OC STEM Initiative's STEM Lab Report for May 2014.

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The Orange County STEM Initiativeâ€™s mission is to partner with community stakeholders invested in the improvement of the quality and outcome of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in Orange County to develop the critical thinking, creative and innovative leaders of tomorrow.

Newsletter Highlights

Advancing STEM Learning Through Collaboration
Aligning STEM & Maker Education

Spotlight on Community Members
STEM Community Events

Featured Stories

Advancing STEM Learning through Collaboration: STEM Learning Ecosystems Report

OC STEM Initiative has put theory into action by building one of the nationâ€™s leading STEM Learning Ecosystems here in Orange County. OC STEM Initiative unites individual stakeholders, educators, policy makers, afterschool programs, informal science centers and the community - all collaborating to build a strong "STEM Learning Ecosystem." OC STEM Initiative has been cited in a paper that describes the attributes and strategies of 15 leading ecosystem efforts throughout the country with the hopes that others may use these lessons to increase and enhance STEM learning. This paper was commissioned by the Noyce Foundation and co-authored by Kathleen Traphagen and Saskia Traill, Vice President for Policy and Research at TASC. (Read the Full Report).

Aligning STEM & Maker Education in the Classroom

Keeping students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is a growing challenge for educators. Maker Education's mission is to create more opportunities for all young people to develop confidence, creativity, and spark an interest in STEM through Making as a whole. As its name suggests, Making allows students to build, tinker, and experiment to create hands-on learning experiences. Educators can make STEM come alive by allowing students to engage in projects like building their own miniature robot. Making encourages learning through engagement, design, and building rather than textbook knowledge and standardized tests. Increasingly educators are starting to see how Making is more effective in getting young learners interested and excited about STEM. (Learn more about Maker Ed Initiative).

From May 1-30, 2014, OC STEM Initiative

is featuring a chance for educators create a hands-on project with their students that incorporates STEM and Making. The STEM-Maker Photo Contest challenges educators to come up with fun and creative ways to incorporate STEM and Making into their classrooms.

Interested in getting involved? The STEM-Maker Photo Contest is open to any PreK-8^th grade educator teaching in Orange County including formal, informal and after-school educators. Enter for a chance to win 1 of 4 gift cards to Lakeshore, and the opportunity for your photo to be featured in other OC STEM Initiative media! To learn more about STEM and Maker Education, email us at makers4ocstem@gmail.com. Visit our Contest Page to enter now!

Spotlight on Community Members

Shannon Alfaro, Computer Science Professor/Program Manager of AppJam+

Shannon Alfaro is a computer science professor at the University of California, Irvine. For the past 3 years she has been the project manager for AppJam+, a program where UC Irvine undergraduates mentor middle-school students from all over the Orange County to develop STEM-themed apps. In her interview, she describes what inspired her career choice, barriers in STEM, and the role of education in getting young audiences passionate and interested in STEM (Read more).

STEM Community Events

April-May 2014

Event Recap

OC STEM RISP Exploratorium & Workshop

On April 3, 2014, the OC STEM Initiative hosted the STEM Exploratorium & Workshop at the Tiger Woods Learning Center. This event held over 100 after-school/informal educators and provided them with hands-on project ideas and workshops, such as "Engaging Multimedia with Prezi" and "Using Motivation Theory to Build the 21st Century Learner." For information about attending similar events or joining the RISP network, contact Roy Lee at rlee@ocstem.org.

Upcoming May Events

OCDE Early Childhood Collaborative Conference May 3, 2014 8-3:45 p.m. (Register)
Innovators OC Charter School Forum May 21, 2014 6-8 p.m. (Register)
Environmental Nature Center â€œTeachers Night Outâ€ May 28, 2014 3:30-7 p.m. (Register)

Webinars

Bringing Equity to the Common Core May 7, 2014 3:30-4:30 p.m. PST (Register)
Science Centers: Powering STEM Learning May 12, 2014 9-10:30 a.m. PST (Register)

If you have any events you would like to see added in future newsletters, email us at nakridge@ocstem.org.

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