New Opportunities: August 31, 2020

New NC Computer Science Standards Adopted


It’s not too late! You can still benefit from the REAL (Remote Education and Learning) conference held on August 6th. Go to REALconference.echodea.com to login and access materials and recordings of the sessions. Sessions were on a variety of topics such as Bitmoji Interactive Classrooms, Digital Tools to Support Distance Learning, Virtual STEAM: Hands-On Learning at Home, Canvas 101, and multiple Google Classroom sessions. We hope you will find lots of tools to add to your remote learning toolbox.


Free Live Online and On-Demand Workshops for K-12 Educators

IBM AI Education is an immersive, online professional learning suite of FREE live and on-demand institutes, webinars taken to the next level, crafted by and for educators. The nine institutes will guide educators through AI’s foundational concepts and K-12 classroom connections, with topics including introduction to AI, natural language processing, ethics, robotics, and more. Educators can choose to view just one institute or experience multiple sessions, and by attending all nine, they have the opportunity to earn the IBM AI Education badge. All attendees will walk away with an exposure to AI and ideas on how to incorporate AI fundamentals into their curriculum through our example activities during each session as well as an interactive toolkit of strategies that attendees can access after each institute.

Live Institutes – This series of nine live online institutes about AI is free for K-12 teachers, encouraging educators to actively interact and share content with one another. Each institute lasts 90-minutes and covers a different topic of AI, including an introduction to AI, modern-day applications, ethics of AI, equity-centered Design Thinking, diversity and inclusion, employability skills for students, and more.

View or Register for Live Institutes

On-Demand Institutes – These self-paced institutes are the same interactive content and 90-minute length as our live version with the added benefits of pausing, doing one lesson at a time, and picking up right where you left off! On-demand

institutes are a great way to catch up on prior topics or review content after attending a live event.

View or Register for On-Demand Institutes


Girls Who Code (GWC)

GWC now offers materials for hybrid or virtual clubs. If starting a new club, sign up as STEM West affiliate for additional resources!


eCYBERMISSION

eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based STEM competition for students in grades six through nine that promotes self-discovery and enables all students to recognize the real-life applications of STEM. Students participating in eCYBERMISSION cultivate their interests in STEM and work in virtual teams where they are challenged to explore how STEM works in their world, while working together to better their communities using scientific inquiry and engineering design methods. Students compete in teams of three or four for State, Regional and National Awards. Registration is now open.

eCYBERMISSION offers a mini-grant to support teachers and program leaders as you implement the competition into your curriculum! Funding can be used by schools, teachers and program leaders for supplies and professional development. If your mini-grant application is submitted by our early, September 16, 2020 deadline, accepted applications will be dispersed by early October, 2020. The final deadline for applications is October 14, 2020. Please contact [email protected] for more information. Apply here


Hands-On Virtual Energy Workshops
Calling all K-12 science, CTE, & math teachers!
We invite you to attend a sponsored free energy education virtual workshop! This is not your average Zoom professional development!
Since March, NEED has delivered tried-and-true, engaging virtual workshops for educators. We may be virtual, but it’s still hands-on and 2020 celebrates our 40th year of putting energy into education.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
K-12 science teachersCTE teachersMath teachers
FOR THE ATTENDEES:
It’s FREE!Receive a hands-on energy kit for your classroom.Curriculum materials aligned to state standards.Substitute reimbursement for weekday workshops or stipend for attending a weekend workshop.Engaging activities, networking, distance learning tips and tricks shared by our NEED facilitators.Access to free STEM and energy-themed curriculum and resources!
Register to Attend!
View NEED’s Event Calendar here.
We’ve got virtual energy workshops happening in SeptemberOctoberNovember, and December.
*Seats fill quickly, so don’t delay*Please share with your colleagues, too!
View dates, agenda, & details
I really thought I was tired of having virtual classes and meetings BUT this was really worth it. I was glad to be a part of this virtual experience– if they were all this fun and informative, I wouldn’t get in trouble for not being fully engaged!! 
I’ve attended five online workshops this summer and this was the best. Very relevant to the curriculum and lots of activities that can be used online and in class. THANK YOU!!!I have to be honest I was not looking forward to the virtual workshop, but it was positive and motivating to me as a teacher.