TEEAM Spring Conference

Just some preliminary information

where:  John Mitchell Center, USM, Gorham
when:   March 29, 2013, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
theme:  Integrating STEM
other:    -Tug of Maine middle & high school competition finals
            -Closer integration with the MSTA and its members  
            -potential MIT keynote speaker

eCYBERMISSION

Below is some information about eCYBERMISSION a STEM program/competition that you will NOT want to miss.  If you are you a grade 6-9 teacher who wants to engage your students in a locally-based research project, support students to generate ideas and research them, and receive some funding to support your effort then this is the project for you.   

In August, NSTA announced that it will be managing the U.S. Army’s eCYBERMISSION program. The program, which started in 2002, is an online collaborative learning competition for students in grades 6-9 designed to inspire students’ interest in STEM by encouraging them to develop solutions to real-world challenges in their communities.  Through the program, teams of three to four students work under the advisement of a team advisor to identify an issue in their community and apply the scientific method/inquiry or engineering design process to propose a solution. Each team then submits a mission folder, the official write-up of their project, via the program’s website https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx. 

A panel of virtual judges evaluates and scores the mission folders on the basis of several criteria to identify the winning teams.

 

Teams competing in eCYBERMISSION have the opportunity to win state, regional and national awards and the students on national winning teams can receive up to $8,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds, valued at maturity.

 

Teachers of students in grades 6-9 are encouraged to get involved with this program. The deadline for teams to register is January 15, 2013 and submissions are due on March 1, 2013.  Every student that participates will receive a free STEM Research Kit!

 

Although NSTA reaches a large number of individuals involved in the education community, there are still many educators out there that don’t know about this program. This program can be a great addition to in school programming or a component for an after school STEM program.  The list below shows last years winners for Maine.  

7th Grade Winners

1st Place: Hamsterz, Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth, ME
Team Advisor: Stuart, Emily
Team Members: Chloe Melchiskey, Allison Murphy, Madison Tait

2nd Place: S Squared, Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth, ME
Team Advisor: Stuart, Emily
Team Members: Mary Budri, Annika Dyhrberg, Lisa Smoluk

8th Grade Winners

1st Place: Cyberboys, Caribou Middle School, Caribou, ME
Team Advisor: Alden, Beth
Team Members: Benjamin Ezzy, Caleb Hunter, David Hunter, Chathu Karunasiri

2nd Place: Team Epic, Perry Elementary School, Perry, ME
Team Advisor: Schrumpf, Jeanne
Team Members: Thomas Champagne, Sadie Hood, Hannah Lank

Teachers who participate in the pilot are required to have students submit entries.  Additionally, the teacher would need to submit 4 short reports, some surveys and participate in 3 or 4 conference calls.  There is funding to compensate teachers for their time. If you are interested, please contact Sue Whitsett at swhitsett@nsta.org.  Please be sure to include the fact that you are from Maine, as they are trying to increase our statewide participation. 

You can also contact BRIAN SHORT at Ecybermission@nsta.org.  Brian Short is the Director of Science Education Competitions at National Science Teachers Association (1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3092; T: 703-312-9227; F:703-243-7177)

Anita Bernhardt
Science & Technology Specialist
Maine Department of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Engineers Week 2013

2013 Teacher Excellence Award

Statements of Belief:

I believe that Technology & Engineering Education is a critical element in helping us become a more
technologically literate nation. Regardless of career choice, all people need the problem-solving and
critical thinking skills taught by the hands-on approach of T & E Education. Thus, T & E Education becomes a catalyst for an interdisciplinary approach to education. Concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) along with social studies, language and the arts are applied to give meaningful, first-hand experiences to students.  I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. I teach and I know I know forever.

Dan Lemieux is the 2013 recipient of the Teacher Excellence Award as given by the Technology
& Engineering Educators Association of Maine (T.E.E.A.M.) and the International Technology &
Engineering Educators Association (I.T.E.E.A.). Dan has been a career Technology & Engineering
Teacher at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay, Maine, since graduating from USM in 1983. He
followed with a Masters in Science degree from UMO in 1994 and has applied his education to his
daily school activities by creating a dynamic T & E program for grades 9 through 12 students from Jay,
Livermore and Livermore Falls. As a self-described “over-achiever,” Dan is not only the department
head of the T & E program, but he serves many roles in the school, most notably as the Student Council Advisor, the Cross-Country Coach, and the MLTI Leader/Teacher, to name a few. Further, Dan
has expanded the realm of T & E Education to involve the commercial and industrial communities
in several engineering challenges, including the US FIRST Robotics, Vex Robotics and the Maine
Windblade challenges. Mr. Lemieux and his students have proven themselves worthy as they have
earned numerous regional and state titles, and even participated in the Vex World Championships.
Dan is a resourceful teacher as well, as he and his students have written and received many grants
while also generating revenue for their robotics projects by operating their own fundraisers and
by establishing partnerships with many local and area businesses and industries. Thanks to Dan's
boundless energy, students in his classes have remarkable opportunities available to them to learn about Computer-Aided Drafting, Architectural Design & Building Construction, Automotives, Metals and Woods Technologies and Robotics.

The TEEAM is proud to have Dan represent its organization and the State of Maine at the upcoming
conferences of the TEEAM in March, The ITEEA also in March and at the New England Association
of Technology Educators in the Fall of 2013.

the T & E in STEM

If you are still teaching “shop”, “ Industrial Arts”, or something other than Technology and Engineering maybe you need to read this article http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1515574.  It also shows why we are a part of the STEM world even if you do not think so.

William F. Bertrand | Technology Education Advisor

Department of Education | Bureau of Teaching and Learning

333 Market Street | Hbg PA 17126

Notes from 10/25/2012 TEEAM meeting

Technology and Engineering Educator's Association of Maine

Notes on the October 25, 2012 Fall Kick Off Meeting

Gray-New Gloucester High School, Gray, Maine

Andy Davidson, TEEAM president, called the meeting to order at 5:20.

Dave Kramlich, Technology and Engineering teacher at Gray-New Gloucester High School, gave an overview of the program. Courses include Intro to Technology, Digital Photography, and Pre-Engineering.

Meeting participants had been asked to bring something from their programs to share. The following is a listing of the projects and ideas that were contributed:

John Kraljic, Falmouth High School – The Tug of War Challenge will be held on March 29th and is funded by a grant from the Perloff Foundation. This June, Falmouth graduates will be able to get a STEM endorsement on their diploma.

Andy Davidson, Scarborough Middle School – Andy's students work collaboratively to design a puzzle using Google SketchUp. Each student creates one piece of the puzzle which will result in a 3” cube that students fabricate from wood.

Tim Taylor, Scarborough Middle School – Tim has made various shapes from wood which students measure then draw and dimension using Google SketchUp. 

Dave Southard, York Middle School – Dave relates the grading for a project to the systems model. Students complete a graphic organizer by explaining and categorizing the work they did developing a project as input, process, and output on a systems model diagram.

Sam Blunda, Saco Middle School – Sam's 8th graders build a house using Google SketchUp, then build a physical model from cardboard using a printout of the top view of the SketchUp model as a guide.

Sunny Stutzman, Yarmouth High School – Sonny's students design Tiny Houses that are 8 ½' x 20' x 11 ½' using Google SketchUp. They build paper models of the houses, make adjustments to their designs, indicate the materials that will be used to construct the houses, then pitch their ideas to people interested in Tiny Houses.

Jim Rowe, Auburn Middle School – Jim's students design boat hulls and create them from foam. They race the boats in a tank equipped with motion sensors. 

Mary Ann Hamel, Gray-New Gloucester Middle School – 7th grade Tech Ed students at Gray-New Gloucester Middle School make casein glue from milk as a hands-on Biotechnology activity. They use the glue to make a simple popsicle stick truss, then test the truss for strength.

John Kraljic recommends the NASA online classes. He is completing one on Project Based Learning and Assessment.

The TEEAM conference will be held on March 29th at USM

The meeting was adjourned and was followed by a tour of the lab at Gray-New Gloucester High School

Notes submitted by Mary Ann Hamel, TEEAM secretary

STEM-focused schools

STEM-focused schools by scitechframework

The state is FULL of conversation about STEM focused programming. Some districts have hired STEM coordinators, some are adopting STEM endorsed diplomas, others are designing STEM Academies.

Any school wondering how to strengthen STEM education should first read the National Research Council's (short) report Successful K-12 STEM Education.

Below are a few schools that I know of that have, or are working to adopt comprehensive STEM programs at some level.  PLEASE post comments about other STEM programs/conversations around the state.

1. The Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) - MSSM is Maine's magnet high school. MSSM is a public boarding school that offers an advanced curriculum in science and mathematics to students from throughout Maine and beyond.

2. Maine Academy for Natural Sciences (MeANS) -  MeANS opened in September 2011 as Maine’s first high school to focus on the natural sciences. MeANS includes day students from the local region and boarding students from across the State. MeANS focuses on agriculture, sustainability, forestry, workforce skills training and independent living, offering high school experiences for the active, real-world learner.

3. Baxter Academy for Science and Technology - Baxter will be a rigorous, college-preparatory high school promoting student ownership of learning through curriculum focused specifically on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Baxter Academy students will study complex, real world problems, using and building technological tools in a collaborative environment with scientists, engineers, and other professionals. Baxter will open in the fall of 2013.

4. Falmouth High School - Falmouth High School is offering a high school diploma with a STEM endorsement. To get a Falmouth High School STEM Endorsement, students must take four years each of core science and math courses, such as biology, chemistry, algebra and geometry, plus three related elective courses, such as genetics, forensics, astronomy and engineering. Students in the program also must participate in eight science- or math-related extracurricular activities, or extended learning opportunities.

5. Bangor High School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) academic program - Students who choose to enroll in the BHS STEM Academy complete all the traditional Bangor High School graduation requirements while simultaneously completing a challenging and enriching research-based sequence of STEM courses and experiences. Under this model, the experience of sequential curricula informing and enhancing students’ long-term research is captured by the term TAR STEM: Transformative Apprentice Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

6. South Portland Middle School STEM - Funded by a grant from Texas Instrument (formerly National Semiconductor) the core of the program is a three-week project framed around various themes, such as energy and ecology. The units have a community-based component to help students make connections between real-world problems and the math and sciences that apply to them.

7. Durham Community School (K-8) - Under the leadership of Superintendent Shannon Welsh and Principal Will Pidden, RSU 5 are making Durham Community School a K-8 setting focused on engaged learning and STEM. They are accomplishing this goal through the use of building design, educational  programming, and professional development support for educators.

Engineering Open House for STEM Teachers & Counselors

The College of Engineering is holding its first Engineering Open
House, in partnership with Southern Maine Community College, to
promote two distinct pathways to an engineering degree this coming
Tuesday, Dec. 11th at Brunswick Landing.

Engineering Open House
Counselor/Teacher Session
Dec. 11, 2012
10:30am
Brunswick Landing

We would very much like to invite STEM teachers in Maine as well as
counselors to this morning event that is geared to just counselors and
teachers.

The event will include:
Presentation
Q&A
Tours of MATEC
Catered lunch from Wild Oats Bakery

Register by emailing um-admin@maine.edu - by Dec. 5th, if possible.

We will also be holding an evening event at 6pm for everyone else, so
please help us promote through your networks. 

The evening event:
Engineering Open House
Open to the Public
Dec. 11, 2012
6:00pm
Brunswick Landing

For more information, go online to www.umaine.edu/brunswickengineering

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like additional information. 
We hope to hear from a lot of STEM teachers.

Victoria Blanchette
Communications Specialist
College of Engineering
207.581.2204 Phone
207.581.2220 Fax
victoria.blanchette@umit.maine.edu
www.engineering.umaine.edu

Executive Director
Maine Engineering Promotional Council
 www.engineeringme.com

STEM Careers

Introduce Your Students to STEM Careers with iON Future

On November 20 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), Change the Equation (CTEq) is hosting a webcast to launch iON Future, a suite of free online learning games to introduce youth, middle to early high school age, to a variety of STEM-base professions. To view a "sizzle reel" about iON Future, click here.

CTEq is  looking for teacher ambassadors who would like to participate, with their students, in the webcast event on November 20 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, broadcasting from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  We hope teachers see this as a valuable, yet different, way to capture youth's attention in this time leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday!   

• This one-pager details the 35-minute webcast, which takes students on virtual tours of STEM in action, challenges them to think from a STEM perspective, and introduces them to iON Future.
• Interested teachers can tune in here November 20 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

If the time and date of the live webcast are not convenient, the webcast can be viewed directly from CTEq's website beginning the week after Thanksgiving. A learning guide is available, with some recommended lesson plans, that will introduce iON Future to students.

Teachers are encouraged to share the iON Future suite of games with their colleagues and other STEM stakeholders.

Is this working?

This is the third month that I have been adding things to the TEEAM/Spirit blog.  Is anyone viewing it?  If so, what do you think?  Are there things I could do better?  I would really appreciate some feedback.
Thanks,
-John
jkraljic@falmouthschools.org

Gotta Watch

At the recent NEATT conference, the keynote speaker, Doug Webster shared the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B-g1_6QCWU
You must watch this to feel good (better) about what you do.  After you've viewed the video, just 6 minutes, please share it with others.  This is a powerful video, from a respected person, that really makes a case for what we do, teach the T & E in STEM.  It also identifies the need for getting more female students involved in technology and engineering.

TEEAM Area Meeting

A reminder there will be a TEEAM Kick-Off area meeting at Gray New Gloucester High School at 5:00pm this Thursday the 25th. If you are planning on attending and have not replied to let me know, please do so, so that I will know how many to expect. 

I would like everyone who is planning on attending the meeting to bring a lesson, activity, or a project that they would like to share. It is my hope to start the year off by sharing these items, and providing the opportunity for everyone to learn something new that they can take back to their schools and try in their own classroom.

Draft Agenda:

Refreshments

Gray New Gloucester High School - Dave Kramlich

Tug of Maine (war) Challenge- John Kraljic 

Lesson/activity share- Andy Davidson + others

Directions to Gray-New Gloucester High Shop. The High School is located on Libby Hill Road, across from the Hannaford's Store on Route 26 in Gray. Turn onto Libby Hill road, take the first right and keep bearing right as if you are going towards the athletic fields. As you enter the parking lot, look to the left for the wood shop dust collector and/or gym entrance. The shops are on your right as you walk towards the gym entrance. 

Dave Kramlich