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TOPIC: STEM GRADES: Elementary School:
Classroom Ideas
25+ STEM Books to Update Your Collection
Get kids excited about science, technology, engineering and math!
Elizabeth Mulvahill on September 19, 2017
Recently teacher DG wrote into our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE looking for advice about adding STEM books to her school’s library collection. She wrote, “I am a K-8 librarian media specialist. This is my second year on the job and I’m trying to update large sections of our school library. Our collection of nonfiction books is sorely lacking. Some of the books are 20 years older than me! Are there any STEM-related books that our library must have? I’d love any suggestions! Thanks so much!”
Here are 25+ awesome suggestions from our friends on the Helpline:
Via John Evans
In Grade 3, I was so excited to tackle cursive writing. Now students at that age are learning HTML and have been connected to the digital world for most of their upbringing
Via John Evans
Girls Learning Code is excited to combine the power of storytelling with basic design and programming skills for our popular storytelling and animation workshop!
On May 13, 2017, Ladies Learning Code is hosting its fourth annual Girls Learning Code Day in celebration of International Scratch Day!
This year, we'll build on our mission of teaching girls 21st century digital skills and encourage them to tell their story through digital media.
Using Scratch, a beginner level programming environment that encourages mathematical and computational skills, imagination will come to life throughout the day in a new and digitally engaging form. Girls will also be introduced to Scratch's amazing online community sloganed: "Imagine, Program, Share." where they will have the opportunity to upload their project for anyone on the web to enjoy!
At the end of the workshop, each girl will also get a chance to practice their presentation skills and showcase their creation for everyone attending the workshop to experience and enjoy!
Via John Evans
"Many people who use iPads and Chromebooks in the classroom know about the app Seesaw. It can be used primarily as an LMS (Learning Management System), but many of its features allow alignment with the Transformation spectrum of the SAMR Model.
Students using Seesaw can:
*Take pictures and video
*Annotate documents with drawings or voice
*Record actions and voice on a whiteboard
*Ask teachers to publish work on a class blog
Lets look at the SAMR Model and these Seesaw features together:"
Via John Evans
Appen träna klocka är uppbyggd med nivåer som man ser på första bilden här. Sedan finns flera olika slags övningar.
Via Andreas Wåhlström
We recently received a few requests from music teachers asking for some suggestions on music accessories to use with their iPads. Here are some of our recommendations based on what some geeky music teachers are actually using in their classrooms. If you are looking for some good educational apps to use in your music lessons, check out this page. Apple music store also features a wide range of options to choose from. Enjoy
Via John Evans
This is a quick start guide to program your Sphero and Ollie robots with Tynker. Here are a few links to get you started with unboxing and pairing the devices with your tablet:
Via John Evans
Common Sense Media’s service Graphite, which offers independent ratings and reviews of learning apps and websites, has compiled this list of apps to get young students started on the road to coding. For complete reviews, and for each app’s "Learning Rating," visit the Graphite website.
Via John Evans
Explain Everything Lesson Ideas is a free eBook created and provided for free by Apple. This work is part of Apple's" Apps in the Classroom" project that aims at helping teachers make the best of educational apps in their instruction. Each of the guides included in this project centres around a popular educational app and provides examples and ideas on how teachers can use it with their students in class. Today's guide is on the popular screencasting and whiteboard app Explain Everything.
Via John Evans
The value of computer programming has been rising exponentially for decades. To the point where now coding has gained traction in mainstream media. TV shows like CBS’s The Big Bang Theory or HBO’s Silicon Valley are good indicators of computer science careers are taking center stage. The domino effect created by the demand for amazing technology is likewise leading to a demand for skilled workers to engineer and program. Whether training comes through a high school certificate program, or a degree in computer science, the need for project-ready coders is only increasing. The bottom-line: All schools at all levels are kicking coding into overdrive.
Via John Evans
Computer science skills are becoming more and more important to success in today’s economy, and this importance is highlighted during the annual Hour of Code. A number of resources on Code.org and other sites can help students of all ages and skill levels develop coding skills.
Via John Evans
Sharing iPad eBooks with Colleagues, Pupils and Parents | August 2014 Blog
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Today’s post features some very good iPad apps to use with your dyslexic learners. The first app helps students understand dyslexia through a video comic and subsequent quiz. The second app is a detector that allows you to detect different types of learning difficulties including dyslexia. The third app provides learners with a variety of engaging games to help them ‘assess working memory, phonological awareness, processing speed, visual memory, auditory memory and sequencing skills.’ The last app is a Dyslexic dictionary for explaining unknown terms.
Via John Evans
Here is a collection of some interesting iPad apps specifically designed to help kids lear about basics of science and introduce them to wide variety of scientific phenomena. Some of the things kids get to learn from these apps include: the functions of human body, learn core science and math concepts, learn about animals and ecosystem, explore the world of weather, seasons and forecasts. This selection is based on Apple's Early Science Collection in iTunes App Store. Enjoy
Via John Evans
I made this because I think there is an important distinction between learning to code and coding to learn. I think the focus with students doing coding in schools should be coding to learn (except for secondary and tertiary computer science or computer programming courses). Bill Ferriter’s graphic called what do you want kids to do with technology was the inspiration for my graphic. I created this for the same reasons he created his. Coding affords a means through which some incredibly powerful making and learning can take place.
Via John Evans
"I’m about to say something totally unbelievable and completely ridiculous: I love Star Wars. There. It’s good to get that bombshell off my chest. I’m a huge fan of the series and eagerly await the upcoming film by J.J. Abrams and the new Disney ownership.
After going through all of the trailers, both foreign and domestic, it occurs to me that there is one thing in particular that is a true standout. Is it the 3-pronged lightsaber? No. Is it the lack of Jar-Jar Binks? Potentially, but not really.
It’s the BB-8 droid that is taking the world by storm. Better still, it’s actually something you can now purchase (if you’re lucky to find one) in real life. How cool is that?"
Via John Evans
EmoXpress visar och tränar oss i att göra och känna igen ansiktsuttryck för olika känslor.
Via Andreas Wåhlström
As someone who primarily taught math and science when I was a classroom teacher, I associated robots, robotics curriculum, and robot apps as things that were only used in those subjects. However, this past year my school received a robot grant that provided ten robots for us from the company Sphero. Sphero emphasizes the power of play in education and has a variety of lessons that are aligned to the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards on their website. They also have a number of STEM challenges in the form pre-designed engineering projects designed for collaborative group work with students and are helpful for teachers using the robots in their classes.
Sphero is a robotic ball that can pair with an iPad, tablet, iPhone, or smartphone through Bluetooth, and getting started is relatively easy. Once you are ready to use Sphero, you take it off the charger stand and give it a “tap-tap” to “wake it up.” When the robot wakes up, it starts to flash three different colors until it pairs with the device you are using it with via Bluetooth. Once it turns blue, then you know that it is paired and ready to go. There are at least 14 different education related apps that are available with Sphero: some of them use augmented reality technology, some of them teach the basics of coding, while others allow students to draw on a tablet to manipulate the color and movement of the robot.
During the last week of June, I did a presentation at the ISTE conference with many other educators from all over the country who also received the robot grant. What amazed me was that people who taught subjects like language arts and social studies found incredible ways to integrate robotics into their curriculum to create some really engaging lessons for their students.
Via John Evans
Two schools are both alike in dignity. Part of our story takes place in Jersey City, NJ while the other part takes place 32 miles away in Roslyn, NY. Some would argue that this is the best of times and the worst of times in education. This case study will celebrate what is good about education today by presenting two stories that illustrate how Green Screen technology on iPad can be used to support authentic student voice in learning environments on different ends of the educational spectrum.
Via John Evans
Teaching your kids to code is just a matter of playing the right games, says Camille McCue. You don't need to be a programmer and it's great fun!
Via John Evans
One post that I have been meaning to write for these 2 (almost 3…yikes!) years is a review of my favorite apps. Shelley Tomich over at PitchHill.com is doing a Tech Talk Tuesday and encourages other music teachers to also blog about something techy. Here's my chance! Thanks Shelley for getting me writing again! She is also is a mom of little kids so we're in the same busy boat…however, I think she is able to find more hours in the day than me!! Good going, Shelley!
So here goes my top 5 Favorite iPad Apps for Music Class
Via John Evans
Earlier this month I decided to participate in the Thinglink App Smash Challenge, facilitated by Susan Oxnevad. The goal is to use ThingLink as a presentation tool to demonstrate how to combine the functionality of two or more apps to create, publish and share content. It was more difficult than I thought because I had a hard time narrowing down which apps I wanted to use in my submission. I finally decided on Book Creator because of its cross-curricular nature, and its ability to include various types of media. Here is the flow of the lesson:
Students choose a scene maker app to create an original visual writing prompt
Students upload their image to Book Creator
Add original composition using the text feature
Add narration by recording
Publish final project as e Book or movie
Via John Evans
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