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Early Fall Updates 2020

10/8/2020

 
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A Special Offer for ABC CREATE Educators: FREE OBS Professional Development!
Are you teaching virtually from home or school? Are you teaching in a hybrid environment, with some students in the classroom and some tuning into class from home? Struggling to show students everything they need to see, play videos, manage sound, and actually
teach? CodeJoy can help.

Check out this
90 second video to see what teaching COULD be like.
​

Spots are limited to 7 participants each session, so reserve your spot for NOW! 
  • ABC CREATE partner districts register for any of the upcoming OBS sessions: https://codejoyeducation.com/abc-create 
  • ​Anyone outside of ABC CREATE partner districts, register for $75 here: https://codejoyeducation.com/products/obs
​
INSTRUCTORS: Sessions will be facilitated by Kelsey Derringer and Matt Chilbert of CodeJoy.
WHEN: Choose any one of the following times at checkout.
  • Wednesday 10/14, 6:30-8:30 pm
  • Wednesday 10/21, 6:30-8:30 pm
  • Wednesday 10/28, 3:30-5:30 pm
  • Wednesday 10/28, 6:30-8:30 pm
  • Wednesday 11/4, 3:30-5:30 pm
  • Wednesday 11/4, 6:30-8:30 pm
  • PLUS a special follow-up session for ABC CREATE teachers only on Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 4:00-5:00 pm.


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Finch Playgrounds! Intro to the Finch Robot 2.0
ABC CREATE has Finch 2.0's on the way (expected to arrive in November)! To get a head start thinking about how you might use the new Finch 2.0 and to try it out in real time, join us for the next Finch playgrounds. Using the remote robot capability offered by Birdbrain Technologies, you can explore this tool in a virtual, but still interactive and engaging way! This webinar is free for anyone to attend.

​WHEN: Tuesday, 
October 27th at 7 PM ET or Wednesday, November 18th at 4 PM
WHERE: On Zoom

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

AIU Teacher Grant Opportunity
The Allegheny Intermediate Unit will be offering OnRamp Grants for remote learning! These grants of up to $2,500 each will support educators planning innovative remote learning opportunities.

The funding will be used to support the following outcomes:
  • Increase opportunities for joyful and creative learning, especially for students who might experience particular hardships or obstacles due to school disruptions
  • Develop and implement instruction that is engaging, empowering, and equitable, addressing new challenges in creative and innovative ways
  • Improve in-class practices
  • Help families become learning allies

Any educator from AIU’s 42 member districts, Pittsburgh Public Schools, or brick & mortar charter schools located in Allegheny County is eligible to apply.

IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES:
January 4: Grant proposal opened for Round 2
January 18: Proposals due for Round 2
February 1: Round 2 Grantees Announced

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO APPLY

PA Statewide STEM Ecosystem (PSSE) and PA STEM Coalition 
The Pennsylvania STEM Coalition was and is a collective of stakeholders that planted the seeds for: a common vision for STEM; monthly virtual statewide STEM collaboration meetings; the Pennsylvania’s computer science initiative; the expansion of STEM Ecosystems; the formation of the PAsmart[SEP4] Initiative; and the review of Pennsylvania’s Science standards.   
PDE is continuing its commitment to collective impact and stakeholder-driven change in STEM through the ongoing Pennsylvania STEM Coalition and the Pennsylvania Statewide STEM Ecosystem (PSSE). PSSE is a collaborative of formal and informal STEM Ecosystems across Pennsylvania. PSSE will support the PA STEM Coalition by coordinating meetings, events, collaboration opportunities and communicating about STEM Coalition activities, emails, and updates.

To receive notices and information about online sessions for PA STEM stakeholders, please sign up through the
PA STEM Listserv Registration before November 1, 2020.


This is the link to our evolving fall calendar of meetings.
Please save the dates for:
  • November 12th, 2020 Time (TBD): Standards Update
  • November 19th, 2020, 4:00 PM- 5:00 PM -  Ecosystem Networks - East Coast meets West Coast
  • December 10th, 2020 Time (TBD): STEM Year in Review
Anyone is welcome to attend any of our Thursday meetings. If you are not able to join us, you can access all past STEM Coalition sessions in the Google Folder.
To ensure that classroom teachers can also participate in our meetings, we will schedule some upcoming meetings in the late afternoon – stay tuned.​

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GET MORE INFO AND REGISTER

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NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award
The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Educator Award identifies exemplary formal and informal educators who play a pivotal role in encouraging 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary to explore their interest in computing and technology. The award recognizes these educators for their efforts to promote gender equity in computing. Since 2011, more than 500 educators have been recognized and have received more than $225,000 in professional development funding to improve their computing education skills.

Love to see an ABC CREATE Educator win this! 2020 Western PA Affiliate Winner - Tamar McPherson: Plum; 2019 Western PA Affiliate Winner - Stephanie Reilly: Fox Chapel; 2018 Western PA Affiliate Winner - Maureen Garda: Franklin Regional W. Could you be next?

LEARN MORE AND APPLY
INFORMATION FLIER

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The Robert F. Tinker Fellows Program
The fellowship program aims to promote innovation, creativity, and cross-disciplinary conversations in educational technology for STEM teaching and learning. Originally organized as a residency program, the fellowship was designed to bring individuals to the Concord Consortium to spark new ideas, tinker with novel technologies, cultivate outside perspectives, and provide opportunities for reflection on our work.

Fellows with synergistic work in the following broad themes are invited to apply:
  • Theme 1: Tools for inquiry
  • Theme 2: Learning and collaboration
  • Theme 3: Data explorations
  • Theme 4: Sustainability and the environment
  • Theme 5: Tinkering with models; playful experimentation
  • Theme 6: Online learning
  • Theme 7: Learning everywhere

The 2021 fellowship will be remote.
Fellows will be selected by an application and review process.
​Application deadline: November 16, 2020
Fellows will be notified by December 14, 2020

LEARN MORE

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TEN and MLN FallBbook Study
The book study will start on October 19th and we will be discussing the book Chart A New Course! There will be a slow chat with discussion questions posted throughout the week. To participate, use the hashtags: #ChartYourNewCourse #isteten #istemln
Sign up with the link below to receive the questions and additional information.  Thanks  to @Laurie Guyon and @Kendre Perry.

LINK TO PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Student Opportunities

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Award for Aspirations in Computing (Award for AiC)
The Award for AiC honors 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions.  Recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing receive access to a community of more than 16,000 technical womxn and exclusive opportunities. Share this announcement with students in grades 9-12 who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary! www.aspirations.org/AiCHSAward #NCWITAiC21

DEADLINE:
Submit a completed application by the early deadline on October 15, 2020 to receive an invitation to the AiC Tech-Blazers VIP Event. Applicants must submit an application by the final deadline at 11:59 p.m. EST on November 5, 2020.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY
INFORMATION FLIER

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Black Engineering Student Scholarship 
DEADLINE: Monday, November 2, 2020
​Carnegie Robotics is proud to introduce the Black Engineering Scholars Program. The program promotes educational and economic equity through community outreach, professional mentorship, and financial assistance to students from the Greater Pittsburgh Area’s black community who are pursuing a degree in an engineering discipline. Each year we will select up to four high school students who will be chosen to receive a Carnegie Robotics’ Student Scholar Award.

LEARN MORE
SCHOLARSHIP FLIER
APPLY HERE

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Southwest Pennsylvania Education Symposium
WHAT: The Education Symposium is the kickoff event of a student initiative of high school students from across 10 counties in Southwest Pennsylvania dedicated to make a change when it comes to systematic discrimination in education as well as discrimination faced within our schools.
WHEN: ​October 24th from 10 am to 4 pm
WHERE: The symposium will be held on a virtual platform.

LEARN MORE
SYMPOSIUM FLIER

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Want to help kids change the world?

UNICEF and the Swedish Institute need YOUR help to facilitate online learning for our event Kids Hack the Crisis, in which we’re tapping into kids’ creativity to solve the Covid crisis. 
 
WHAT: A weekend-long hack-a-thon event in which we are tapping into kids' creativity to help solve the coronavirus crisis
WHO: 800 kids age 10-15 in Europe, Africa, and North America
WHEN: October 23-25, 2020
WHERE: On Zoom

VOLUNTEER: Volunteers should be over 18, be available in afternoon time slots in Europe or North American time zones, and have some experience with kids, online teaching, or technology. Learn more and
sign up for a volunteer slot here. For helping out, you’ll receive recognition from UNICEF and the Swedish Institute as a way to say thanks.

SHARE: Plus, share the event with the kids, schools, and families you serve to encourage participation!

We need hundreds of volunteers to sign up in the next 2 weeks - so please share this with your friends - and then get ready to help Kids Hack the Crisis!​


Comments are closed.
    CodeJoy Virtual Student Sessions

    ​Robot Rovers
    January 9-13, 2023
    Click HERE to view available sessions!
    ____________________
    Upcoming ABC CREATE Events
    ​
    CodeJoy Teacher PD
    BBC micro:bit (virtual)
    January 30, 4-7 pm
    February 21, 5:45-8:45 pm
    March 8, 4-7 pm

    Click HERE to register!

    Hummingbird (virtual)
    January 31, 4-7 pm
    February 22, 5:45-8:45 pm
    March 6, 4-7 pm

    Click HERE to register!

    Finch 2.0 (virtual)
    February 1, 4-7 pm
    February 23, 5:45-8:45 pm
    March 7, 4-7 pm

    Click HERE to register!

    Hummingbird Inputs (virtual)
    March 1, 5:45-8:45 pm
    March 14, 4-7 pm

    Click HERE to register!

    Robot Potluck @ PSNK
    February 9, 4:15-6:15 pm
    February 28, 6-8 pm
    March 22, 4:15-6:15 pm


    ​Robot Potluck @ ARIN IU
    March 15, 4:15-6:15 pm
    March 30, 4:15-6:15 pm
    April 4, 4:15-6:15 pm

    Click 
    HERE to register for a Robot Potluck session!
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Connect with us:

Colleen Smith
STE(A)M Outreach Coordinator
724-334-6138 cms64@psu.edu

ABC CREATE

Penn State New Kensington
3550 7th Street Road
New Kensignton, PA 15068

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  • LEADS
    • Elementary CS/STEAM
    • Partners: School, Business, Community
    • Communities + Families
    • Extending Impact
  • UPDATES