Understanding STEM Education

• STEM has positive impact on African American student achievement
• Increase student, parent and most importantly teacher/staff awareness of and purpose STEM education- NCDPI resources /GCS Strategic Plan
• Toured successful STEM program in Charlotte
• Administrator with science & math background hired in 2012 who currently serves on GCS-STEM strategic team and GCS- AG Advisory committee
• NCDPI resources utilized - Surveys
• Local resources- colleges
• STEMology Night created- Principal

Use 2012-13

• Increase use of the Epson
• Utilizing technology more to decrease the use of worksheets
• Using technology for assessments
• Purchased additional technology
• Morning broadcast show
• Sharepoint
• Web pages
• Class dojo program used to reinforce positive behavior by using ClassDojo school-wide as part of our PBIS program. Class Dojo has (1)helped us with the decrease of paper used for the recognition of our students , (2)helps with school plan with the integration of technology (3) help improve the communication between teachers and parents (4) help with the decreasing the number of  students in OS

Instructional - Technology Use vs Integration

Teachers use a variety of technology including virtual and online resources to meet student needs.

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• Integration 2013 - present day

• All of the above continued from the integration perspective
• 2:1 model and teachers also utilize Airwatch and Mobi's to facilitate instruction.  

• NearPod, Edmodo, Reading A-Z, Sumdog, LearnZillion, Spelling City, Reflex Math, Gynzy, Gizmo (Explorelearning), Discovery Education,  National Geographic, etc. to enhance the instructional and student learning experiences.  
• Newly-  use of Achieve3000, Front Row, and Readtheory
• Class dojo - continue to use school-wide to address PBIS as well as another to communicate with parents via messaging and most recently using class story.  

Instructional - STEM, Common Core, and Essential Standards

• The transition to the common core was in line with the instructional rigor needed for students to be successful beyond K-5 in the STEM fields.
• Purpose is not only to increase the number of STEM related professionals; but to provide students with STEM backgrounded needed to increase their ability to demonstrate mastery of higher level science and math content at the secondary level.
• Informational text and STEM

Instructional - Magnet Positions

• Full time technology specialist and magnet coordinator who not only teaches grades K-5 but provides the school with technology support.  

• Full time technology specialist addresses the E in STEM through our Engineering/Tech lab.  We have integrated the use of We Do Robotics and the introduced students to the five E’s of engineering.   

• In the engineering/tech lab our LEGO team create products using We DO Robotics as well as the NXT/EB3 programming to solve real world issues.  

• Full time science specialist who not only teaches grades K-5 science but provides the teachers with science support.

• All students (K-5) who attend Bluford STEM Academy interact and participate in both courses (science lab and engineering/tech lab) weekly.
• The Science Specialist  implements  the Engineering is Elementary curriculum. As students learn science content, they must use the engineering design process to design projects that solve problems.
• Teachers use a variety of technology including virtual and online resources to meet student needs.