National STEM Video Game Challenge

The 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge is launched in partnership with Digital Promise, a new initiative created by the President and Congress, supported through the Department of Education. The initiative is designed to unlock the promise of breakthrough technologies to transform teaching and learning.
What are the different Challenge Entry Streams?
Individuals or teams of up to 4

• PBS KIDS Prize: design math based learning video games for children in grades pre K – 4, taking inspiration from the success of the PBS KIDS Go website (Learn More, Microsite, PBS KIDS Prize Rules).
• Middle School Prize: design STEM based learning video games designed for grades 5-8 (Learn More, Middle School Prize Rules).
• High School Prize: design STEM based learning games for children in grades 9-12 (Learn More, High School Prize Rules).
• Sesame Street Prize: design STEM based learning video games inspired by Sesame Street’s very own curriculum (Learn More, Sesame Street Prize Rules).

What are the prizes for Educators?
Entrants will compete for

• Funds: a pool of $40k in seed money for the refinement, research, marketing and distribution of your game
• Research: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center research team will work with the winners to identify potential scalable outcomes of the submission
• Expertise: Additional advice will be offered from industry experts
• Publicity: Recognition in press, online channels and select publications

Forwarded from our colleagues at MIT ..


Greetings from the Educational Studies Program at MIT!

http://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html

It's that time of year again: registration for Splash 2011 is opening soon! Have you ever wanted to take a class about...


- How to Have a Crushing Grip
- Moral Relativism in Comic Books
- Elevator Science
- Weird Atoms and Strange Photons
- Introduction to Zombie Defense
- Advanced Lightsaber Dueling
- Carbon Chauvinism
- To Infinity and Beyond! The History of Pixar
- The Great Lego Challenge: A Hands on Introduction to Engineering Design


...or any of 400 other awesome topics? If so, then Splash is the program for you! Splash will be running November 19th and 20th, the weekend before Thanksgiving, on MIT's campus.

Program Vitals:

What: A weekend in which you can take multiple classes on a huge variety of subjects.
When: The weekend before Thanksgiving. In 2011, Splash will be held on November 19 and 20.
Who: Students in grades 7-12
Cost: $30.
Where: On the MIT main campus.
Registration for Splash will open on October 25th at 8 pm. The class catalog will be available at http://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/2011/catalog/ shortly before then. **Don't panic** if you can't see the catalog well in advance of registration opening! This year, classes are once again being scheduled by a lottery system to ensure that the process is as fair as possible. Preferences will be accepted until November 2nd; all preferences received before then will be treated exactly the same. It is strongly encouraged that you take your time and pick the classes in which you are most interested. For more information about the lottery, go to http://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/studentregFAQ.html . After the lottery results are released on November 6th, first-come-first-serve registration will open on November 7th and remain open until November 13th. For more information, go to http://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/studentregFAQ.html.
If you have any more questions about MIT Splash, feel free to email us at splash@mit.edu.
In addition to MIT's Splash, Splash will be held at Boston College on Sunday, November 13th! Come to The Heights to take a diverse selection of classes all taught by passionate BC undergraduates. Immerse yourself on BC's campus, connect with the undergraduates, and learn about something that would never be offered at your high school. BC's liberal arts classes range from "Political Structures and Policies in the World of Harry Potter" to "Egg Timer Art History" to "Entrepreneur State of Mind". BC Splash is free for all high school students and course registration is open now! For the complete course catalog and more information on how to sign up, you can visit the website at , or reach them by email at bcsplash@gmail.com  or phone at 617- 297 - 7524.

https://bcsplash.learningu.org/   


We look forward to seeing you at Splash!

The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) for High School Students

About SEAP



http://seap.asee.org/


The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) provides an opportunity for students to participate in research at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory during the summer.


The goals of SEAP are to encourage participating students to pursue science and engineering careers, to further their education via mentoring by laboratory personnel and their participation in research, and to make them aware of DoN research and technology efforts, which can lead to employment within the DoN.


SEAP provided competitive research internships to 245 high school students this year. Participating students spend eight weeks during the summer doing research at approximately 20 DoN laboratories.


The online application closes on January 6th, 2012.

The Lemelson-MIT Program - InvenTeams

Introducing Students to the World of Invention

http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/about.html
The InvenTeam initiative, created by the Lemelson-MIT Program, offers an unparalleled opportunity for high school students to cultivate their creativity and experience invention.

InvenTeams are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. Each InvenTeam chooses its own problem to solve.


Learning Beyond the Classroom

InvenTeam students rely on inquiry and hands-on problem solving as they apply lessons from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to develop invention prototypes. Interactive, self-directed learning coupled with STEM curricula are essential for experiencing invention.

Students learn to work in teams, while collaborating with intended users of their inventions. They partner with professionals in their communities to enrich their experiences. Most of all, students learn to move forward through challenges and celebrate "Eureka!" moments.


Inspiring a New Generation of Inventors

In 2002 the Lemelson-MIT Program awarded its first InvenTeam grants to three New England high schools. There have been more than 95 InvenTeams to date, hailing from high schools across the United States including, Anchorage, Alaska; Miami, Fla.; St. Paul, Minn.; San Jon, N.M.; and Littleton, N.H.


After the InvenTeam experience, inventive cultures often continue to prosper at participating schools through further development of InvenTeam prototypes or pursuit of new invention projects




Web site: http://www.inventeams.org/  
Phone: 617-452-2147
Fax: 617-258-8276

Apply for 2012 InvenTeams http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/apply.html


Process Applying for an InvenTeam grant is a two-step process. The initial application is available online each fall and due in the spring (for grants awarded the following academic year).
Youth Involvement
Educators often begin the application without youth participants. Youth input is encouraged for the initial application and required for the final application. Many educators recruit youth early to create a richer proposal for the initial application.
Invention Ideas
InvenTeam projects span many fields from assistive devices to environmental technologies and consumer goods. Applicants are encouraged to consider needs of the world's poorest people (those earning $2/day) when brainstorming invention ideas. Some InvenTeams pursue inventions that also augment STEM curriculum such as Project Lead the Way. See former InvenTeams and their invention projects.

MCAS Development Opportunity

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking applications for two MCAS Science Test Development Specialist positions.

It is important that the selected individuals have very strong content knowledge, are able to learn quickly, have an understanding of science learning, have strong editing and feedback skills, and can effectively facilitate meetings.

The job duties include: providing content expertise for the development, review, and refinement of MCAS science test materials in Earth and space science, biology, chemistry and physics; reviewing test items with attention to detail for content accuracy, grade-level appropriateness, grammar, spelling, and readability; evaluating of open-response MCAS scoring materials; facilitating meetings with educators who serve on the science assessment development committees; and assisting with providing professional development to the field regarding assessment. We are specifically looking for strong content knowledge in physics and chemistry or biology and chemistry.

More information about the position can be found at: https://jobs.hrd.state.ma.us/recruit/public/3111/job/job_view.do?posting

NEEEA Conference 2011: October 21-23, 2011!

NEEEA Conference 2011

Come Learn with Us! Experience the 45th Annual NEEEA Conference: "Navigating New England Environmental Education: Charting a Course to an Environmentally Literate Future"
October 21-23, 2011 at Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charlton, MA.

The Massachusetts Environmental Education Society (MEES) and the 2011 NEEEA Conference Committee are pleased to announce the opening of registration for this years conference! Join us for a dynamic weekend full of enriching and inspiring workshops, adventurous field trips and excellent entertainment. Enjoy networking, learning, and revitalizing yourself and your teaching skills and return home with resources and materials to do the same for your classroom or organization.

CONNECT! NETWORK! GAIN A NEW PERSPECTIVE!

This weekend features Keynote speakers Julian Agyeman and Coleen O'Connell, world music entertainment by Gaia Roots and Closing Ceremony with Troy Phillips of the Nipmuc Tribe.

The Conference site is a Natures Classroom facility located on 500 wooded acres on the shore of Prindle Pond in Charlton, Massachusetts. It offers a variety of rooming options, a wind turbine, woodland trails, pond views, campfires, and fields for stargazing.

For complete conference offerings and registration please visit the 2011 NEEEA Conference microsite at http://neeea.org/conference/index.html

Don't forget to stay in touch and up to date on all kinds of conference and environmental education news on facebook pages!
MEES: http://www.facebook.com/massmees
NEEEA: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-England-Environmental-Education-AllianceNEEEA/151056058291416

Annual MassTEC Conference: October 14, 2011!

The Annual MassTEC Conference will be held:
Friday, October 14, 2011 at Fitchburg State University.

Come Join!

The theme of the conference is sTEmWe Make the Connection.

One item we receive feedback on after every conference is the need for teacher led workshops. Many teachers are looking for ideas and activities to take back to their classrooms. So this year we are looking for additional teachers who will be willing to offer workshops on what they do in the classroom.

If you do offer a workshop you will be eligible for Professional Development Points (PDPs) [and a free lunch!]

Follow this link to a workshop application. Please fill it out and send it in.

http://www.masstec.org/conference.html

and...

We really want Science and Math teachers, elementary teachers as well as Administrators and School Counselors to come and share their understanding of STEM and see how Technology/Engineering Education can improve your students' understanding of key concepts and real life applications.

[Technology/Engineering Education and] Technology Education has progressed from Industrial Arts, which was focused on tool and machine skills and craftsmanship, to that of teaching all students engineering habits of mind.
This includes teaching students the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to understand and apply engineering concepts, including the engineering design process, systems, and the impact of technology on society.

~ William F. Bertrand Contact Bill at; wbertrand@state.pa.us |
www.education.state.pa.us