Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology

GAMMA STUDENT CHAPTER EXPERIENCES 3D PRINTING:

November 18, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

On Wednesday, Nov 6, 2013, Dr. Abbie Brown, a full professor in Instruction Technology, shared his knowledge of and experiences with 3D printing with mathematics education students and faculty. Dr. Brown spoke with a standing room only crowd during the monthly Gamma Student Chapter meeting. Students and faculty enjoyed getting their hands on several of Dr. Brown’s previous prints, which included a dragon, a dog, a treasure chest, an owl, and a ring. Attendees learned about the cost of necessary materials, how 3D printing works, and potential uses of 3D printing. The conversation also included time for students to discuss applications of 3D printing for the mathematics classroom. The culmination of the presentation was a 3D printing of an ECU insignia ring.

The next meeting of the Gamma Student Chapter will be on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2013 from 5-6 pm. We will be Flipping the Mathematics Classroom! Please join us!!!

For further information contact Dr. Charity Cayton (caytonc@ecu.edu) or Dr. Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi (ADUGWAMFIK@ecu.edu)

MATHEMATICS EDUCATION STUDENTS SHARE POSTERS ABOUT NCCTM CONFERENCE

November 18, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

The North Carolina Council Teachers of Mathematics held their state conference Oct 31-Nov 1, 2013 in Greensboro, NC. A delegation of 18 Senior 1, secondary mathematics education students were among those representing ECU as attendees at this event. Upon their return from the conference, these students created posters highlighting several interesting or useful ideas gleaned from the sessions and workshops. On Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013, these students hosted a special Gamma Student Chapter event to share their posters with other mathematics education students and faculty. Approximately 50 mathematics and science education students and faculty attended the event. The Senior 1 students talked to visitors about their posters and experiences at the conference. The active engagement between presenters and attendees provided participants with a greater appreciation of the exciting happenings in North Carolina mathematics education.

NC Science Festival Needs Presenters!

October 28, 2013 Ken Luterbach No comments

The NC Science Festival (March 28-April 13, 2014) is now accepting applications from teachers and administrators for our 2014 K-12 programs! Applications will be accepted through November 1, and decisions will be made by mid-November. Visit our website at http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/get-involved/k-12-educator-toolkit/ to get started.

The Festival is offering the following programs:

Elementary Schools – Folt Science Nights
The Festival is giving away 75 science kits that will help you host a fun family science night. Kits include planning guide, 12 hands-on activities and materials for up to 200 participants. Kits are free of charge for new schools.

Middle Schools – Invite-A-Scientist
The Festival recruits dynamic and dedicated scientists and experts to share their excitement about STEM with students in NC’s middle school classes. Each visit is geared to inspire your students to consider science as a career and to understand how science impacts our lives. We provide the expert, lessons and planning support, free of charge for 50 schools.

High Schools – Science Spotlight
New for 2014, the Festival has developed curriculum to get high school students thinking about two hot topics in science: nuclear energy and fracking. Students will also have the unique opportunity to continue the discussion online with a Festival-paired expert in the field. We provide the expert, lessons and planning support, free of charge for 25 schools in this pilot program.

If you have any questions about these programs or other Science Festival events, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

Marissa Hartzler
Statewide Programs Coordinator
NC Science Festival
March 28 – April 13, 2014
hartzler@email.unc.edu
919-962-3274

The Science Education Club is back in full blast!

October 27, 2013 Ken Luterbach No comments

The first meeting was held September 30, 2013 and the room was full with education majors. Thirty students attended the meeting and several science instructors and faculty were present too! Guest Speaker, Blair Driver, discussed information about NCSTA (North Carolina Science Teacher Association), and the benefits of joining as a student. Brochures were passed out about how to enroll in NCSTA. Blair Driver is the District 1 representative for NCSTA and is a middle school science teacher in Pitt County. Dr. Collins from the ECU STEM Center shared information about the center and how students can utilize the resources available at the center in their practicum experiences. The Science Education Club elected 3 representatives for the Leadership Team: Beth Wantz (elementary grades major), Tierra Moore (middle grades major), and Jessica Linkletter (secondary grades major).
The next meeting will be held October 28, 2013 in Flanagan 312 from 7-8pm. The guest speaker will be Cheryl Olmsted, Assistant Superintendent of Pitt County Schools.

ECU Alumnus Wins Teacher of the Year Award from Wilson Community College

October 18, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

Brandon Craft, ECU Alumnus, is awarded 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year for Wilson Community College. Mr. Craft completed his B.S. Mathematics, Secondary Education degree from ECU in 2007 and his M.A. Mathematics degree in 2010. Prior to teaching mathematics at Wilson Community College, Mr. Craft was a high school teacher at SouthWest Edgecombe High School in Pinetops, NC.

Never Too Old for LEGO!

October 15, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

On Wednesday, Oct 2, 2013 Jennifer Christensen met with the Gamma Student Chapter, Mathematics Education Club. She introduced students and faculty to U.S. FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (http://www.usfirst.org/); a national LEGO robotics challenge league that emphasizes STEM learning across K-12. There are four local teams at the middle grades level that meet 1-2 times per week to prepare for local, state, national, and international competitions. Students and faculty enjoyed playing with sample robots, and a few students expressed interest in becoming mentors for local FIRST LEGO League robotics teams in Pitt County.

Elementary Science Publishes and Presents Research

October 15, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

We’re very proud to announce several publications and presentations by our elementary science education faculty and graduate students.

Science and Children, the journal of the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) for elementary teachers, has accepted Tammy D. Lee’s article for publication “Close Encounters of the Amphibious Kind: Frog Calls across Ponds and across Disciplines.” Tammy’s article demonstrates how elementary teachers can have students work in groups to learn about sound through frog calls.

In addition, our elementary science education faculty, Tammy D. Lee and Bonnie Glass, along with ECU science education Master’s student, Megan L. Garner, will be presenting two papers at the 2014 International Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) in San Antonio Texas:

Building Positive ‘Possible Selves’ in Elementary Science: Examining the Effects of an Elementary Science Concentration on Preservice Teacher’s Confidence to Teach Science
Authors:
Tammy D. Lee, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
Meredith W. Kier, Howard University, Washington, DC
Megan L. Garner, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

and

Revision of Elementary Science Concentration Courses Aligned to the Next Generation of Science Standards
Authors:
Tammy D. Lee, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
Bonnie Glass, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
Megan L. Garner, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

ECU Graduate Student Receives Outstanding Nova Award

September 9, 2013November 4, 2021 Ken Luterbach No comments

Fellow Pirate, Ken Hubbell, received the Nova Southeastern Award for Outstanding Practice by a Graduate Student in Instructional Design. All materials submitted to the competition must have been designed no earlier than 2012, while the nominee was enrolled as a graduate student. Hubbell states: “I applied my own customized version of ADDIE that incorporates spiral development as a means of managing the learning solution..[then] I selected a free, real-time animation tool with automated lip-synchronization to shorten the animated video production cycle-time.” We would like to congratulate Hubbell on this exemplary, yet cost-effective idea. What a great asset he is to our University and the MSITE Department! Hubbell’s work is open to view at the following link: http://bit.ly/operating_leverage.

MSITE Student-Faculty Meet & Greet Success!

September 9, 2013 Ken Luterbach No comments

studentreception2 Last Thursday (8/29/2013), MSITE graduate and undergraduate students took advantage of the opportunity to meet & greet with one another, and make small-talk with their professors outside of the classroom! Faculty and staff provided heavy hors d’oeuvres for everyone to snack on while they were engaging in lively conversations. Overall, 59 students and 15 faculty/staff members were in attendance. Math Graduate Assistant Daphney “Brooke” Hill enjoyed herself immensely. She said: “It was refreshing to talk with some of the freshman students intending to study Math Education. I was where they were- not too long ago!” Director of Students, Dr. Ron Preston was all smiles and agreed the afternoon was a Pirate success!