Using&Technology&as&an& Environmental&Educaon&Tool&29% of K-12 teachers report teaching science 2 or...
Transcript of Using&Technology&as&an& Environmental&Educaon&Tool&29% of K-12 teachers report teaching science 2 or...
Using Technology as an Environmental Educa6on Tool
By: Kelsey Wydendorf
What Is STEM Education?
� Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
� Creates project based, hands on learning
� Emphasizes real world application and critical thinking skills
Why is STEM Education Important?
� Current lack of proficiency in STEM subjects � 29% of K-12 teachers report teaching science 2 or fewer
days per week. � Only 29% of tested high school graduates were labeled as
college ready in science subjects
� Need to inspire students’ interest in STEM � Of all 9th graders in 2001, only about 4% are expected to
earn college degrees in STEM fields in 2011
“Technology truly transfixes the students’ focus. They
are 100% engaged. They are so engaged, they don’t even
realize how much of the curriculum is tied in.”
-Veteran teacher at Scales
STEM in the Workforce
STEM in the Workforce
� Projections for 2014 show that 15/20 of the fastest growing jobs are in STEM related fields
� The STEM workforce contains about 21.4 million people, which is about 15% of the employed population
� Employment in STEM fields is increasing faster than non-STEM related occupations.
“We are now at an inflection point for a much bolder transformation of education powered by
technology”
-National Education Technology Plan 2010, Department of Education
Greening Technology
� Technology can help appeal to a variety of learning styles.
� Technology is a way to engage and inspire children
� “Technology is an amplifier…it helps us extend our senses. We interact with the environment through our senses, so technology as an amplifier seems a logical element.”
Programs with iPads
� Used to target programs with lower enrollment
� Ways to engage youth and inspire them to learn about the environment
� Ability to connect different generations on the island and inspire the youth to continue our mission of conservation, education and preservation
How to Use Apps in Programs Birds Eye- $19.99
� Uses GPS coordinates to locate recent bird spottings near your location
� Provides additional information about your own bird sightings- including photographs and bird calls!
� Citizen science aspect- can log and photograph your own bird sightings to application data
How to Use Apps in Programs
Leaf Snap- Free!
� Acts as an electronic field guide for plants
� Useful for Conservation Corps camp programs
� Helps identify species of trees or plants based off of pictures using visual recognition software
How to Use Apps in Programs
Star Map- $5.00
� May be used to enhance Bald Head After Dark and Turtle Walk
� Uses compass to locate and identify stars at your location- even as you move it across the sky!
� Acts as an interactive planetarium
� Provides additional information about objects in the sky
How to Use Apps in Programs
Project Noah- Free!
� Citizen Science app that could be used with any program
� Allows citizens to record wildlife observations- including GPS coordinates, photographs, and additional notes
� Scientists compile data from citizen scientists
� Allows people to identify any unknown wildlife observations
How to Use Apps in Programs
The Wild Lab Bird and Marine- Free!
� Citizen science application to help scientists gather data
� Upload nature encounters related to birds and various marine invertebrates
� May be used with birding programs, camps, and beachcombing programs
� Uses GPS and camera to upload valuable information about wildlife found
Grants as Funding
� Grants are awards of financial assistance from an agency to carry out a public purpose of support
� Steps to Writing a Grant: � Identify goals � Address mission and objectives within the
community � Create action plan for implementation � Create plan for evaluation progress
STEM Education Grants
� American Honda Foundation � Mission: “To help meet the needs of American society in
the areas of youth and scientific education by awarding grants to nonprofits…”
� Funding priority: “Youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, math, the environment, job training and literacy”
STEM Education Grants
� Melinda Gray Ardia Environment Foundation
� Mission- “To support educators in developing
environmental curricula that integrate field activities and classroom teaching.
� Emphasizes importance of hands on ecology and experiential learning
STEM Education Grants
� Additional Grant Opportunities: � Verizon Foundation- focus on STEM education for
K-12 youth
� Dominion Foundation- focus on STEM education
“The more clearly we focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction”
-Rachel Carson