This past week, students at GMS had the chance to explore space in a fun new way. The student body was divided into boys and girls to see the new movie, Hidden Figures, and participate in a building-wide STEM Day.

In the morning, students were given their scenario. They were pioneers whose challenge was to colonize Mars through the completion of various activities necessary to sustain life on the new planet. The day consisted of five activities designed for students to problem-solve and collaborate while competing against the other teams. Teachers were provided a rubric to award points as students designed a water filter, constructed shelters, built a lookout tower, designed a working solar water heater, and created a system for lifting rocks to move them.

​Many of the activities came with little to no instruction and left it up to the students to decide what the problem was and how to solve it. At some stations, students were given access to technology to research the problem, but were otherwise left to their imaginations to find a solution!

Each station lasted one hour for students to design, test, and redesign their creations. The students had a blast and got to show off their collaboration and problem-solving skills. Kudos to the entire staff who worked hard to pull off a fun, well-planned day, and to Ms. DeeAnn Moore for overseeing the entire event. Way to go, GMS!

Transforming teaching and learning with technology doesn't always require hands-on technology use. Sometimes it can be as simple as utilizing resources on the web that wouldn't otherwise be available. This is the case with Meadowmere teacher Andrea Carr and her Kindergarten students. Ms. Carr brings learning about nature and animals to life with the use of webcams that have been setup and shared by others around the world. While learning about animals Ms. Carr's students/Virtual Explorers have observed bears hibernating and eagles nesting, among others. As Ms. Carr puts it the webcams are, "just one more way to make our world come alive and experience it in the comfort of our classroom".

​Webcams offer opportunities for teachers and students at all levels and content areas. Whether students are simply observing animals in their natural habitat, comparing regions and/or ecosystems, or even participating in a real life global study like this Monarch Butterfly project, webcams can be a great way to incorporate observation into a lesson or activity. In addition, bringing the real world into the classroom is a great way to make learning more relevant and engaging for students.

Webcams that can be utilized in the classroom are just a Google search away. Below are a few of the sites Ms. Carr and her Virtual Explorers use in the classroom. 

Black Bear Lily’s Den near Ely, Minnesota.  
http://www.pixcontroller.com/WebCam/WebCam-LilyBear.htm
 
Safe Haven, Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, BC  Canada   
https://www.grousemountain.com/wildlife-refuge/bear-cam
 
LIVE CAM of bears at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls
 
LIVE CAM of bears at Lower River, Katmai National Park, Alaska
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-lower-river
 
EarthCam and Hollywild Animal Park in Wellford, South Carolina
http://www.earthcam.com/cams/southcarolina/wellford/?cam=bearcam


​Scott Sisemore