Resources from 2016 NSTA Regional Conference in Portland, OR

I had many takeaways from the 2016 NSTA Regional Conference in Portland, OR.  Below are a few highlights from the sessions I attended.  

Scalable Game Design: Reinventing computer science in public schools

https://sgd.cs.colorado.edu/wiki/Scalable_Game_Design_wiki 

Information for a summer institute is available on the site.  Educators can apply to be part of the institute in June 2017.

Globe

globe.gov

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.  Announced by the U.S. Government on Earth Day in 1994, GLOBE launched its worldwide implementation in 1995.

NOAA in your backyard

http://www.noaa.gov/education/noaa-in-your-backyard

NOAA has hundreds of facilities and professional communicators across the nation. The site includes links to resources in various regions of the country that would be of interest to educators.

Free Google Earth Pro for PC and Mac

https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html

Google Earth Pro is now free.

Features of Earth Pro:

Use advanced GIS data importing features to your advantage

Measure area, radius and circumference on the ground

Print high-resolution screenshots

Make compelling offline movies to share

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend eleven months working in Federal agencies or in U.S. Congressional offices, applying their extensive knowledge and classroom experiences to national education program and/or education policy efforts. At the end of the Fellowship, educators are prepared to return home, equipped with access to a national network of education leaders and programs, a better understanding of the challenges and possibilities in STEM education, and a renewed passion for teaching, ready to make significant contributions to their schools and school districts.

Conferences

Although it is difficult to be out of the classroom during the school year, I am excited to be attending the Regional NSTA Conference in Portland, OR in November.  This will be my first time attending an NSTA conference,  I am looking forward to all the learning opportunities and networking with other education professionals.  In addition, the timing for this conference does not require me to miss any days with the students, which is always a good thing.

In March, I will be presenting at the 2017 NCCE Conference in Portland, OR.  For this conference, I will be teaching a workshop, as well as, learning new instructional and integration strategies.  My workshop will involve participants working through an abbreviated City X Project curriculum, creating clay models, and designing their 3D solutions on Tinkercad.com.  Although I will have to miss some time with my students, I am looking forward to working with other educators and bringing new ideas back to my classroom.

I'll make sure to share all the great ideas I gather during the course of both conferences.  Keep watching for updates, additional conferences, and other professional opportunities.