Category Archives: Resources

Newton Library CodeCampKidz Fills Up in No Time

Resources

The Newton Free Library will offer CodeCampKids for kids entering Grades 5-7, to take them from NO experience in coding to creating their own basic app pages.  It will meet August 6, 10, 17, and 25.  Unfortunately the registration list, which opened three days ago, is already filled, as is the waiting list.  Clearly there’s more demand for courses that introduce Newton’s kids to coding!

For those who did not get into the camp, there are many online resources for learning various aspects of coding.  Here’s a list from Infoworld and other sources:

Want to Start a FIRST Lego League Team? The LigerBots Can Help

Opportunities, Resources

IMAG2774Last Wednesday evening, coaches and student leaders of the LigerBots high-school robotics team held an information session for a standing-room-only crowd of Newton parents (and kids) who want to start (or join) a FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics team.  FLL teams, consisting of 2 to 10 students in Grades 4-8, supported by 2 adult coaches, compete in the fall season by a) building and programming a LEGO robot to complete assigned missions and b) researching and presenting results for a project based on the FLL theme for the year.  This year’s theme is Trash Trek.  Most teams fill up quickly, so parents looking for teams for their children should consider coaching.  Technical expertise is not required, and there is considerable help available from LigerBots high-school students (who are eager to cultivate interest in FIRST among younger students) and from other FLL coaches, many of whom are in an online discussion group.  If you’d like to learn more about coaching an FLL team, or if you’d like to connect with other FLL teams in Newton, visit ligerbots.org/fll.php or email fll@ligerbots.com or fll@newtonstem.org.

Workshop: Simulation and Modeling for Middle/High School STEM Teachers, July 13-15

Resources

Middle- and high-school STEM teachers are invited to a free, three-day workshop on using computer simulation and modeling in the classroom.  They will learn how to use StarLogo Nova simulation software and explore the use of computer-science modeling in students’ science investigations.  Sponsored by NSF-funded ECEP and MassCAN, this Project GUTS — Growing Up Thinking Scientifically — workshop will run July 13-15 at Framingham State University.  Register online.  For more information, contact Kelly Powers, CSTA Greater Boston, kelpowers@gmail.com or Jim Stanton, MassCAN, jstanton@edc.org.

BATEC Info-Tech Summer Professional Development, Aug. 10-14

Resources, Summer

The Broadening Advanced Technological Educational Connections (BATEC) National Summer Institute provides free, intensive, week-long “Train the Trainer” professional development for current faculty of high schools, community colleges, and universities.  This summer the BATEC Summer Institute will be held August 10-14, 7:30AM-12:30PM, at UMass Boston (100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston).  For more information, contact Katie McGeary at katie.mcgeary@umb.edu.  View course descriptions and register online for one of these concurrent courses:

Advance HTML 5 CSS Specialist, Android Development, Culturally Situated Design Tools, Data Science and Big Data Analytics, Ethical Hacking, Linux Essentials, Moving Beyond the Lecture, Oracle, Python, and Ruby on Rails.

Teachers on the Estuary — Professional Development, July13-16 in Falmouth

Events, Opportunities, Resources

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) offers ‘Teachers on the Estuary‘ (PDF) — a field-based professional development program for middle- and high-school teachers interested in watershed and estuary topics, July 13-16, at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Falmouth on Cape Cod.  See this page for links to syllabus and application.  Free but space is limited.   Teachers will be awarded equipment and $200 implementation mini-grants.  Rustic lodging and camping is available.  Contact Joan Muller at 508-457-0495 x107.

WPI’s Saturday Workshops for STEM Teachers, April 11

Events, Resources

The Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI will host STEM Super Saturday workshops for educators on Saturday, April 11, 7:30AM-noon. Please register by April 3, but walk-ins are welcome.  Cost is $25. For more information or to register, contact Jackie Bonneau at bonneau@wpi.edu or Shari Weaver at sweaver@wpi.edu.

  • Simulation in Biology
  • STEM for ALL!  Integrated STEM Activities for Diverse Learners
  • Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D Printing
  • Volcano Voyagers
  • Blowing in the Wind:  Exploring the Environment through Data Analysis

Elementary Teachers: Learn About ‘STOP for Science’ — April 1

Opportunities, Resources

Framingham State University’s Christa McAuliffe Center (100 State St., Framingham) will host a professional-development workshop (4:30-6PM on April 1) for elementary-school teachers to learn about “STOP for Science,” a program of materials and exhibits to increase students’ interest in science.  Themes include:  When stars go BOOM; Somewhere over the Rainbow; How Tall is Tall?; Choke Up on that Bat!; That’s Fast!  Cost is $10.  Registration is required.

NASA Webinars for Teachers: STEM in Sports, March 2-19

Resources

NASA is offering STEM Mania — a series of free professional-development webinars for teachers, emphasizing the connections between STEM and sports.  They take place at 4PM Mondays through Thursdays, March 2-19.  Register online for:

  • Sports STEM is Newton’s Laws at Play (Grades 3-5), March 2
  • Hydration Station: The Importance of Hydration in Sports/ISS (Grades K-12), March 3
  • NASA eCLIPS: Keeping the Beat: a Cardiac Relay (Grades K-5), March 4
  • Spaced Out Sports (Grades 5-8), March 5
  • It’s All in Your Head: NASA Investigates Techniques for Measuring Intracranial Pressure (Grades 6-12), March 9
  • Soccer Ball Aerodynamics and the Force of Flight (Grades 4-8), March 10
  • NASA Sports Spinoffs (Grades 5-8), March 11
  • International Toys in Space (Grades 3-8), March 12
  • Space, Satellites and Sports (Grades K-5), March 16
  • The Big Game of STEM: Robotics as a Competitive Sport (Grades K-12), March 17
  • Mission X: The Next Generation of Fit Explorers (Grades 3-5), March 18
  • NASA Rockets 2 Racecars (Grades 5-8), March 19

Credit: www.tennisracquets.com/collections/wilson-racquets