Minutes of the May 2009 Explorers Guild
STEM Resources in Georgia Workshop
May 14 and 16, 2009
250 14th Street – Room 131 • Atlanta, Georgia
Minutes
Workshop Facilatator:
Sheila Isbell, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Workshop Support:
Therese Boston, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Keep pace with the latest educational resources, connect and collaborate with colleagues, and explore ways to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) disciplinary learning fun, collaborative, and authentic. If you are interested in learning about both regional and online STEM resources available to bring into your classroom or to go out and experience, you should reserve a seat in the STEM Resources in Georgia workshop. The STEM workshop is designed to help K-12 educators explore how they might use online learning resources and technologies, local programs and subject matter experts, and distance learning opportunities in their own STEM instruction. Through a set of interactive sessions as well as presentations by fellow educators and discussions with workshop participants, you will be exposed to resources that will help you actively engage students while meeting classroom curriculum requirements.
Workshop Topics
- A tour of educational opportunities that combine disciplinary content with pedagogical strategies and an opportunity to self‐explore
- Presentations from leading STEM educators
- A virtual learning field trip/tour
- Team activities
- Resource handouts
- Open discussion among participants concerning experiences using current techniques/resources
Links to Resources
- STEM Resources File: STEM Resources Links
- List of Resources Mentioned During Workshop: Books and Links Mentioned in Workshop
- Resources Scavengar Hunt File: Resource Scavenger Hunt Links
Presenters
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Karin Markey - karin_m_markey@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Karin has worked with the DeKalb County School System for the last 26 years as a classroom teacher, and for over 7 years-director of the summer program called Summer Extravaganza, and director of DeKalb's Small Fry to Go Program. Additionally, she's served as a site coordinator for DeKalb's award winning Family Technology Resource Lab (FTRC).
Small Fry to Go: a project based program that involves elementary and middle school students and faculty in the raising of rainbow trout. This program is a national award winning program and picked by the U.S. Congress as a best practice in afterschool programming for science. Students raise rainbow trout from the egg stage to fingerlings. Throughout the project, students are applying math skills, life science, physics, language arts, and technology.Provided Resources:
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Michael Knotts - mike.knotts@gtri.gatech.edu
Michael E. Knotts, a Senior Research Scientist at GTRI, and Emily Zeigler, a PTA volunteer at Mountain Park Elementary school will discuss Science on a Cart, a unique program that includes 15 units of hands-on STEM activities facilitated by parent volunteers in grades 1, 2, and 3. Science on a Cart is designed to reinforce the existing curriculum in areas such as physics, weather, health, and biology. Dr. Knotts has about 15 years of experience doing roadshows for schools in his specialty field, optics and he is presently organizing the development of a series of traveling hands-on science exhibits featuring laser technology to debut in Atlanta January 2010 as part of WeatherFest, a K-12 outreach effort of the American Meteorological Society. Mrs. Zeigler, who also has a science background, will discuss organizational details of the program including parent coordination efforts and training.
Provided Resources:
Science on a Cart Topics (pdf) Science on a Cart (ppt)
SOC_January_Grade_1_Sound (pdf) SOC_September_Grade_1_Clouds (pdf)
SOC_February_Grade_2_Optics (pdf) SOC_March_Grade_2_Nutrition (pdf) SOC_September_Grade_2_Astronomy (pdf)
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Donna Whiting - donna.whiting@ceismc.gatech.edu
Donna Whiting has been an educator for the past 25 years. Ms. Whiting began her teaching career in the Detroit Public Schools, focusing on middle level math, science, and engineering education. She relocated to Atlanta in 1989 and spent five years teaching middle level mathematics and science in the Atlanta Public Schools. For the past 15 years, Ms. Whiting has worked at the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). In her current position as Program Director, Ms. Whiting is responsible for proposal development, and designing, managing, and evaluating K-12 outreach projects and partnerships. She has developed and conducted numerous workshops in elementary, middle, and secondary mathematics and science education. Ms. Whiting co-developed and co-teaches the two course sequence, Principles of Learning and Teaching offered by the Georgia Tech Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL). Ms. Whiting received her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Detroit Mercy and is certified in middle level mathematics, science, and instructional supervision. She has a PhD in Middle School Education from the University of Georgia.
Provided Resources:
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George Stickel - george.stickel@cobbk12.org
Supervisor, Middle & High School Science, Cobb County public Schools, active with Georgia Science Teachers Assoc., and helped write high school science GPS. He's taught high school chemistry, physics, astronomy, sponsored the science club and the philosophy club. At Northwestern College, IA, served as tenured, associate professor of education, taught philosophy of education, multiethnic & gender equity education. At Southern Illinois University at Carbondale directed prison programs and international contractual programs, sending faculty to area prisons, Malaysia and Argentina.
Provided Resources:
George's Presentation: George's Presentation - Full of Resource Links and Ideas
George's Blog: www.cicobb.typepad.com/science/ (very helpful!)
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Joan McMullan - jmcmulla@bellsouth.net
Joan McMullan retired from teaching after 30 years in DeKalb and Gwinnett school systems. She taught both first and second year chemistry and physics during her career and was named STAR Teacher six times and Local School Teacher of the Year four times. In 1998, she was chosen as Gwinnett County High School Teacher of the Year. She has worked on the GPB chemistry and physics project from the start, writing scripts, supervising lab and demonstration shots, developing ancillary student and teacher materials, and providing support to participating schools.
Provided Resources:
Chemisty and Physics Flyer GPB Chemistry and Physics Physics - Sample Objectives
9 - Table of Contents 9 - Lesson Plan.doc 9-13 - Lab - parallel circuits.doc 9-11-NTG Ep 904
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Charles (Chip) Schooler - chip.b.schooler@gmail.com
Chip is a 28-year veteran of the technology industry and remains an avid student of technologies that can be used to solve real problems. Chip is a past director of the Technology Association of Georgia's (TAG) Tax and Finance Society Board of Directors. The board's mission is to provide value to Georgia's technology industry financial executives through targeted educational programs. Chip is a member of the Gwinnett County's Simpson Elementary PTA technology committee where his daughters are rising first and second graders.
Provided Resources: