i-STEM at College of Western Idaho

Strand Provider: Terra Feast

Strand Description: Tap into the power of art to spark student curiosity and cultivate creative thinking in STEM learning! During this strand, participants will discover how art making can deepen student understanding, strengthen problem solving skills, help students visualize and communicate complex concepts, and encourage collaboration with peers. This course will guide educators through a series of activities that integrate art into the STEM curriculum with intentionality. Participants will experience projects firsthand as learners, then explore strategies to adapt projects for various grade levels and learner needs. This strand gives participants opportunities to make meaningful connections between creative art activities drawing parallels between the scientific method and the creative process in order to increase learner engagement and confidence. Art to Engage STEM Learners is a highly interactive experience focused on blending hands-on science activities, math concepts, digital technologies, visual art, music, animation and more!

Your kits will/may include: Participants will receive a kit packed full of supplies for art projects, science experiments, and design challenges to explore color, light, nature, chemistry, circuits, and motion. When possible, items will come in sets/quantities that can be used again in the classroom. A list of alternative materials will be provided to participants along with resources for additional lessons, extensions, and adaptations.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Ben Fuqua

Strand Description: Dive into the world of Python programming with our four-day intensive strand designed for educators of all experience levels. Beginning with the basics of print statements and culminating in the creation of the classic Asteroids game, participants will explore hands-on, engaging coding projects. The provided Educator Kit features a rubber ducky for debugging, a Python coding book, and preloaded resources, empowering teachers to bring programming into their classrooms or afterschool programs seamlessly. Perfect for fostering computational thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, this strand prepares educators to inspire the next generation of coders.

Your kit includes; Participants will receive a Python Boot Camp Educator Kit designed to enhance teaching and learning experiences in Python programming. The kit includes a rubber ducky to introduce the “rubber duck debugging” technique, a creative approach that encourages problem-solving and self-explanation during coding challenges. Additionally, a comprehensive book on Python coding is provided to serve as a valuable reference, deepen understanding, and offer exercises that reinforce concepts covered during the strand. By blending fun, hands-on elements with practical resources, this kit empowers educators to confidently engage students in Python programming.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Camille Platts-McPharlin

Strand Description: coming soon

Your Kit will/may include: coming soon

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Jessica Gronniger

Strand Description: Microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, inhabit nearly every environment on Earth. These microscopic communities not only harbor a staggering amount of biodiversity but also play a critical role in maintaining our global ecosystems. However, due to their microscopic nature, it can be challenging to study and engage with these fascinating hidden worlds. In this strand, educators will learn to implement a teaching module that will not only allow students to explore these microscopic worlds but will also guide them through the scientific process from ideation to data analysis and synthesis. Through their engagement with the scientific process, students will learn to design and evaluate experiments that will allow them to explore the drivers responsible for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services, construct arguments supported by evidence about how biotic and abiotic factors shape natural microbial populations, and analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability and interactions on microbial populations. These educational goals will be achieved by establishing safe and effective laboratory skills, including (1) how to make sterile media and petri dishes in a classroom setting, (2) proper aseptic sample collecting techniques, (3) how to inoculate media with environmental microorganisms, and (4) microbe identification and enumeration techniques. Beyond these lab-based skills, this module also integrates components from math, computer science and even art as students will learn to estimate population sizes and growth rates from colony counts, analyze and visualize data using basic computational tools like R, and engage with their creativity as they create artistic representations of their microbial cultures. By using a combination of literature review, hands-on laboratory techniques and data synthesis, students will not only get to experience, visualize and understand some of the critical microbial communities that sustain our ecosystems, but will also be exposed to the scientific process as they design, implement and analyze a research project from start to finish!

Your Kit will/may include: Kits will be comprised of all the materials needed for students to engage with and implement laboratory-based experiments to collect, cultivate and visualize natural environmental microbial communities. This includes two types of microbial media, petri dishes, dropper pipettes, and all materials required for aseptic lab techniques (i.e. sterile water and collection tubes, ethanol lamps, forceps, etc.). Kits will also include art supplies such as acrylic disks, paints and paintbrushes so that students can create their own microbe art!

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Gina Kwid

Strand Description: The micro:bit Extending Code to Support 3-5 Educators iSTEM 2025 strand is designed to integrate computer science, coding, and computational thinking into every classroom. The activities in this strand align with Idaho Content Standards. Participants will gain practical skills and develop lessons that can be immediately implemented in the classroom, enhancing the curriculum. By the end of the strand, participants will be proficient in using micro: bits and feel confident in incorporating these devices across various subjects. This strand includes a class set of micro: bits, cases for storage, additional allegator clips and wires, speakers for the micro: bits, micro:bit servos, a micro:bit book with ready to implement lessons, and a computer science-based book to increase computational thinking skills and computer science attitudes. This strand is designed for classroom teachers, librarians, maker space teachers, computer science teachers, after school programs, and summer camp programs.

Your Kit will/may include: The strand kit includes 20 micro:bit computer kits, complete with storage cases to house and protect the devices. Additional accessories such as alligator clips, a micro:bit speaker, and micro:bit servos are also provided to enhance functionality and support diverse projects. To inspire creative learning, the kit features two engaging books: Micro:Bit for Mad Scientists, offering innovative experiments and activities, and How to Code a Sandcastle, a fun introduction to coding concepts for students. Together, these resources equip educators with the tools needed to bring hands-on coding and STEM exploration to their classrooms.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Morgan Gifford

Strand Description: Discover how to bring STEM learning to life in your classroom with “PBL: STEM in Action,” a hands-on professional development strand designed to make STEM learning engaging and accessible for students. Through interactive tools like Merge Cubes, GIS mapping, and weather sensors, you’ll learn how to create exciting, project-based lessons that connect science to everyday life and future career paths. This strand is perfect for educators looking to inspire curiosity, foster critical thinking, and tackle real-world problems with their students. Walk away with ready-to-use materials, practical strategies, and a plan to transform your classroom!

Your Kit will/may include: Participants will receive a kit filled with hands-on tools and resources such as Merge Cubes for augmented reality exploration, data collection tools like mini weather stations or soil test kits, access to curated digital resources, and other tools to support PBL. These materials are designed to help educators implement interactive, PBL lessons that connect science to everyday life and inspire curiosity.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment

Strand Provider: Erin Downey

Strand Description: This workshop equips educators with the tools and strategies to integrate STEM content into their classrooms through a dynamic podcasting curriculum focused on science journalism. Participants will explore how mass and social media shape our understanding of science, develop skills in research, storytelling, and audio production, and learn how to empower students to create research-based science podcasts. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have the resources to guide their students in producing engaging podcasts that connect STEM topics to real-world issues while promoting critical thinking, creativity, and media literacy.

Your Kit will/may include: The Podcasting kit includes PCS Discover Podcasting curriculum for teachers of students in grades 6-12, as well as materials to equip 5 student groups with high-quality microphones and isolation shields for crisp, clear voice recording; headphone splitters for each group to play back their podcasts; student notebooks for tracking daily progress, and a 90-day subscription to Soundtrap for Education, a powerful and easy to use sound mixing program.

Setting(s): Formal Classroom, Informal Learning Environment