Free Webinar On Project Based Learning And STEM… Join Me For Webinar Wednesday at BIE

You are invited to join me in attending a  free webinar at the Buck Institute For Education. I have had a great time preparing this presentation and I promise you a smorgasbord of resources to support STEM and PBL.  Does the title “PBL Meets STEM… An Incredible Appetizer….  Resources, Ideas, and a Partnership that will Provide the Right Main Course!”  make you hungry for some amazing main dishes that will engage students?  Before describing this webinar a little more… I want to  thank you for continuing to return and for continuing to share this blog with others. If you haven’t subscribed please take a moment to do so. You can be guaranteed future posts by subscribing by either RSS or email. I also invite you to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. I really do enjoy  networking with all of you! Now… let’s branch out with some STEM and PBL ideas. Have a great week!

In the space below you will find information on how to attend the webinar. It is followed by some STEM information you may wish to read about, with links to learn even more. I really believe that STEM connects with PBL. I will explain how this connection is made as I review the Eight Essential Elements of PBL in the webinar. I know you will especially enjoy the free tools I will share.  In future posts, I will be introducing you to a goldmine of resources that will fill your STEM and PBL desires.

1. The Webinar

PBL Meets STEM… An Incredible Appetizer….  Resources, Ideas, and a Partnership that will Provide the Right Main Course! – Michael Gorman (Note that times listed are Pacific)

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Space is limited.
Reserve Now  (Space is limited)

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Pacific Time
Space is limited.
Reserve Now (Space is limited)

Fasten your seat belts for the fast and exciting Driving Question,  “How can educators integrate Project Based Learning and 21st century skills into STEM education? Even if you only teach one subject, you can still  incorporate STEM and PBL into your classroom. Are you a member of an interdisciplinary team or planning group? Then  it gets even better!  Discover dozens of engaging online programs and opportunities that allow STEM and PBL to push your students’ creativity and innovation. The results will be a PBL educational experience that will rev up student engagement and inquiry…full STEM… or should we say… STEAM ahead! View several brief demonstrations of software and take a tour of some amazing web sites. Learn from practicing educator Michael Gorman, who was named STEM Educator of the Year by the Indiana US Air Force Association, an Indiana Teacher of the Year Semi-finalist, a BIE National Faculty Member, and a facilitator for the Siemens Discovery Education National STEM Academy.  Walk away with resources that will allow for a real partnership between STEM and PBL! Join Mike in a  session that promises to be an exciting PBL entry event, giving participants ideas and content they can use tomorrow!

2. Some STEM Thoughts and Links

Once upon a time, a very long time ago in schools across this land, there lived the separate disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Each was contained in its own little box that was kept separate  from the others. Students consumed content from each box, but very seldom did the practices meet. While concepts and theories were related among the three, they each had their own place, function, and time of delivery. There were moments when individual teachers would walk outside the box and even find a partner to share a box with. But the emphasis remained on distributing and testing the contents separately . After all, the United States was a dominant economic power in the world, students were educated to serve the work force with a life time skill, and the world was still round. Then, STEM started to show up and in the space below I have included some resources that will allow you to learn more about STEM education.

National Science Board – A clearinghouse for the National Science Foundation with regards to STEM education
Purdue Libraries – Stem Education Research
AAAS Project 2061 – Project devoted to increasing STEM education before the next return of Halley’s Comet
Ed Gov STEM Blog – Latest information on STEM efforts by the US Government.
National High School Alliance on STEM – Great links and resources to learn more about STEM

STEM – The idea of STEM Education involves integrating the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in order to provide programs that allow students to transfer knowledge across these curricula making learning more relevant. Perhaps it was the teachings of Dewey, the determination resulting from WWII, the launch of Sputnik, or the 1967 Cambridge Conference of the Correlation of Science that first promoted STEM education. For those wanting to investigate the events that led to the advent of STEM Education since 1746, a visit to the History Of STEM Education Timeline may be worth a trip. It may have been the 1983 study of A Nation At Risk, that first suggested that the world was loosing it roundness. While integration of content area had been debated for decades, it was 2001 research by Marlene Hurley that may have provided positive evidence for curriculum integration. The content specific TIMSS Tests with a higher United States rating over the application based PISA Tests confirmed that students in the United States were not always applying content they learned. The last few years have seen a real spark in STEM education throughout the United States and the World. In fact, the STEMed Caucus lists the following reasons for promotion of STEM education. They include:

1. Scientists and engineers who will continue the research and development that is central to the economic growth of our country
2. Technologically proficient workers who are capable of dealing with the demands of a science-based, high technology workforce;
3. Scientifically literate voters and citizens who make intelligent decisions about public policy and who understand the world around them.

BIE Webinar Wednesdays – occur twice a month and shine a spotlight on all things PBL.  They are free, and open for you to register. Take a look at webinars you just might want to put on your calendar.  Future webinar topics will include service learning, math, literacy, globalization, web 2.0, leadership, and many more.  The presenters are members of BIE’s National Faculty & Staff, as well as special guests.

Well, there you have it… my invitation to you.  Please continue to join me as I expound on other ways you can promote 21st century technology and learning in the classroom. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on Digital Curriculum,  evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. You can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Remember to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. Thanks, and until next time… I am certain you will want a webinar on STEM and PBL in your future.  Please join me and  have a great week! – Mike