STEM Expo: Designing Fun

For those that might be interested, I've posted my presentation from the 2012 NSTA STEM Expo. You can enjoy a slide show below.

Key points: Discover what YOU find exciting and fun about an activity, then pass that on to the students. Look for the "ah ha" moment and capitalize on it. Empower students to lead the class and make decisions. Teach innovation, work cooperatively, and learn to love "failure."

Designing Fun

I was also asked where I got my ideas. So, I thought I'd share some links.

• Teach Engineering (free)
• Brain Pop (paid, free trial available, each video has associated activities)
• Scholastic (free)
• Magic School Bus
• Dirtmeister
• Design Squad  (free, from PBS)
• NOVA Science Now (free)
• Discovery Education (free)
• Teacher Vision (paid, free trial available)

So I hope this gives you some fun ideas to get you going!