This document summarizes three articles about initiatives to improve STEM education. The first article discusses an NSF grant to Purdue University to retrain 400 rural Indiana teachers. The second describes a website called Orchard Now that helps teachers assess students and customize learning. The third explains Skype's new classroom community that connects over 5,600 educators and their students around the world. The conclusion reflects on how these programs can help the author become a better teacher.

1. Technology ResearchBy: Brittany McCarter

2. MenuSlides 3-5: NSF Funds STEM Teacher Training Initiative in Indiana Slides 6-8: Orchard Now Releases Remedial Math InstructionSlides 9-11: Skype Community Comesto the Classroom Slide 12: Conclusion

3. NFS Funds STEM Teacher Training Initiative in Indiana This article, which was written by Dian Schaffhauser on March 28th 2011, is about an award that was granted to Purdue University. It was awarded by the Nation Science Foundation. The money is to help train teachers in Indiana who teach science and math. Research Goes to School is a program in which teachers will have a two week workshop in the summer, a webinar, and also a website that will provide help and support to teachers. Gabriela Weaver, a chemistry teacher, says that rural Indiana schools have been in high-need and are high-challenged. She also stated that they have been neglected in educational reform. Retraining teachers in rural areas will present a challenge because they have lower salaries and teach multiple subject areas. The program is supposed to help researchers find out how to retrain teachers.

4. Gabriela Weaver said that indirectly, however, the program will "touch 400 rural in-service teachers and their students through planned outreach activities.“ I chose this quote from the author because I think seeing how many teacher and students will be affected by this program says a lot about the program. I they can retrain teachers to be better at their jobs it will help all of the students as well. Four hundred teachers and students is a lot. Schaffhauser, D. (2011). NFS Funds STEM Teacher Training Initiative in Indiana. The Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/28/nsf-funds-stem-teacher-training-initiative-in-indiana.aspx?admgarea=pro.development - .

5. My Personal ReflectionMy first a-ha moment was that teachers need to be retrained. I know that things change, but I thought that the teachers would just pick up on those things as they change. It makes a lot of sense that the teachers need to be retrained though. The second a-ha moment was learning that it would be difficult to retrain teachers in rural areas because they have lower salaries. The last a-ha moment was that around 400 teachers and their students would be helped by this program.

6. Orchard Now Releases Remedial Math InstructionThis article was written by Joshua Bolkan on March 18th, 2011. The article is about Orchard Now. Orchard Now is a website with tools to help teachers pre-assess students. These pre-assessments will help teachers place students into a learning environment in which they will be the most comfortable. The teacher can then plan activities and practice around their students learning group. The new instructional activities can be used by older children but are aimed from grades one through three. Orchard Now includes areas such as, number sense, numeration, pattering and algebra, geometry, data management and probability, and measurement. I have hyperlinked the Orchard Now website so that everyone can go and see the activities that are available http://orchardnow.com/ - .

7. Orchard Now is a suite of online tools that allows teachers to pre-assess students and then places them in customized learning environments with activities, practice, and post-assessment. This is the quote from the author that I found the most interesting. I think that it is very important that kids are in a learning environment that they are comfortable in. It is important that the students are learning things too advance for them and that they aren’t bored when learning. I think that it is very good that there is a website that teachers can go to and pre-assess their students. Bolkan, J. (2011.) Orchard Now Releases Remedial Math Instruction. The Journal. Retrieved fromhttp://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/18/orchard-now-releases-remedial-math-instruction.aspx - .

8. My Personal ReflectionA-Ha Moments:There are websites out there that can help teachers place students in a comfortable learning environment.

9. Students can get onto this site and play educational games, take test, and practice homework problems.

10. They are adding onto this site all the time to help make teachers work easier and to help students really learn what it is that they are doing. Skype Community Comes to the ClassroomThis website, written by David Nagel on March 30th, 2011, is about a website called Skype. Skype made a virtual community for teachers and professors. They are calling it Skype in the classroom. The program is completely free; you just need to make your Skype account. The virtual classroom was made so that teachers could connect with other educators around the word and talk about projects and new learning ideas. Skype in the classroom isn’t just for educators though it is also to connect students around the world. There are more than 5,600 teachers who are part of this program. Although most of the teachers are from the United States, there are many teachers who have joined around the world.

11. Christophe Fetat, the teacher at Lakanal school in Lille, France used Skype to connect his elementary-age students with students in Canada. "The result was amazing. Students were really engaged to discuss different topics. It is really a simple and effective way to exchange ideas, learn and bring other cultures into the class.“ I chose this quote because it shows the importance of connecting students from different parts of the world. I think that it is important for teachers and students to know what other teachers are doing and other students are learning. I truly believe in diversity and culture and bringing that to others attention is wonderful. Nagel, D. (2011.) Skype Community Comes to the Classroom. The Journal. Retrieved fromhttp://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/30/skype-community-comes-to-the-classroom.aspx - .

12. My Personal ReflectionThere were three surprising a-ha moments in this article. The first a-ha moments was finding out that Skype, which many people use to stay in touch and physical see one another, had created a community where teachers and students could come together from all over the world to communicate about education. The second was finding out that 5,600 teachers had joined this community shortly after it was created. Teachers must have thought that this was necessary and a really good thing. The last a-ha moments was having a teacher that had connected his students tell how rewarding it was and how much the kids were enjoying discussing different things.