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Ed News: Scientists Take on New Roles in K–12 Classrooms
This week in education news, scientists take on new roles in K–12 classrooms, the U.S. Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, a new report finds California teacher shortages have led to ‘severe consequences’, the U.S. Ho...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
The goTenna Off-Grid Communication Device: Take A "Cell Network" on your next Field Trip
Imagine co-leading a science field trip indoors in a large museum with questionable cell coverage, or outside and too far from the nearest cell tower. The goTenna system allows you to directly contact another goTenna equipped teacher using their smar...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
DeVos Confirmed as ED Secretary/House Kills ESSA Accountability Regulations
After a long and contentious confirmation battle the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education on February 7 after a highly partisan 51 to 50 vote. Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote to confirm DeVos after two Republican Se...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
An ECSTEM conference experience
An early childhood education conference is an opportunity to meet others who share a passion for improving our science teaching practice, meet our education mentors and gain new insights into why certain educational practices are effective. It’s a ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
The Celestron Micro-Fi Wireless Digital Microscope: A Handful of Wow!
The term “wireless” does not so much describe what is, but instead what isn’t. And what isn’t is wires. What’s strange about many wireless technologies is there was never a wired version to begin with so describing the device by...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
STEM Sims: Interactive Simulations for the STEM Classroom
Introduction...
By Edwin P. Christmann
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Mentoring — A team effort
The most experienced science teacher is retiring this year at the middle school where I am principal. The other five teachers on the science faculty are early in their teaching careers. What are your thoughts on asking an experienced non-science teac...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Commentary: It's About Time to Teach Evolution Forthrightly
Fifty years ago, in 1967, the Tennessee legislature repealed the Butler Act, a 1925 law that made it a misdemeanor for a teacher in the state’s public schools to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in ...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Students Teaching Science to Younger Students
A Science Ambassador from North Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia, uses a tube with a marble inside it as a “roller coaster” to teach an elementary school student about gravity, force, and motion....
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
The Carson HookUpz 2.0: The Missing Link Between Camera and Eyepiece
Over the years I have held digital cameras and phones up to the eyepieces of telescopes, spotting scopes, binoculars, and most often microscopes to take pictures, capture video, and stream imagery to projectors and TVs. In all cases the idea was soun...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
The Micro Phone Lens: A Tiny Solution to a Huge Problem
Other than computer code, the Micro Phone Lens just might be the lightest accessory you can add to your tablet or phone. Weighing in at a fraction of a gram, the tiny lens leverages the optical power of existing cameras on phones and tablets. And lik...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Committee Approves DeVos Nomination, Senate Vote Expected Next Week
On January 31, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education by a party-line vote of 12 to 11....
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Let’s Help Every Student Succeed with STEM
NSTA, in collaboration with 100kin10 and other key STEM leaders, has developed a new campaign designed to ensure that STEM and science/STEM teachers are a focus of the new federal education law at the state and local levels....
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data
Many students nowadays are dependent on electronic devices. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to separate them from their smartphones and tablets....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Keeping Students Engaged Before a Break
I finished a unit in middle school science two days ahead of our winter holiday break. We went on to the next unit, but my students didn’t seem focused, and I think I’ll have to review or repeat the activities when we come back....
By Mary Bigelow