ColloquiumProgram2015

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Welcome to the
Contra Costa County Office of Education’s
5th Annual San Francisco Bay Area
STEAM Colloquium
“Full STEAM Ahead:
Designing for Learning”
Friday, January 30, 2015
7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
San Ramon Marriott, San Ramon
Sponsored by

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Resources for today’s conference are available on the following Web page:
http://www.cocoschools.org/steamcolloq.html
Download a free Quick Response (QR) Code reader for your phone at your app store.
Join the conversation and tweet about the STEAM Colloquium! Use the hashtag
#steamcolloq
San Ramon Marriott- 2nd Floor

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Dear Summit Participants:
Welcome to the 5th Annual San Francisco Bay Area
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and
Mathematics) Colloquium, “Full STEAM Ahead: Designing
for Learning.” The Contra Costa County Office of Education
(CCCOE) is hosting this important conference in partnership
with Chevron, Gateways East Bay STEM Network at CSU
East Bay, Alameda County Office of Education, and Region
IV Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee (CISC)
Visual and Performing Arts Subcommittee.
The key strands for today’s conference include Designing for Early Learning,
Integration, the Future, and Leadership. Central to the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), STEAM builds students’
ability to create, innovate, and think critically. CCCOE will continue to provide
support, guidance, and training so that in partnership, we can ensure that California
students are prepared for successful and meaningful lives in the 21st century.
We welcome your feedback and thank you for your participation.
Karen Sakata
Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools
PhotographybyStahlberg

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TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
7:30-8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast Foyer
8:00-9:00 Welcome
Dr. Pamela Comfort
Deputy Superintendent, Contra Costa County Office of Education
Keynote Speaker:
▶ Jeffrey Charbonneau
2013 National Teacher of the Year
The Power and Danger of "What If...?"
High powered rockets, robotics, 3-D printers, laser cutters, college
credit for high school courses; all of these started by the power of
asking “What if…” If it can be done in Zillah, WA, then it can be
done in your school. The bigger question is: When your “what if”
comes true, will you be ready?
Salon D & E
9:10-10:25 Breakout Session 1
Magical Paint: A Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Integrated Learning
Experience
Salon A
If You Build It Salon B
Astronomy in Visual Media: Is it Real or is it Photoshop Salon C
Changing School Technology Culture with Student Leadership Salon F
Animation Integration: Bringing Learning to Life Salon G
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science Practices: Taking
it to the Classroom
Salon H
Beak of the Finch: Connecting STEAM and NGSS Through an
Evolution Activity from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Salon 2
Environment-based 21st Century Learning: A Plug-n-Play Solution for
NGSS and Common Core
Danville
STEAM into Space Pleasanton
Design Challenges: Engineering for Elementary Students Salon A
Robots, Lasers and Fire: Igniting Student Interest in STEAM Salon B
Make Connections to Real Life with STEAM Activities Salon C
Divine Design: Exploring Spirals in Nature Salon F
Blowing Their Minds: Volcanoes and the Art of Student Sense-Making Salon H
Open Minds: Seeing How Your Students are Thinking Salon 2
ResponsiveDesign: Using Collaboration and Design to Innovate
STEAM Education
Danville
Integrating Computing and Robotics into Mathematics and Career
Technical Education (CTE)
Pleasanton
11:50-12:35 Lunch

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TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
12:15-12:35 Invited Speaker:
▶ Susan Bonilla
California Assemblywoman, 14th District
Salon D & E
Little Inventors Salon A
Integration of Arts Media to Address Standards and Introduce
Concepts
Salon B
Putting the STEAM in the River Salon C
Deeper Learning Through Project-Based Learning and STEAM Salon F
Lessons from the NASA Opportunities for Visualization, Art, and
Science (NOVAS) Out of School Time (OST) Program: Integrating
STEAM into the Classroom
Salon G
Stories from the Field: Designing Mobile Games to Situate Learning Salon H
A Schoolyard Cleanup as a Project-Based Entry to NGSS Salon 2
ResponsiveDesign: Using Collaboration and Design to Innovate
STEAM Education
Danville
Teaching the NGSS: Supporting English Learners’ Engagement in
Sense-Making Discourse in Science
Pleasanton
Weather Watchers: An Inquiry Into Integrated Science, Art, and
Literacy
San Ramon
Design Thinking and Engineering Using Legos Salon A
Soaring Across Curriculum with Project-Based Learning Salon B
Exploring the Conceptual Shifts Called for in NGSS Salon C
Engaging in Elementary Engineering with Hands-on Plus Common
Core
Salon F
Programming Optical Illusions Salon H
Learning from Litter Salon 2
Subjective Space and Time: How the Arts Inform Scientific
Understanding
Danville
Teaching the NGSS: Supporting English Learners’ Engagement in
Pleasanton
2:10 - 4:00 Resource Fair, STEAM Gallery Foyer, Salon D
& E
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Breakout Session 1 (9:10 – 10:25 am)
Magical Paint: A TK Integrated Learning Experience Salon A
Representatives from: Pro Arts Gallery
▶ Holly Wach, Arts Education Coordinator
▶ Margo Dunlap, Executive Director
▶ Dana Dart-McLean, Teaching Artist
▶ Doug Calderon, Teaching Artist
Get messy with paint! Enjoy a hands-on learning experience supporting the development of an integrated
science/visual art lesson with intentional focus on social-emotional development through exploration of paint.
“Artful Thinking Routines” are introduced and utilized to establish an inquiry based learning environment.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Early Learning
Targeted Audience: Early Learning Teachers (Pre K – 2), Site and District Administrators
If You Build It Salon B
▶ Emily Pilloton, Studio H Founder
Design and building can transform schools and communities. Learn about projects and lessons from Studio H’s
seven year history, including public architecture built by high school students, ten-year-old welding girls, and
partnerships with civic entities that have created jobs and social impact across the country. Using architecture
as a lens to examine a new era and opportunity for public education, Pilloton will lay out a plan and a
challenge for building a brighter future for all students.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for the Future, Designing for Leadership
Targeted Audience: 6-12 Classroom Teachers, Site and District Administrators
Astronomy in Visual Media: Is it Real or is it Photoshop Salon C
▶ Brian Kruse, Lead Formal Educator, Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astounding astronomical images appearing in popular media are frequently composites and lead to scientific
misconceptions. Through simple modeling activities and engaging in NGSS science practices, students can
investigate the science behind these images and dispel any potential misconceptions.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Integration
Targeted Audience: 3-8 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches
Changing School Technology Culture with Student Leadership Salon F
Representatives from: Mount Diablo Unified School District
▶ Shauna Hawes, Campus Technology Specialist
▶ MOUSE Squad Students
At one middle school, computer labs are fully booked and classroom sets of Chromebooks are heavily used.
What shifted to create that change in teachers’ motivation to use technology? Hear from current middle school
students and their teacher who participate in the school’s Mouse Squad, the student tech leadership group.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Leadership, Designing for the Future
Targeted Audience: 6-8 Classroom Teachers, Site and District Administrators

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▶ Natalie Mann, Lead Formal Educator, Walt Disney Family Museum
During this session, participants will learn how to build an animation studio using basic materials, and
animate a short film, honing 21st century skills such as media literacy, creativity, and collaboration.
Participants will take away a Multiplane Camera educator guide, and be inspired to integrate animation into
their curriculum!
This presentation will be repeated in Session 2 (10:35 – 11:50 am)
NGSS Science Practices – Taking it to the Classroom Salon H
▶ Dawn O’Connor, IMSS Science Coordinator, Alameda County Office of Education
▶ Christine Lee, Researcher, CSU East Bay
This session tackles the question: What does science literacy look like in science classrooms? Two tools
used by science teachers in a National Science Foundation project will be presented: (1) Claim-Evidence-
Reasoning, and (2) Formative Assessment Writing Probes. The strengths and limitations of these tools will be
illustrated through student writing examples.
Targeted Audience: 6-8 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators
Beak of the Finch: Connecting STEAM and Salon 2
NGSS through an Evolution Activity from HHMI
Representatives from: San Lorenzo Unified School District
▶ Jim Clark, Science Coordinator: NGSS Implementation
▶ Samantha Johnson, Program Manager: Engineering Academy
Engage in a sample NGSS-aligned evolution activity while using the beautifully illustrated Howard Hughes
Medical Institute (HHMI) short film, “The Origin of Species: The Beak of the Finch.” Come see how you can
engage your students with the science and engineering practice of arguing from evidence while having them
create or use pre-made cards illustrating the natural selection process of Darwin’s Finches. All participants will
receive lesson plans, sorting cards and the HHMI DVD: Origin of Species.
Environment-based 21st Century Learning: Danville
A Plug-N-Play Solution for NGSS and Common Core
Representatives from: Education and the Environment Initiative
▶ Lucy Christensen, Specialist
▶ Bunny Hale, Teacher Ambassador
Engage your students with exciting environmental lessons from the California Education and the Environment
Initiative (EEI). This first-in-the-nation curriculum uses the environment as the content for teaching traditional
science and history/social science standards, and is a great way to transition to Common Core and Next
Generation Science Standards. EEI features rich informational texts and engaging lessons focused on
California people, places, and animals that students love while building 21st century skills students need to
compete in today’s economy. Come see how you can easily replace some of your existing texts with this plug-
n-play solution.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for the Future
Targeted Audience: K-12 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators

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STEAM into Space Pleasanton
▶ Tiffani Crawford, PhD, President and Founder, Space Society of Silicon Valley
A panel of space teachers and subject matter experts present their space-infused STEAM lessons, hands-
on activities, and related free resources for K-College Space Education. Materials include cross-curricular
and exploratory approaches to learning in various disciplines, integrated models, themes and standards for
Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
Targeted Audience: K-12 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators, Post-
secondary Educators, Policy Makers
Breakout Session 2 (10:35 – 11:50 am)
Design Challenges: Engineering for Elementary Students Salon A
Representatives from: Community Resources for Science
▶ Teresa Barnett, Executive Director
▶ Jon Bell, Educational Specialist
This workshop will include a brief overview of the engineering design process and how engineering fits
into NGSS and elementary science standards. Participants will engage in a hands-on engineering activity,
exploring the components of the engineering process (identifying a problem, brainstorming, designing a
solution, building a prototype, testing and improving/redesigning).
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Early Learners
Robots, Lasers and Fire: Igniting Student Interest in STEAM Salon B
▶ Elise Lemie, Director of Learning Programs, Two Bit Circus
▶ Katherine Bomkamp, COO, STEAM Powered
The design process is an integral part of effective STEAM teaching and learning. Drawing upon the success of
the Los Angeles STEAM Carnival Student Preview Day, Two Bit Circus will present an integrated approach to
project-based learning through a unique fusion of technology, hands-on learning and the design process.
Targeted Audience: 3-12 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators, Policy
Makers, Informal Educators
Make Connections to Real Life with STEAM Activities Salon C
▶ Jeanne Lazzarini, Math Master Teacher and Activity Developer, RAFT
Investigate the environment and make engaging STEAM connections come alive! Using the Practices of CCSS
and NGSS, this workshop illuminates these connections with intriguing hands-on, make-and-take activities that
explore properties of earthquakes, simple machines and engineering designs, including artistic expression,
scientific and mathematical reasoning!

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Divine Design: Exploring Spirals in Nature Salon F
Representatives from: Art in Action
▶ Kelly Bravo, Program Manager
▶ Jonelle Teevens, Sales Manager
Come engage in a fascinating study of spirals in nature. Experience an example of Art in Action’s integrated
lessons that combines gardening, math and art curricula while unlocking the codes of the Fibonacci sequence
and the Golden Ratio.
▶ Natalie Mann, Lead Formal Educator, Walt Disney Family Museum
During this session, participants will learn how to build an animation studio using basic materials, and
animate a short film, honing 21st century skills such as media literacy, creativity, and collaboration.
Participants will take away a Multiplane Camera educator guide, and be inspired to integrate animation into
their curriculum!
This is a repeated session.
Blowing Their Minds: Volcanoes and the Art of Student Sense-Making Salon H
▶ Sara Dozier, Science Coordinator, Integrated Middle School Science Partnership,
Alameda County Office of Education
▶ Linda Preminger, Science and Math Teacher, San Lorenzo Unified School District
Participants will explore the fascinating phenomenon of volcanoes in an engaging, interactive workshop
exploring connections between student sense-making, creativity, mathematical practices and science learning.
Each participant will receive a free unit of lessons for middle school science and learn how to obtain
additional free curriculum written by teachers.
Open Minds: Seeing How Your Students Are Thinking Salon 2
Representatives from: San Lorenzo Unified School District
▶ Jim Clark, Science Coordinator: NGSS Implementation
▶ Samantha Johnson, Program Manager: Engineering Academy
NGSS performance expectations require students to have multiple assessment opportunities to demonstrate
their understanding of these expectations. This session will show how standards based grading and
its emphasis on the understanding of concepts, coupled with multiple and varied formative assessment
opportunities, are the perfect fit for the depth of understanding required by NGSS performance expectations.
It will also focus on how to integrate the science and engineering practice of developing and using models
into your class activities and assessments.

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ResponsiveDesign: Using Collaboration and Danville
Design to Innovate STEAM Education
Representatives from: Cultural Landscapes Collaboratory
▶ Ralph Córdova, PhD, University of Missouri Saint Louis
▶ Ann Taylor, PhD, University of Missouri Saint Louis
▶ Phyllis Balcerzak, PhD, University of Washington
Participants will take a deep dive into ResponsiveDesign, a design centered approach for innovating teaching
and learning. Join leaders from the Cultural Landscapes Collaboratory to harness the power of Design Theory
in form of collaborative teacher-inquiry to transform classrooms and schools into communities of problem-
solvers and problem-seekers. Discover tools to help shift STEAM from a vision to a reality. This presentation
focuses on elementary education.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Leadership
Targeted Audience: K-5 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators, Post-secondary
Educators, Policy Makers
Integrating Computing and Robotics into Mathematics and CTE Pleasanton
Representatives from: University of California Davis C-STEM Center
▶ Harry H. Cheng, Professor, PhD, FASME, Director
▶ Heidi Espindola, Program Manager
▶ Ryan Mangan, Educational Specialist
This workshop will provide teachers with exposure to the UC Davis Computing and STEM (C-STEM) integrated
curriculum. Students engage with computing and robotics curriculum that is aligned with the Common Core,
Math and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector standards. The C-STEM program helps
close the achievement gap and better prepare students for college and careers. The workshop is intended for
classroom STEM teachers, and math/CTE coordinators who are interested in: integrating computing & robotics
into mathematics & career technical education; developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
providing computing education; implementing new teaching strategies and opportunities for collaboration;
and/or adopting common core compliant curricula using computer programming.
Targeted Audience: 6-12 Classroom Teachers, Site and District Administrators, Post-secondary Educators,
Policy Makers
Breakout Session 3 (12:45 – 2:00 pm)
Little Inventors Salon A
Representatives from: The Lawrence Hall of Science
▶ Ellen Blinderman, Early Childhood Education Coordinator
▶ Cassia Izaac, Early Childhood Science Specialist
▶ Ashley Barajas, Early Childhood Science Specialist
Learn how to create an “Invention Center” where students can design and invent using recycled materials and
odds-and-ends. Open-ended opportunities to use materials in innovative ways encourage flexible thinking and
problem solving. Suggestions for gathering and organizing materials will be shared. Participants will do a little
inventing too!
Targeted Audience: Early Learning Teachers (Pre K to 3)

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Integration of Arts Media to Address Standards and Introduce Concepts Salon B
▶ Almetria Vaba, Supervisor, Education and Media Distribution, KQED Public Media f
or Northern California
The Common Core requires that students build critical viewing skills using media as a teaching tool. KQED’s
media engages students, and aligns with Common Core standards and the forthcoming national standards
for arts. Through studies of art, students are introduced to expressions of global, technological, and scientific
concepts.
Targeted Audience: 6-12 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Post- secondary Educators
Putting the STEAM in the River Salon C
▶ John Puglisi, PhD, Superintendent, Rio School District
▶ Rio School District Faculty
This presentation tells the story of the Rio School District’s infusion of STEAM learning over the last two-and-
a-half years. A panel of Rio School District faculty will provide details and Telling Cases about their journey
to provide STEAM for all students. This presentation incorporates a diversity of practices, processes, and
programs to showcase the process.
Deeper Learning Through Project-Based Learning (PBL) and STEAM Salon F
Representatives from: Bullis Charter School
▶ Jessica Lura, Director of Strategic Initiatives
▶ Kristina Plattner, Classroom Teacher
This session provides exciting examples of Grades 6-8 STEAM-based PBL units, focusing on innovation,
addressing questions, and designing solutions to real-world problems. Participants will learn about STEAM
and PBL, given practical advice on implementation and will utilize this knowledge to plan a STEAM-based
project-based learning unit.
Lessons Learned from the NOVAS OST Program:
Integrating STEAM into the Classroom
▶ Leitha Thrall, Education Specialist, UC Berkeley
NASA Opportunities in Visualization, Art, and Science (NOVAS) is a program that explores NASA science
through art. One member of the NOVAS team will share how to create classroom activities that combine
science and art. The NOVAS design team consists of a UC Berkeley Astronomer and two UC Berkeley
Multiverse Education Specialists; one who designed the program and the other, a working artist.

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Stories from the Field: Designing Mobile Games to Situate Learning Salon H
▶ David Gagon, Director of the ARIS Project, University of Wisconsin
In this rapid-fire talk, find inspiration in popular video games and mobile apps, grounding successful elements
of design in contemporary learning science. Applying these ideas into the realm of education, participants will
examine a number of projects that have been produced by the Field Day Lab at the University of Wisconsin -
Madison, inviting attendees to collaborate with our team and use our free apps.
Targeted Audience: 6-12 Classroom Teachers, Site and District Administrators, Post-secondary Educators
A Schoolyard Cleanup as a Project-Based Entry to NGSS Salon 2
▶ Annie Kohut Frankel, Education Coordinator, California Coastal Commission
By using free California Coastal Commission resources, students can plan a Schoolyard Cleanup data
collection, analyze and communicate their data, and input it into an international database. They can engage
in real-world science applying STEAM and NGSS practices to examine an issue important to their lives and
the greater environment.
ResponsiveDesign: Using Collaboration and Danville
Design to Innovate STEAM Education
Representatives from: Cultural Landscapes Collaboratory
▶ Ralph Córdova, PhD, University of Missouri Saint Louis
▶ Ann Taylor, PhD, University of Missouri Saint Louis
▶ Phyllis Balcerzak, PhD, University of Washington
Participants will take a deep dive into ResponsiveDesign, a design centered approach for innovating teaching
and learning. Join leaders from the Cultural Landscapes Collaboratory to harness the power of Design Theory
in form of collaborative teacher-inquiry to transform classrooms and schools into communities of problem-
solvers and problem-seekers. Discover tools to help shift STEAM from a vision to a reality. This presentation
focuses on secondary education.
Targeted Audience: 6-12 Classroom Teachers, STEAM Coaches, Site and District Administrators, Higher
Education Faculty, Policy Makers
Teaching the NGSS: Supporting English Learners’ Engagement in Pleasanton
▶ Emily Miller, Educator, NGSS Elementary, Diversity and Equity writing teams
This session demonstrate how three-dimensional science learning provides access for emerging bilingual
students. It presents teaching practices that enhance ownership of scientific learning and language
development for all students. Science and English Language Development (ELD) teachers will engage in a
physical science lesson, seeing how the three dimensions of the NGSS work together to form comprehensive
understanding through sense-making discourse. Participants will develop a systems’ model and construct an
explanation of an observed phenomenon while communicating with one another using a language other than
English, including signs, symbols, and gestures. Participants will discuss both the challenges English learners
face communicating in a discourse-rich classroom as envisioned by the National Resource Council Framework
and the NGSS and the opportunities discourse strategies can provide for science learning. Participants will be
guided to use a unit design template to create or adapt new lessons that increase access to rigorous science
for English learners.
This presentation will be repeated in Session 4 (2:10 to 3:25 pm)

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Weather Watchers: An Inquiry into Integrated Science, Art and Literacy San Ramon
▶ Jan Robertson, Teacher on Special Assignment, Mount Diablo Unified School District
▶ Maria Laws, Teacher, Acalanes Union HSD; Ecology International Master Teacher Fellow
By using free California Coastal Commission resources, students can plan a Schoolyard Cleanup that
incorporates data collection and analysis. Students will then communicate results, including sharing local data
through an international database. Students can engage in real-world science applying STEAM and NGSS
practices to examine an issue important to their lives and the greater environment.
Breakout Session 4 (2:10 – 3:25 pm)
Design Thinking and Engineering Using Legos Salon A
Representatives from: Bullis Charter School
▶ Lynn Koph Reed, Maker Space Director
▶ Jessica Lura, Director of Strategic Initiatives
This presentation consists of two separate but related activities using LEGO building blocks. In the first activity
participants will use the Design Thinking Process to help Happy the LEGO horse feel comfortable in his new
home. In the second activity participants will follow the Engineering Process to design a wall to keep Happy
from wandering into the neighbor’s yard to eat the flowers.

Soaring Across Curriculum with Project-Based Learning Salon B
▶ Jason Fletcher, STEM Co-Coordinator, Liberty Union HSD
▶ Sean Clarke, STEM Co-Coordinator, Liberty Union HSD
▶ David Ringler, Executive Director, Patriots Jet Team Foundation
Soaring Across Curriculum with Project-Based Learning was a project conducted to infuse cross curriculum
with the local community. The cross-curricular rocket project uses scientific practices, literacy, geometry, and
engineering in a manner that is very engaging and applicable for students and can be implemented on any
campus.
Emphasized Strand: Designing for Future, Designing for Integration
Exploring the Conceptual Shifts Called for in NGSS Salon C
▶ Sarah Pedemonte, Associate Specialist, Leadership in Science Teaching,
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Participants will engage in an NGSS-aligned science activity, and reflect on how three-dimensional learning
(the interplay of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts)
supports student sense-making. We will also examine the overlap of Common Core skills with NGSS science
and engineering practices.

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Engaging in Elementary Engineering with Hands-on Plus Common Core Salon F
▶ Sarah Jawed, Classroom Teacher, Dublin Unified School District
▶ Linda Block, Classroom Teacher, Castro Valley Unified School District
This hands-on workshop will have participants engaging in an elementary engineering activity. A dam-building
lesson that meets NGSS Earth Science standards for third, fourth and fifth grade as well as the Engineering
Standards will be shared. Connected Common Core lessons for both math and language arts will be
provided.
Programming Optical Illusions Salon H
▶ James Town, Mathematics Specialist, Alameda County Office of Education
Using the HTML.5 Canvas Object, participants will learn how to use geometry to program and animate optical
illusions in a web browser. Your students can learn programming and math at the same time by utilizing any
device with a web browser and text editor. No prior programming experience required.
Learning from Litter Salon 2
▶ Nate Ivy, Region 4 CREEC Coordinator, Alameda County Office of Education
▶ Jeff Kirschner, Founder, Litterati
Investigate how service-learning empowers students to tackle environmental challenges associated with litter
while advancing NGSS practices and CCSS analysis and argumentation skills. This workshop features hands-
on STEM activities and an introduction to Litterati which harnesses the technological power of cell phones,
social networks, and big data to fight litter.
Subjective Space and Time: How the Arts Inform Scientific Understanding Danville
▶ Ray Cagan, Arts Learning Coordinator, Alameda County Office of Education
▶ Jessica Park, Classroom Teacher, Albany High School
Workshop participants will learn about how artists manipulate film, comic representations and varied perspectives
to convey the impacts of space and time and how those techniques intersect with major scientific theories of space
and time. Classroom art examples will be shared to confirm how concepts of time and space are connected to
understanding the world. This workshop is targeted toward middle and high school educators and anyone who
likes to think about art and the space-time continuum.

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Teaching the NGSS: Supporting English Learners’ Engagement in Pleasanton
▶ Emily Miller, Educator, NGSS Elementary, Diversity and Equity writing teams
This session demonstrate how three-dimensional science learning provides access for emerging bilingual
students. It presents teaching practices that enhance ownership of scientific learning and language
development for all students. Science and English Language Development (ELD) teachers will engage in a
physical science lesson, seeing how the three dimensions of the NGSS work together to form comprehensive
understanding through sense-making discourse. Participants will develop a systems’ model and construct an
explanation of an observed phenomenon while communicating with one another using a language other than
English, including signs, symbols, and gestures. Participants will discuss both the challenges English learners
face communicating in a discourse-rich classroom as envisioned by the National Resource Council Framework
and the NGSS and the opportunities discourse strategies can provide for science learning. Participants will be
guided to use a unit design template to create or adapt new lessons that increase access to rigorous science
for English learners.
This is a repeated session.

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Keynote Speaker:
Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 Teacher of the Year
Jeff Charbonneau is a chemistry, physics and engineering teacher at Zillah High
School in Zillah, Washington. He’s been working in this position for his entire 12-
year teaching career. Jeff has a Bachelors of Science in Biology and was a member
of the William O. Douglas Honors College at Central Washington University. He
also holds a Masters of Education from Central Washington University. He is a
National Board Certified teacher. He has received numerous awards, including
business donations and grants totaling more than $25,000 to support the ZHS Robot
Challenge, of which he is founder and director. Jeff is also the Zillah Education
Association Co-President.
He recognizes that many students see his course subjects as the “hard” science classes and welcomes the
challenge to overturn that stigma. In addition to his role as a science instructor at ZHS, Jeff is a yearbook
advisor, drama assistant director, science club advisor, and the 9th grade class advisor. He also is an adjunct
faculty member at three colleges and universities, enabling students who take his classes to earn 24-college
credits upon successful completion. Jeff admits his classes are “more rigorous” but says they are designed
to be accessible. He’s created interactive learning experiences, like the Robot Challenge, to help students
develop confidence in their abilities. Jeff said, “I believe my greatest accomplishments are revealed each time
a student realizes that he or she has an unlimited potential. The rest are simply vehicles to make it happen.”
Invited Speaker:
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla represents California’s 14th Assembly District,
which includes Contra Costa County and Solano County. She is chair of the
Assembly Business, Professions, and the Consumer Protection Committee, and
sits on the Assembly Health Committee and the Assembly Utilities and Commerce
Committee. She also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Increasing the
Integration of STEM Education in California K-14 Schools.
As Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, she worked
with parents, teachers, school board members, advocates, and the Governor to
craft the Local Control Funding Formula which provides a higher level of base
funding for our K-12 schools – a remarkable turnaround after years of severe
budget cuts to education. Through her leadership on the Subcommittee she also successfully secured $1.25
billion for professional development for teachers, technology upgrades in our schools, and instructional
materials to support the implementation of Common Core.
Furthermore, Susan authored AB 484 - one of the most important and revolutionary changes to education
policy. With this new law, our schools can move away from outdated STAR tests, and prepare students and
teachers for better assessments that reflect the real world knowledge needed in tomorrow’s job market.
Adding to her legislative accomplishments, Assemblywoman Bonilla’s efforts to improve our education system
led to the inclusion of $26.7 million in the 2014 Budget for the K-12 High Speed Network. This funding will
help equip schools with the broadband needed to support the new, online assessment exams and a 21st
Century education.
Prior to serving as a public official, Susan was a high school English teacher in the Mt. Diablo Unified School
District. Never forgetting her teaching roots, Susan is proud of her role as a legislator where she continues to
help students and their families by guiding statewide education policy from the perspective of someone trained
in and passionate about education.
Keynote and Invited Speakers (In order of appearance)

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Featured Speakers (In order of appearance)
Emily Pilloton founded Project H in 2008, believing deeply in the power of design
and building to excite learning and citizenship. Her first crush, MacGyver, sparked her
love of constrained problem-solving and tinkering. She went on to study architecture and
building because it was the one thing that allowed her to geek out about everything,
from math and structural engineering to ethnography and the fascinating behavior of
people. Emily believes that by giving youth, particularly girls and students of color,
the skills to design and build their wildest ideas, we can support the next generation
of creative, confident changemakers. Her ideas and work have made their way to the
TED Stage, The Colbert Report, the New York Times, and more. She is the author of
two books, Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People, and Tell Them I Built
This: Transforming Schools, Communities, and Lives with Design-Based Education. When she isn’t welding
with her 10-year-old Camp H girls or co-teaching Studio H, Emily loves to run, write, rabble-rouse, and eat
unreasonable amounts of Mexican food.
Cultural Landscapes Collaboratory (CoLab)
Ralph Córdova, PhD’s earliest education began in 1970 when he was born into a
passionate and creative Mexican-American family in California. Those early cultural
settings prepared him to build a future that involved the founding of the Cultural
Landscapes Collaboratory (ourCoLab.org). He is a former bilingual 3rd-grade teacher,
and now an educational ethnographer who is an assistant professor in the University of
Missouri Saint Louis’s College of Education, in the Department of Education Preparation,
Innovation and Research. He thrives when working with fellow educators and students
in all subject areas, making visible and trying out innovative pedagogies in order to co-
create learning cultures where all become courageously confident problem solvers and
seekers.
Ann Taylor, PhD is the Associate Dean for School and Community Partnerships in the
College of Education (COE) at University of Missouri St. Louis where she follows her
passion for innovative and creative pedagogies and collaborative teacher learning. She
hails from England where she taught middle school geography. Now, in her capacity
as Associate Dean, she invites educators, administrators and community members to
the COE to locate themselves in a community of energetic, innovative, and passionate
educators who eagerly share their learning with others.
Phyllis Balcerzak, PhD has been a science educator and teacher educator for 20
years. She teaches courses, at the graduate and undergraduate levels, in science
content and pedagogy. Most recently, as the Director of Professional Development for
Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership, she has designed programs and
professional learning experiences for K-12 teachers. She joined the Co-lab in 2013,
enjoying the collaborative space where the primary focus is the improvement of K-20
teaching using dynamic reflective tools.

18
Dr. Harry Cheng is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, the Graduate Group in Computer Science, and the Graduate Group in
Education at the University of California, Davis. He is also the Director of the UC Davis
Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) and Director of the
Integration Engineering Laboratory. Dr. Cheng has established research programs in
robotics, intelligent mechatronic systems, networked embedded systems, and integrated
computing and STEM education funded by government agencies and industry. He has
authored and coauthored more than 170 papers. He holds two U.S. patents. He is the
author of the book “C for Engineers and Scientists: An Interpretive Approach” (McGraw-
Hill, 2009). He is the co-founder of SoftIntegration, Inc. and Barobo, Inc. Dr. Cheng received a M.S. degree
in mathematics and a PhD degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago in
1986 and 1989, respectively. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Senior
Member of IEEE. Dr. Cheng has received several awards and recognitions for his work.
David Gagnon is a Discovery Fellow and Program Director of the Mobile Learning Lab
in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at University of Wisconsin, Madison. He directs
a team of educational researchers, software engineers, artists and storytellers that explore
the intersections of learning science and media design, specializing in mobile media,
video games and simulation. David is also the Director of the ARIS (Augmented Reality
Image Synthesis) project, a free and open tool that allows anyone to produce mobile
games, stories and tours. He is also active member of the Games, Learning and Society
Research community.
John Puglisi, PhD is Superintendent of Rio School District. Dr. Puglisi has worked
for 30 years in public schools; 21 years in administration (13 of which as District
superintendent), 9 years in classroom teaching and 13 years in University Graduate
Level Teaching. Dr. Puglisi earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from West Virginia University,
a Masters in Educational Leadership at San Jose State University. He holds a PhD in
Educational Leadership from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Puglisi has been doing STEAM learning throughout his career and is excited that
the educational community is starting to embrace arts infused, inter-disciplinary, and
inquiry-based learning as a proper path for 21st century learning. Interests and work
in mathematics, educational technology, educational research, and economics are key
parts of Dr. Puglisi’s current focus and work.
Emily Miller is a practicing teacher and a member of the NGSS Elementary, and Diversity
and Equity writing teams. She has taught science as an EL/bilingual resource science specialist
at a Title 1 school for 17 years. Emily teaches the NGSS in her own classroom. She continually
improves and refines her teaching to the standards with her students. She is consulting with
the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research to develop teacher tools that promote sense
making and language learning for English learners in science. Emily authored an NGSS
culturally responsive engineering grant, a school garden curriculum grant, and a culturally and
linguistically responsive teacher training grant for her school district. She is pursuing a PhD at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.

19
STEAM Gallery and Resource Fair (2:10–4:00 PM)
Organization Title of Display Web Site
Academy of Art University Art & Design Education for the 21st Century
Student
www.academyart.edu
Art in Action www.artinaction.org
Astronomical Society of the Pacific Advancing STEAM Literacy Through Astronomy www.astrosociety.org
Bullis Charter School Human Muscle Systems
Designing Ethical Zoo Habitats
www.bullischarterschool.com
California Coastal Commission -
Public Education Program
www.coastforyou.org
California High School, San Ramon
Valley Unified School District
Established Brand Integration & Creation:
Coca-Cola?
www.calhigh.net
California Kindergarten Assoc. (CKA) Art Really Teaches Across the Curriculum www.californiakindergartenassociation.org
CalRecycle Education and the Environment www.calrecycle.ca.gov
Community Resources for Science www.crscience.org
Contra Costa Economic Partnership http://www.ccpartnership.org/home-contra-
costa-county.html
Diablo Valley College Career Pathways www.dvc.edu
The Energy Coalition PEAK Student Energy Actions www.peakstudents.org
Green Ninja Project Green Ninja: A Climate Action Superhero www.greenninja.org
Industry Initiatives for Science &
Math Education (IISME)
Developing Relevant STEAM Curriculum:
IISME’s Education Transfer Plan
www.iisme.org
Integrated Middle School Science
Project (IMSS), ACOE
Fremont Union School District IMSS
San Lorenzo Unified School District IMSS
www.sciencepartnership.org
KQED Public Media http://www.kqed.org/
Lakeshore Learning www.lakeshorelearning.com
Lew Douglas, Educational
Consultant
Rhythm of Math
MOUSE Squad Student Tech Designing for STEAM Integration, Equity and
21st Century Learning
www.mousesquadca.org
MRCR Education STEAM Design for the 21st Century Learner https://sites.google.com/site/mrcreducation
My City School http://www.mycityschool.org/
National Geographic Exploring Science www.ngl.cengage.com/exploringscience
Peopleologie Hands on Humanities www.peopleologie.com
Piper, Inc. Introducing Piper: Teaching Electronics
through Education Games
www.withpiper.com
Pro Arts www.proartsgallery.org/proarts
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) https://www.pltw.org/
Richmond Art Center Art in the Community http://richmondartcenter.org/community/
Scholastic Library Publishing ScienceFlix www.scholastic.com/scienceflix
Singing Scientific Science Through the Arts
Space Society of Silicon Valley STEAM into Space! www.spacesociety-sv.org
Travis Credit Union BizKids Financial Literacy http://bizkids.com
Tynker Hour of Code www.tynker.com
UC Davis C-STEM Center C-STEM: Integrating Computing with STEM http://c-stem.usdavis.edu/
Water Education Foundation California Project WET (Water Education for
Teachers)
www.watereducation.org/project-wet

20
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Gateways East Bay STEM Network, CSUEB
Thank you to the 5th Annual STEAM Colloquium Organizing Committee
for their time, energy and expertise in planning today’s event:
Contra Costa County Office of Education:
Dr. Pamela Comfort, Deputy Superintendent, Educational Services
Dr. Pamela Tyson, Director III, Educational Services
Janet Haun, Director III, Student Programs
Hilary Dito, STEAM Coordinator
Alameda County Office of Education:
Dawn O’Connor, Director of Science
Louise Music, Executive Director of Integrated Learning
Mariah Landers, Professional Expert, Integrated Learning
Gateways East Bay STEM Network:
Dr. Stephanie Couch, Director
Bruce Simon, Associate Director
Dr. Beth Yeager, Lead Researcher
Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools
Karen Sakata
Contra Costa County Board of Education
Area 1 Pamela M. Mirabella
Area 2 Christine W. Deane
Area 3 Daniel A. Gomes
Area 4 Mike Maxwell
Area 5 Jeff Belle
For further information about STEAM Education in Contra Costa County, contact:
Hilary Dito, CCCOE STEAM Coordinator • hdito@cccoe.k12.ca.us
77 Santa Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 942-3396 • FAX (925) 942-3480
Check out our CCCOE STEAM e-newsletter and join the mailing list at:
www.cocoschools.org/STEAM

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