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The NSTA annual STEM Forum is now virtual, and at NSTA STEM20: Virtual you can network with colleagues, meet with exhibitors, learn about distance learning, watch some cool robots, join in an Elementary STEM show and tell, and so much more. Each day of the four-day event is geared toward a specific grade band. Over 1,000 teachers have already registered for this event! More highlights are below or watch here, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUUJ7qLKMEE&t=6s>,and register today!< https://www.nsta.org/stem20-virtual-event>

Here are some STEM20: Virtual highlights:

Tools with Tim & Rob

So great, we got through this year: Now what?  As we prepare for next school year, what digital tools are out there to support us in blended learning situations that will put us in the classroom, in the home, and back?  We’ll focus our time on a select list of flexible, easy-to-use tools that have the potential of opening up new possibilities for teaching and learning. We’ll keep it lively and engaging and along the way, we’ll also share a host of digital resources for the ECE and elementary classroom.

Panel: Distance Learning Through the Educational Journey

Attendees will explore a holistic view of the challenges, as well as learn tips and strategies to successfully implement distance learning in their classrooms—across elementary, middle, high, and postsecondary. Panelists will share experiences and learnings toward driving equity across learning styles, changing assessments, and addressing interventions. Participants will walk away equipped with best practices in distance learning, given a new educational context.

Robot Roundup!

See robots in action! Educators from around the world come together to virtually demonstrate their uses in a showcase format! Attendees who want to learn more about robots and how they can adapt them to their own classrooms will have an opportunity to do so.  And, if you have a robot that you want to share with your colleagues, please register to join us.

Panel: A Peek into Remote STEM Learning

When schools closed in the spring of 2020, many educators felt as though they could only be reactive instead of proactive, with many pieces constantly in flux. As we consider the 2020–2021 school year, many questions remain. In this session, we will process what remote learning looked like and provide a space to process what the upcoming year may look like (remote, hybrid, or in-person). Join KIPP’s Director of STEM Phil Kim, Denver Public School’s STEM Program Manager Stephanie Hervey, and Guardian Adventures’ STEM Camp CEO Meghan Gardner in a panel discussion of remote STEM learning. Through a Q and A moderated by Denver Public Schools science team lead Renee Belisle, the presenters will describe their approaches to STEM learning in a remote environment, describing how teachers facilitate learning in traditionally hands-on subjects during the spring, and discussing ideas for the fall.

Unconference: Roundtable Discussion on Computer Science

This computer science–focused unconference format will provide attendees with the opportunity to discuss their needs, experiences, and successes in an informal setting with peers. All attendees are invited to discuss topics that might include: teaching methodologies, course selection for new programs, workforce needs/pathways in computer science, how to learn and teach specific technologies, community projects and involvement, working toward making computer science a requirement in your state/district,  and more!

Panel: The Silent Pandemic Behind the Digital Divide

Attendees will explore how equitable access to digital learning is only part of the puzzle when addressing access to a quality education. We will explore the dynamics of how technology further exposed the divide that exists in classrooms, both virtual and in-person, during the pandemic and in the planning that comes after as everyone prepares to return to school in the fall. Attendees will have an opportunity to self-reflect on how their discretionary space and practices impact students and their success regardless of the conditions under which they are educated. The question at hand is how do we do better in creating equitable access to learning for children furthest from opportunity, without a pandemic forcing us to do so?

Interview with Rebecca Skloot

Learn more from the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and why this book is notable for its science writing and dealing with ethical issues of race and class in medical research.

Teaching about Social Justice Science Issues in a Time of Protest and Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed gaps in U.S. science education. Our curricula have not been prioritizing learning about the relationships between issues of social justice and scientific phenomena, like the inequitable impact of the pandemic or environmental degradation. Meanwhile, powerful protests against anti-Blackness have made more and more science educators aware of the need to enact anti-racist science teaching. This session will focus on principles and examples of teaching about Social Justice Science Issues (SJSI) in high school science courses, introductory college science courses, and in preservice science teacher education.

Register today!< https://www.nsta.org/stem20-virtual-event>