i-STEM at College of Eastern Idaho
Core Mission and Vision
Empowering Idaho educators with STEM knowledge and ready-to-use resources designed to spark student interest at all grade levels, while connecting classrooms to real-world careers.
i-STEM 2025
Discover how to integrate science, technology, engineering and math skills into ANY subject-enhancing engagement for students without overhauling your curriculum.
i-STEM is a dynamic, 4-day summer professional development program for PK-12 educators in both classroom and informal settings. Focused on project-based, hands-on learning, i-STEM equips educators with practical tools and strategies to integrate STEM effectively into their teaching.
Participants select a strand based on their interests, receive a kit of instructional materials, and learn how to connect STEM concepts to real-world workforce applications.
Registration and Funding
STEM AC is reaching out to businesses throughout the state to sponsor registration fees. We will reach out to you once you are accepted into the program and let you know if your registration fee is covered by a sponsor.
Your district may have funds to pay your registration fee to attend STEM AC PD opportunities. Learn more about Title 4 funding here and talk to your local administrator for guidance.
Status: Closed
Fees for 2025: $50, 25% discount for group registrations.
Eligible Applicants: All educators – formal and informal
2025 Funding Schedule
Open: February 3, 2025
Close: March 14, 2025
Award date: April 4, 2025
i-STEM Dates for CEI:
June 10-13, 2025
PD Credits: PD credit is available for participation in this program.
Location:
College of Eastern Idaho
Health Care Education Building
1600 S 25th E
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
Map and Directions
Organized in collaboration with:
2024 Strands for Reference
Note: Kit contents and field trips are subject to change.
Strand Provider: Kelsey Margulieux
Keywords: Programming, LEGO robotics, Engineering Design
Strand Description: FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a platform to introduce students aged 9-14 years old to robotics, including building a robot out of LEGO components and coding in a scratch-based language, while delving into a research project and learning core values such as teamwork and inclusion. This strand will help teachers learn about the FIRST LEGO League program and expectations, as well as gain hands-on experience with building and programming LEGO robots while they tackle actual FLL missions.
Your kits will/may include: Teachers will leave with their LEGO SPIKE Prime and Expansion Kit, familiarity with the included sensors and readiness to coach a FIRST LEGO League team!
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Provider: Esther Smith
Keywords: Art, Math, Engineering and History
Strand Description: Many students are visual learners and art can be used as the conduit for students to grasp mathematical, engineering, and scientific concepts. During this class, participants will identify areas of instruction where art can be used to engage a variety of learning strengths. Once identified, participants will develop a variety of art and engineering projects that will enhance their understanding of state standards and skills.
Your kits will/may include: Spiral Sketch Pads Books Water colors Charcoal Watercolor paper Water color pencils This kit would supply items that would help them get a start in their Art-integration projects.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Provider: Angie Godfrey
Keywords: Idaho Mathematics Content Standards, Conceptual understandings, Math Teaching Practices, Problem-based learning
Strand Description: Calling all math teachers! Elevate your impact with the Idaho Standards Academy? A grade level focused professional learning opportunity designed to enhance your understanding of math content and teaching moves! Backed by transformative research-aligned strategies, this academy is your gateway to enhancing your mathematical knowledge for teaching. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and grow with your Regional Math Center specialists.
Your Kit will/may include: Teachers will receive a kit with materials that can be used to teach their ratios and proportions unit including manipulatives, content standards supplementary materials, math games, books, and more.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Provider: Angela Reece
Keywords: Idaho Mathematics Content Standards, Conceptual understandings, Math Teaching Practices, task-based learning, Problem-based learning
Strand Description: Calling all math teachers! Elevate your impact with the Idaho Standards Academy? A grade level focused professional learning opportunity designed to enhance your understanding of math content and teaching moves! Backed by transformative research-aligned strategies, this academy is your gateway to enhancing your mathematical knowledge for teaching. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and grow with your Regional Math Center specialists.
Your Kit will/may include: Teachers will receive a kit with materials that can be used to teach their proportional relationship unit including manipulatives, content standards supplementary materials, math games, books, and more.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Provider: Veronica Blackham
Keywords: Idaho Mathematics Content Standards, Conceptual understandings, Math Teaching Practices, task-based learning, Problem-based learning
Strand Description: Calling all math teachers! Elevate your impact with the Idaho Standards Academy: a grade level focused professional learning opportunity designed to enhance your understanding of math content and teaching moves! Backed by transformative research-aligned strategies, this academy is your gateway to enhancing your mathematical knowledge for teaching. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and grow with your Regional Math Center specialists.
Your Kit will/may include: Teachers will receive a kit with materials that can be used to teach their Proportional Relationships unit including manipulatives, content standards supplementary materials, math games, books, and more.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Providers: Nathan Lammers and Alex Sandavol
Keywords: Easy to use hands-on coding
Strand Description: Wanting to bring coding to your elementary classroom? Don’t know where to start? This strand will demonstrate the ease of coding with Makecode and provide a classroom set of materials to integrate into your classroom instruction. Poetry writing, data collection, social emotional learning, math facts, animal counter, music projects and more are all possible and enjoyable for both students and teachers. You will leave iSTEM with the knowledge, materials, and lessons to start the new school year integrating coding and computer science concepts into your classroom. Learn how to code with micro:bits to develop coding skills, create your own lessons, or use existing lessons to facilitate year-long coding and computer science lessons in the classroom that also teach core concepts. Explore the connections between computer science and core content instruction to maximize the use of classroom instructional time. The course is geared toward teachers working with students in grades 3rd-5th but is a great resource for teachers of all grades and content areas looking to introduce students to coding, physical computing, and computer science concepts. Educators will leave with resources and knowledge to integrate and implement their own coding and computer science lessons and projects in their classrooms which can also be shared with their schools.
Your Kit will/may include: Participants will receive 20 micro:bits, alligator clips, jumper wires, micro servos, speakers, copper tape, LED bulbs, and a storage case to store them all in addition to a book or two.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment
Strand Provider: Terence Soule
Keywords: coding, dual credit
Strand Description: Learn ways to incorporate programming in your classroom and how to offer the University of Idaho’s CS112 Computational Thinking and Problem Solving as a dual credit course. CS112 is an engaging introduction to programming for students with little or no programming experience. This Strand is an introduction to programming, robotics, and to the CS112 curriculum. Including beginning programming in Scratch, NetLogo, and Processing, general programming concepts, and ways to make programming an engaging topic. And a tour of UI’s CdA state-of-the-art robotics lab.
Your Kit will/may include: The kits for this strand are a combination of virtual resources that the participants can take back to their classroom and a small robotics platform that is well suited to classroom demonstrations. The virtual resources consist of an account in Scratch, downloaded versions of NetLogo and Processing, and the complete curricular materials for the CS112 Computational Thinking and Problem-Solving course. Additionally, to support the teachers there two books that are included to support extending the curriculum, both have free PDFs: The Nature of Code, by Daneil Shiffman and A Field Guide to NetLogo, by Steve Scott and Matt Koehler.
Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment