EdTech Loop Ep. 97: MiSTEM Heats Up

Why is STEM so important in Michigan right now? Because Michigan businesses need STEM educated workers and currently those workers are not available. Businesses struggle to understand why it appears public education is not producing the workforce they need, while educators are attempting to teach kids collaboration, creative thinking and other 21st Century Skills, while navigating another legislative edict, state standards, and school district goals. Our guest Drea Weiner from MiSTEM is attempting to repair that disconnect, and helping to make education applicable to a real world setting by fitting STEM into the curriculum to meet the needs that businesses are desperately crying out for.

Elementary is Engineering Workshop

November 26th

TCAPS Sabin Data Center

 

Acronym List

MiSTEM - Michigan Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Network

TBAISD - Traverse Bay Intermediate School District

CHAREMISD - Charelvoix - Emmet Intermediate School District

ELA - English Language Arts

REMC - Regional Education Materials Center

METS - Michigan Education Technology Specialists

EVR - Experience Verification Route

EIE - Elementary is Engineering

REMC RITS - REMC Instructional Technology Specialists

SEL - Social Emotional Learning

DigCit - Digital Citizenship

 

 

Full Transcript:

Drea Weiner 0:02
I'm pretending like I know what I'm doing but I don't actually know what I'm doing most days.

Larry Burden 0:11
The most important thing we can teach our kids is to recognize that everybody's just winging it.

Drea Weiner 0:15
Because you need to integrate that with your content.

Larry Burden 0:19
I want to do that. That looks like more fun.

Larry Burden 0:26
It's Episode 97 of the EdTechLoop podcast. My name is Larry Burden and she's been attempting to 3D print snow tires for her Hyundai Elantra, it's Danelle Brostrom, and we are also joined by Northern Michigan Sensei of STEM, it's Drea Weiner. Multiple snow days have allowed for additional time to meditate on this week's moment of Zen.

Moment of Zen 0:47
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake. It is necessary to stand out in the cold.

Larry Burden 0:52
After several field attempts to brave the icy roads we've decided to stay home and fabricate this week's meat of the show. STEM heats up in Northern Michigan.

Danelle Brostrom 1:03
I wasn't ready for any of that Larry.

Larry Burden 1:03
I worked really hard to come up with a title.

Danelle Brostrom 1:03
It took you all week to write, didn't it?

Larry Burden 1:04
So I worked...

Larry Burden 1:10
Naw, about the last 15 minutes. Come on, there's no prep here. Okay, so thank you for joining us Drea, because I know your schedule is crazy. We've got tons of questions about what you do and what's happening with STEM in northern Michigan. I don't think we've actually covered a lot of STEM so far this year now so fill us in.

Drea Weiner 1:34
First one in. So yeah, so I'm the Regional Director for the MiSTEM network, and the MiSTEM network is a statewide effort to make sure that there's a cross curricular look at science, technology, engineering and mathematics, are we teaching those areas, are we teaching them in an integrated way, are we teaching them in a way that prepare our students for life beyond school, are we teaching them in a way that's applicable to the workforce. So that's kind of MiSTEM network, in a nutshell. I can talk to you about that for like hours on end but we'll, we'll end on that particular note.

Larry Burden 2:07
go ahead, you've got questions galore. Don't wait for me to just jump right in.

Danelle Brostrom 2:11
No, I'm just curious about the connection with business, you know and typically in schools we think about how, how we're teaching these skills, kind of on our own. Can you talk to me about the connection with business, why is that important?

Drea Weiner 2:22
So I would say that this is important because right now in Michigan, businesses do not want to engage, they do not want to invest in education. They do not understand the importance of engaging in education because they're having to do a lot of apprenticeships, a lot of workforce, work based learning within their own house because kids do not have the skill sets and which they need, and that's everything that's been expressed for me, like kids cannot problem solve, kids cannot critically think, they're not showing up on time, they don't have basic mathematics skills, they don't understand taxes which is, I don't know if I always fully understand taxes to be completely honest, but like having to sit down and explain, like here's the math on how you budget out your life because we do withhold your taxes from, from this end of things. So, from the business end of things they're just like we, we don't understand, you're not giving us what we need. Now from the educator side of things, here really like we're in charge of these kids from eight until three or whatever your school day is and like we're teaching your kids collaboration, and how to talk to each other, and here's the content that we're teaching in them, and here's like another legislative edict, and here's what our school districts coming from and, like, there's all these different components from a teacher's perspective over what they're having to do as well. And there's a disconnect between why a kid has to learn fractions in elementary school and like how that actually gets applied in the workforce, because Danielle you and I've worked with 3D printing and looking at decimal places, and so, for engineers when they're creating prototypes, if something's off by a fraction, you need to want to understand what that fraction is and two, understand like, if your material shrink by 1%, how do you change that to make sure that like, your materials don't shrink, and that your prototype is actually fitting when it's supposed to fit. And that's, and that's really the disconnect that we're trying to close with like how is your education applicable to a real world setting as well, and fitting that need that businesses are desperately crying out for because there are some people that will hire you for $60,000 on the floor in a manufacturing plant, and I'm pretty sure that's not the entry level of a teacher. So, like how do, we how do we make sure that kids can also get jobs, and stay in your communities, and be able to contribute to the economy. Once again, that's another like huge...

Danelle Brostrom 4:46
But this is such an important thing but it's a large task Drea. How are you, how are you getting started with this and how is the MiSTEM network finding a place where they can connect businesses and educators.

Drea Weiner 4:58
Yeah, so part of that is right now I'm doing a needs assessment of the whole region. So I covered TBAISD and I cover CHAREMISD. And so it's everything from looking at assessment scores, looking at what are the needs of the teachers have expressed to me, it's looking at the workforce data over what's projected to grow in the next 10 years. It's looking at, okay so if I'm going out and meeting with companies, what are the top five things coming up, like bubbling up through those conversations. Trying to figure out where these needs, and what's being discussed, and like how do those align. And it is a huge task, and I'm not in any way shape or form getting it right, right off the bat, but it's kind of one of those things that like how do I make sure that we're building in that iterative process of like, okay so, last year I've heard a lot of teachers needing like, I need help for supplies first because science is more expensive than an ELA project in your classroom. I need help. And I was just like, okay, I'll figure out how I can help you. Well, now that we're there, how do we, how do we move forward with like what is this cross curricular component look like, who's actually doing it in your classrooms, or who's, who's trying to do it but just needs help, who are the resources like yourself to reach out to, how do we get the workshops, like code.org and CS Fundamentals to the areas that need them. Like it's, a it's a lot and it requires a lot of people to bring to the table. It requires us to look at how we're currently using our resources, because my, my grant dollars and my dollars come from the state are meant to be generative and so, who else can I get to the table, in order to have an event or not even just an event, to have a program. And some of its, you know, here's how the ISD and I partner, because they are my fiscal. And here's how a business can come to the table and like, you know what I want an intern, and I'm like, great, which teachers have students that can actually, that are ready for an internship. Because that's part of it as well, the bringing people a table and let's talk about what these needs are saying.

Danelle Brostrom 7:01
And you said there's a whole network throughout Michigan of people just like you so if listeners aren't local to the TBAISD or CHAREM area, they, how would they find their MiSTEM person so they could learn more about this.

Drea Weiner 7:15
So I would go to michigan.gov/MiSTEM. You will be able to find your director there. And then part of its also reaching out to the other net, networks like REMC, like METS, the Math and Science Center Network etc.. Trying to figure out like, okay, so who are the, who are the people that I can connect with. I would start with the MiSTEM state site for, how do I connect with you.

Danelle Brostrom 7:39
The workforce wants these specific set of skills. Why is STEM the vehicle to get our kids there.

Drea Weiner 7:46
I would say, because it allows for a way that shows students how learning can be cross curricular and it shows how it can be applicable. So if you're working with, oh, I'm going to fall back on manufacturing because it's my experience. If a manufacturer for example wants an intern, they're going to go look for a student that has engineering experience, they're going to go look for a student that has solid science experience, they're going to look for a student whose teachers going to say, yeah, this kid shows up on time, apologizes when they don't show up on time, has the basic mathematics skills in order to push them forward, they asked for help, that was a huge one that's been coming up lately. You know, wide variety of my conversations of like, the kids, these kids know how to ask for help. And I would say STEM, like, a lot of the careers moving forward, are based in those four arenas. And like, more and more the workforce is working from home, you've got telecommuting going on. We actually have a really strong Computer Science Programmer base here in Traverse City that most people don't know about because they're all working from home. Yeah, if you're a homebody and you like to work from home and you've got solid, computer science skills like, people in New York City would rather hire someone from Traverse City than someone who lives in New York because it's a fraction of the price, and it's pretty competitive. Or go to the co-op if you do need to work with people. So that's another skill set that I don't think many teachers are aware of because most people don't realize, I won't say most people, I would say people who traditionally have to show up at a space for work, um, don't fully understand what it means to work from home. So if you're a kid that can't do an online course, like you have to have a lot of self regulation skills to be able to work from home. Because like, there are days where I work from home and it's great. I get to sit down and actually focus on what's going on. There are days where I'm just too distracted by how cute my cats are, and I have to go into the office because I will get nothing done. So that's, that's another example of the disconnect.

Larry Burden 9:48
You mentioned teachers a lot.

Drea Weiner 9:50
Yeah,

Larry Burden 9:50
And a concern that I have, or a question that I have is, is it teachers to MiSTEM, or is it District to MiSTEM? It seems like we're asking a teacher to do a lot,

Drea Weiner 10:04
Yeah,

Larry Burden 10:04
without support from the District, and it's such a large thing that we're asking them to do, I mean we're basically asking them to to look at their curriculum and figure out ways to fit, fit STEM in. It doesn't seem like that should necessarily be the teachers, I mean, it really doesn't seem like it should be the teacher's job or all on the teacher. It seems like the District should be supporting the teacher in their curriculum to allow for something as important as STEM to be embedded in what they do every day. It should just be there. How are we having those conversations.

Drea Weiner 10:39
Yeah, so I'm really, Yeah, I'm really glad that you brought that up because that is another layer of the MiSTEM network of looking at how do we talk with our district, districts. Because it should, in my opinion, it's got to be both. You have to have those gorilla educator teachers who, who are doing this regardless. Who's like, this look ,this work...

Larry Burden 10:56
Pushing it forward.

Drea Weiner 10:56
Pushing it forward, especially for an administrator who didn't teach that way. I've seen EVR I've been talking to people about CPM, Classroom Makers, over like a lot of that, students will show you their learning, how do you stop talking at the kids and help guide them through their learning. And that's an evolution from where some people were in the classroom you know maybe 20 years ago. And so, the, there's the flip side of that like okay, how does the district move forward with the research of what good learning looks like, and how do they support the teachers that way as well. And so that's a, that's another conversation and sometimes it's packing people up in the car and going to a school where they're doing that. And sometimes it's, you know, bringing people to the table or having business and education just sit at the same table and talk about what that means, and sometimes it's a district administrator, sometimes it's a principal, sometimes it's a teacher. So, yeah, that is a lot to ask teachers, and in no way shape or form do I expect every teacher to be like, yeah, let's go for this and like, if you don't have the support of your admin you're either one, not going to do it right, two not do it all, or three, do it but also have a really uphill battle.

Larry Burden 12:09
The resources end up, I mean we've seen it so many times in the classroom, a teacher has a great idea, or wants to pursue this, and the energy, the time, the resources, run out, or they move.

Drea Weiner 12:24
Yeah.

Larry Burden 12:24
So something happens at this one school and it's getting some traction but then the teacher gets moved to x school and then...

Drea Weiner 12:31
it's gone, because they take it to that school, yeah.

Larry Burden 12:34
And it's hard to get any real traction if it's not, kind of, site or District based. And I've just seen it too many times where they have that STEM classroom, and it's dedicated, and it's all good and then next year it's a closet.

Drea Weiner 12:49
Yeah, and I would say like from my vision, my personal one, I wouldn't say this is necessarily the whole MiSTEM networks vision, is that every teacher is comfortable with STEM. Like, long term, years down the road, like anyone is comfortable, like here's where, you know what we're going to do a literature and science lesson, and we're going to time together today, because I think everyone needs those skills, but until you have people from the administrative side of things and the teachers working together in that space, it's, it's going to be frustrating. And it's going, it's going to continue with teachers popping around and kids either getting it or not getting it depending on where that teacher, or helpful administrator is so.

Larry Burden 13:29
So there's a thing that's happening that maybe administrators and teachers should maybe get involved in. Isn't there like a workshop coming up.

Drea Weiner 13:35
Oh yeah, we've got our Elementary is Engineering Workshop, coming up pretty quickly here, which by the way you get a free Elementary is Engineering kit, if you decide to attend.

Larry Burden 13:46
Plug away.

Drea Weiner 13:47
Yeah.

Drea Weiner 13:48
So Heidi Skodeck is the one who's running the workshop for us, and she's been fantastic in helping me plan this, and it's been a long time coming. And so, here's a way that, here's a program that looks at how do you apply engineering in an elementary classroom. It's all tied to a story about a something related to other solar ovens, or building bridges or, I think designing circuits. So if you, if you do circuits with your kiddos, or you, or if you've designed solar ovens with your kiddos before just here's another way that you can do it that's also ties back to some of your standards and, you know, Heidi Skodeck your STEM person is on board for this, so like you know you're going to get some level of support in addition to, you're going to walk away with, you get to choose from one of those three kits to have that go back in your classroom. And I know, that you guys have the materials in your Elementary Materials Center to check out more kits, if you decide that you really like Elementary is Engineering.

Larry Burden 14:46
I think this is a great model for this. So we have the MiSTEM network partnering with our, a District administrator, working with district resources to support teachers.

Drea Weiner 14:56
And MiSTEM resources as well, yeah.

Larry Burden 14:58
Exactly.

Drea Weiner 14:58
And that's kind of, that's kind of what this is supposed to do, is like, the one kit that you get to take home back and keep your classroom, like that's technically coming out of my funds. There'll be a sticker on it but overall I don't care. There's more resources back in your Elementary Material Center that you guys can just check out, and that you don't have to worry about how am I going to replenish this kit once I use all the consumables because you have the Center for that.

Danelle Brostrom 15:18
I will say to, kudos for choosing that program because I think the Engineering is Elementary kit and their philosophy is phenomenal. It is top notch for kids, and I also think it's great for, you know you mentioned educators that have built solar ovens before and want something different, I think it's great for the educator who has no clue what they're doing and it's just excited about trying to help kids learn.

Larry Burden 15:39
Yeah.

Danelle Brostrom 15:39
It's very easy to get into.

Drea Weiner 15:41
Yeah. And honestly, so how I'm structured is that there's me and then I have an advisory council from the local level. And I have an education subcommittee of that and so Heidi sits on that board, Annette Cole that's on that committee, but then Shelly VanderMeulan, who used to work in your Elementary Material Center sit's on it. Michael George sits on it. We've got someone from CHAREM and the NMLC group that sits on it. And then we've got a teacher from Greenspire who sits on it too. So here's our education resource within the committee and like they're the ones who actually self identified that because they recognize that we're not doing a lot of engineering or science at the elementary level, and they're just like you know what we've used this before and it's a pretty easy entry toward, that's not scary for teachers to use.

Larry Burden 16:27
Give us the details for the Workshop.

Drea Weiner 16:28
OK, so the Workshop, you can register on our MiSTEM page for the local one. So my local link is MiSTEM.tbaisd.org. And TBA my fiscal so, what, I service many organizations, but they are my fiscal so the their name gets in the URL right now. And so you go under, Educators, there's a whole resource for you, for you guys that lists out any workshops that's going to be popping up in the area. And you would go, the registration link is there. If you are struggling with your administrator for sub costs, what you would be able to do though is that we actually have a Teacher Professional Learning Scholarship that you can apply for, and be like, oh, okay, great, you know what, you're willing to cover my sub costs, great, if you're not from within TCAPS and, like, then you're starting to get the argument over, well the drive to Northport, we don't know if we can, like pay your gas, or your mileage, or what happens if a snowstorm happens. You can also apply for that, for that scholarship as well and we'll pay your mileage and whatnot. And that's not just for this workshop, that's for any workshop or conference. If you want to go to MACUL let us know, we're going to do a carpool down there, I'm sure. But like, that, that's what that scholarship is for is to make sure that you guys can attend this workshop. The workshop itself is November 26. We need you to register as soon as possible. It will be first come first serve so I'll let you guys know when it is full. I will feed you so you don't walk away hungry that day. The rest is all on Heidi. Like she's, she's going to be the one leading you guys through it.

Danelle Brostrom 18:05
Now you also have many grants available right now.

Drea Weiner 18:08
Yeah,

Danelle Brostrom 18:08
Can you talk about those?

Drea Weiner 18:09
This is my second year as Regional Director, and I spent a lot of time listening to educators both out and about in the community and also in their classroom. Listening to the different consultants both from within TCAPS, and within TBA, and listening to my fellow MiSTEM Directors. So what came up from all of those conversations was, we don't have the resources. How can we just try this if, like I don't want to spend $1,000 or $500 on additional materials like out of my own pocket. So we created a mini grant system where like, okay you've got an a, an idea of how you can bring STEM into your classroom, great. For the first tier, which is, I just want to try something, $500, I just want to try. Great, come, apply, we'll review it to make sure that you've actually thought it through. This is not meant for, oh, we're out of crayons in our classroom, or we're, like it's not meant to replenish anything, it's meant to actually be for a project of some kind.

Larry Burden 19:09
I really think Ozobots are cool but I don't have a plan to do it.

Drea Weiner 19:12
Yeah, something like that, or hey I really want to start a Blockables in my classroom, or I want a set of iPads, but I don't know what, you would do in fact have to think about what this is through. Or, like, once again, if you want to go to the EIE workshop and you'll find another one that you really want but maybe you're a little worried about like, when you're going to get your stuff. You can apply for this grant and get a whole nother kit to try. It's really meant to be like, think about what you want to try in your classroom. Here's some funds for this. It is meant for materials, not for just like hiring in a consultant or something like that to come into your classroom. It is that for materials for you to do. But like, that's what that's for. And then we have a second tier, which is $1,000, where if you're working in a team environment that includes business or the community that's, that's a little bit more meaningful, that's showing like, here's how it's a little bit more cross curricular, this is how we're bringing in the workforce component. Like, for example, if you're, if you've decided to code.org like all their resources for code.org are free, but you, there are programmers here in town who are very much aware that computer science is not necessarily being taught in our schools and they want it to because their kids are here in these schools, and they're just like you know what let's use Microbits in the classroom. But Microbits are $15 a pop not including the alligator clips and how do we, who's going to teach the kids the Python. Well then you can bring in, you can purchase all the stuff for the micro bits, you can bring in the community partner to help the kids with what your programming is going to be, but also Microbits has a free curriculum that's either tied to code.org their own thing, Project Lead the Way, I think there's one more I'm not entirely sure. But anyways, there's at least those three that you can apply to your classroom, but you do need some seed funding to purchase the materials for your class. And that's what the thousand dollar one is for, because we really want people talking to each other. We really want people reaching out to each other over like, what does this look like. And so those applications, which also can be found on our website, are due, November 27th, with the goal to have them announced in December, so you can do this right after the school, no the turn of the year, and give us your feedback and your evaluations before the end of the school year so you're not losing your mind. So that's, that's what the mini grants are for. And I...

Larry Burden 21:34
You have all the resources.

Drea Weiner 21:36
Not all of them but I'm trying, I'm trying pretty hard. Yeah, and so, and that came out of, that idea came out of actually another region, another MiSTEM region in the state was doing it, and they didn't reach 100% saturation, but it allowed for certain schools who typically either get forgotten or lost to explore how to do STEM in their classrooms. And once again, I'm not prescribing what you do, you do have to think it through, you do have to tie it to your standards, you do. And if you need help reaching out to a community member I've got people who can help you with that. There's that part as well, because I know, reaching out to community members can be scary. You still have to have a, have at least thought it through. Because if you give me an application that it looks like you're just purchasing classroom materials and that's it, I'm going to tell you no on that one, so.

Danelle Brostrom 22:25
So what do you hope for in terms of the future of this program?

Drea Weiner 22:28
Oh my gosh, so I hope for, oh, gosh,

Larry Burden 22:32
World domination?

Drea Weiner 22:33
World domination in STEM! Um, what I'm really hoping for is that teachers feel empowered by, well by their administrators, by the state, by community partners to try things out in their classroom, and to not feel the fear of how does this tie back into what I'm doing. Like you, you have people you can go out and ask questions to. I'm hoping that kids are thinking, like, maybe you ask the kids what they want to do. We want to work on an erosion project, or we want to go to the bay and count like how many birds have died from whatever bird flu is going on. Like, you know, how do you bring in the student voice to this. How do you have a full supportive community coming in saying this is how, these are our issues, please kids come solve this, because I think that's another component, or how do we expose kids to these type of careers that no one knows are going to be out there in 20 years.

Larry Burden 23:31
It seems like, you know, I think STEM gets labeled or viewed sometimes as coding.

Drea Weiner 23:36
Yeah,

Larry Burden 23:37
It's coding, you know, and so...

Drea Weiner 23:38
or it's FIRST Robotics and exclusively FIRST Robotics.

Larry Burden 23:41
Exactly whereas, whereas really it's more about problem solving, it's taking, its taking learning and making it applicable.

Drea Weiner 23:47
If you're talking about food chains, okay, let's talk about the invasive species that are found out in our bay. Let's talk about like, why is it important for the micro plastics, that from the 3D printers, how do we make sure that those do not wind up in our food chain and wind up in the fish that we also eat when we go fishin'. You know, how does that affect us? And, you know, we talk about food chains, we talk about food webs, we talk about, you know pollution on some level, what does that actually mean? That's what it's all about.

Larry Burden 24:17
It's really, it's just good practice, it's good educational practice.

Drea Weiner 24:20
Yeah.

Larry Burden 24:21
We just have to maybe take that one, one extra step, that one courageous step away from what's, what's built into the curriculum we're getting from wherever we're getting our curriculum from, and going okay how can this be applied to something that our students care about.

Drea Weiner 24:40
Yeah.

Danelle Brostrom 24:41
And I love the State of Michigan is saying that this is valuable. They're, they're putting money behind it, they're not just giving us some other mandate that we have to do. They're saying this is important and we're going to give you people that will help guide you and make this happen, so it's fortunate.

Drea Weiner 24:53
Yeah, Yeah. And I would also say that our Legis., a lot of my work is Legislator based. That's where some of my requirements come from, which a lot of those are listening to the businesses. And so I'm someone where if something doesn't make sense, a teacher can be like, Drea, here's my concern, this is what's popping up, and if it's something that is systemic, because let's face it, a lot of these issues are systemic, I get to go down to Lansing and advocate for what's going on. And the Executive Director of the program. Megan Schrauben, and she's the one who, like meets with the governor's office saying, okay here's where we're struggling with in STEM education, and you really need to listen to this. So that's, that's another piece of what I do like I don't get to spend the days in the classrooms with the kiddos and see like them doing it every day, most days. But I at least get to like take those stories with me and, and advocate.

Larry Burden 25:48
So, Tech Tool of the Week!

Techtool of the Week 25:52
Tech Tool of the Week, I want to talk about the STEM in Literature Project. Drea, Would you like to tell us a little bit about that.

Drea Weiner 25:57
Oh sure, I'm gonna have to let everyone know that my hat is shifting here a little bit I'm not just the MiSTEM Regional Director for us. I'm also one of the REMC RITS members for us. And this,

Larry Burden 26:11
I just want to stop really quick. We're going to have an acronym, like list, because you've thrown about seven of them out and they usually stop and go, and what does that mean, but we're just gonna let this go.

Drea Weiner 26:24
Once again I work with Legislators so I like it doesn't, I have now like become so accustomed to them I don't even realize it using them anymore.

Danelle Brostrom 26:32
That's okay.

Drea Weiner 26:33
Yeah, SEL, that was a new one I had to teach one of my co workers this week it was great social emotional learning. All right. Yeah,

Danelle Brostrom 26:40
STEM in Literature Project, tell us.

Drea Weiner 26:42
Promoting STEM through Literature Project. Okay, so this came out of the REMC Classroom Makers Project. And I think the thought was a, first of all this, I do not own this project, one, it is a REMC project, and two, Judy Bowling, and Kerry Giuliano are the wonderful, masterful ladies throughout the state who came up with this project and have been promoting it at every single ed tech conferences this summer. And this year, they are doing full day workshops throughout the state of how do you apply this. Anyways, taking another step back, is that this came from the Classroom Makers Project where they're using all that Make philosophy in the classroom, and how do you, how do you give students time to actually ask questions and inquire, and through their own space by Making great. Some of the things that people were running into, teachers were running into throughout the state were like, that's great how does this tie in to my standards. That's great. We've got a third grade reading bill coming down the pipeline, we don't have time for this. Okay, well maybe it fits, you know, on the day before Thanksgiving where all the kids are squirrely but you know, I don't really see this as something that I can continuously have in my classroom. And so looking at the third grade reading bill, the feedback from the teachers, and like how does this tie into my classroom, how do I get my administrators on board. Those two wonderful ladies, Kerry and Judy, they actually went and like, okay let's go look at which books that are, for the most part, based on real people, and that have design thinking, and making in their story. And so they picked out all of these books, many of them are by people of color, or marginalized voices, or like people who suffer from autism. And, like, here are these stories that they also have created like a pseudo, like, I don't know if they're called key cards or it's like a pseudo lesson plan Danelle help me out a little.

Danelle Brostrom 28:35
Yeah there's a lesson plan, and there's sample questions that you can use. There's also simple activities that you can connect with the maker kits that are waiting your MC for you to be checked out. Or if you read the book yourself you might come up with three other ideas on how you can use making to connect these. They're phenomenal books and the work that those ladies have done is top notch.

Drea Weiner 28:54
Yeah, and they're free. So we have those books at REMC for you to check out. We have the list of materials that require, that go along with the lesson plans. Okay, so here we have these free materials for you to check out and actually go back and apply it in your classroom, we also, like they're K-12. I sat down with a secondary English consultant over at TBA, and I was like hey, so these are picture books, and usually when I think about picture books it's for elementary school but they're telling me this is K-12, this is not

Larry Burden 29:23
You're in a safe place here.

Drea Weiner 29:23
This is not my area of expertise, and then like I shared with her the website. I shared with her, here's a lesson plan, one of the lesson plans tied to one of the books. She immediately tied three different standards for sixth grade into the lesson plan. And so, that's kind of one of the things to, where if you guys are confused about how do I fit this in, like what does this look like in my classroom, like this is meant to be K-12 and like there are people here within TCAPS, there's here, there's people within TBA who are just like, let me, let me help you out.

Danelle Brostrom 29:56
Um, but go to the website it's bit.ly/pstlmaker. And you can see the resources that are available

Larry Burden 30:03
My tagline, I've got this. And of course I have to throw the A in there because I love STEAM. Yeah, STEAM is Lit. No? Yeah, no? Okay, moving on.

Danelle Brostrom 30:12
Rolling the eyes just a little Larry.

Larry Burden 30:14
Tutorials and updates, I just wanted to throw out, um, you shared with me yesterday. Two days ago, your DigCit for Parents.

Danelle Brostrom 30:22
Oh yeah,

Larry Burden 30:23
Which I thought was awesome,

Danelle Brostrom 30:25
and Stephie, I didn't do it on my own.

Larry Burden 30:28
Well you shared it on your own.

Danelle Brostrom 30:29
I had to give credit.

Larry Burden 30:30
But the presentation is great, there's so much in there, and I have a feeling we're going to be doing a lot with that in the upcoming weeks because I think it's really important to be communicating some of those resources with our parents. It's just, it's just too important. In closing, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @TCAPSLoop

Danelle Brostrom 30:48
@brostromda

Drea Weiner 30:49
@dreaweiner

Larry Burden 30:49
Subscribe to the podcast on Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, Tune-in, Downcast, Overcast, the Google Play Store or wherever else you get your ear candy. Leave review, we love the feedback. Thanks for listening and inspiring.

Danelle Brostrom 31:03
Yes. This is why I love you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai