Online STEM Summer Camps for High School and College Students

Numerade—an online education platform founded with a mission to provide equitable access to high-quality STEM instruction—today announced the launch of free, virtual STEM summer camps open to students at the middle, high school, and college levels. Course offerings include SAT Test Prep, Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics, all taught by top-ranked STEM PhDs, college professors, and high school teachers. Students can enroll now for this free program and begin taking their courses as soon as June 1 with ongoing enrollment available thereafter.

Students can participate in Numerade’s free summer STEM camps to get a head start on the courses they’ll be taking in the fall or as an enrichment opportunity in which they can take courses not offered at their school. Students may also use these courses to catch up on any material missed due to school closures caused by Covid-19. Each course follows the common core curriculum and covers an entire semester’s worth of material.

“We’re excited to launch Numerade’s STEM summer camps at a time when it’s more important than ever for students to have access to world-class content to maintain and enhance their learning despite ongoing school closures,” said Nhon Ma, CEO and Co-Founder of Numerade. “By taking our engaging STEM courses this summer, students will not only acquire foundational knowledge but also be positioned to excel next school year. The summer camps are completely free and available asynchronously on any device, making them a great option for any student interested in getting ahead in their learning.”…Read More

CERTIFIED 2020 virtual is now open

CERTIFIED 2020 is moving to a FREE virtual conference due to the difficulties of holding a large event as a result of the COVID – 19 pandemic. Join us online for the only education conference dedicated to exploring the full promise and potential of certification in the classroom. Visit certified.certiport.com to see more information about the first-ever CERTIFIED Virtual Conference. CERTIFIED 2020 is moving to a FREE virtual conference due to the difficulties of holding a large event as a result of the COVID – 19 pandemic. Join us online for the only education conference dedicated to exploring the full promise and potential of certification in the classroom. Visit certified.certiport.com to see more information about the first-ever CERTIFIED Virtual Conference.

WHAT IS CERTIFIED?

CERTIFIED is the only education conference dedicated to exploring the pure potential and promise of certification in the classroom. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen, learn, and collaborate with a community of educators who share your passion for using certification to improve education and change lives.…Read More

Free math curriculum resources

Open Up Resources (OUR), a nonprofit whose mission is to increase equity in education, and Kiddom, whose platform helps educators bring open curriculum to life by connecting curriculum to instruction and assessment, are now partnering to offer free access to top-rated Open Up Resources 6-8 math curriculum within Kiddom’s digital platform to support distance learning initiatives.

Now through August 1, 2020, schools and districts will be able to freely access OUR’s 6-8 Math curriculum within Kiddom. This allows teachers to utilize OUR’s high-quality core digital curriculum on a platform that allows them to share assignments digitally, communicate with students, and deliver personalized feedback on submissions.

Additional resources include The No-Nonsense Distance Learning Resource Guide, weekly webinars to support teachers and districts, ongoing articles and professional learning materials to aid with distance learning, and peer-to-peer communications with OUR’s 6-8 Math community.…Read More

Codemonkey free for closed schools

In light of the COVID-19 closing of schools, CodeMonkey is now offering a unique opportunity for students and teachers. As more and more schools close due to the current situation, you may be looking for trustworthy educational content you can engage your students with. CodeMonkey knows that between helping your students adjust to learning from home to transitioning to hosting online lessons, life right now is anything but easy. That is why CodeMonkey is providing FREE FULL ACCESS to all closed schools. With full access to CodeMonkey, you can assign your students coding challenges and keep track of their progress all from home.

Apply for access at the Codemonkey Website.

If you are teaching your students remotely, you can submit a request to gain FREE FULL ACCESS to CodeMonkey’s content until schools re-open.…Read More

Open-ended learning and sharing opportunities

As the coronavirus continues to impact school districts, Education Elements is providing K-12 leaders with open-ended learning and sharing opportunities. This free, real-time support includes webinars, facilitated open dialogues, and 1:1 office hours to meet the diverse and unique needs of each community. Likely topics include leadership, equity, trauma, and virtual learning during school closures.

Education Elements are in the process of curating resources, as well as organizing more open-ended learning and sharing opportunities. This real-time support includes free webinars, facilitated drop-in chats, and 1:1 office hours for K-12 leaders like yourself should you need it. They have organized these into those focused on leadership, teachers, operations, and virtual learning.

To learn more, visit https://www.edelements.com/covid19-school-districts.…Read More

Test Grading Cloud available to all teachers for free

Remark Test Grading Cloud available to all teachers for free, including electronic bubble sheets for distributing and grading assessments.

In an effort to assist K-12 teachers during the COVID-19 crisis with the transition from onsite to remote education, Gravic, Inc. is offering instructors a free 60-day subscription to its popular Remark Test Grading Cloud application.

Remark Test Grading Cloud is a hosted application for grading tests, quizzes and assessments. The application is typically used to create and print bubble sheets, which can be scanned and graded with any image scanner. As many educators are now working remotely, the application can still be used to assist with your grading tasks using our Electronic Bubble Sheet technology.…Read More

Free online courses from Scholastic

Even when schools must close, you can continue your student’s education with many cross-curricular journeys. The Scholastic Learn at Home website is a free resource providing all students with 20 days’ worth of learning, updated daily. Content is divided into PreK/K, Grades 1–2, Grades 3–5, and Grades 6–9+, spaning many content areas so you can keep your students actively engaged in learning while your buildings are closed.

The Scholastic Learn at Home website does not require a username or password and is open freely to all. The learning journeys are accessible on any device. They are designed to limit the
need for printing and allow students to learn independently or with their families. Teachers can even plan virtual learning meetups to discuss and expand on any of the resources found on the site.

Scholastic Learn at Home website…Read More

STEM, STEAM, and makerspaces–oh my!

By now, we’ve all heard about STEM, the acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math education. Most people have heard of STEAM, which includes arts education along with STEM and allows students to be more creative in their exploration of more technical subjects.

And it’s not a far leap to assume a lot of educators are familiar with makerspaces, which offer open-ended creative spaces for students to explore these concepts as they engage in project-based learning or attempt to solve real-world challenges.

But how are these three things impacting classrooms and the students in them?…Read More

How we created a comprehensive drone curriculum

As educators, we are all continuously looking for interdisciplinary learning opportunities that will provide students with the most authentic learning experiences possible. With students’ hyper-exposure to the growing applications for technology, STEAM programs are one area in which real-world applications are readily apparent to students.

Here in Salamanca, New York, as we seek to ensure our students have the necessary marketable skills for the modern economy, we’ve chosen to incorporate a drone curriculum into our STEAM programs. With the core drone skills, our students open themselves to employment opportunities in diverse sectors such as cinematography, industrial inspections, public safety, agriculture, construction, specialized sciences, and much more.

Drone education starts early on

To deliver on this goal for our students, we have developed a comprehensive drone curriculum that will introduce students to drones as early as kindergarten and allow them to become more hands-on throughout their academic career. For juniors and seniors, that experience culminates with an immersive curriculum through which they become FAA-certified drone pilots, while also imparting the core skills in data collection analysis necessary to pursue careers in this rapidly evolving workforce.…Read More

FETC 2019: Day One

Not the driving rain or 50-degree temperatures could keep edtech enthusiasts from the opening day of FETC 2019 in Orlando. Wearing winter coats and braving the harsh Florida weather, lines formed early for the 8 am workshops.

Because this is my 13th FETC, I confidently walked into the conference center as a tour guide for an FETC first timer. However, in its usual manner, FETC changed it up for the better. Though I do miss seeing Hawaiian shirts and skateboards at the Surf conference that shared the south side of the Orange County Convention Center, the extra space taken over by FETC makes the conference workshops more accessible, convenient, and right in the heart of the main concourse. The new and improved conference registration location is an upgrade from its previous place in the corner of the Expo floor.

The Expo floor did not open until 4:30 pm on Monday, but educators and administrators were able to choose from 100 workshops, Apple and Microsoft concurrent sessions, and an all-day Blueprint for Technology in Education Summit. The FETC Experience, in its second-year, models personalized learning with tracks that identify attendee relevant workshops and sessions. The edtech administrators, information technology, educator, early learning, and inclusion and special education tracks ensured that there was something for everyone.…Read More

3 ways to navigate American politics in the classroom

In our current social climate, it can be tricky for anyone, especially a teenager, to talk about politics and the role of government. But as educators, it’s our job to explain the varying viewpoints that make up our political discourse. It’s also our job to foster an open, secure environment in which students feel safe to share their own opinions.

As an online instructor at a statewide public school, I’ve taught U.S. government and politics during two contentious election cycles. And although I live in California, a left-leaning state, I teach students from across the state whose core beliefs fall all along the political spectrum. From day one, I explain to students that respecting different viewpoints—even when you don’t agree—is part of building maturity. Here are three ways I build a culture of respect in my classroom.

1. Set guidelines
At the start of each session, I provide several rules for students about how we will discuss upcoming topics. Students must respect their classmates’ opinions and offer constructive criticism. I also remind them that I may revoke chat privileges if they do not adhere to these class rules.…Read More

Here’s a must-do for E-rate applicants

Calling all E-rate coordinators–there is one important step you can take now to ensure a smooth process when the E-rate filing window opens in 2019.

The FY2019 application filing window for the E-rate Program doesn’t open until January, but schools and libraries must ensure their data in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) is current.

The FY2019 Administrative Window opened on October 1, 2018 and is anticipated to close in early January 2019.…Read More