White House Pushes STEM Education

President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/education/23educ.html

ITEA Represented at International Conference on Technology Education

We have all heard "Less is More" in our everyday jargon. Recently there was an international conference held on this topic for technology educators.

On November 11-13, 2009, the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan hosted the International Conference on Technology Education in the Asia Pacific Region (ICTE).  Participants attending the conference were from Taiwan, Japan, China/Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and the U.S. The Vice-President of National Taiwan Normal University, the Minister of Education for Taiwan, and the head of the National Science Council in Taiwan (NSC) (which is equivalent of the National Science Foundation in the United States) all provided greetings at the opening of the conference. The NSC funded the conference. There were five keynote speeches given plus numerous special interest presentations given at the conference. The 2011 ICTE will be held in Japan. For more detailed information on the ICTE conference, contact the organizer Dr. Kuang-Chao Yu at  <kcyu@ntnu.edu.tw>.

Submitted by "Guest Blogger" Dr. William E. Dugger, Jr., DTE, who was also a presenter at the conference. To view Dr. Dugger's presentation titled "A 2009 Report on Technology Education in the United States go to:

http://www.iteaconnect.org/Resources/PressRoom/pressroom.htm and view "Presentations."

Top News - How to fix the STEM education 'crisis'

Top News - How to fix the STEM education 'crisis'

The Deadline for ITEA Professional Awards is December 1st!

Don't miss this opportunity to gain recognition for your program, your colleagues, or your own teaching accomplishments. Here is information about just a few of the award opportunities available to ITEA members.

Program Excellence Award
Sponsored by ITEA and NASSP, the Program Excellence Award is one of the highest honors given to technology education classroom teachers on the elementary, middle or high school levels. It is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession. The Program Excellence Award provides public recognition at local through international levels. On the province or state level, recognition is granted at the affiliated association's annual meeting. The honoree is formally presented with an engraved plaque and other and other recognition at ITEA's Annual Conference.

Who is Eligible?
Candidates for the Program Excellence Award must be characterized as providing TIDE Education instruction of high quality, learner centered and relevant to a study of technological literacy.

Application Information:
Application information for the three levels of awards may be obtained from your affiliate association or by clicking one of the following:

Program Excellence Award Information -

Elementary - Word - PDF
Middle School - Word - PDF
High School - Word - PDF

 

Teacher Excellence Award
The Teacher Excellence Award is one of the highest honors given to technology education classroom teachers and is presented in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the profession and their students. The Teacher Excellence Award provides public recognition at the local through international levels. On the province or state level, recognition is granted at the affiliated association's annual meeting. The honoree is formally presented with an engraved plaque and other recognition at ITEA's Annual Conference.

Who is Eligible?
Candidates for the Teacher Excellence Award must be characterized as providing TIDE education instruction of high quality, learner centered and relevant to a study of technological literacy. Mandatory requirements include:

• The teacher must be nominated by an educator.
  
• The teacher must be a current member and have held membership for the preceding year in both ITEA and its affiliated state/provincial association.
  
• The teacher must be certified to teach in Technology Education and must be a full-time TIDE teacher (at least four periods a day).
  
• The teacher's administrators must concur that he/she is a professional worthy of being considered an outstanding educator.
  

Application Information:
Application information for the three levels of awards may be obtained from your affiliate association or by clicking one of the following:

Teacher Excellence Award Information -

Elementary - Word - PDF
Middle School - Word - PDF
High School - Word - PDF

Distinguished Technology Educator Award
ITEA's Distinguished Technology Educator (DTE) designation is a coveted mark of distinction in technology education. It recognizes technology educators who have demonstrated a high level of competence and conscientiousness in the field of technology education.

DTE Overview

ITEA created the Distinguished Technology Educator (DTE) program to provide a means for recognizing outstanding performance and accomplishments in the field of professional technology education. As one of the highest honors for professional achievement in technology education, the DTE designation recognizes the attainments of technology educators. Consideration for the award is based upon documented evidence of leadership/management skills, continuing participation in association education programs, and demonstration of leadership in association, community, and personal activities. The Distinguished Technology Educator program acknowledges the essential principles of adult learning. It incorporates into the process recognition and credit for work experiences and other accomplishments. The program recognizes those areas of technology education the DTE Board has determined to be most reflective of successful professional attainment.

To apply, to go http://www.iteaconnect.org/Awards/awarddte.htm

 

Special Recognition Awards

The application for all Special Recognition Awards can be accessed at http://www.iteaconnect.org/Awards/
awardspecialrecognition.htm. Below are descriptions of several of these awards.

Award of Distinction
This award is presented to an individual within technology education who has advanced the profession through a sustained and recognized record of exemplary professional activity. To qualify for the Award of Distinction, the individual must be an ITEA member and have distinguished him/herself through accomplishments in:
a) Improvement of Instruction, or
b) Research and Scholarship, or
c) Effective Teaching.

Special Recognition Award
This award is presented to an individual who has established a sustained record of outstanding service to the field of technology education. To qualify for this award, the recipient must be an ITEA member and have made a significant contribution to ITEA or technology education. To be considered, individuals must meet one of the following criteria:
a) Promoted technology education at any level (local to international) with a resulting impact, or
b) Actively facilitated or participated in professional development for technology educators with a resulting impact, or
c) Recognized at any level for outstanding service or achievement in technology education.

Technological Literacy Framework

Public review of the NAEP Technological Literacy Framework for the 2012 test is open for public comment through January 15, 2010.

Please visit this site: http://www.edgateway.net/cs/naepsci/view/naep_nav/9 and scroll down to the bottom of the page to download a copy of the November 4, 2009 discussion draft.

Make sure that your understanding of what "technological literacy" should be is reflected properly in the draft framework.

Dick Dieffenderfer, Consultant
Technology Education
and Environmental Education
Office of Curriculum & Instruction
Ohio Department of Education

Looking for Green Resources

Good afternoon All,

I have received many emails from people who been willing to assist in ITEA's effort to create a Green Resource Library for teachers. Some have followed through and sent items while others may have intended to, but have forgotten. At this point I would entertain any Green resources you could provide to place for the area of the ITEA website that we are building. Consider submitting links to lesson plans or curriculum, book titles, general information, contests, grants, movements, or anything you believe a teacher might be looking for in assisting in teaching Green in the classroom. Please forward any materials you would like to contribute to andy.stephenson@fayette.kyschools.us.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and I look forward to your submissions.

Andy Stephenson, DTE

Past President, ITEA

ITEA President-Elect Attends NASA Ares Launch

ITEA President-Elect, Gary L. Wynn, DTE, was an invited guest at the recent launch of the Ares 1-X space vehicle at The Kennedy Space Center.

The launch was the first test of the vehicle that will be used after the space shuttle is retired. NASA's future space program will entail going back to the Moon and then beyond.

President-Elect Wynn was also part of an educational program that took place prior to the launch that included other invited educators from throughout the country. He also briefly the NASA Assistant Administrator, Dr. Joyce Winterton, on the many activities and techniques used by technology and engineering teachers in sharing the space initiatives with students.

For more information: http://www.iteaconnect.org/.

Governor's conference for STEM education set for Nov. 15-16 in Roanoke

ROANOKE — The Governor's Conference for STEM Education, to be Nov. 15-16 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, is designed as a forum for educators and other stakeholders to collaborate on creating a blueprint for the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Virginia.

 

The keynote speaker will be Aneesh Chopra, who in August became the first chief technology officer of the United States. Chopra, formerly the secretary of technology for Virginia, is charged with using applied technology to help create jobs, reduce health care costs, improve national security, and increase access to broadband.

The keynote session on Nov. 15 will be followed by a reception at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center and an open house at the Roanoke Science Museum.

Speakers on Nov. 16 will include STEM education experts from the International Technology Education Association, National Center for Technological Literacy of the Museum of Science in Boston, University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, Science Museum of Virginia, Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, James Madison University, and the College of William and Mary.

Also addressing the conference will be Virginia's Secretary of Education Tom Morris and the Virginia Tech administrators who initiated the event: John Dooley, vice president for Outreach and International Affairs; Sue Ott Rowlands, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; and Sue Magliaro, director of the School of Education.

In addition, the conference will feature a "marketplace of ideas," showcasing successful STEM education programs at a variety of grade levels from throughout Virginia.

The general registration fee for the conference is $175; student registration is $95. The fees include all sessions and materials; the reception and open house Nov. 15; and continental breakfast, lunch and breaks Nov. 16.

Free Teachers' Guide from Design Squad

Design Squad, PBS's engineering reality competition series, has released a new Teachers' Guide. Be sure to order your FREE copy today. Developed for middle school science and technology teachers, Design Squad's latest guide blends hands-on engineering challenges with the following three core concepts:

FORCE: students build their own blimps
ELECTRICITY: students design electronic games
SOUND: students make and play instruments

The challenges use low-cost, readily available materials and are linked to national science and technology standards.

To order, go to:
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/engineers/newsletter.html