Week 3 #NASAMgUE

Our #NASAMgUE teacher team met on Wednesday to prepare for meeting with students on Friday.  We had decided that we would each work through the NASA microgravity lessons as they fit into our groups' schedules.  Each teacher has a set of groups with different jobs.  One teacher was out of town, so I worked with her students to keep the process going.  The groups that came to my classroom are working on building a simulator to do tests and collect data before we take the SLED to NASA Johnson Space Center.  The other group will be building the actual SLED, but we are waiting to proceed with planning until the kit comes from NASA.  We will have the students refine their design one they can see and touch the materials.  The last group is the materials management group.  They will be responsible for inventorying, maintaining, and securing the necessary materials we need for this project.  As a whole group, we reviewed the deployment process.  The target, Mars insertion points will be moving, and the Launch Pad will be moving.  We think in opposite direction, but we aren't certain yet.  In order to construct a simulator, we needed to locate a cardboard similar in size to the target at NASA.  We had the dimensions of the the insertion points but not the distance between.  One student in the simulator group thought of using the marked 12 inches like a map scale to calculate the distance between the two insertion points.  I can't wait to see how close they got to the actual dimensions.  One teacher had difficulty trying to get to the NASA microgravity website with activities for students.  Another teacher had difficulty with a hands-on microgravity activity she was trying to have students film in slow motion.  However, every projects has challenges.  We look forward to seeing the progress to come.  We are still working on finding mentors to work with the students, but we are not able to wait for or rely on that possibility.  Time is of the essence.

Teacher Team Meeting #NASAMgUE

We had another team meeting this afternoon over coffee.  We finally had some aha moments about the deployment procedure on the microgravity floor.  Our understanding of the process is evolving.  The team has been flexible and willing to charge into the unknown.  We discussed some of the progress made towards promoting our participation in NASA Microgravity University for Educators.  We are making some headway in developing some community partners as mentors.  We have reached out to Boise State University, Power Engineers, and Micron.  We are also sharing our exciting project with the school at a spirit assembly.  Students and teachers on the team will be introduced, and information will be shared about our exciting project with NASA.  It will feel good when some of the different aspects become a little more concrete, but we continue to forge ahead with fortitude.  I'm amazed at the team we have assembled.  We are finding it hard to contain our excitement about going to Johnson Space Center.

Week 2 #NASAMgUE

For week 2 of NASA Microgravity University for Educators, we were working with a little more information.  We had had our first teacher's meeting with MgUE on Tuesday evening.  The meeting provided additional information into the requirements for the projects and NASA resources to assist in the completion of the project.

Our team, teachers and students, met today.  In fact, we have established our regular meeting time for Friday mornings.  During our team meetings, the 110 students are divided into groups.  Groups have a combination of students from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes.  Two groups are assigned to each job for the project.  Each of the four classroom teachers has six different groups in their rooms, a total of three different jobs.  As the elementary engineering teacher, I have prep and am able to circulate between the four classrooms and assist as needed.  Only a few of the jobs have work to do this early.  Below is an outline of the jobs we have established.

Mrs. Kwid
Building: Groups 10 and 2
Materials Management: Groups 19 and 20
Simulator Development: Groups 15 and 16

Ms. Nazario
Quality Assurance and Safety: Groups 4 and 5
Data Collection and Analysis: Groups 13 and 14
Time Management: Groups 17 and 18

Mrs. Gunn
Documentation: Groups 8 and 9
Final Report: Groups 21 and 22
Public Relations:  Groups 23 and 24

Mrs. Bivens
Planning for Houston: Groups 11 and 12
Launch: Groups 6 and 7
Scientific Research: Groups 1 and 3

This week when the team met, each teacher showed two videos.  One video was about becoming a NASA astronaut and the other discussed the different jobs in a successful space exploration mission.  Following the movies students were engaged with the NASA Launch a Rocket from a Spinning Planet activity.  The activity calls for a merry-go-round, but we modified the activity by using spinning chairs, wads of recycled paper, and a container:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/launch-windows/en/

Students in the documentation group went between the four different classrooms taking pictures and writing notes about what was going on.  Teachers and students reported it went well.

First #NASAMgUE Meeting

Our team had our first meeting with #NASAMgUE last night.  Four of us were able to participate together, and the fifth was able to participate from home.  The good news is we all made it.  The not as good news is I felt a bit stressed by the end of the meeting.  At this moment, it feels as though there is quite a bit to do to be ready to go to NASA in April.  However, I was amazed by how my team members are embracing the challenge.  While I believe we all felt a bit of trepidation at the uphill climb ahead of us, no one shied away from the challenge.  We went immediately into conquer mode and began discussing meeting times for the team.  I feel privileged to be working with this team of educators who want to put their best foot forward and represent our school in the best positive light.  Our next steps are to contact our team mentor, review the TSR Guidelines, and begin preparing our outreach presentation.  In addition to the #NASAMgUE assignments, we also are planning how to work through the project with our students.  I am feeling the pressure only because I seem to have several other projects outside of NASA going on at the same time.  There were a couple of grants I wanted to write, and I am working part time writing STEM curriculum.  I am just so thankful my team is on board and ready to jump in.  Our combined enthusiasm will make the load lighter.  It will also make the project that much more exciting.  Even with all the other pressures I am feeling at this moment, I would advise anyone who has this opportunity to submit a proposal.  It may push you into that space outside your comfort zone, but that's just part of what makes it worthwhile.  We ask our students to do this every day.  Take the challenge if the opportunity presents itself!

Week 1 NASA MgUE

Our first week back to school, our team hit the ground running.  We were ready and anxious to get started on our work with NASA Microgravity University for Educators (MgUE).  The teachers on the team had the most to complete during this week.  We had to individually create profiles and introduce ourselves on the discussion board on the NASA Education Projects Desire2Learn (D2L) system.  We also were asked to celebration selfies to share the news on social media.

i-Nerds of Martian Gravity Teacher Team

Just completing these simple tasks continued the excitement.  We had a meeting with the 110 students on the team and began to explain the remainder of the process for completing the project as we understand it.  We will have all the students working in some capacity to help complete the project.  We will know more after our first virtual meeting with NASA on January 17, 2017.  We will learn who our NASA mentor will be and additional details to successfully complete our NASA project.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Participants Acceptance/Declination Email	January 4, 2017	Email acceptance or declination to jsc-epd@mail.nasa.gov
Complete Acceptance Evaluation	January 10, 2017	Complete acceptance evaluation at: http://go.nasa.gov/2hRNfpp
Login to D2L	Jan 10-15, 2017	Login and create your profile in the MgUE Desire2Learn Online Community.  Refer to the action items section below for instructions.
D2L Discussion Board Introductions	Jan 10-15, 2017	Post on the discussion board where you are from, grade level(s) you teach, subject(s) you teach, and something unique about yourself.
Online Meetings via Blackboard Collaborate Link found in D2L Login as an individual, not as a team.	January 17, 2017 7-8:30 pm central	Overview 1- MgUE Expectations and  Meet your Mentor
	January 31, 2017 7-8:30 pm central	Professional Development 1- Culturally Responsive Teaching, Engineering Design Process, and Pegboard Air Table
	February 14, 2017	Professional Development 2 (recorded) – Digital Learning Network Onsite Connections. Teachers will complete on their own time throughout the week.
	February 28, 2017 7-8:30 pm central	Professional Development 3- Science as Inquiry, NASA Education Resources, and Microgravity Educator Guide
	March 7, 2017	Final Technical Proposal Submitted for Test Safety Review (TSR)
	March 14, 2017 7-8:30 pm central	Showcase 1- Outreach Plans and Press Releases
	March 28, 2017 7-8 pm central	Overview 2- Onsite Expectations and Final Report Expectations
One Week Onsite Experience at Johnson Space Center	April 2-April 7, 2017	Face to Face Institute 1
	April 9 -14, 2017	Face to Face Institute 2
Final Online Meeting and Digital Badging Period Digital badging	April 14 – May 3, 2017	Showcase 2 – Educators will choose a date to present their outreach plan. Educators will also independently complete the digital badging requirements.

NASA Microgravity University for Educators Acceptance

Our team first learned of our acceptance into the NASA Microgravity University for Educators (MgUE) with a call from NASA on December 12, 2016.  My colleague and NASA team member came into my classroom while I was teaching her students and said NASA was on the phone.  Even though it was a day earlier than the scheduled announcement, we both knew what this might mean.  I ran to the office to take the phone call because that was my first inclination.  I took the call in the office.  I found my self on a conference call with the Education Program division at NASA Johnson Space Center.  I recognized all the names from the informational session I had watched to help us with the proposal.  It was so exciting when they told me we had received provisional acceptance.  It was provisional because we needed to make some changes to our design.  However, that was no surprise to us.  Upon completing the call, I rushed back to my classroom and told my team member that we had been accepted.  Strangely enough, I began to doubt if it had been real.  Our team had not received any further communication.  On December 21, 2016 we received email confirmation of the phone call.  It began to set in that we were really going to get to work with NASA and travel to NASA Johnson Space Center.  It was great to be able to let the students and teachers know.  Students had been asking me when I thought we would know if NASA had accepted our proposal.  I'm so excited for this opportunity and what it means for the students and teachers involved.

I encourage anyone else who is interested to apply.  Just developing the materials for the proposal was a fantastic opportunity for students and teachers, both of which grew during the process.  Not only are we positively impacting students, but we get to participate in some amazing professional development.  Below is the schedule we worked towards during the proposal process.

Proposal Opens                 10/17/2016 2:00pm         Central Time
Information Session         10/27/2016 7:00-8:00pm Central Time
Information Session         11/01/2016 7:00-8:00pm Central Time
Information Session         11/17/2016 7:00-8:00pm Central Time
Proposal Submission Ends 12/01/2016 11:59pm         Central Time
Team Announcements         12/13/2016 2:00pm         Central Time

#NASAMgUE @NASAJSCEducation @NASAJohnsonSpaceCenter

Exciting New Year!

The new year brings the continuation and the beginning of several exciting opportunities.  Many of them I have posted about previously, but there a couple of new items.  You may wonder why or how I end up involved in all of these different projects.  The reason is summed up best by a couple of short stories.  I was very excited after our team was accepted into the NASA Microgravity University for Educators.  I was talking with a colleague and stating my surprise at being selected.  She said "You always get it."  My response was quick and accurate, "No, I don't.  But I always apply."  There are so many fantastic opportunities out there for you and your students.  If you start looking for them, you might discover the same thing I did.  It becomes difficult to not apply.

Our team has received more information about our work with NASA's Microgravity University for Educators.  The next three months will fly by as the students prepare the SLED for deployment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston with the assistance of mentors from NASA.

Junior Botball after school groups will be starting up next week.  This will be our first big run through using them.  When we went to the training on the Botballs, we used mini iPads for the programming. The screen size was fine, but it was difficult to type in the code.  We have purchased some bluetooth keyboards that should make it easier for the students.  I will share more with you once we get up and running next week, weather permitting of course.

Next week also brings the start of Idaho TECH Challenge.  This is a STEM competition sponsored by the NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium (ISGC). Students in 4th through 6th grades work together as teams to design and construct Mars Rover models out of Lego® and non-Lego components. The teams test their models at an Idaho TECH Engineering Design Competition (EDC), held in Pocatello or Moscow, Idaho.  This is our third year participating.

Our school's makerspace team will be sharing the activities we use during the STEM Matters event at the state capitol on January 24.  We have some student volunteers that will be sharing information and demonstrating for those in attendance.

During winter break, our school received notification that we had been awarded the Wonder Media grant.  This grant covers the cost of equipment, software, and training necessary to engage students with creative writing.  The fourth grade team will be using it with their students, and I will be technical support.

I have also been making travel plans for attending the 2017 NCCE Conference in Portland.  The conference will be held in March.  During registration, I had difficulty choosing my sessions because there are so many amazing options available.  I will be teaching a 3D printing workshop on Wednesday morning of the conference. It will walk participants through the free City X Project curriculum and teach about printing and troubleshooting.  If all goes as planned, participants will be able to take home a clay model and their finished 3D print.

Finally, in May, my two oldest children will be graduating with their undergraduate degrees.  I'm so excited for them to continue their journey and so happy I get to share that moment with them.