A broadened area branching out from STEM education, STEAM typically refers more to the creative side of things. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, which also happen to encompass some of the most prominent careers today. If we add an 'A' to make it STEAM, however, now we're incorporating art as well. Though not super closely related to science and technology on the surface, the arts may seem to be a strange element to add into STEM learning. With more opportunities to be creative, however, students can develop many of the key skills they'd need for success in a STEM career. STEAM learning encompasses many different areas—from artistic projects or makerspace endeavors to creatively solving problems. As kids try new, hands-on experiences, they also have more chances to activate inquiry and curiosity. And, these are two key drivers of learning and discovery.
Essentially, moving from STEM to STEAM involves adding extra creativity and opportunities for artistic freedom and exploration. Oftentimes, children will leverage various technologies in STEM or MakerEd projects but they can do even more. Tapping into the STEAM side of things, this gives them a chance to learn how thought-provoking questions and unique design elements can also come into play during their problem-solving processes. Educators could still encourage students to question things and connect problems to solutions—albeit with a more artistic lens. In STEAM projects, children often get to incorporate personalized details that illustrate some of their passions. And, while this self-expression is also important, it's how they authenticate these projects to the next degree that's truly valuable. Browse our STEAM content below for more insights and check out our store for all the tools you'll need.
With the Hummingbird Bit STEAM kits from BirdBrain, students are able to combine robotics, programming, art and design, and the micro:bit into one valuable learning experience. With the micro:bit board powering their robot builds, elementary and middle school students can get super creative with their design while coding and inventing in the classroom or after school.
STEM includes a massive area of content and subjects, making it possible for educational leaders to implement any number of strategies, technology tools, and ideas for creating STEM learning that’s suited for their particular students. And, one of those areas is early childhood STEAM—the relevant, hands-on learning experiences that students can have early in their lives.
For those we select, we create a feature on their project, background, and hopes for enhancing STEAM experiences for students as well as providing new EdTech tools for their classroom. Plus, educators can choose from the hundreds of fun STEM supplies on our store once they’re selected—mixing and matching however they please to meet the $500 target.
This week, for our Rising Resources feature, we explored the Screencastify screen recording platform and how it helps K–12 educators boost student learning. Since it takes only seconds for students to create, edit, and share original videos by using the software to capture the content from their own screens, Screencastify is a legitimate favorite among K–12 digital teachers.
If you are excited but stressing just a little bit about your plans for including STEM instruction in the classroom this school year and, also potentially, on a district-wide scale, we’d encourage all to share any ideas with us. We are happy to set up a consultative call to help us better understand your STEM goals with an eye on
Cynthia will combine different STEAM and real–world elements using PBL, including having kids do research on organisms, underwater environments, the importance of ecosystems, and more. Besides initial research, kids will also read nonfiction books, explore the geography in this environment, and collectively design an oceanic ecosystem mural to cap things off.
As a mobile application or desktop program, Screencast-O-Matic can help make mobile video recording and editing easier on any teacher who likes to customize the content they teach with. Plus, students can get creative with the projects they produce thanks to the simple user experience that makes Screencast-O-Matic a great tech tool in creative education.
The class packs on our store—available for many top STEAM items across disciplines—come with everything teachers need, and they fit into different instructional formats. The components often include your main product—it is often around 6-30 units depending on the size of the bundle. Then, there are various accessories, like chargers, project guides, and teacher content.
Detailed planning and commitment are both essential in managing student learning loss as educators work to understand the pandemic’s impact. Not only are tons of students experiencing new, academic-related gaps, others still need a whole lot of social-emotional support. And, it’s our belief that in returning to social-emotional norms, we can truly help kids academically.
History might not necessarily be the favorite subject for some students but combining it with VR experiences often enhances intrigue. There are a lot of virtual reality-based learning tools available to educators now—adding a lot of options for instruction. In this Rising Resources post, we’re going to tell you about one called HistoryMaker VR.
