STEM Connect from Discovery Education

Discovery Education has launched the STEM Connect site in efforts to support STEM education. What is STEM? I had the same question! STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The STEM education initiative are efforts directed toward encouraging classroom instruction in these disciplines to hopefully peak students' interests in seeking jobs in these areas.

STEM education is designed to answer students who question "Why do I need to learn this?" and is as simple as bringing students' attention to jobs that are related to what they are learning in school. For example, the Technology content includes videos on careers as web designers/developers, computer trainers, multimedia developers, etc. that I will be sharing with students in my WebDesign class. STEM Connect is a great way to get students to start thinking about their future interests.

Google Scholarships

Today I shared this tip with my school, thanks to the tip from Free Technology for Teachers...

For parents who have high school students you may be interested in knowing that Google offers scholarships targeted toward women and minority high school students who have an interest in computing or technology fields.

• Google Scholarships

Additionally, the Google Ambassador program is a great opportunity for current students who would like to add to their resume by acting as a liaison between Google and their university. Although the registration is currently closed, for those who are interested, be sure to add this to your summer to-do list!

• Google Ambassador Program

Does not apply to you? Pass it on!

Focus on Online Safety

Although October was officially designated as "Online Safety Month," I encourage online safety at all times. I am a strong proponent of teaching students about online safety or "digital citizenship" both in school and out. Our students live in a generation that is continuously exposed to the digital world. In our Middle School Technology Ed classes, 5th and 6th grade spend two weeks focusing on various areas related to online safety. These topics include: recognizing email scams; virus awareness and security; effective Internet searching; website evaluation, cyberbullying, IM, chat and social network safety.

In a world of MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, it is important that educators and parents make it a priority to teach students how to properly interact online and so they will learn how to develop good online habits.

Here are some helpful websites for parents to help keep our students safe online at home:
staysafeonline.org
Although you may not be ready for your child to hop on to Facebook, this site offers some handy tips describing how to customize Friends list and use privacy settings:
http://www.helpdesk.ilstu.edu/kb/index.phtml?kbid=1556