Jonathan Gerlach, an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator, discusses the difficulty of defining science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in this month’s NSTA Reports commentary. I’d like to know what educators — whether you’re in one of the STEM fields or not — and others think about this. Is there a clear way to define [...]
I talk to teachers from all over the country during the national conference and am no longer surprised to find some who have traveled from distance corners of the nation. There also usually an international group. But once in a while, I’ll meet a teacher like Elizabeth who attends the conference despite the fact that she [...]
Saturday morning and the conference is going strong. As I was walking down the hall, I overheard a woman telling a friend how she was overwhelmed — there was just too much that she wanted to do while here. She said, “Next year, I’m coming a day earlier!” Guess it’s time to start planning for [...]
It’s been a long day, but there are still sessions going on. The exhibit hall is still a popular spot with many folks checking out the latest texts, software, and other “interactives” like the walking stick pictured here!
Indianapolis chemistry teacher Georgia Watson was enthusiastic about her experience today at the NSTA national conference. Not only did she present on her project-based forensic science program, but she also visited the exhibit hall, where she collected resources—including several free ones! Deanna, in town from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been attending sessions this morning, focusing [...]
This morning’s session on the Framework for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) drew quite a crowd. In addition to the people sitting and standing around the periphery, I saw a number of educators standing in the hallway just outside the door. Some attendees posed questions, ranging from the inclusion of controversial topics in the [...]
The Elementary Extravaganza opened this morning at 8 am. When I stopped by a little later, the room was packed (I heard an estimate of approximately 500 attendees). Teachers were testing out a variety of activities—I saw balloons, balls, and other objects flying around several tables. I also saw Page Keeley, former NSTA president and [...]
I talked to a couple science educators earlier today about why they came to the NSTA National Conference in Indianapolis. Indiana resident John Sellers was looking for ideas to add to his curriculum. Peter Garik, who presented a session on science and engineering, wanted to share information on his program at Boston University and gather feedback from [...]
I’ve met conference attendees from all over—including Washington, Tennessee, North Carolina, as well as many from Indiana. But not all the attendees I’ve met have been of the human variety. In the exhibit hall, a possum, a pair of penguins, a snake, and a screech owl were attracting a lot of attention.
Every NSTA conference has some things in common—particularly the crowd of people gathered outside the exhibit hall prior to the official opening. Regardless of whether we’re in Boston, New Orleans, or Indianapolis, there is always a crowd eager to get in the hall and see the latest and greatest from the vendors displaying and demonstrating [...]
