With FETC, TCEA and many others just around the corner, conference season is just about upon us! With that in mind, I’m wondering what all of you most want to see in a STEM conference? What specific topics do you really want to discuss and learn more about? What formats are most conducive to your learning? What makes conferences really memorable, beneficial and fun for you? I’m tagging a few people to get this discussion rolling! @Laura_Mackay @Anna_Blake @LORI_COLANGELO @Tina_Dietrich @Desiree_White-Price @Audra_Selkowitz @James_Nesbitt @Michele_Pikunic
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@Aimee_DeFoe As a beginner teacher in the area of STEM, I would say that I am looking for introductory conferences that provided the foundation for implementing a STEM program in the regular education classroom. I know that many schools have a teacher that teaches just STEM. In our district, that is taught in the regular classroom setting on a daily basis. I would also like more guidance on incorporating all the subject areas. I have a easier time with math and reading where I struggle with social studies. Lastly, I would like to know of local conferences that are available.
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Thanks for sharing, @Desiree_White-Price!
I like hands on sessions that further my knowledge. My new thing is a better knowledge of VEX IQ…like an Advanced Session. There are a lot of sensors and coding and I would love to know more. How do I use all the specialty pieces that come with the new competition kit?? Don’t judge…I am great at figuring out content with robotics, but the higher level competition robotics for elementary is still hard! I see some of the pieces and ask…what is that for???
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There never seems to be enough time to explore the resources and tools we are given as teachers. Conferences that allow opportunities for collaboration and play are always the most memorable. The VEX 123 and VEX GO sessions that I attended at the World Championship Conference were fantastic! They had a great overview of the products and lesson ideas but also reserved plenty of time for attendees to try out the lessons. I will echo what @Desiree_White-Price mentions about cross-curricular lesson ideas. Leaving a conference with “lessons you can use on Monday” is so valuable and always leaves me excited to get back in the classroom.
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@Desiree_White-Price I have a lot of robotics-integrated, social studies lessons that I have used in the past. What platform of robot are you using and what grade level(s) do you work with? I may be able to help with some ideas!
@James_Nesbitt I use 123 and Go in our building. I would love anything that you can share. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the sessions at last year’s conference! Thanks for the feedback!
Great ideas, @Laura_Mackay. Thank you for sharing!
I have had a lot of success adapting geography lessons to incorporate robots. When I was teaching 4th grade, a big standard was Colorado geography. I would borrow a large, 25’ x 25’ map of the state and have student complete programming challenges. They would navigate the rivers, follow old railroad lines, and “mine” for gold using VEX IQ base bots.
Since then, I have adapted this concept to a lot of other social studies topics depending on the grade level. With younger students, the scope might include navigating a map of their house that they have drawn or their local town.
Currently, I am doing a Mars space unit with K, 1st, and 5th. It has been fun thinking of ways to adapt the content to meet primary and intermediate students across VEX 123 and IQ. This week, K and 1st explored Mars with their VEX 123 Rovers.
I have been busy with the end of VEX completion season, but I can post my slide decks from the Mars lessons soon!
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This is so creative and cool! I’m looking forward to seeing your Mars slides!
I would suggest going to TREC at South Fayette next year. It’s a local conference that is on Martin Luther King Day every year. You could alos go to PeteandC in Hershey, which is a state conference.
Yes, even here in Australia there are so many conferences, workshops etc on offer but I tend to look for conferences based on a few considerations:
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Relevance - ensuring the theme, topics and sessions are relevant to my learning needs.
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Speakers and Presenters - looking for industry leaders, experts and influential people who will inspire and offer valuable insights.
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Interactive workshops and sessions - prefer hands-on, practical sessions to get a deeper understanding and practical application of what is being shared.
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Networking opportunities and post conference support - best way to collaborate and make meaningful connections with like-minded professionals. Having access to recorded sessions after the conference is helpful to be able to go back over and review the content shared.
Lastly getting feedback from colleagues as their experiences can give you valuable guidance to ensure you make an informed decision.
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Great insight @Michele_Pikunic - love to hear what is happening globally.
Will you be attending the VEX Educators Conference or EduTECH in August?
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Not sure, I’m attending the National Education Summit - STEM strand on the 4th and 5th August in Brisbane, QLD. Is there any more information about the Australian VEX Educators Conference as yet?
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Ah ok, so many shows in August actually. I have asked the team in Australia to send you more info!
Hi @Michele,
@Jason_McKenna from Vex will be at our educators conference in Melbourne on the 23rd of August. He’ll be presenting the following topics:
- STEM Integration: Transforming the K-12 Learning Experience
- The VEX Journey: Navigating from Classroom Lessons to Global Championships
- Career Ready: Cultivating STEM and Soft Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce through Robotics
- Panel Discussion - The VEX Connection: Uniting Classroom Robotics, Competitions, and Collaboration for STEM Success
We’ll also have Bret weber and Maree Timms experienced Vex educators from Australia presenting their journey to world championships and practical tips on how they’ve incorporated STEM into their schools curriculum. If you’d like more info you can sign up to hear more here
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Thanks @Nicole_Champagne. Would like to attend, I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks @luke_henderson for sharing this information.
