Educators from throughout the state attend iSTEM Conference in Idaho Falls
Educators, administrators, and librarians from throughout the state have been attending the i-STEM conference during the week of June 24-27th at College of Eastern Idaho.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
During the 4-week conference, they participate in general sessions where they learn the new science standards and then break off into their specific strand course.
The strands include:
“Ecosystem Studies and Animal Adaptions” for K-2 educators “Beyond this World with STEM” for K-8 educators “FabSLAM 3D design and Fabrication” for educators teaching grades 5-9 “Anyone Can Code- Building a Coding Course When You Don’t Have a Clue” for educators teaching grades 6-12 “Journey Through Mathematical Wonders” for K-12 educators “Implementing the Idaho Science Standards through K-12 Inquiry and Project-based Learning” for K-12 educators
After the training, educators get a kit they can take back to their classrooms to help them implement what they’ve learned.
“STEM is important because we need to expose students to the science, the technology, the engineering and the math. Science is in our everyday lives, technology is changing, it’s constantly changing, we’re always using technology, so this will expose educators, so they can go back in their classrooms and implement it in their classrooms,” said i-STEM conference coordinator, Frankie Adams.
STEM knowledge and skills are important to the future of Idaho, The Idaho Department of Labor predicts upwards of 100,000 STEM jobs will exist in Idaho by 2024.
