scholarly journals NASA STEM Digital Badges for Educators and Their Students: A Pilot Program Bringing STEM into Middle Schools using NASA Langley Research Center’s Centennial Celebration

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Marile Colon Robles ◽  
Marjorie Thrash ◽  
Candace Walker ◽  
Kimberly M. Brush
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Real World ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Digital Badges ◽  
Centennial Celebration ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Real World Problems

A pilot program was developed for middle school (grades 6-8) educators and students to apply NASA real-world problems to classroom concepts as part of NASA Langley Research Center’s (LaRC) Centennial Celebration through the use of digital badges. Three sets of digital badges were developed on three of NASA’s main missions: Earth Science, Aeronautics, and Journey to Mars. Each digital badge offers a total of 5 hours of professional development for educators and 2 hours of activities for students. These digital badges have introduced educators to NASA Langley Research Center’s missions and 100thanniversary. Online discussion sessions, a requirement for these badges, has attracted educators new to the digital badge concepts. The LaRC Centennial badges provide a forum through which educators can learn about this new format of professional development. Educators report that these badges are worth their time and effort as part of their professional development. LaRC looks forward to building new badges in the future to expand beyond middle school across the K-12 continuum.

scholarly journals Developing Advocacy in Teacher Leadership

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Louis L. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Real World ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Digital Badges ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Real World Problems

A pilot program was developed for middle school (grades 6-8) educators and students to apply NASA real-world problems to classroom concepts as part of NASA Langley Research Center’s (LaRC) Centennial Celebration through the use of digital badges. Three sets of digital badges were developed on three of NASA’s main missions: Earth Science, Aeronautics, and Journey to Mars. Each digital badge offers a total of 5 hours of professional development for educators and 2 hours of activities for students. These digital badges have introduced educators to NASA Langley Research Center’s missions and 100thanniversary. Online discussion sessions, a requirement for these badges, has attracted educators new to the digital badge concepts. The LaRC Centennial badges provide a forum through which educators can learn about this new format of professional development. Educators report that these badges are worth their time and effort as part of their professional development. LaRC looks forward to building new badges in the future to expand beyond middle school across the K-12 continuum.

A Framework for Defining and Evaluating Technology Integration in the Instruction of Real-World Skills

2016 ◽  
pp. 137-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Christine Harmes ◽  
James L. Welsh ◽  
Roy J. Winkelman
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Real World ◽  
Language Arts Classrooms ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Instructional Settings ◽  
Technology Specialists

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) was created to provide a resource for evaluating technology integration in K-12 instructional settings, and as a tool for helping to target teacher-related professional development. The TIM is comprised of 5 characteristics of meaningful learning (Active, Constructive, Authentic, Collaborative, and Goal-Directed) and 5 levels (Entry, Adoption, Adaptation, Infusion, and Transformation), resulting in 25 cells. Within each cell, descriptions are provided, along with video sample lessons from actual math, science, social studies, and language arts classrooms that illustrate a characteristic at the indicated level. Throughout development, focus groups and interviews were conducted with in-service teachers and technology specialists to validate the progression of characteristics and descriptive components.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Professional Development in Overcoming Obstacles to Effective Online Instruction in a College of Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jered Borup ◽  
Anna Evmenova
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Digital Badges ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
K 12

The growth of online learning has placed a strain on K-12 schools and universities to provide students with qualified instructors. It is especially important that colleges of education provide their pre- and in-service teachers with skilled online instructors so they can experience quality online instruction first-hand as students. This case study examined the effectiveness of a 6- to 7-week professional development course designed to improve faculty members’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to teach online effectively in a college of education. Faculty participants were also given the opportunity to earn up to seven digital badges for demonstrating specific skills during the course. Analysis of 18 faculty interviews, surveys, and discussion board comments found that course content and assignments improved faculty members’ knowledge and skills, but the ways the course was delivered and the online teaching methods modeled by the course instructor appeared to have a larger impact on perceptions and attitudes towards online learning. As a result, online teaching professional development may have its greatest impact when it models the types of online courses the college would like faculty to actually design and facilitate. Faculty also appeared to be more motivated to earn digital badges than they had originally anticipated but were confused what to do with the badges once they were earned.

Learning Technology Integration From a Service-Learning Project: Connecting Preservice Teachers to Real-World Problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaokai Jia ◽  
Jiyoon Jung ◽  
Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Real World ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Teaching Content ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Real World Problems ◽  
Educational Technology Courses

Background: Stand-alone educational technology courses have long faced the challenge of connecting preservice teachers to real-world problems of using technology for teaching and learning. Although many studies investigated the benefits of service-learning in teacher education, few were conducted in stand-alone educational technology courses. Purpose: This article reported the benefits and difficulties of a service-learning project that connected preservice teachers with authentic technology integration problems in K-12 classrooms. Methodology/Approach: Fifty-four undergraduate preservice teachers participated in this descriptive case study. They were guided to reflect on their learning related to technology integration through weekly problems/concerns survey and a final reflection survey. Semistructured interviews captured the salient aspects of preservice teachers’ experiences during the service-learning project. Findings/Conclusions: Preservice teachers valued the authenticity of the service-learning project because they could (a) apply their technology integration knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems and (b) explore resources and ideas relevant to teaching content in their subject areas. Challenges faced by preservice teachers are also discussed. Implications: Service-learning can create an authentic learning experience that connects technology integration with teaching content. Project orientation and feedback for appropriate technology options are the most valuable instructor supports.

scholarly journals Exploring and Engaging in Music Innovation Through the Engineering Design Process

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-48
Author(s):  
Brittany Nixon May
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Real World ◽  
General Music ◽  
Music Curriculum ◽  
Systematic Process ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Design Solutions ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Real World Problems

The purpose of integrating engineering into the K-12 curriculum is to engage students in using a systematic process to design solutions to real-world problems. The engineering design process is a series of steps that guide engineers to solve problems and can be integrated into the general music curriculum to provide students with opportunities to explore and engage in music innovation.

STEAM Pedagogy as an Approach for Teacher Professional Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
Sanjaya Kumar Pant ◽  
Bal Chandra Luitel ◽  
Binod Prasad Pant
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Real World ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Training Module ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
And Training ◽  
Real World Problems

The ongoing in-service teacher learning or formal teacher professional development (TPD) is too conventional and de-escalating as the disciplinary skills and knowledge of teacher is insufficient to solve real world problems which are multi-disciplinary in origin. Thus, there is a critical need to explore and introduce multidisciplinary pedagogy with wise integration of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) concepts as an approach for TPD. This paper aims to explore the possible approaches of introducing STEAM pedagogy as an approach for TPD. This argumentative paper is prepared with the help of relevant and useful literatures. We argue the urgent need to integrate arts and technology in subject disciplines and design STEAM projects and training module as a neo-approach for TPD. This approach is equally useful for pre-service as well as in-service school teachers to develop multidisciplinary ways of knowing and solving real world problems.

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