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May 20, 2020
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STAR Net Launches New STEAM Ahead @ Home Facebook Group!
Due to numerous requests (during our STAR Net Social Hours) for ways in which libraries can collaborate during the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), we have created a Facebook Group Page where your library can share ideas, resources and ask questions from others in the group. We strongly encourage you to join and take advantage of the knowledge that our community has to offer during this unprecedented time.
Note: We are also planning to add some wiki capabilities to our STEAM Ahead @ Home website that will allow libraries to build and organize lists of resources and ideas in a central location. Stay tuned for that announcement in the very near future!
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Don't Miss STAR Net's Next "Social Hour"!
We are hosting another social hour event on Thursday, May 21st at 12pm MT (2pm ET). As always, our goal for these conversations is to provide support, and an opportunity for members of our community to chat and share ideas. Cameras and mic’s will be on!
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Professional Development
Keep your skills sharp by utilizing these professional development resources.
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| Virtual Programs 101: Behind the Scenes at STAR Net
Thursday, May 28, 2020 | 1pm MT (3pm ET)
Are you gearing up to conduct virtual programs at your library and looking for tips, guidance, strategies, and resources?
Join the STAR Library Network for a “behind the scenes” look into how we facilitate our own virtual programs – the STAR Net Webinar Series! While nothing can replace a face-to-face interaction, virtual programs can open up new opportunities for learners that may not have access to the library’s in-person resources. They can also allow your library staff to still engage with regular patrons during the COVID-19 crisis. Get more details >>
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| Telecon Opportunity: NASA Working For You
Friday, May 29, 2020 | 2pm PT (5pm ET)
Whether you've taught STEAM for decades, are starting your informal education career, or are just wondering how to use NASA content to better engage your audiences, come learn how NASA can help you, and how our tools can save your team time and effort.
The NASA Museum Alliance supports informal educators at museums, planetariums, libraries, etc. around the world with professional development, custom resources, and personalized assistance with everything from exhibits, to student programs to planetarium shows.
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| Featured Article: Engaging and Supporting Families During Distance Learning
As many educators and families experienced, the transition to distance learning happened quickly. Over the course of 24 hours, I went from telling my kindergarten and first-grade students to leave their work out for the next school day to sitting with my staff and attempting to figure out what distance learning would possibly look like.
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Ready to Share with Patrons
Below is a set of resources that can be provided directly to families without the need of facilitation by library staff.
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| Family STEM Cards
The Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative has developed STEM activities that use household materials into a deck of cards families can use to engage with STEM at home. The cards are formatted for easy printing at home.
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| SciGirls Video: Escuadrón Espacial (Space Squad)
In this episode (available in both English and Spanish), Texas SciGirls Katya, Mariana, Angela and Eloyda are inspired by the first Latina astronaut in space, astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa, as they design their own water bottle insulators.
SciGirls is a show for kids ages 8-12, showcasing bright, curious, real tween girls putting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to work in their everyday lives. These are 30-minute STEM adventures featuring real girls—not actors—and their science mentors.
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| Digital App: Rover Coder
It takes so long to get signals back and forth to Mars that you can’t just drive a rover, you have to program how you want it to move. See if you can get this rover to various targets. Each level will get a little harder, but we’ll give you more programming commands to help. And if you’d rather just draw in the sand, try the Free Play mode.
Available on smartphones and tablets!
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Virtual Programs
Use these featured resources to faciliate hands-on STEAM activities (using common household materials) for your patrons at home.
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| Virtual Program: Make a Star Finder
Patrons make an origami "fortune teller" from a template that helps them learn their way around the night sky by finding constellations.
You will be able to download and print the Star Finder for each month of the year!
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"NASA at Home" Resources
Let NASA bring the universe into your home.
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| Launch America and NASA's 360 VR Tours
On Wednesday, May 27, 4:33 p.m. EDT, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch Crew Dragon, with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard the spacecraft — the first time NASA has launched American astronauts to the International Space Station from American soil since the end of the space shuttle era in 2011.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) works with commercial partners (like SpaceX) to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil on American-built rockets and spacecraft. NASA has created immersive videos that share the story of a groundbreaking innovation borne of this government-industry partnership.
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| Find us elsewhere! Click any of the above images to link
to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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| The STAR Library Network (STAR Net) is a hands-on learning network for libraries and their communities across the country. STAR Net focuses on helping library professionals build their STEM skills by providing “science-technology activities and resources” (STAR) and training to use those resources. Plus, engage public audiences nationwide in informal and lifelong learning with the excitement of exploration and discovery through STAR Net's NASA@ My Library program!
STAR Net is built upon a strong network of collaborators and partners, led by the Space Science Institute’s (SSI) National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL). Partners include the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office, Collaborative Summer Library Program, Chief officers of State Library Agencies, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Afterschool Alliance, Education Development Center, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Cornerstones of Science. Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation, NASA Science Mission Directorate, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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