Each of the items listed below are recommended STEM activities that we personally have been involved with and can endorse. Students in the CyberLearning Academies generally gain access to these activities after they reach the Bronze level on their leaderboards, although in some circumstances we may give students access to these activities right away. We have partnerships and relationships with each of these organizations, and we can schedule training webinars to help you implement the STEM activities in your school. We really endorse STEAM learning (the A stands for ‘Art’), but is used less commonly, so we use STEM so we don’t confuse anybody. Please contact Dr. Anthony Betrus at betrusak@potsdam.edu if you are interested in learning more.
MinecraftEDU
MinecraftEdu provides products and services that make it easy for educators to use Minecraft in the classroom. The NEF has a partnership with MinecraftEDU, and we can bring Minecarft to each student in your school via a local server with unlimited users (30 concurrent users max is recommended). We recommend signing up for their newsletter (at the bottom of the linked page).
Code.org
Launched in 2013, Code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. We believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.
PBS Nova Labs
NOVA Labs is a new digital platform where “citizen scientists” can actively participate in the scientific process. From predicting solar storms and designing renewable energy systems to tracking cloud movements and learning cybersecurity strategies, NOVA Labs participants can take part in real-world investigations by visualizing, analyzing, and sharing the same data that scientists use.
Lego Mindstorms Robotics
FIRST® LEGO® League introduces young people, ages 9 to 14* (grades 4-8), to the fun and excitement of science and technology. Each of the NEF team members have served as judges for regional Lego Robotics competitions. We find that it provides students with opportunities they simply can’t get anywhere else, especially in regards to Team building and Complex problem solving.
The following STEM activities are intended to serve as a tool for exploration by your academy students. The spirit of a good STEM activity is play, and even better, free play. We intend to have these activities to become available to students after they reach the Bronze level (.33 Grade Level Increase) in both Math and Reading. You simply need to work with your students to choose your activities, and then encourage students to play and explore, develop their own goals, and document their journey. Successful implementation includes teacher facilitation, which means that teachers should be familiar with the various resources themselves, at least enough to recognize good learning. In the end, try not to “overthink” the use of these resources, as the ultimate goal is to develop authentic real world skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork.
Competitions and Contests
- Dream a Dream Coding Contest
- FIRST Lego League JR
- FIRST Lego League
- FIRST Tech Challenge
- FIRST Robotics Competition
- MIT App Inventor
- Future City Competition
Free (and nearly free) Apps and Websites
- Learnvr.org (A great resource for VR tools to use while teaching)
- Switch & Glitch (Coding adventure game with Multiplayer.)
- Flow Lab (Free, browser based mobile game maker.)
- Codemancer (Teaches coding in a fantasy environment.)
- Vroom
- After the Storm
- classroominc.org/
- Tynker: Learn to Code with Tynker.
- Changing the Game for Adolescent Literacy and Leadership: Results from the Learning Game After the Storm
- Free/Inexpensive Video Games for Learning (from AECT-Indianapolis, November 2015)
- Scratch (Coding and Storytelling)
- Move the Turtle (Coding)
- Splattershmup (Abstract Expressionism)
- The Radix Endeavor – STEM MMOG (MIT Labs)
- Lure of the Labrynth (Middle School pre-algebra)
- iCivics (Social Studies, Multiple Games)
- ABCya (K-5 Games)
- Contraption Maker (Free for Educators)
- Class Dojo (Classroom Management/Gamification)
- Schoolology (Classroom Management/Gamification)
- Kahoot (Quiz/Gameshow Desktop & Mobile App)
- Twine (Create Your Own Interactive Text Story Adventure
- Phylo (Printable Biodiversity Card Game)
- Tilt Factor (Games for Social Change)
- Institute of Play (Promoting Games for Deep Learning, Based in New York City, links to resources page)
- University of Colorado PHET Interactive Simulations
- NASA Pubspace (Easy public access to the peer-reviewed papers resulting from NASA-funded research)
STEM Tools, Materials, and Devices
Electronic Circuitry
- Squishy Circuits (Electronic Circuitry)
- Snap Circuits (Electronic Circuitry)
- Makey Makey (Electronic Circuitry)
- littleBits (Creating circuits, invention Toolbox)
Robots
- Vex Robotics
- Meeperbot
- Sphero SPRK (App-Enabled, Programmable Robotic Hamster Ball)
- Ozobot (Tiny Tinker Robots)
- Dash and Dot (Programmable Robots)
- Parrot Minidrone
- Myo Gesture Control Armband (Works with Sphero and Parrot)
- Bee-bot
3D Printing
- 3Doodler 3D (3D Printing Pen)
- LulzBot (Mini 3D Printer)
STEM Games
STEM Kits
- Little Bits, Smart Home Kit
- Piper Computer Kit
- LightUp Edison Kit
- Lego Storystarter by Lego Education
- WeDo 2.0 by Lego Education
- K’Nex (STEM Building)
- Thames and Kosmos (Science Education Materials)
- Brackitz (Wooden Building Materials)
Math STEM Games
- Prodigy Math Game Massive Multiplayer Online Math Game (Free)
- STEM Math Creative STEM Math Lessons and Activities
Virtual and Augmented Reality
- Goggletech (3D Glasses; works with mobile phones and Google Cardboard)
- Viewmaster3d (3D Glasses; works with mobile phones)
- zSpace (Real World Virtual Reality for Classrooms) Curriculum
- OSMO (Augmented Reality for iPad)
- Sharky the beaver (Augmented Reality App)
- Rolling Dead (Augmented Reality App)
Apps for Robots
- Tickle (Code multiple simultaneous robots)
- Tynker (Code for screen or for robots)
- Freeflight (For Minidrones)
- Ollie App (App for programming Ollie Robot)
- Sphero App (App for programming Sphero Robot)
- Draw and Drive (Iphone App which controls robots)
- Macrolab (Computer Programming Tool)
- Myo+Sphero (App to sync Sphero with Myo)
- Myo+Parrot (App to contro Parrot with Myo)
Commercial STEM Resources
- Activate Learning
- Stem Scopes
- Robomatter, Inc
- Project-Based Inquiry Science
- STRIDE Academy (Personalized, Digital Game-Based Math, Reading, Social Studies, and Science Learning, K-8, $25 per student)
- First in Math (Gamified Drill-Based Math Software, K-8, $8 per student)
- Castle Learning (K-12 Learning, Question Generator)
- Headsprout
- MobyMax
- Raz-Kids
STEM Articles, News, and Resources
- A Beginner’s Guide to Coding and Programming
- Innovation Spotlights: Nine Dimensions for Supporting Powerful STEM Learning with Technology (2019)
Mindset and STEM
Whitehouse STEM Initiative 2016
- White House Science Fair
- White House Symposium on Early STEM
- Let’s Talk, Read, and Sing about STEM!
- Bath Spa University launch #ThisGirlCodes
- The Bay Area Discovery Museum – Empowered Engineering
- The Early Math Collaborative at Erikson Institute – Collaborative Math
- Girl Scouts of the USA
- The Heising-Simons Foundation – Odd Squad (TV show)
- The Lawrence Hall of Science – TechHive Studio
- The Lawrence Hall of Science – Kidz Science
- The Lawrence Hall of Science – Science and Literacy
- The Lawrence Hall of Science – 24/7 Science
- The National Head Start Association and Lakeshore Learning – Recycle Your Way to STEAM
- Nickelodeon – Beyond the Backpack
- Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
- Sesame Workshop
Minecraft
- Games and Learning – Minecon2017
- Virginia District Explores MinecraftEDU as Learning Platform
- 6 Minecraft lessons offer a motherlode of learning
- MinecraftEDU on Microsoft Acquisition (Jan 29, 2016)
- Microsoft replacing MinecraftEDU with new education edition (Jan 20, 2016)
- Getting Started with Minecraft in the Classroom (Jan 15, 2016)
- Building Worlds: A Connective Ethnography of Play in Minecraft (Pellicone and Ahn, Games and Culture, 1-19, 2015)
- Fyre UK YouTube Channel: Large Scale, Team-Based Minecraft projects recorded and presented via time-lapse video.
- Reading Minecraft: How Videogames Can Boost Literacy (October 9, 2014)
- Don’t Worry if Your Kids Played ‘Minecraft’ All Summer (September 11, 2015)
Teaching with Games: Lessons/Standards/Pedagogy
- Zoombinis – Teaching Code
- ‘Introduction to Programming with Greenfoot’ is the official book used by both teachers and students.
- Why is problem solving left out when practicing Project-Based Learning?
- Partnership for 21st century learning
- Computational Thinking
- Digital passport
- Gamification in the classroom: small changes and big results
- Rick Meyer, Academy Director at Sidney, Nebraska – MinecraftEDU Map Overviews
- Rick Meyer, Minecraft in the Classroom Nearpod Presentation.
- Extra Credits EDU: Games Curated on the STEAM game platform the can enhance learning enviroinments.
- Graphite: Technology Reviews and Lessons for Teachers
- Learning moves to virtual reality in Florida
- Game Making Tools Roundup (August 27, 2015)
- STEM Ed Changes Start to Get Real (Jan 20, 2016)
- STEM Education Coalition Supports Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Dec 2, 2015)
- Making Learning Fun: A Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivations for Learning, Malone and Lepper (1987)
- 4 Tools to Gamify Your Classroom (July 22, 2015) (ISTE)
- The Pedagogy Wheel 4.0
- Connected Learning (Building a Learning Community using Minecraft)
Skill Development/Jobs
- What Code Should You Learn? (with fantastic infographics)
- Do Children’s Toys Influence Their Career Choices (January 27, 2014)
- Visuospatial Skills Needed for Virtual Neuron Construction at Eyewire