i-STEM at College of Southern Idaho

Strand Provider: Heather Cunningham

Strand Description: Code the Future: Empowering Idaho’s Next Generation with Micro:bits is four days of hands-on professional development designed to introduce 3rd-5th grade educators to foundational coding and computational thinking skills through the use of Micro:bits, versatile and programmable microcontrollers. This training connects coding activities to Idaho’s local industries, such as agriculture, logistics, and environmental monitoring, providing educators with engaging, real-world contexts for teaching STEM concepts. Participants will learn to design classroom or after-school program lessons that align with state standards, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration in students. By integrating industry-relevant scenarios, such as automating irrigation systems or optimizing supply chain routes, this training equips teachers to inspire students with meaningful, localized applications of technology and coding.

Your kits will/may include: Each kit includes a classroom set of 10 Micro:bits, along with comprehensive lesson plans and printable resources to support seamless implementation in the classroom. This kit equips educators with the tools and guidance needed to integrate hands-on coding and computational thinking activities into their curriculum, fostering student engagement and skill development.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Scott Rogers

Strand Description: The Bridging Concepts: Practice 3D Printing empowers educators to integrate cutting-edge technology into their classrooms by leveraging 3D printing as a tool to enhance STEM-based learning across all disciplines. This strand focuses on training educators to design scalable lesson plans that incorporate 3D printing, enabling hands-on, project-based learning experiences that engage students and foster creativity. Whether prototyping engineering solutions, modeling scientific concepts, or visualizing historical artifacts, educators will be equipped with the tools and skills needed to bring these innovative ideas to life.

Your kit includes; The kit equips educators to effectively apply their training in practical and impactful ways. The kit empowers educators to seamlessly integrate technology into their teaching, enhancing student learning outcomes across disciplines. It includes a Flash Forge 5m 3D Printer, high-speed filament, a flash drive, and a tool kit for cleaning and maintenance. These resources provide hands-on opportunities for educators to practice creating and printing 3D models, reinforcing the skills learned during training. The scalable nature of 3D printing allows educators to design engaging STEM lesson plans applicable across various subjects, such as engineering, life sciences, and social studies. The maintenance tools ensure consistent use of the printer, minimizing classroom disruptions. Additionally, the flash drive facilitates easy storage and sharing of 3D printing files and lesson plans, promoting collaboration among educators. By integrating 3D printing into their teaching, educators can create hands-on, experiential learning experiences that make STEM concepts tangible, exciting, and relevant for students.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Amber McVey

Strand Description: Do you struggle to incorporate STEM into your daily lessons? Is coming up with low-cost, high-interest activities challenging? This strand will walk you through ways to reuse and re-purpose low-cost items to get the maximum output. You will build, create, and innovate as you explore STEM in activities and lessons focused on providing students with engaging, collaborative STEM opportunities.

Your Kit will/may include: Each educator receives a kit with small, medium, and large activity materials. For make and take activities, participants receive a small sample kit of each activity along with the pricing involved in creating the kits as a small center activity or large, multi-classroom activity. They will also receive items that will allow them to run activities in centers, supporting students in completing challenges on a rotating schedule. In the kit, they will have Lego, planks, makey-makey, 3D printers and pens, paper circuits, and more.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Todd Anderson

Strand Description: The Experimenting with Electronics strand is geared towards teachers who would like to introduce hands-on science to their students. Participants will have the opportunity to build, troubleshoot, and test a variety of electrical circuits. Emphasis will be placed on learning the basics of electronic components, how circuits work, and being able to recognize and use a variety of different components. A simulated circuit environment will be utilized as well in order to verify circuits before physically building them. We will turn on LED lights, use sensors, run motors, and make sound. Practical math is utilized in calculating resistance, current, and voltage. Exposure to how electronics work, the various components, and running their own tests, will benefit students’ concrete understanding of the science of electronics.

Your Kit will/may include: This kit contains materials for creating paper circuits as well as breadboards and components for building prototype circuits. Included is a digital multimeter for measuring resistance, current, and voltage. There are enough components for a whole class to engage in electronic circuits. All of these items will enable an educator to guide their students to build a physical circuit and be hands-on with their curriculum. The materials provided in this kit can be implemented in both classroom as well as after school programs. It can be adapted to the needs of individual teachers and their curriculum. Educators will be able to engage students in both formal and informal educational settings.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Kelsey Margulieux

Strand Description: This strand will introduce new users to LEGO SPIKE Primes and prepare them for implementing SPIKE Primes in the classrooms. The SPIKE Prime kit includes an assortment of LEGO technic bricks, motors, programmable brick, sensors and LED display. All pieces are officially LEGO and are fully compatible with traditional LEGO sets. Educators will be introduced to FIRST LEGO League as an opportunity to further engage students with STEM, but strand focus will be on building and programming with LEGO SPIKE in a classroom or non-traditional classroom setting. Educators will gain experience with motors and all sensors (gyroscope, ultrasonic, light/color, and touch) as well as the LED display. Topics will include programming challenges, troubleshooting and classroom management with LEGO pieces and storage and an emphasis on hands-on experience with their kits.

Your Kit will/may include: Strand participants receive a kit that includes the LEGO SPIKE Prime kit (LEGO part number 45678) and 3×3 LED display (LEGO part number 45608). The SPIKE Prime kit is reusable and easily shared by a group of students to build and program LEGO robots. The kit includes an assortment of LEGO technic components, 3 LEGO technic motors, sensors (including 3 gyroscopes, ultrasonic, light/color, and touch/force) and a programmable control unit.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Melissa Stroupe

Strand Description: In this strand we will be using Lego bricks in a variety of stations and activities in different subjects and piecing them all together. We will be learning about how you can use these creations, stations, and challenges to not only meet your standards, but develop deeper conversations.

Your Kit will/may include: We will share a file of resources for you to start using day one in your classroom. The kit is different Lego Classic bricks that allows for the most bricks and being able to use them in different ways in your classroom.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Marci Reddish

Strand Description: Calling All Idaho Math Teachers! Join the Idaho Standards Academy for an engaging and impactful professional learning experience designed specifically for your grade level. This strand dives deep into the big ideas of Algebraic Reasoning and Operations and Algebraic Thinking, helping teachers strengthen their understanding of math content standards and research-aligned teaching practices. Participants will explore concepts such as equivalence, generalizations, and properties of operations while collaborating to design standards-aligned curricula and evaluate classroom resources. Equipped with hands-on manipulatives, professional memberships, and practical tools, participants will leave empowered to create dynamic math experiences for learners and foster student success in algebraic reasoning. Teachers will also learn how to incorporate math badging into their classrooms by using rich tasks and fostering high levels of student engagement, learning, and self-assessment.

Your Kit will/may include: As part of the Idaho Standards Academy strand, participants will receive a thoughtfully curated kit designed to empower 5th-grade educators with research-aligned strategies to enhance their teaching practices. The kit includes reusable Wipebooks, perfect for fostering problem-solving collaborations in alignment with the Building Thinking Classrooms model, encouraging active engagement and teamwork in mathematical thinking. Educators will gain access to professional growth opportunities through memberships to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Idaho Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM), providing cutting-edge resources and communities dedicated to high-quality mathematics education. A selection of reference books is included to support a deep understanding of standards, the creation of impactful mathematical tasks, and the development of number sense activities. Additionally, hands-on manipulatives such as scales and base ten sets enable educators to provide concrete representations of mathematical concepts, supporting foundational understandings of number relationships, equivalence, and operations. This comprehensive kit equips educators with tools and resources to inspire and engage their students effectively.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment