FALL 2024 STEM UPDATES & SUPPORT
Design Lives Here
Design Lives Here is a semester-long engineering initiative that equips teachers and students (grades 5th-8th) to participate in engineering activities within their school or afterschool program. Professional engineers serve as mentors to students throughout the year. Schools who participate are diverse – public, parochial and private – and have the option of making this part of their school day or an extended program. Each spring, all the participants come together for a day of engineering challenges, grouped in new teams to compete for prizes. Design Lives Here activities are inspired by the popular PBS KIDS program and website, Design Squad Nation.
Southwest PA Combat Bots Middle School League
This in-service is for any new teachers and/or administrators who want to get started in combat robotics at the middle school level. This is perfect for any and all students especially if your high school participates in Bots IQ. This in-service is also for any and all returning team advisors as well.
What: Southwest PA Combat Bots Middle School League In-Service
When: Monday Sept. 30
Where: Indiana Area Junior High School (rooms 13/14)
Time: 7:30/8:00 - 12:00
Who: Any teacher(advisor)/administrator currently involved or new to combat bots
*Act 48 eligible*
For more information, please contact
Scott Herrington, sherrington@iasd.cc
Mike Dolges, mdolges@iasd.cc
TRETC 2025
Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC) is an exciting professional development opportunity to advance the integration of educational technology for teachers, K-12 administrators, industry experts, and higher education decision makers in South Western PA.
Join us for a transformative conference where we delve into the dynamic journey of educational technology and its profound impact on teaching and learning. This conference explores how innovations evolving from traditional chalkboards to cutting-edge chatbots, are reshaping the educational landscape.
TRETC 2024 Conference
Date: January 20, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM-3:00 PM
Location: Sewickley Academy | 315 Academy Avenue, Sewickley, PA 15143
*The Act 48 hours will be administered at the end of the event.
Group Discounts Available (10+ teachers) | Email mcolf@pghtech.org
Administrators bring one staff member for free upon registration.
For more information, please visit: https://www.pghtech.org/events/TRETC_2025
Zero Barriers in STEM using a UDL Approach
December 16, 2024 at ARIN IU28
9am - 3pm
During this session designed with STEELS in mind, educators will collaborate to:
- Create STEM classrooms that are inclusive of all learners.
- Reduce barriers for students who may not otherwise have access to robust STEM experiences.
- Raise teachers’ awareness of inclusive design practices by using museum exhibits as exemplars.
- Encourage all students who engineer solutions to problems to use universal and inclusive design practices.
A Making Workshop that Makes a Difference
AT Making – Solder, Switches & Stuffing
Discover skills for helping your students create accessible technology solutions by learning soldering and other useful techniques.
Are you looking for projects that your school’s STEAM program or club can use to develop and hone basic making skills? Are you curious about additional, real-life applications for the tools and skills your students are learning? Are you wondering how you can hack toys to make them more accessible to children with physical disabilities?
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to assistive technology (AT) making skills to create usable access products. Participants will learn basic soldering to join wire segments and assemble mono and stereo components for use in a variety of assistive technology applications. Those skills – along with some 3D-printed parts – will be applied to create a mechanical switch that could be used by an individual with physical disabilities. Each participant will also make a battery interrupter and switch-adapt a stuffed, electronic toy that can be used with the scratch-built switch.
Skill Level: Beginner (no previous knowledge expected or needed)
What to Bring | All materials will be provided for this workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring a reusable shopping bag to carry completed projects home at the end of the day.
Who Should Attend | STEAM teachers and other educators who would like to learn valuable “making” skills in ways that can increase accessibility for others
Lunch will be provided.
Film Pittsburgh's Teen Screen
This free film program and accompanying materials align with many curricula disciplines, including English Language Arts, History, Science, Foreign Languages, and Art. This program helps teachers screen independent feature films, short films, narratives, and documentaries through which students can encounter challenging narratives and opportunities for analysis, discourse, and reflection. Participants can show the films in class at their own pace, or – if they’re within a few hours of Pittsburgh – can come right to a commercial movie theater. Learn more about Teen Screen here or at filmpittsburgh.org/pages/teen-screen
Cubelets
Cubelets are robot blocks that help teach important problem-solving skills – like collaboration, engineering, design, and computational thinking. Combine the 17 unique kinds of Cubelets in different ways to create countless robot constructions. Every design is a new robot construction and it all starts when you combine the three basic categories of Cubelets.Cubelets are for anyone ages four and up. Cubelets’ unique design makes robot-building simple. Their size and magnetic connections are perfect for users of all skill levels. No need to code – the behavior emerges from your construction.
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Participation in the ARIN Lending Library offers you access to over 100 STEM tools. Sign up for an account, search our inventory, request materials, and have them delivered to your school. Our library includes robotics kits for all ages, drones, virtual field trip kits, and more! Click here for more information.
ARIN supports the implementation of the Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (PA STEELS Standards) by providing assistance for building curriculum, instruction, and assessment capacity.
Please click here for details on 2024-25 trainings and supports for the STEELS Standards.
2024-2025 STEM Network
These sessions are appropriate for any teacher, K-12 who will address the Technology & Engineering standards from STEELS. If you are a STEM teacher or any teacher interested in addressing the T&E standards, this network is for you!
STEM Networking sessions are free and will be in collaboration with Westmoreland County IU7. Click here to register.
- September 23, 2024
- November 19, 2024
- February 3, 2025
- April 30, 2025
ARIN supports the development and implementation of local, regional, and state STEM and Computer Science related competitions. Look for the following competitions for the upcoming school year.
- ARIN Regional Competition - Nov. 19, 2024, Elderton High School Gym, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
- State Competition -
Media and Design Competition (MadCom)
- ARIN Regional Competition - March 26, 2025, Elderton High School Gym, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
- State Competition -
STEM Design Challenge -
- ARIN Regional Competition - March 5, 2025, Elderton High School Gym, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
- State Competition -
24 Math Challenge - April 9, 2024, Elderton High School Gym, 9:30 am
PA Governor's STEM Logo Competition
PA Governor's STEM Competition
- Team registration opens
- Team registration closes
- State Finals will be held
Sea Air and Land Challenge
CSinPA Books
Check out this list of books that can be used for expanding Computer Science education. These books are available in the CSinPA library (contact your IU for assistance). CSinPA is currently developing additional resources and activities to help you engage learners in Computer Science using these books. Stay tuned for more updates!