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STEM Signals: Building Students' Secondary STEM Skills Through Relevant and Innovative Technology [Techniques](Techniques Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Surfing the Web, texting a friend, downloading mobile apps, taking online courses and perhaps checking an online bank account have become common and daily activities of students across the globe. From wooden desks to lecture halls, technology has taken over the lives of 21st-century students who barely remember what it's like to use a #2 pencil to jot down notes on their college-ruled paper. Long gone are the days of using a card catalogue to search for a book in the library or probing through an encyclopedia to complete a science report. In a world that is moving at an incredible pace, the need to keep up with a student's pace in the classroom is equal to staying abreast of the latest technology. Since 2009, the number of teens with a cell phone has risen dramatically, with 58 percent of students at the age of 12 having a cell phone and 83 percent of 17-year olds owning a cellular device (Figure 1). With so many school-aged children owning a cell phone or some technological gadget, how can we not allow them to use their seemingly sole mode of communication and entertainment for usage in the classroom? As the use of innovative technology increases, so does the need for students to use these new advancements to become more familiar with and more advanced in the STEM fields. According to a September 10, 2012, U.S. News and World Report article by David Hatch, "A technology revolution reshaping the energy sector through streamlined operations, increased production and improved distribution will create ample job opportunities for college graduates over the next decade. ... College grads with technical and advanced degrees will be needed to fill lucrative positions as engineers, scientists and technicians.'" The key to building students' STEM skills is to unite them with relevant technology that excites, enhances and educates. Connecting the Signal Take a peek into a Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS ) classroom, where under the new "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)" policy, students are using iPads, smartphones, iPods, Nooks and Androids to research various subjects, assist in group projects and complete inclass assignments. Yes, in the classroom during school hours students are allowed to use the one item that is always glued to their hands ... for legitimate work. "Today's student wants the freedom to use personal electronic devices to enhance their 21st-century learning environment as they accelerate their data gathering and research efforts," says Patrick Konopnicki, director of technical and career education for VBCPS. Students and teachers in VBCPS schools are becoming more connected to STEM through BYOD. With teachers in all age brackets learning more about technology and owning a smartphone and/or an electronic device, the need to feed their technological appetite is as insatiable to the teacher as it is to the student (Figure 2). The use of BYOD has not only increased awareness of the future, but it also bonds the teacher and student to similar ideas and thought patterns in the classroom. In an algebra/trigonometry classroom of 25 students, not every student is going to work at the same pace or enter the class on the same academic level. Some students are more in tune with analytical, long division number crunching, while other students gravitate more toward the creativity of solving word problems. How does a teacher connect the students who operate well with numbers and the students who operate well with words? You let them use their personal devices for their specific needs. Allowing Student A-who is good at analyzing numbers but not so good with dissecting sentences-to use her personal device lets her figure out better ways to solve, comprehend and successfully figure out how to complete the word problems with the same ease as she completes long division. Because Student A is allowed to search the Web for ways to break down a word problem or explore other methods to use, she will become more technologically savvy while still enhancing her math skills. Not only does this take part of the workload off a teacher-who can find it nearly impossible to have a one-on-one session with 25 individual students in a 90-minute class-but it also introduces students to a new method of research and problem solving on their own, something they will be exposed to upon entering the workforce or postsecondary education. Though the course may be listed as algebra/trigonometry, the BYOD clause lets students and teachers tailor their course to their specific needs without altering the core concepts, much like a personal assistant. Closing the Distance Gap In October 2011, VBCPS was awarded a grant from Opportunity Inc., that allowed us to create several programs that would enhance Workforce Investment Act (WIA) students' skills in STEM. Through this grant, a STEM 101 course was created in partnership with Norfolk State University for these students to get their first peek into college course life. High school juniors and seniors from seven high schools were able to take this course at the same time, on the same day, listening to the same instructor; however, they were not all in the same classroom. The students were exposed to various STEM areas-including nanotechnology, biology, chemistry and physics-all through distance learning. No textbooks, no lon lectures, no pen-and-paper notes and no teachers pacing up and down aisles in a jam-packed classroom. The setup was composed only of a computer, video monitor and a great signal. For an entire semester, these high schoolers interacted with each other and the professors without ever meeting. From experiments that included electrocuting a pickle and tasting flavored paper, to learning teamwork and how to problemsolve efficiently, the students learned about STEM all while using the latest up-to-date distance learning technology. "It is an exciting time and a rewarding educational experience to use the distance learning technology to teach and do hands-on experiments with students we don't traditionally serve. We hope to inspire and motivate students to study and have careers in the STEM fields," says Michael Keeve, acting associate dean, College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Norfolk State University. Upon successful completion, students receive a three-hour elective college credit that is transferable to any college or university across the country. It's much easier to get students excited about STEM if they are using the tools that they already have to learn more about the subject. Let's Go Mobile! Some of you may be reading this article directly from your cell phone right now via a mobile application you have downloaded. The use of mobile apps and the gaming industry have taken over the need to search for or hold onto that "hard copy." Remember the Angry Birds craze? Or how about the first time you read a book on an e-reader? Let's not forget about hearing of celebrities being bumped off airplanes for playing Words With Friends. How about that last-minute e-mail you received from your boss that you thankfully read on your iPhone before your next meeting in five minutes? From reading your favorite sci-fi thriller to enjoying vacation time by tweeting or facebooking your every move, just like you, students have the opportunity to instantly connect to anything at any time with anyone. Since 2012, the Social Network Game Development industry "grew an average annual 128 percent. The industry's games are usually free to play; developers earn revenue through the sale of virtual goods that enhance gameplay and through advertisements shown onscreen,"2 according to IBIS World's April 2012 Special Report. In the summer of 2012, VBCPS hopped on the mobile apps train by creating its first-ever Mobile Apps Summer Camp. High school students, with only the knowledge of how to purchase a mobile app, were given the opportunity to create, design and market their self-created mobile apps. In conjunction with ECPI University and Junior Achievement of Hampton Roads, students learned how to program, make barcodes, generate a marketing campaign and develop a business plan-all with the click of their fingertips. This process not only allowed students to try something groundbreaking for the school division, but it also opened their eyes and caused them to consider becoming the seller and producer instead of the consumer. Instructing students on how to create and design with the technology that they already use encourages them to think beyond a consumer standpoint, combining their innovative and edu- cational realities that will translate far beyond secondary education. Preparing for Liftoff Over the past decade the upsurge of technology in the classroom, with the likes of SMART Boards, touch screen monitors and wireless communication, has led to an increase in the need for qualified people in STEM. According to IBIS World's April 2012 Special Report, the following jobs are in the top 10 of the fastest growing industries: * General pharmaceutical manufacturing * Solar panel manufacturing * 3-D printing manufacturing * Social network game development * Green and sustainable building construction By sanctioning students to use innovative technology in the classroom, they will be better prepared for careers in the industries where they are most needed. VBCPS's 2013 STEM Robotics Challenge (SRC) was a true testament of students using relevant technology to complete a huge task. In the "Clean the Beach" sustainability challenge, over 700 VBCPS elementary, middle and high school students were tasked to create a robot that could pick up items off a simulated beach and place them in a receptacle. One of the most innovative components of the challenge was the use of iPads and iBooks to demonstrate the students' knowledge of the engineering design process in an electronic portfolio that chronicled a team's year-long robot-building process. Students were able to capture their SRC moments with the iBook-a presentation format that allows them to create their own novels to be published on the web for internal or external school division use. These tools are building students' literacy skills while increasing their STEM abilities. The use of iBooks and select Apple software in the classroom, social networking sites and other technologies has been propelled by VBCPS's administration. Konopnicki says, "The unique features of student- and teacher-created iBooks and the application of iTunes U course manager are two ways VBCPS hopes to engage the students in revolutionary teaching and learning." Students can stay connected with their peers and teachers, while teachers and administrators can stay connected and be in-the-know about technological advancements. Relevant and innovative technology allows for the bridging of cultural, socioeconomical, age and educational gaps that can oftentimes be hindrances in the classroom for both the teacher and the student. Use the tools that students love to introduce them to subjects that they may despise. Increase students' understanding of difficult subjects by permitting them to use the objects that aid them the most. Staying "Ahead of the Curve" is the mantra of VBCPS, fast-forwarding our students and teachers into new realms of STEM education, understanding and planning via the world's best innovations. The key to building students' STEM skills is to unite them with relevant technology that excites, enhances and educates. Relevant and innovative technology allows for the bridging of cultural, socioeconomical, age and educational gaps that can oftentimes be hindrances in the classroom for both the teacher and the student. The author will be presenting "STEM Signals: Building Students' Secondary STEM Skills" at VISION 2013. For more information, visit www.careertechvision.com Endnotes 1. The usnews.com article, "Math, Science, and Computer Students: The Energy Sector Wants You," by David Hatch can be found at: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/ articles/2012/09/1O/math-science-and-computer-students-the-energy-sector-wants-you. 2. The article, "Top Ten Fastest-G rowing Industries," by Lauren Setar & Matthew MacFarland can be found at: www.ibisworld.com/Common/ MediaCenter/Fastest%20Growing%20 lndustries.pdf. Stephanie L. Sutton has been the STEM grant specialist out of the Office of Technical and Career Education for VBCPS for three years. She can be reached at [email protected]. (c) 2013 Association for Career & Technical Education |