One of the hottest topics in schools and an area of greatest need is STEM resources. Earth Networks has developed creative and compelling STEM curricula on a variety of weather topics. Any school with a weather unit or an onsite weather station will appreciate this site. I asked them to drop in and explain their education programs to the AATT community:
Why Teach STEM?
In the world of education, only a few things remain constant. The weather is not one of them. But people’s desire to learn and understand the factors that shape weather, and the desire to accurately predict it, certainly is a constant. Nearly every business in every industry is profoundly affected by the weather, and knowing how to read and understand the data that is presented to business leaders via WeatherSTEM platforms and weather data visualization software is invaluable. Making weather a part of your student’s curriculum will invariably help them throughout their lives, regardless of the paths they choose.
How Do You Teach It?
Lesson plans that will assist you in gathering and disbursing the information to your students are readily available. The data that’s made available to you through the systems will allow you to not only accurately forecast the weather, but also give legs to your research and data mining processes. Projects, papers, and more are easier to do using the software, and the tools you’re given make new things possible.
What Is It?
WeatherSTEM works by integrating a collection of data collection units into one easy-to-read weather data visualization. That information can assist in a huge range of applications, from planning sporting and family events to organizing transit to finalizing business dealings. Understanding how to read that data is vitally important in order to make proper use of it.
Who Uses It
A truck driver moving goods across the country needs accurate weather forecasting for obvious reasons. But a CEO across the world to close a deal needs it just as much. A teacher planning a field trip, a photographer planning a shoot, a construction company planning a building project, all of these fields and more make use of the software regularly.
Weather data visualization is made as simple as possible by the WeatherSTEM networks, but teaching your students how to read and understand the visuals needs to be a core part of any education program.
One of Earth Networks WeatherSTEM many resources are webinars addressing weather topics. Take a look:
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
