Pitsco's latest curriculum, Expeditions, is creating a lot of positive buzz in STEM circles: the curriculum is more flexible, more rigorous, and better aligns to state and national science standards. The ITC (In the Cloud) classroom management system allows for immediate updates. The curriculum is more flexible than modules -- teachers can choose to implement as a rotational or whole class solution (or a combination of both!) The excitement is palpable -- people are excited to see this curriculum for themselves, and understand how it will best fit into their classrooms. This video shows a sample lesson of Engineering Rockets, and guides the user through a short introduction. What did you think? Keep asking questions -- at Moss, we're excited that YOU are excited. We want to help you understand this new curriculum, and how it can improve your district's STEM outcomes.
What more information? Check out this blog post (with FAQs). And contact your Education Specialist for more information -- we're here to help!
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Hands-on activities are important for every class, but paramount for science classes. The biggest challenge teachers have in incorporating class activities is the amount of set up time it takes to prepare for class. Labs can take up to 90 minutes – each day – to set up, which is costly for teachers.
Labdisc makes it possible to incorporate hands-on instruction while saving teachers in set up time without sacrificing quality instruction. The Labdisc is the only all-in-one wireless laboratory which teachers can apply in instruction. An all-in-one science lab in the palm of your hand, Labdisc is an important classroom tool:
Labdisc can integrate technology into science class with this affordable solution, and replaces science-class consumables with one easy-to-use tool. [Adapted from Pitsco Education’s Community Blog] Pitsco knows that adaptation is essential. The classroom has been changing, and Pitsco is changing with it. For the past several years, we’ve noticed a trend toward more flexible curriculum and environments. With the availability of open resources and easier access to collaboration, educators have more control over how they’ll deliver material and which pieces they would like to use. And we would like to help. We’ve embraced the changes as an opportunity to reconfigure our Modules curriculum to meet the varying needs of educators, and we will soon be releasing it under the name of STEM Expeditions. We’ve built it from the ground up based on Common Core State Standards. However, it’s also flexible enough to fit well with any standards your state might be using. Other standards we considered while writing this curriculum include ITEEA and NGSS. STEM Expeditions will be cloud based and incorporate STEM concepts into relevant, real-world activities. Each Expedition will begin with an Essential Question, which sets the focus and shapes students’ thinking. Career connections have always been an important part of our curriculum, and we will continue to weave those in. Students will work together to complete the activities. Collaboration and teamwork will be key. STEM Expeditions takes an integrated approach to education. Students are learning several different subjects at the same time and finding out why it matters. For example, in STEM Expeditions, they might be working through a hands-on science activity and can’t move forward without applying math in many forms. We’ve observed how well the integration works in our beta test sites, such as when students have to measure distances and work practical conversions. They might have learned this skill in an earlier grade, but without context conversions, it can be quickly forgotten. STEM Expeditions give students a reason to use concepts learned in other content areas again. If you’ve used our Modules titles, STEM Expeditions will be very familiar to you. We’ve simply updated them with today’s educator in mind. You could say we adapted. You’ll be able to use STEM Expeditions rotationally or whole class. We believe the curriculum we’ve created will be easier to tie into things that you are experiencing locally. I think your students will reach a deeper level of learning and that you’ll find it more flexible to suit your needs. Learn more: According to the EPA, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors, where some pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels. That's why you may have heard about emissions testing. The goal behind emissions testing is to limit the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into indoor environments. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors. That's why purchasing furniture and other low VOC emitting interior products is important.
The Interior Concepts product line is MAS Certified Green as a low VOC-emitting product, contributing towards creating a healthy indoor air quality environment. This designation certifies Interior Concepts products as Low VOC Emitting Furniture in accordance with the following standards:
Be confident in the materials used to build and furnish your school. Or, click here to check out Interior Concept's Environmental Policy: STEM education is evolving. Educators want more personalization in their classrooms, from more flexible curriculum and environments, more collaboration, and better technology integration. It sounds like a tall order, right? Pitsco Education has the answer with Expeditions. Pitsco’s cloud-based STEM Expeditions promote science inquiry, math practices, and engineering design principles by incorporating STEM concepts into real-world, relevant activities. Each Expedition begins with an Essential Question, which sets the focus and shapes students’ thinking. The overall goal is to create critical thinkers and problem solvers by presenting real-world challenges to engage learners with the subject matter. Students are exposed to career connections woven throughout each
Expedition. Fundamental to the Expeditions learning process are collaboration and teamwork. Students collaborate in pairs and in teams as they seek to answer their Essential Question while recording data in logbooks and data sheets to authenticate their learning. Expeditions are designed to be tailored to teachers and blend teacher-led instruction with student-directed, collaborative activities. These activities guide student exploration through hands-on discovery and experimentation. Activity Resources are delivered in various forms including interactive content, and videos provide instruction, relate procedures, teach concepts, and provide opportunities for practice. This curriculum ensures that teachers can teach and that students will develop the expertise that will benefit them in the classroom and beyond. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing new information regarding Expeditions. Stay tuned for that info! In the meantime, check out this post from Pitsco: While catching up on one of our favorite columns, we came across an interesting piece on Makerspaces. A Makerspace is a dedicated space in a school, often in a library, resource room or common area, which encourages creativity and exploration. Outside of a typical classroom, they provide a safe space where students of all ages can build, design and test their own theories. Makerspaces can come in a lot of different forms and contain a host of different tools, but they generally have a few things in common:
A Makerspace can have a huge impact on educational outcomes, but seem like a fun break from the normal classroom routine for your students. Does your school have a Makerspace? Tell us about it – share your Makerspace Best Practices in the comments section! Additional reading from Pitsco Education: FANUC America is inviting all FANUC CERT schools to design the next Project Based Learning (PBL) kit!
The FANUC Advanced Automation Challenge provides a unique opportunity to show us your innovations. FANUC is asking Tomorrow's Innovators to highlight the utilization of robotic automation and technology through Project Based Learning that exemplify STEM learning outcomes. Show us your creative ideas using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to problem solve real-world challenges and strengthen your STEM knowledge. Great prizes at stake, including: 1st place: (1) FANUC MliA Tabletop robot and (1) $1500 scholarship award 2nd place: (2) Teach Pendants and Conversion Kits, (10) Academic ROBOGUIDE Licenses*, and (1) $500 scholarship award 3rd place: (10) Academic ROBOGUIDE Licenses* and (1) $500 scholarship award Click here for submission guidelines, as well as the official submission form: Many STEM projects focus mainly on the STE-, neglecting the M(ath) component. Meanwhile mathematics proficiency in high school students has fallen to 32% -- disqualifying many graduates from entry-level jobs. Our team of roboticists, engineers, teachers and professors are dedicated to fixing the education system using 21st century technology, bringing math to life and preparing students for their future, ensuring their career and college readiness.
RobotsLAB BOX moves abstract mathematical concepts away from the white board and transforms them into real life demonstrations. Students can see a quadcopter teach quadratic equations, a rover demonstrate angular and linear concepts conversions, and a robotic arm will show you what the word cosine really means. Why Teach Math with RobotsLAB BOX?
Forbes magazine recently published a compelling article, 3 Ways The Skills Gap Offers Opportunity, about the state and evolution of the workforce for skilled workers. The article aims to dispel the myth that a four-year degree is the optimal path to a prosperous future, reminding readers, for example that, “today around 13 million Americans, many with college degrees, are unemployed, and that does not include those who are underemployed or have given up trying to find work. Yet, nearly five million jobs remain unfilled. Jobs in advanced manufacturing, electrical trades, jobs in healthcare and cyber-security to name just a few.”
The economy needs more skilled workers, who gain mastery through hands-on work and via vocational and technical training. The article further points out how the path of vocational and technical training might best be navigated, and how that path helps people avoid the often immense debt associated with a four-year college degree, while also providing “real world,” industry recognized skills in a hands-on context. If you teach in an ag classroom, you know your students are as diverse as they come. Students may be drawn to agriculture because of family history or a love of animals, but what they learn in the classroom has the power to transform in ways we haven’t thought of yet. Students who study agriculture go on to careers ranging from biotechnology to machinists and engineers. No other field of study has such broad implications. What do students need to master to be successful in ag-related careers? We’ve developed a list of the essential subject matter for ag students:
What subject matter is a must-have for your agriculture education programs? Let us know in the comment section! Moss can help you enhance your agriculture programs – see our Agriculture Education page for more information. |
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