Los Angeles, CA
Mar. 30–Apr. 2, 2017
Conference Website
Every year the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) hosts a national conference on science education open to member and nonmember science educators. NSTA is committed “to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.”
Thursday, March 30
Using a Free Online Tool to Support Students in Developing Models
Tom Bielik (Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI), Daniel Damelin, Joseph Krajcik (CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI), Li Ke (Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI)
8:00–9:00 AM, JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE, Diamond Ballroom Salon 10
Learn about and use a new student-focused tool that supports students in constructing, testing, and revising dynamic system models to make sense of phenomena.
Wikiwatershed.org Toolkit of Resources and Curriculum
Steve Kerlin (Stroud Water Research Center: Avondale, PA), Nanette Marcum-Dietrich (Millersville University: Millersville, PA), Carolyn Staudt
8:30–9:00 AM, JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE, Platinum Ballroom Salon I
Delve into how you can use the new STEM community of www.wikiwatershed.org featuring online GIS modeling, DIY environmental sensors, scientific data gathering processes, and watershed curriculum.
Teaching Environmental Sustainability Using a Free Place-Based Watershed Model
Carolyn Staudt, Nanette Marcum-Dietrich (Millersville University: Millersville, PA), Steve Kerlin (Stroud Water Research Center: Avondale, PA)
2:00–3:00 PM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall P
Model My Watershed is a free, web-based application that invites students to explore the condition of their local watershed with a scientifically valid watershed model.
Powerful and Free Online Simulations and Curriculum for Earth Science
5:00–6:00 PM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall P
Discover free Earth system and environmental science simulations and curricula on topics such as plate tectonics, climate change, and hydraulic fracturing.
Friday, March 31
Making Sense of Gene-Environmental Interactions in a 3D Science Classroom
Jane Lee (CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI), Deborah Peek-Brown (CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI), Irene Bayer (CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI), Louise Mead (BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action: East Lansing, MI), Tali Tal (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology: Haifa, Israel), Frieda Reichsman
9:30–10:30 AM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall R
Join us and find out what science classrooms using three-dimensional learning that support students making sense of gene-environmental interactions look like. Explore Project-Based Learning environments that engage students in three-dimensional learning while investigating how genetic and environmental factors affect their family and community.
NESTA and NOAA Climate, Weather, & Ocean Share-a-Thon
9:30–10:30 AM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Petree Hall D
Learn about our High-Adventure Science projects, which bring several of the big unanswered questions in Earth and space science — think climate change, the availability of freshwater, land management and more — to middle and high school science classrooms.
Powerful, Free Simulations for Three-Dimensional NGSS Teaching
11:00 AM–12:00 PM, JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE, Gold Ballroom Salon 2
Come discover how free NSF-funded molecular simulations and curricula from the Concord Consortium can add all three dimensions of the NGSS to your physics, physical science, and chemistry teaching, with a special emphasis on the science practices. Take away free tips and resources that you can use immediately to bring NGSS to life in your classroom!
NESTA and Earth System Science Share-a-Thon
12:30–1:30 PM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Petree Hall D
Learn about our High-Adventure Science projects, which bring several of the big unanswered questions in Earth and space science — think climate change, the availability of freshwater, land management and more — to middle and high school science classrooms.
Saturday, April 1
NGSS@NSTA Share-a-Thon
9:30–11:00 AM, Los Angeles Convention Center, 151
Get tips and tools to implement three-dimensional standards from NSTA’s NGSS Curators, NGSS writers, and other national education experts. Leave with plenty of resources and ideas you can use in your classroom right away!
Model My Watershed: Using Place-Based Education to Promote STEM Learning and Watershed Citizenship
Nanette Marcum-Dietrich (Millersville University: Millersville, PA), Steve Kerlin (Stroud Water Research Center: Avondale, PA), Carolyn Staudt
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall P
Come learn about an exciting free online modeling application that gives anyone (age 8+) the ability to use STEM practices to explore their local watershed.
Explore Free Water Science Activities for Middle School Environmental Classrooms
Carolyn Staudt, Melinda Daniels (Stroud Water Research Center: Avondale, PA), Nanette Marcum-Dietrich (Millersville University: Millersville, PA), Tirupalavanam Ganesh (Arizona State University: Tempe, AZ)
5:00–6:00 PM, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall Q
Explore free web-based watershed-related activities and engineering projects that model the technologies used to clean, conserve, and manage your local water resources.