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Emerging EdTech in the STEM Classroom

Lindsay Hawkins, Shayna Pond, Bradly Cusack, Matthew McDonald | Published: October 28th, 2021 by K20 Center

Essential Questions

  • How can a technology-enriched learning environment prepare students for postsecondary opportunities in a tech-driven world?

Learning Goals

  • Apply research-based practices to support the use of educational technology (EdTech).

  • Through the lens of science and engineering practices, connect the impact of EdTech to a tech-driven world.

  • Identify potential hurdles for the student learning experience with EdTech.

Materials List

  • Presentation Slides - Changing the Outcome by Measuring it: Emerging EdTech in the STEM Classroom

  • Sticky Notes

  • Markers

  • Posters (3 for a group of 12-17, 6 for 18+ participants)

  • NSTA Science and Engineering Practices Handout

  • Extended Matrix of NSTA Science and Engineering Practices Handout

  • First Word, Last Word Handouts (Coding, Communication, Technology, and Robot)

  • Swivl Scavenger Hunt

  • Instructional Strategy Note Sheet

  • TinkerCAD Task Cards

  • Scratch Task Cards

Engage

10 Minute(s)

To begin, display slide 3.

Using the First Word, Last Word strategy, activate prior knowledge of technology use in the classroom from your participants.

  • Have participants form 4 groups and pass out to each group a different First Word, Last Word Handout.

  • One group member will fill in the first word of the acrostic, then pass it to the next group member.

  • When the word is complete, have groups share out their group's acrostic and briefly discuss and come to an agreement on the chosen words' appropriateness with the whole group.

Once you have finished, inform your audience of the objectives and essential question for the PD on slide 4 and slide 5.

In this PD you will:

  • Apply research-based practices to support the use of educational technology (EdTech).

  • Through the lens of science and engineering practices, connect the impact of EdTech to a tech-driven world.

  • Identify potential hurdles for the student learning experience with EdTech.

And the essential question:

  • How can a technology-enriched learning environment prepare students for postsecondary opportunities in a tech-driven world?

Explore

60 Minute(s)

Depending on the note above, transition to either slide 6 or 8. On slide 6, show the quote to the participants and then play the video on slide 7. This video is meant to help set the foundation for coding in the upcoming activities by showing how important clear and sequential instructions are to communicating, particularly with a piece of technology.

In the next activity on slide 8, participants will rotate through a series of stations, each exploring a different educational technology. The three stations for today are:

  • Raspberry Pi and Scratch programming

  • Swivl Bots

  • 3D Printing with Thingiverse and TinkerCAD

Split the participants into small groups, and assign each a starting station. Participants now have twenty minutes to explore the technology by completing a task card. Participants follow directions on the task cards, working as far as they can in the activity before time. After each station, give 2-3 minutes for them to take notes over what they experienced on the Instructional Strategy Note Sheet.

Explain

10 Minute(s)

Using a modified Four Corners strategy, have participants choose which educational technology they explored that they liked the most or think would be possible for them to implement in the classroom and go stand by the poster for that technology. At the top of the poster, participants, as a group, should divide the page into two with a marker and complete an I Notice...I Wonder... responding to the prompts:

  • What did you notice about the technology you explored?

  • What do you wonder about implementing these technologies in your classroom?

Then, below the I Notice...I Wonder..., have participants record:

  • How can these technologies be implemented to help students prepare for a tech-driven world?

  • What are some potential hurdles in their implementation and do you have ideas for mitigating their effect?

Participants should respond on their poster and then return to their seats. We will return to these posters after the next activity.

Extend

Once participants have returned to their seats, transition to slide 18 and introduce the NSTA Science and Engineering Practices (a handout is included to print if you prefer). Inform participants that students need to connect what we have done to engineering practices in real life. Give participants a few minutes to go over the practices and think about which practice they think each technology meets.

On slide 19, have participants do a Gallery Walk looking at each poster, and using a sticky note, put what practice they think the technology meets and attach it to the poster for that technology. Does everyone agree with the assessments? Facilitate a brief discussion to see if a consensus can be achieved.

Evaluate

The session will wrap up with a 3-2-1 strategy, on slide 20. The prompts are below:

  • What are 3 classroom activities that you could enhance with these technologies?

  • What are 2 different ways that these technologies prepare students for a tech-driven world?

  • What is 1 hurdle that must be overcome when implementing these technologies into the classroom and how could you do it?

Finally, have participants rate today's session by following the QR code and filling in the evaluation form.

Research Rationale

The use of STEM-integrated technology in the classroom requires teacher preparation and intentional planning for student engagement. Teacher preparation must ensure that the collective total knowledge of all involved teachers is adequate, which can be accomplished through training and professional development that emphasizes “content knowledge, practices, implementation approaches, the connection between and among STEM disciplinary knowledge and skills, and assessment of learning outcomes” (Ntemngwa, 2018). Authenticity is needed, as the relationship between engineering and technology is more easily understood by students if science and math classes are carried out in the context of everyday life (Erdem, 2019). In order for lessons using STEM-integrated technology to be successful, teachers must provide clear lab instructions with embedded resources, such as YouTube videos, and create reasonable activities that are practical, fun, and/or doable under time constraints (Bhounsule et al, 2018). Finally, promoting an atmosphere where failure with problem-solving is acceptable must be cultivated: this can be accomplished using reflective self-assessment wherein students focus on themes such as group dynamics, problem scope, time management, and iteration/testing (Bitetti et al, 2018).

Resources

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K20 Center

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  • 3-2-1-Emergining-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • Extended-Matrix-of-NSTA-Science-and-Engineering-Practice-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • First-Word-Last-Word-Coding-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • First-Word-Last-Word-Communication-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • First-Word-Last-Word-Robot-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • First-Word-Last-Word-Technology-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • NSTA-Science-and-Engineering-Practices-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • Presentation-Slides-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • Resource-Note-Sheet-wQR-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • Scratch-Task-Cards-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • Swivl-Scavenger-Hunt-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom
  • TinkerCad-Basics-Station-Emerging-EdTech-in-the-STEM-Classroom

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