Thank you Council for Elementary Science and APAST, SEPA, the NSTA Committee on Preschool-Elementary Science Teaching, and Science and Children for the “Elementary Extravaganza”! (Click here, then scroll down to see photos.) Well before 8am science educators were lining up to get into the ballroom where each one (of ~ 100) tables was a different presenter ready to share a lesson plan, cool idea, student work, or product, and enter into a discussion as deep as you wanted to go. Thank you for the combined efforts that supported and created such an awesome concentration of professional development–we did indeed “Walk away with a head full of ideas and arms filled with materials.” Each person who attended got a sturdy carry-bag made of recycled materials, and a jump drive, and many won door prizes. What a fun and productive way to spend the first 1.5 hours of a conference morning. If you weren’t able to make it, you can still access some of the material.
I passed out copies of the journal Young Children, generously donated by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, my other professional association. In the March 2012 issue the NAEYC Early Childhood Science Interest Forum is introduced, and there are several features focusing on science in this all-around excellent issue.
What didn’t I see at the “Elementary Extravaganza”? What did I miss? Go to the  Elementary Extravaganza session listing on the NSTA Indianapolis Conference page to download the presenters information sheets.
Here are photos (click on a photo for a link) to share what I saw. Comment below to add information about your table or another favorite.
And each person who attended got a sturdy carry-bag made of recycled materials, and a jump drive, and many won door prizes. What a fun and productive way to spend the first 1.5 hours of the morning,
Peggy

LEGO Education WeDo Robotics is designed to foster problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork in second- through fourth-grade classrooms. Teachers at Barrett Elementary, a NASA Explorer Alumni School, in Arlington, Virginia tested the complete kit with several small groups of students of diverse ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
     The drag-and-drop programming software is easy to use and the Activity Pack is a must for teachers and students with limited robotics experience. The lesson binder is especially user-friendly with an overview of the robotics activities and their connections to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics standards. Any robotics novice will be able to follow the lesson plans and make good use of the glossaries and helpful visuals. The kits are compact and easily stacked and stored, which is ideal for classrooms with limited storage space.
     Based on our previous experience with LEGO Mindstorms robots, we found that the WeDo robots were much easier to build and program. The Activity Pack software introduces the robots to the students with short cartoon videos before guiding them through the building of the robots piece by piece. A few of the groups made building errors, but they were able to troubleshoot successfully with minimal input from the teacher. For the targeted age group, the kit was appropriately engaging and all students clamored for another session.
     The most important lessons learned by the participants are that teamwork is essential and LEGOS and robots are fun and exciting for both boys and girls. Caroline, who worked in an experienced LEGO building group with another girl and boy, explained, “I’m glad the people who worked with me were there because I probably couldn’t have done it on my own. I probably would have skipped something or done something wrong.” One of the groups consisted of three girls who speak English as a second language and who do not have any LEGOs at home. Before getting started, Maria commented, “Lots of boys play with LEGOs.” At the end of the session, her teammate, Gabriella exclaimed, “LEGOs are fun for boys and girls, but girls don’t think they’re for girls because they haven’t played with them yet. I’m going to tell my mom to buy me LEGOs!” Bringing LEGO WeDo Robotics into the classroom has the potential to reach and inspire children, and especially girls, who wouldn’t normally have these opportunities outside of school.
     Each robotics lesson, including 30 minutes for building, can be completed in 60 to 90 minutes. While many teachers have limited time for additional activities outside of their units of study, these compact lessons can be easily incorporated into mathematics and science time because they can be done in just one or two sessions.
Engaging students with robotics in the elementary classroom is likely to spark excitement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and may motivate students to pursue future STEM-related learning opportunities and careers.

I talk to teachers from all over the country during the national conference and am no longer surprised to find some who have traveled from distance corners of the nation. There also usually an international group. But once in a while, I’ll meet a teacher like Elizabeth who attends the conference despite the fact that she teaches in Saudi Arabia.