Big Deal Media

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Encourage Kindness, Evaluate Tech Integration, Create 3D Models & More.

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

Engineering Essay Contest

The National Academy of Engineering invites all students (girls and boys) in grades 3–12 to submit an essay to the 2017 EngineerGirl Essay Contest entitled “Engineering and Animals.”

Tool for Evaluating Ed Tech Integration

District- and school-level administrators can test a new tool developed by the US Department of Education (ED) to help measure the success of educational technology in schools. The Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach tool will guide school leaders and teachers through the steps they should take before buying education technology.

Virtual Journey into the Human Heart

The Virtual Heart app invites students to explore multiple views of the human heart in real time: an external view and three internal views that realistically depict the heart’s valves, blood flow, and electrical system.

Big Deal Book, December 1, 2016

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Examine Historical Moments, Engage in Digital Fabrication & More

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

Virtual Reality Lab

Virtual reality (VR) can transport students to the beaches in the Maldives, on a science expedition in the Arctic, or into the middle of a refugee camp. The Global Nomads Group (GNG) is harnessing the power of virtual reality (VR) technology to spark curiosity and cultivate empathy in classrooms.

Guide Exploring Science and Technology in Film

The Museum of the Moving Image publishes Sloan Science & Film to enhance understanding of science through film. This is a freely downloadable guide to 46 short narrative (fiction) films, all supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s nationwide film program—available for streaming in the classroom—which explores science and technology themes and characters.

Social Writing in “Circles”

HaikuJAM is a social writing app that lets students write stories and poems together. Students can either write with others around the world or form “circles” with their friends. After users create an account, the app will open up to a timeline. There, students can click on “JAM” and start writing their own poem or help finish someone else’s poem.

Interested in more information? Check out the complete Big Deal Book for November 15, 2016:

Big Deal Book, November 15, 2016

Not everything in the Book is time sensitive so be sure to check out the archives.

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Go Inside the Body, Imagine the Future, Become a Science Sleuth & More.

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

K–12 Computer Science Framework

Developed by the Association for Computing Machinery, Code.org, the Computer Science Teachers Association, the Cyber Innovation Center, and the National Math and Science Initiative, the recently published K–12 Computer Science Framework provides a set of core concepts and practices for teaching computer science.

Digitally Reconstructed House in Pompeii

Archeologists have digitally reconstructed a house in Pompeii to show what life must have been like for a rich Roman banker 2,000 years ago. The Italian city was famously buried in volcanic ash—and frozen in time—in 79 CE, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Since 2000 the Swedish Pompeii Project has been working to document an entire city block, or insula, in close detail. This block included three big estates, a tavern, a laundry, a bakery, and several gardens.

Interactive, Augmented Reality Storybook

The educational software company Alive Studios has introduced a new augmented reality printed storybook, Amos Alligator Arrives at the Airport, into its current line of reading and math programs for preK–grade 3 children. The new interactive storybook is one of only a handful in early education that uses the emerging technology of augmented reality.

Interested in more information? Check out the complete Big Deal Book for November 1, 2016:

Big Deal Book, November 1, 2016

Not everything in the Book is time sensitive so be sure to check out the archives.

 

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Build Computational Thinking, Instill Social/Emotional Learning & More.

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

Global Community for Practicing Dialogue Skills

On the Generation Global platform, students can develop the skills and experience to flourish in an interconnected and complex world. Generation Global is designed for 12- to 17-year-olds and is active in more than 20 countries from around the world. Students learn and practice the skills of dialogue in the classroom before engaging in dialogue through videoconferences or online.

3D Videos Providing Virtual Reality Experiences

YouTube has a dedicated channel for 3D videos. On their computer, users can scroll around using their mouse, but to enjoy the full virtual reality experience, they can place their smartphone in their VR viewer and choose the Cardboard mode.

Curriculum Modeling Mathematical and Computational Thinking

High school math classes focus traditionally on solving equations; the world of mathematical modeling emphasizes creatingequations. The nonprofit Association of Computational and Mathematical Modeling (AoCMM) is developing a freemathematical modeling curriculum that it plans to share with teachers by early 2017. The curriculum will show students how to construct equations that solve complex real-world engineering, science, and computing problems.

Interested in more information? Check out the complete Big Deal Book for October 17, 2016:

Big Deal Book, October 17, 2016

Not everything in the Book is time sensitive so be sure to check out the archives.

VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the best in online resources, grant and competition opportunities and more. In this edition, you can Cross Social Boundaries, Create Safe Schools, "Feel" the Past & More.

Here are a few of our favorites from this edition...be sure to check the full Big Deal Book for more great resources!

SaveOnEnergy Teacher Grants

SaveOnEnergy.com is offering its second annual $500 teacher grant opportunity to help students learn about energy in science and society. Teachers are invited to submit their best original lesson plans for teaching K–8 students about energy or sustainability. Deadline: October 21, 2016

National History Day Contest

Around the world, middle school and high school students are taking their learning beyond the textbook with the annual National History Day Contest. This project-based contest provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their historical research skills through one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, and website. Guided by an annual theme, students are encouraged to choose a topic that matches their personal interests. The 2017 theme is Taking a Stand in History.

Twitter Activities on Current Issues

Every Friday on its Do Now website, KQED Education posts a weekly activity for students to engage in and respond to current issues using social media tools, such as Twitter. The activity includes a brief introduction to the topic and a media resource that can be played directly on the site.

Interested in more information? Check out the complete Big Deal Book for October 3, 2016:

Big Deal Book, October 3, 2016

Not everything in the Book is time sensitive so be sure to check out the archives.