Registration is open now for the April 12 event
Join educators from around southeast Minnesota in this peer-to-peer professional development opportunity to up-skill your STEM expertise and create a strong STEM identity in your students. Immerse yourself in some of these hands-on breakout sessions:
A STEM Career Can Start with an Entry Level Position
Regardless of what path a student is looking to follow, an entry level position can be part of that pathway. We will look at what qualifies as an entry level position, the types of entry level positions, and the benefits of entry level positions.
Combining Literacy and Engineering in Early Childhood Classrooms
Ideas for incorporating incorporate STEM education into literacy for lower elementary students. It doesn’t have to be expensive and you don’t need fancy technology. Ideas for taking things you already do in your classroom and adding STEM education. Actual lesson ideas that are used in a kindergarten classroom!
Equity, Belonging, and CS: What the Graphic Novel Power On! Can Teach Us
In this interactive and collaborative session, we dig into the equity ideas and CS concepts from the graphic novel Power On! by Jean J. Ryoo, Jane Margolis, and Charis JB. We will offer two approaches. The first will be how to apply these ideas with CS high school students and ways to discuss the salient topics from AI to access. The second approach will be how to lead discussions with your PLC and CS curriculum teams. Participants will engage in activities centering on social justice issues in CS, creating a sense of belonging in the classroom, and using the interdisciplinary lens of literature and CS. In addition, participants will come away with lesson ideas aligned with CS standards and discussion guides to use with colleagues.
Encouraging Entry Level Roles as Another Pathway to the Future
This presentation will focus on encouraging students to consider entry level roles as a pathway to a fulfilling career. The benefits of entry level roles are discussed.
This is AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) surrounds us and already deeply impacts many of us almost daily, from social media recommendations to smart homes and automobile safety. Attendees will explore an array of AI tools to better understand what artificial intelligence is and how it is part of our everyday world, then evaluate it from their own unique perspectives. You’ll walk away with projects that will build the skills needed to change the course of AI's future, from thwarting facial recognition in search of privacy to weighing the pros and cons of deep fakes in politics. Attendees will explore how AI fits into their curriculum and participate in collaborative brainstorm to develop a community knowledge base of projects.
AI in Every Career
Artificial intelligence (AI) will have a profound impact on our future. AI already deeply affects our Generation Z students, from TikTok's recommendations to automated resume readers. Attendees will explore various careers to consider how AI might impact them differently. Leveraging students' everyday interests, you’ll walk away with projects that will build the skills needed to thrive in an AI world, from understanding bias to getting a loan. Attendees will explore how AI fits into their curriculum and participate in a collaborative brainstorm to develop a community knowledge base of projects.
TechFest
TechFest will highlight vendors to expose event attendees to innovation, progress, and the future in technology and curriculum that will influence the delivery of STEM education through engaging activities, interactive exhibits, games, and demonstrations.
And more!
