STEM Resources

Some STEM Resources from HIDOE:

The Hawaii STEM portal 
 http://mystemhawaii.org 

Under Resources, there is a What is STEM one pager.  Perhaps we ought to agree on a definition of STEM at some point as well.  Not as complicated as ESS, thankfully. :)

Anyone can also join the Hawaii STEM group on Edmodo.  There are instructions how to do this on the STEM portal link above here under Resources.  Or search for it using this code:  cvu665

Edmodo is cool.  I think Katie said she uses it.  Anyone else?  If so, if there are any Edmodo groups that have good resources, maybe we should share them.

Standards Feedback

I just wanted to share the information I received from two of the STEM Resource Teachers (one Big Island and one Maui) regarding standards alignment for curriculum development.  Since there is still no statewide Science Specialist for the HIDOE, I believe these folks might have the most valuable voice on the matter.

"The HIDOE is slow to adopt the NGSS, therefore, all current curriculum development projects should align to HCPS III for Science and Common Core for Math and L.A.  Integration of NGSS is still on the horizon."
These are Alan Nakagawa's words, my colleague and STEM RT for West Hawaii on the Big Island.

I'm curious if this resonates with the other HIDOE teachers on the cohort as well as everyone.

Cross-Cutting Concepts

Here are 7 Cross-cutting Concepts for you to read through...
1.  Patterns. Observed patterns of forms and events guide organization and classification, and they prompt questions about relationships and the factors that influence them.
2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation. Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. A major activity of science is investigating and explaining causal relationships and the mechanisms by which they are mediated. Such mechanisms can then be tested across given contexts and used to predict and explain events in new contexts.
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity. In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different measures of size, time, and energy and to recognize how changes in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system’s structure or performance.
4. Systems and system models. Defining the system under study—specifying its boundaries and making explicit a model of that system—provides tools for understanding and testing ideas that are applicable throughout science and engineering.
5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation. Tracking fluxes of energy and matter into, out of, and within systems helps one understand the systems’ possibilities and limitations.
6. Structure and function. The way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its properties and functions.
7. Stability and change. For natural and built systems alike, conditions of stability and determinants of rates of change or evolution of a system are critical elements of study