"Maker Movement" Mobilizes in Mojave

To follow-up to the post here on 1 March 2011, The "Maker Movement" Working with STEM Education , Allison Gatlin reports in today's Antelope Valley Press that five local engineers from entities located at the Mojave Air and Spaceport have formed a collaborative "makerspace" or "hackerspace" for members to work on innovative designs and share common interests.  Their mission is to support the arts and STEM through outreach to surrounding communities.  For more information on the Mojave Makers, visit their wiki at http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Mojave_Makers .

Study Shows High Interest by Girls in STEM Careers

The recently-released "Generation STEM" report from the Girl Scout Research Institute shows that 74 percent of girls are interested in STEM subjects, and 82 percent see themselves as "smart enough" to have a career in them; conversely, only 13 percent say that they would choose to pursue such a career.  Some cite factors such as the "glass ceiling,"  requiring them to work harder than men in the profession in order to be taken seriously.  Girl Scouts has undertaken a number of initiatives to help spur STEM achievement by its members, using such things as the AT&T Imagine grant for funding.  http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2012/02/girl_scouts_help_increase_inte.html

In a related vein, Thomas Landers in NewsOK writes that recent studies show that early exposure and encouragement in STEM fields can double career interest in those areas.  http://newsok.com/early-motivation-leads-to-success-in-stem/article/3650967

Riverside Considering Addition of STEM Schools

Hyatt Elementary in Riverside has been proposed to house a STEM Academy for students through eighth grade, and eventually expanding to high school grades.  One advantage to the site is the proximity of UC Riverside, as well as the Box Springs Mountain preserve.  Board consideration is expected in early March.  http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-education-headlines/20120221-riverside-hyatt-elementary-proposed-for-stem-academy.ece  Additionally, REACH (Reaching Excellence in Academics through Community and Homeschool partnerships) Leadership Academy charter school's petition is being proposed for approval by the Riverside Unified School Board.  The charter is expected to focus on STEM and innovative practices.  Riverside teachers were among those who helped to draft the charter petition and plan.  http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-education-headlines/20120220-riverside-board-expected-to-grant-school-charter.ece

Academy Aimed at Training Students to Fill Aerospace Manufacturing Positions

Hawthorne High School's Academy of Manufacturing and Engineering, located near Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon, among others, in the LA South Bay, has received a $16,000 grant from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to obtain equipment to help train students in manufacturing and engineering skills needed by the employers and to begin an after-school program.  Students who are members of the academy, 85% of whom are considered at-risk, can work on a computerized machine in the metals shop and are enthusiastic about designing and creating new machines. 

Due to the greying work-force, there is concern that the next generation of skilled workers is not being prepared to enter these jobs.  South Bay manufacturer SpaceX currently has 200 open positions.  In addition to backing high-school programs, SME is funding a new reality show pilot called "Edge Factor."  http://www.scpr.org/programs/madeleine-brand/2012/02/16/22561/aerospace-manufacturing-jobs-are-here-skilled-work

CDE Seeking Math Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee Members; Math Resources

The California Department of Education is seeking applicants for the Math Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee to support changes due to alignment with the Common Core State Standards.  Nine to 20 members of the committee will be selected to include a balance of regions, mathematical content knowledge, and grade levels.  The committee will meet up to six times between September 2012 and February 2012.  The deadline to apply is 18 April 2012.  For more information, go to http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/ 

Additional resource links have been posted on the California Common Core Standards page:  "Inside Mathematics" regarding innovative teaching practices (http://insidemathematics.org/), The Illustrative Mathematics Project illustrating the standards with teacher-reviewed projects (http://165.74.253.23/t/970377/1722891/534/0/ ), and "Achieve the Core" with a host of free resources from the creators of the CCSS (http://www.achievethecore.org/).

"Powering the Digital Classroom: More Than Just Computers" Webinar on 3/28/12

A free webinar event on 28 March 2012 at 11:00am PST will be moderated by Thomas Greaves and Barbara Rudolph; entitled "Pwering the Digital Classroom:  More Than Just Computers," the session will cover the range from one-computer classrooms to classes where students bring their own devices or districts utilizing iPad initiatives, and how to leverage assets to achieve the greatest student results.  For more details and to register, visit http://timetoknow.eventbrite.com/.

2012 Kavli Science Video Contest Entries Due by 3/21/12

As a component of the 2012 USA Science and Engineering Festival, students in grades 6-12 may compete in the Kavli Science Video Contest, submitting 30- to 90-second videos on the theme "Save the World Through Science and Engineering."  The winner will receive $2,000 and a travel stipend to attend the Festival in Washington, DC 27-29 April 2012, where top submissions will be shown.  Entries are due by no later than 21 March 2012.  For further details, see http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/kavli-video-contest.

"Empowering Students with Clickers" Webinar on 3/8/12

Eric Hartman, MS Digital Citizenship, from St. Anne School, will moderate a free webinar on 8 March 2012 at 11:00am PST on "Empowering Students with Clickers: Enhancing the Learning Environment with Student Response Systems."  The webinar will include information from his case study on how to integrate i>clicker into existing lessons and technology applications, overcoming common pitfalls, and increasing student engagement.  To register, go to http://iclicker.eventbrite.com/

Webinar on "Understanding the Culture of Poverty in the Classroom" Slated for 2/25/12

Ken Eaves, Dean of Workforce and Economic Development at Barstow Community College, will be moderating a two-part webinar series beginning 25 February 2012 from 10:00am to noon; the first session will be on "Understanding the Culture of Poverty in the Classroom," and is designed to assist faculty to understand how students react and learn, and how instructors can best respond.

To access this Perkins-sponsored CCC Confer session, call  (888) 886-3951 and enter the passcode 197795; the web portion will be displayed at http://www.cccconfer.org/ - find your meeting and click "Go."  For assistance, e-mail clientservices@cccconfer.org

California Math Council Conference 11/2-11/3/12 in Palm Springs

The California Math Council Southern Section will host its annual conference on 2-3 November 2012 in Palm Springs.  The theme will be "Building Student Mathematical Identity Through Common Core Practices."

For more information, visit http://www.cmc-math.org/activities/conferences.html