November 15, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
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100 K-12 Oklahoma educators from across the state attended the Oklahoma STEM Academy, November 14th at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center in Shawnee. The Oklahoma STEM Academy is one of several initiatives supported by the Oklahoma Department of Education. Jennifer Goldner, a science educator and project director from Jay Public Schools in Oklahoma; Glen Schuster, NASA Endeavor's Project Director; and Dr. April Adams of Northeastern State University coordinated the effort for the Oklahoma STEM Education Collaborative.
Each attendee gained valuable resources, strategies, content knowledge and "take-away" activities to bring back to his/her classrooms. Presenters included Northeastern State University (NSU) faculty members and instructors, graduates and staff from NASA's Endeavor Science Teacher Certificate Project, a prestigious online STEM education certificate program serving k-12 educators nationally.
Engaging session topics included Computer Programming, Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Data, Engineering Design Challenges, Integrating Mars Data, Ocean Literacy, and more. The quick, 30-minute session format allowed educators to attend a number of sessions after school without interrupting their school day. One attendee commented, "I took away lessons that are adaptable and easily implemented into my classroom. My administrator was also excited that I got to participate in the STEM professional development in an effort to not only help our test scores, but also to get our students engaged in STEM
In addition to attending the Academy, hundreds of Oklahoma educators applied and over 50 were selected to complete one of NASA Endeavor's live, online courses in Climate Science, Engineering, or Mathematics with Weather Data for the classroom. Courses teach STEM content knowledge and pedagogy and are offered as electives in the STEM Leadership Certificate program or joint Masters degree options with Oklahoma's Northeastern State University. Finally, statewide webinars introduced STEM Education content and pedagogy for both teachers and administrators across the state earlier in the fall.
For additional information about the Oklahoma STEM Education Collaborative, visit:
http://www.us-satellite.net/endeavor/ok
