Best practices for integrated STEM courses work well when teachers are adept at implementing them and when students are in a learning environment where they can communicate and collaborate while simultaneously working with and investigating manipulatives with their hands. When the COVID-19 Pandemic forced many K-12 schools to close in March of…

Although designed for informal educational structures and non-formal providers, the AeroEducate initiative offers youth in a variety of settings an initial exposure to the world of aviation and aeronautics. Real-world and context-based experiences spark learners' interests and may help them discover a personal and/or professional passion for the…

The ITEEA's Council for Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE) Curriculum Committee solicited, collected, and analyzed several examples of international lesson plans to find out how various countries understand and/or apply the "Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: The Role of Technology and Engineering in STEM…

What has been learned in the 75-year evolution of the teaching profession to implement technology as a subject and as a unique approach that supports Integrative STEM teaching and learning? In this article, Ronald Todd addresses this question by examining selected activities and efforts that: (1) have shown some success in enhancing the…

In conjunction with local middle schools, the Make to Learn Lab in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia offered a two-week Summer Engineering Academy for students who completed an introductory engineering course during the previous school year. In that course, students worked with circuits and advanced…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of problems globally for school boards, administrators, and teachers of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM). From the beginning of 2020, marginalized students--those who live in low-socioeconomic environments or come from traditionally underrepresented communities or…

Both those inside and outside of the education community are becoming increasingly familiar with the STEM acronym and the extensive efforts underway nationally to develop integrated PK-12 STEM programs that promote critical thinking, problem solving, 21st Century skill development and authentic learning experiences (Ingram, 2019). However, for…

The Buck Institute for Education defines Project-Based Learning as, "a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge." (What is PBL, 2020). The idea behind this teaching technique is to…

The value of doing projects as a vehicle for instruction has been integral to technology and engineering classes for decades. With the increased emphasis on STEM, project-based learning is becoming more popular with all teachers. Realistically, classrooms can be limited, however, in the tools, materials, and processes needed for project-based…

For many years, the trend in technology and engineering education has moved toward computer-oriented technologies such as robotics, programming, and computer-aided design (CAD). The concepts of automation and artificial intelligence were introduced more than six decades ago and became pervasive in daily life through actively using them in various…

This article discusses how middle and high school inner-city and rural students can increase their academic achievement and self-efficacy in STEM classes using The Digital Curriculum, a program that incorporates digital technology, software, and a design project. This curriculum, which integrates socially relevant content, gives students a chance…

Education is a perpetually evolving field, especially with the rapid advancement of technology and the upsurge of the globalization phenomenon (Crawford and Kirby 2008). Students need to become familiar with social interactions that they will eventually encounter in the future. However, in order for students to effectively participate in…

Kites have a long and varied history that stretches back millennia. One of the most popular kite models of all time is the one made famous in the late nineteenth century by William Abner Eddy named the "Eddy Kite." It is the prototypical kite shape (Eden, 2002)--a quadrilateral that is symmetric about a vertical axis and asymmetric about…

Despite the tragedies connected to the pandemic, tragedy has again presented an opportunity for technology and engineering teachers, students, and courses to shine--where we can demonstrate the value of adaptability and creativity in hands-on learning and technical content. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the recently released…

When individuals discuss the rapid spread and the ease in which the coronavirus (COVID 19) became a pandemic, they often overlook the role of technology. While the masses, politicians, health officials, and the media focus on social distancing and limiting human interaction, the truth remains that transportation technologies played a central role…