which has made the majority of today’s students incredibly tech-savvy. Unfortunately, many students still see courses that lead to careers in STEM fields—crucial in our high-tech world—as boring. So how can we engage and excite the next generation of students in order to show them how science is relevant to their lives and their futures?
Topics: Education Technology, Science Lessons, curriculum
Demand for skilled workers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) is constantly growing, so how do we prime today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow? Educators can take advantage of a wide range of informative websites, innovative games and apps, and engaging products—all created with STEM learning in mind. We’ve compiled this list of our Top 25 resources to help you learn more about how to best prepare students for careers in STEM fields.
Topics: Science Lessons, STEM Lessons
12 Ways to Rock the Next Generation Science Standards with Cross-curricular Projects
The Next Generation Science Standards were designed to be "rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education." In practice, the NextGen Standards cover more than the science disciplines – the directives integrate all subject areas. The standards are so cross-curricular, you might sometimes think you’re reading a writing prompt for a language arts class or as a math story problem. Their nature makes them ideal for teaching in a project-based learning environment, where the goal is to synthesize curricular topics into one global learning experience. Nexgenscience.org provides a valuable resource on cross-curricular classroom sample tasks to get you started.
There are many ways to bring Science Standards into other disciplines and lessons. Think about presenting the science activities that are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards as cross-curricular projects that will deepen student learning and engagement. For examples, consider the following 12 projects.
Topics: Science Lessons, STEM Lessons, curriculum
What is STEM?
The acronym stands for Science/Technology/Engineering/Math, and it typically is used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. STEM Curriculum Specialist Nancy Tsupros defines it more specifically as follows:
STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy. (Tsupros, 2009)
STEM was created to encourage a greater focus on science and math disciplines, in order to build a workforce equipped for the high-tech jobs in the future. Simply teaching math and science using technology cannot accomplish this. STEM is about changing the way we approach these disciplines. It’s about going beyond the classroom and prepping students for the real world.
Topics: Science Lessons, STEM Lessons, Math, curriculum
Topics: Educational Software, Science Lessons, NGSS
Mimio Addresses Next Generation Science Standards with MimioScience educational software
Today we are proud to announce the launch of MimioScience™ interactive lessons. This state-of-the-art software, one of the first to address the upcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), comprises an extensive series of 75 interactive whiteboard units that provide more than 225 high-quality lessons for students in grades 3-8.
Topics: Educational Software, Science Lessons, NGSS, STEM Lessons, MimioScience
Announcing the New MimioScience - Educational Software Addresses NGSS
Today we are proud to announce the launch of MimioScience™ interactive lessons. This state-of-the-art software, one of the first to address the upcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), comprises an extensive series of 75 interactive whiteboard units that provide more than 225 high-quality lessons for students in grades 3-8.
“Science education in the United States is frequently described as ‘a mile wide and an inch deep,’” said Manny Perez, Mimio’s general manager. “As schools attempt to cover everything from physical science to life science, nothing is taught or learned in sufficient depth, a problem that really plagues science education. Our goal in developing MimioScience was to design a teaching tool that effectively and efficiently distills science teaching to its fundamental core elements: concepts, principles, and processes. The lessons’ targeted activities give students a way to apply and extend what they’ve learned through application and inquiry.”
Topics: Classroom Technology, Educational Software, Lessons, Science Lessons, NGSS, STEM Lessons, MimioScience