ITEST Resources

In this experience report, we share our experiences in growing a community of practice for middle and high school teachers focused on teaching introductory computing with Alice. We have offered professional development for over four hundred teachers, teachers who each year provide nearly 2,000 students with an introductory computing experience in courses during the school day. We report on several lessons learned in creating, growing, and supporting a community of practice. (NOTE: Fee or membership is required to access)

A paper describing the success of the project NetSci High is now published as part of the proceedings for the 6th Workshop on Complex Networks (CompleNet). We present NetSci High, our NSF-funded educational outreach program that connects high school students who are underrepresented in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics), and their teachers, with regional university research labs and provides them with the opportunity to work with researchers and graduate students on team-based, year-long network science research projects, culminating in a formal presentation at a network

How to engineer change in your middle school science classroom With the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards, your students won’t just be scientists—they’ll be engineers. But that doesn’t mean you need to reinvent the wheel. Respected science educator Cary Sneider has done the groundwork for you, collecting a full range of time-tested curriculum materials to seamlessly weave engineering and technology concepts into your math and science lessons. In this volume, you’ll find descriptions of instructional materials specifically created for—and tested in—middle school science

Network science is a significant pathway into understanding many kinds of Big Data. Since its inceptions during the late 20th century it has been increasing its relevance to people's everyday life. Networks can help us to make sense of this increasingly complex world, making it a useful literacy for people living in the 21st century. Recent work involving interventions directly with middle and high school students and teachers in developing network science skills in informal and student research settings has demonstrated that network science can be a powerful and motivating approach to

Within the context of NSF’s Dear Colleague letter that encourages innovative proposals for developing Smart and Connected Communities, speakers at the NSF-supported Next Generation STEM Learning for All Forum in November described how their work connects STEM learning with communities in need, how their work could shape schools of the future, and how to involve key systems and stakeholders in the development of these communities. View these presentation materials on the Forum website.

This book reports the results of a three-year research program funded by the National Science Foundation which targeted students and teachers from four Detroit high schools and discusses the creation of a Community of Designers-- an environment in which high school students and teachers, undergraduate/graduate student assistants, and STEM area faculty and industry experts worked together as a cohesive team.