Lots of free STEM Resources for Educators

 

STEM is a great way to teach students math, science, technology and engineering, but also teach them other skills like creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork. 

I have collected a lot of STEM Resources on this page: 

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/p/stem-science-tech-engineering-math.html

Here is another one I found out about recently: Engineers Tribune. https://www.engineerstribune.com/ 

The Engineers Tribune is a collection bleeding-edge technology commentary, electronics community research, and interviews with the engineers who are designing the future. This is a great resource to use with your students. 

And you can go to https://www.peigenesis.com/ , a leading distributor of electronic connectors and cable solutions, to get equipment for your projects. 

STEM Resources for Educators  

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Today is National STEM/STEAM Day! Here are some great resources

STEM/STEAM Day falls on November 8. There’s no way around it: children are significantly better off with strong science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics skills. That’s why STEM and STEAM education programs are so important. It’s undebatable that these subjects push society forward, and these programs help to find fun and engaging ways to teach them to students, which is all worth commemorating. So, on November 8, we celebrate STEAM/STEAM Day!

STEM/STEAM help students learn skills they will need for the future. Beyond the content, they will learn critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration and more. 

Here are some great resources for teachers and students:

• STEM Resources 
• more STEM resources
• Project Based Learning Resources
• PBL Resources
• Project Based Learning Resources
• Science Resources
• Educational Technology Resources 
• Engineering Resources
• Math Resources
• Art Resources
• Resources from NASA 
• Lesson Resources

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eGFI - Dream Up the Future - STEM Resource for Students and Teachers

Engineering - Go For It! - this site is produced by the ASEE and is completely devoted to promoting engineering. It has resources for educators and students, as well as lessons and career exploration resources.

The site opens with "cards" with different topics on them. Students can click on the cards for more information. They can also shuffle the deck to get new cards shown. There is information about different engineering topics and areas, as well as examples. 

There is also a student blog with engineering career info, news, scholarships, links, videos and much more. 

The "Engineer Your Path" section of the site has information on how to become an engineer, including tips and resources. 

There are also digital magazines and newsletters that the students can access for more information.

There is an excellent teachers section on the site also that has lesson plans, activities and other resources for teachers. Lesson plans and activities are sorted by topic and grade level and are easily searchable. There is also a monthly newsletter that you can sign up for to receive updated resources and information.

eGFI is an excellent resource for teachers and students to find resources on Engineering. 

Related:

Engineering Resources for Educators

STEM Resources for Educators




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Engineers Week Resource - Remarkable Advances in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Engineers Week is next week, February 22-28, 2015. As an engineer and science/engineering educator, this is a fun time for me. This is also a great time to expose students to engineering as a career and to incorporate engineering ideas and projects into your classes.

One way to get students interested and excited about Engineering is to show them some cool things made by engineers. Below is a great infographic showing some very cool things that have been done in the fields of electrical and computer engineering.

Related:

STEM Resources for Educators

More Engineering Resources for K-12 Education

Engineering Resources for Educators

Out with the Old, In with the New: Remarkable Advances in Electrical & Computer Engineering 

Advances in computer and electrical engineering have been revolutionary over the past few decades, changing the way we live, work and play. From new advances in medicine to automotive technology and biotechnology, electrical and computer engineering has made great strides when it comes to improving the overall quality of life.

Biotechnology
The advances in nanoscale devices have changed the game when it comes to diagnostics. In DNA sequencing, for example, advanced technology has created a cost effective means for diagnosing and treating neonatal patients in a clinical setting. This represents a huge breakthrough in the way that common conditions are diagnosed and treated. 

Automotive Technology
With the emergence and increased popularity of electric cars, there have been advances in electrical engineering geared toward making these cars more efficient. The current battery is less than optimal, limiting the usefulness of electric only cars. Tesla has been digging into the problem, and has created a new battery systems that recharge quickly and store more energy than their current counterparts.

Medical Technology
Electrical engineers have made impressive strides in improving the lives of those that depend on prosthetic limbs. Scientists are developing technology that syncs brain waves with the prosthetic. Now when a patient thinks he wants to move his arm, the brain sends the signal to the prosthetic which moves his arm intuitively. With more than two million Americans living with lost limbs–1,600 of them U.S. troops, this represents a major breakthrough in the quality of life of amputees. 

Major advances in electrical and computer engineering mean a better quality of life and greater productivity across the globe. To learn more about recent electrical and computer engineering advances, checkout this infographic created by Ohio University’s Online Masters in Electrical Engineering degree program.

Ohio University Online

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Engineers Week is Feb 22-28 - here are some great resources on Engineering

Engineers Week is February 22-28, 2015. As an engineer and science/engineering educator, this is a fun time for me. This is also a great time to expose students to engineering as a career and to incorporate engineering ideas and projects into your classes.

The National Engineers Week web site has tons of resources including lesson plans, career info and information about the different types of engineering.

Engineers Week—the only event of its kind—is a time to:

• Celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world

• Increase public dialogue about the need for engineers

• Bring engineering to life for kids, educators, and parents

More than a week-long event, Engineers Week is a year-round commitment to making a difference

Share the great opportunities and career that is engineering with your students. (I'm a little biased having been an Aerospace Engineer for 10 years before becoming an educator).

Related:

STEM Resources for Educators

More Engineering Resources for K-12 Education

Engineering Resources for Educators

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Autodesk offers free software to all students and schools

Autodesk, make of AutoCAD and other CAD and design software titles, is now offering AutoCAD and Fusion 360 free for education use. Students can use it at home and at school, giving them and teachers new tools for them to use in some great projects.

The education page, http://www.autodesk.com/education/home, has the download links, as well as resources, training tips, help and support, and more.

Related: 


STEM Resources for Educators

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

My Top 10 Free Google Resources for Education - includes Google Sketchup 3D modeling software.

NASA 3D Resources - fun and educational - includes downloadable models to use in CAD.

Free resource from Discovery Education about Manufacturing

Discovery Education has a new free resource: Manufacture Your Future, which has free STEM lessons and resources for grades 6-12 related to manufacturing.

This is an excellent resource. Manufacturing is a great career and there are a lot of openings in the field.

Manufacture Your Future: New Online Portal Offers Free, Dynamic STEM Lessons and Resources Discovery Education and Alcoa Foundation are excited to introduce Manufacture Your Future, a new, online destination designed to inspire students in grades 6-12 to explore modern manufacturing careers through STEM-based exploration. Manufacture Your Future's standards-based, cross-curricular resources include: FOR TEACHERS: Comprehensive lesson plans including "Manufacturing in the 21st Century" and "Design a Robot" FOR COUNSELORS: Career guide with job assessment tools FOR FAMILIES: Discussion starters to extend the conversation beyond the classroom COMING THIS FALL: A live virtual field trip from an Alcoa facility will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the manufacturing design process. Sign up for e-mail updates to hear when registration opens.       Related: Next Generation Manufacturing Center - this is a cooperative group of manufacturers, CBIA and CT's Community Colleges. They work to get more students interested in engineering and manufacturing. There are some great videos on the site, too. They have a lot of great programs, including the Engineering Challenge. They also sponsor summer externships for teachers. These externships pay teachers to spend the summer at a local manufacturing company learning about their industry and coming up with ways to get more students involved in engineering and manufacturing. I was able to participate about 5 years ago and found it to be a great experience. Great Free Resources from Discovery Education STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Resources

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

Business/Manufacturing ideas applied to education

 

Business and Manufacturing Practices in Education. It's not a new idea, but I'm not talking about treating students like a product. I'm talking about some business and manufacturing processes that can help with other aspects of education. I've written about this before, but covering different ideas.

United Technologies Corporation has a quality program called ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence)© that I used when I worked at Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft. Every employee is trained on ACE and expected to use it. They have been using it for decades and it does work. ACE is a "set of tools that helps the organization identify process improvement opportunities, solve problems and assist with decision making processes."

There are some great ideas in here that can be used for education. 

6S (sort, straighten, shine, standardize, sustain, safety) and add Spirt (to continuously improve)

This is a method to keep things organized.  A place for everything and everything in it's place. It means that things are labeled and signed and people know where to find things. This could help in education with keeping classrooms, offices, supplies, and paperwork organized, clean and clutter free, along with allowing others to find resources when needed. It is simple - everyday, employees make sure that they are keeping their area clean and organized and that every thing is labeled and put away at the end of the day.

TPM Total Productive Maintenance: safety/lockouts, equipment cleaning/inspection, scheduled walkarounds, preventative maintenance.

Too many times in education we are only fixing things when they break instead of maintaining them. This includes computers, office equipment and facilities. There should be scheduled maintenance of all of these things to prevent issues.

Process Cert/Mgmt: make processes effective, efficient, & agile - while being controllable & standard.
This is a way of evaluating processes and making them work better. This would include how things are done, such as running testing, handling problems, organizing the school day, school schedules, etc. Instead of just having things being done as they always have, this makes people evaluate how and why they do things the way they do and if it is the best way of doing things.

Standard Work: work is simplified & structured for max consistancy, repeatability, and quality
This is a great idea for repeating tasks, such as school startup, state testing, assemblies, office procedures, and more. The tasks are assessed and the best way of doing the task is written down in a procedure. We could use this for the start of school as each year things are missed and have to be done last minute. It's a great way to make sure that things are done the best way, every time.

QCPC: record turnbacks, investigate and eliminate reasons, RRCA: Relentless Root Cause Analysis and Mistake Proofing
I put these three together for education. QCPC is a way to track any problems, issues, errors, and the like so that they can be analyzed and the reason behind them found and fixed. RRCA is a way to look at a problem or mistake and keep digging to find the root cause of a problem. Mistake Proofing is a way of preventing the problem or issue from happening in the future.

An example would be that a student is failing a class. Why? He doesn't complete his work and doesn't come to school enough. Why? He has issues at home. Why? Because he is tired and sick often. Why? Because he works at a job all evening, 5 days a week. Why? Because his family needs the money. How do we fix it? Find a way to help the family so that the student does not have to work that many hours.

Market Feedback Analysis: improve product quality through use of data from customers, in-house.
This is something schools do in a way. They collect data on student performance and attendance. But what about getting actual feedback from the students on what they think about school, how things are going, what they are doing in school, how things could be improved? We should also be getting feedback from parents and the community.

(EH&S) Environment, Health and Safety - mistake proof, risk analysis, environmental impacts, safeguards
EH&S is about having a safe and healthy environment. Keeping things clean and in good repair, and helping to keep staff, faculty and students happy.

Six Sigma is another program, similar to ACE, that is used by many corporations in a similar way and it also has some great ideas that can be applied to education.

I think education can learn a lot from business practices, especially when it comes to quality improvement. All of these things can be used to improve things in schools, without treating anyone like a product.

Related:

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

5 Tips for Success - in school, business and in life

ACE vs. Six Sigma report

ACE Overview
ACE Overview 2

Six Sigma in Education

Using Six Sigma to Solve Issues in Public School System

Free Academic Program (incl CAD software) from PTC

PTC, makers of Pro-Engineer professional CAD software, MathCad, and more, has an Academic Program for Schools. This program provides Free 3D Design and Engineering software, Free Online Training, Cutting edge industry Design Competitions, Online Communities for collaboration and learning, and Support from their engineers and educators.

This free program is a great way to engage students in STEM skills and teach them technology skills (CAD) through the competitions and project based learning. They will also learn valuable skills for the future through these kinds of programs.

Contact them for more information: http://www.ptc.com/appserver/wcms/forms/index.jsp?&im_dbkey=121302&icg_dbkey=482


Check out FREE CAD videos, design competitions, and so much more on the PTC Academic Program Facebook Page.

I've used Pro-Engineer as an engineer. It is an excellent program and PTC provides excellent support.

About PTC

PTC is the leading technology provider in product development software. We provide Product Lifecycle Management solutions to over 27,000 companies in the Industrial, High Tech, Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Consumer, and Medical Device industries. 

Passionate about Education
For more than ten years, our team of engineers and educators have been working with schools to enhance the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. PTC believes that the sustained success of our company, our customers, and society depends on empowering each generation to solve real world economic, social, and environmental challenges.

(Thanks to Dolores Gende, @dgende, for the tip)




Related:

STEM Resources for Educators

LibreCAD - free, 2D CAD Software for Windows, OSX, and Linux
My Top 10 Free Google Resources for Education - includes Google Sketchup 3D modeling software.

NASA 3D Resources - fun and educational - includes downloadable models to use in CAD.

10 Important Skills Students need for the Future

Technology in use in Engineering

Some More Ideas for getting students engaged in STEM subjects

Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge - great STEM opportunity

How to Turn a Teen Into an Engineer

TryEngineering - engineering simulations and info on engineering

Project Based Learning resources for Educators

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

LibreCAD is a free, open source, CAD application that is available for Windows, Apple, and Linux.

LibreCAD is a 2D Computer Aided Design application that has all the features you would expect in a 2D CAD system. It is available in over 20 different languages and for Windows, Mac, and multiple Linux distributions.

It is easy to use, with an intuitive menu and user interface.

This is a great resource for students and teachers to use. Some of my students used it to design their bridges for our bridge project.

Related/Similar:


My Top 10 Free Google Resources for Education - includes Google Sketchup 3D modeling software.

NASA 3D Resources - fun and educational - includes downloadable models to use in CAD.

NASA Simulation based Aerospace Resources for Educators

NASA's Simulation Based Aerospace Engineering Teacher Professional Development Program is a program geared towards helping educators become skilled in teaching engineering concepts. The program includes education materials, teacher internships, and industry and higher education partnerships. The program offers US STEM teachers the opportunity to work beside NASA engineers and mentors. It is focused on aeronautics modeling and simulation and teachers explore cutting-edge technology, aerospace engineering concepts, and develop hands-on lessons.

The site has lessons from previous sessions that teachers can download and use. The lessons include the simulation and lesson plan. The resource section has downloads, information on simulations, more lesson examples, and other STEM resources and links.


Related:

More great educational resources from NASA

STEM Resources for Educators and Students

TryEngineering - engineering simulations and info on engineering

TryEngineering is a great site about engineering. It has information on engineering careers, what engineers do, engineering colleges and more.

There are resources for students, teachers, counselors and parents about engineering careers, how to prepare, colleges and more. Students can explore what it takes to become an engineer, find a college, ask questions and get answers from engineers and engineering students, get news about engineering and technology and more.

The coolest part of the site though is the "Games" section. In this section, students can select from 27 different resources where they can design, model, and test products and solutions to problems, simulate engineering projects, answer engineering trivia questions and more. Projects include bionic arms, parachutes, solar cars, roller coasters, bridges and more. Some are hosted/created by TryEngineering and others are links to other sites. There are links to more information about each topic also. Some of the games are Flash Based, some Shockwave based, other HTML.

These "games" and simulations are a great way for students to learn about engineering and apply math, science, and problem solving skills to an authentic problem.

Related:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Resources for students and Teachers.

(collection of resources, links, and more on science, technology, engineering and math lessons, careers and more)

10 Important Skills Students need for the Future

Report - U.S. Youth Reluctant to Pursue STEM Careers

A survey from ASQ shows that US Youth are Reluctant to Pursue STEM Careers. This report emphasizes the problem we have in the US with not enough students pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). STEM careers are what dry today's economy and will solve the issues and problems of the world. The US used to be a powerhouse in this area, but has lost ground to other countries. We, as educators, need to help and encourage students into these fields.

Students surveyed did say that STEM careers offered the best chance of getting a job in the future. But, they were concerned about obstacles that they would face. The obstacles: cost and time to get a degree in STEM is too high, their grades in STEM subjects aren't good enough, and STEM degree careers involve too much work and studying compared to other careers.

As an engineer (Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1992, Aerospace Engineering and 10 years as an engineer before becoming an educator, and still do consulting work) I would like to address these. First, you can attend in-expensive state schools and get an excellent engineering education. Second, as educators we need to help students improve their abilities and achievement in STEM subjects by changing how many of these classes are taught. The third one is an issue for me. Yes, STEM careers are hard and require a lot of studying and work. But this "obstacle" makes me think these students are lazy or uninformed. How many times do we hear students talking about become doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants? These areas are part of STEM, yet many students don't think so. How many students actually understand that most college majors require a lot of work and effort?

As an engineering major, I had to do a lot of studying and work, especially with all the projects we did. But, I still got to be involved in other activities and have fun. After four years of college, I was able to get an excellent job in my career field. Many other careers required more education after your Bachelor's. Look at Social Work. You need a Master's degree and make half of what an engineer does.

STEM subjects and careers are very important to the world. We, as educators, need to encourage and help our students get interested in and pursue STEM careers. Have STEM career professionals visit your class. Take your class on a trip to see STEM professionals in action. Have STEM college majors who are graduates of your school come and visit and talk to students. Explore STEM careers in your classroom.

The world needs scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. Let's help our students become them.





Related:

STEM - description, ideas and resources for educators


STEM Resources for Educators


How to Turn a Teen into an Engineer


WPI Plan - A Great Educational Model for all Education


Engineering Resources for K-12


More Engineering Resources for K-12

Engineering is Elementary - STEM resources for children

Engineering is Elementary is a great site for introducing engineering and technical literacy in children. It has curriculum and lesson plans that integrate engineering and technology concepts and skills in elementary science concepts. The lessons can be used in any STEM class or even in literacy and social studies.

There are storybooks to introduce the students to the engineering problem, which they then have to solve in a hands on project.

This is a great resource to bring STEM topics and Project Based Learning to elementary students.



Related: 

STEM Resources for Educators

Getting Started with Project Based Learning

National Engineers Week Feb 19-25 - great resource for educators

National Engineers Week is February 19 - 25, 2012. This is a great time to expose students to engineering as a career and to incorporate engineering ideas and projects in your classes.

The National Engineers Week web site has resources for educators to use including lesson ideas, types of engineering, and much more. It's also a great resource for teachers to use all year long for STEM subjects.

The site also has information for engineers looking to get involved in spreading the word, including having them contact local schools to volunteer to come in and talk to the students about being an engineer. As educators, this is a great idea for us also. Bring in guest speakers to your classes to talk to the students.

Share the great opportunities and career that is engineering with your students. (I'm a little biased having been an Aerospace Engineer for 10 years before becoming an educator).

This falls on our February vacation week so I'm going to introduce it the week before and give them some interesting research to do over the break on a project we'll be doing in Physics class.


Related:

STEM Resources for Educators 

STEM Resources LiveBinder - lots of great resources

As a former engineer and current physics teacher, STEM subjects are a big deal to me. I recently created a permanent page on this blog to organize some of my favorite STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) resources and just found another great one that I've added to the list.

STEM Engineering Resources Livebinder is a Livebinder collection of great STEM resources. They are divided into categories - NASA Education, STEM Teacher Sites, Engineering Ed Resources, Blogs, News Articles, Student Resources, and Robotics. The resources and materials collected here are great for any teacher looking to increase or improve the STEM lessons in their classroom.