Project Spotlight: Digital East St. Louis
BlogSTELAR had the opportunity to catch up with Sharon Locke of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville for the Digital East St. Louis: An Urban Place-Based Learning Model to Promote Information Technology and Computer Science Career Interests of Minority Youth project. The Digital East St. Louis project is a longitudinal study of a cohort of 50 middle school students is examining the potential for digital humanities to increase interest in
Project Spotlight: Preparing Responsive Educators using Place-Based Authentic Research in Earth Systems (PREPARES)
BlogSTELAR had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Kathy Bertram of Alaska Pacific University, Principal Investigator for the Preparing Responsive Educators using Place-Based Authentic Research in Earth Systems (PREPARES) project. PREPARES works with indigenous middle school students from Alaska and Hawaii, engaging them in learning about place-based, culturally responsive climate changes of critical interest to their Elders, and about the STEM
Project Spotlight: Middle School Pathways in Computer Science
BlogSTELAR recently connected with members of the Middle School Pathways in Computer Science ITEST project, Principal Investigator Dr. Fred Martin and Akira Kamiya, Teacher Learning Center Director. CS Pathways is a partnership between UMass Lowell (UML), the Tri-City Technology Education Collaborative (TRITEC), and the urban school districts of Medford and Everett, Massachusetts. The project brings a computing curriculum based on creating socially
On the Program for K-12: Computational Thinking
BlogEDC’s Joyce Malyn-Smith discusses how technology can help all students extend their own thinking and solve complex problems.
STELAR Insider: A look at the ITEST Management Information System (MIS)
BlogThe Management Information System (MIS) survey is distributed to ITEST projects annually every fall. This blog post was written about the 2015-2016 MIS, our eighth running of the MIS. In fall of 2019 we will collect information from projects on their 2018-2019 activities - our 11th year of ITEST project data collected!What is the MIS, and why does STELAR ask projects to complete it? In the early years of the ITEST program, NSF would request
ITEST projects address NSF priorities on youth participation, teacher professional development and broadening participation in STEM
BlogSTELAR is excited to announce the publication of four syntheses that describe results of the ITEST program since its beginning in 2003. ITEST projects have designed experiences for youth that contribute to their STEM interests, they have contributed to the field of STEM professional development for teachers, and they have designed projects that broaden the reach of in-school and out-of-school projects to youth who don’t otherwise have access to
Strong PI/Evaluator Partnerships: A "User's Guide"
BlogThis is a reposting of a blog originally published on Education Development Center, Inc.'s Learning and Teaching website.Leslie Goodyear, PhD, brings more than 16 years of experience evaluating educational projects and programs at local, regional, national, and international levels. Goodyear, the Associate Editor of the American Journal of Evaluation and a former Board member of the American Evaluation Association, has conducted evaluations and
Framing Next Steps in Research for ITEST
BlogJoyce Malyn-Smith is a national expert on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce development. She has a deep knowledge of how learners develop skills to prepare for productive and rewarding work life. And, she has a special interest in the innovation economy and how technology and informal learning can spark creativity and cultivate and sustain students' interest in STEM careers. From 2003 to 2013, she served as the PI
Smart and Connected Communities in practice: The Billion Oyster Project
BlogWhat can Smart and Connected Communities be, and what can they do? The Collaboratory NYC, with funding from NSF's ITEST program, is putting its vision of Smart and Connected Communities into practice through the Billion Oyster Project. The project has brought together multiple stakeholders around a unifying challenge: repopulating oysters in New York Harbor. Why does this matter, and what is being done?
Project Spotlight: Innovation Institute
BlogSTELAR recently connected with Priya Mohabir, Director of the Alan J. Friedman Center For the Development of Young Scientists at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and her colleague, David Wells, Director of Maker Programming. Priya is the Principal Investigator of the Innovation Institute project. The Innovation Institute (I2) takes high school students through the entire process of inventing a device, software or other technology. I2 stresses