What Engineering, the E in STEM, means to K-12 education

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a term used to describe having these four topics integrated into K-12 education. It is an important topic and integrating STEM topics into any class can help students learn and explore. However, many educators aren't sure what this means or how to incorporate STEM topics into their classrooms, especially the "engineering" part.

The Opportunity Equation has a great article, "The “E” in STEM: Clarifying What Engineering Education Means for K-12". This article helps to explain what engineering would look like in K-12 education. Engineering and education experts shared their thoughts about the following questions:  What is engineering and what are the essential components that you feel ought to be included in K-12 education? What is the value of engineering education at the K-12 level? What are some examples of promising practices in K-12 engineering education?

This is a great resource to help explain the concept of engineering in K-12 education and how to implement it.

As a former engineer, I use engineering concepts in my classes on a regular basis and I see how it helps my students. I also use engineering concepts in my daily life, showing how important and useful this topic is to anyone.


Related:

STEM Resources for Education

kanban2go - free visual task management and organization

KanBan2Go is a free productivity and organizing app I learned about from Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers. kanban2go is a visual, online task management service. It's simple and easy to use and accessible online from computer, tablet or smartphone (mobile site, not app).

There is a To Do list that is where you put the tasks in the order of priority. The In Progress board is for the tasks that you are actively working on and the Done board is for the completed tasks. This is all done in a visual manner instead of just text and priority codes.



You can collaborate with others on the tasks and sync your tasks with Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, Evernote and share your boards through email or on Twitter. This is a great resource for teachers, administrators, and students to use to organize themselves and to do collaborative planning on projects.

Here's a video about kanban2go:



Kanban is a Japanese word that means billboard. Companies use Kanban boards to organize, communicate, prioritize and manage what they do. United Technologies uses Kanban's as part of it's ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence) program and I used it when I worked at Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky. Using Kanban's allowed us to work more efficiently, be better organized, let everyone know what was going on and where, and keep things working. We also used Kanban cards to create efficient workflows of parts, supplies, and materials throughout the plant.

This method can also be used in education - label things, create boards that communicate better to staff and students, and much more.

You can read more about Kanban here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban
Education and Personal Kanban it’s a Win Win Situation

It's also part of Kaizen, "continuous improvement" which is another thing schools could use.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen



Related:

Business/Manufacturing ideas applied to education
Apply Business Practices to Education - great ideas that can help education

5 Tips for Success - in school, business and in life
Getting Students and Teachers Organized - tips and resources
Evernote for Education Resources

Google Calendar for Educators

Tinkercad - web based, free CAD app

Tinkercad is a free, web based, CAD app that runs in your browser (need webGL enabled). It's easy to use and has some great features. Many CAD systems that engineers use are very complicated with thousands of features (I've used CATIA, ProEngineer, AutoCad, Cadkey) that students won't need.

Tinkercad allows you to create 3D models of pretty much anything, and even export them to 3D printers. The site has a getting started page that walks you through how to use it.

There is also a community of users for support and help.

This is a great resource for students and teachers to use in STEM Classes, or any class for that matter, to draw 3D models.




Related:

Google Sells SketchUp 3D modeling software - promises free educational version to continue
SketchUp for Education Site

Google Resources for Education

STEM Resources for Students and Educators

LibreCAD - free, 2D CAD Software for Windows, OSX, and Linux

Free Academic Program (incl CAD software) from PTC

TinkerBox - free physics puzzle educational game on iOS

TinkerBox is a free physics puzzle game for iOS. It has interesting science facts and teachers basic engineering concepts, in a fun game. You can create machines and share them with others as well as trying to solve the physics-based puzzles and mechanical concepts. It takes creativity and problem solving skills to be successful.

It is from Autodesk, creators of the CAD software AutoCad.

This is a great app for students in physics or engineering, or anyone who likes problem solving and puzzles.

Share it with your students and colleagues.

App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=415722219&mt=8

Related:

STEM Resources for Educators and Students