STEAMed Up At The Library

STEAMed Up At The Library: Using STEAM programs in the public library.

STEM or STEAM is not a trend, but a to way remember that children's education is important. When we teach children we don't focus on one way of learning but incorporate several methods. If you look up child development you will find that the theorists cannot agree on one singular method. Wait, what is STEM/STEAM you ask?

Science
Technology
Engineering
(Art)
Math

So, why is the Department of Education and others having our schools focus on STEM/STEAM?

As a nation we are failing to engage our children to become excited in mathematics and other areas, which will lead to a decline in college/university degrees, meaning that we will not be able to support ourselves as a nation. Further information about this can be found on the Department of Education's website, "Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership."

What is the plan for STEM?

"The Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM), comprised of 13 partner agencies—including all of the mission science agencies and the Department of Education—will facilitate a cohesive national strategy, with new and repurposed funds, to reorganize STEM education programs and increase the impact of federal investments in five areas: P-12 STEM instruction; increasing and sustaining public and youth engagement with STEM; improving the STEM experience of undergraduate students; better serving groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields; and designing graduate education for tomorrow's STEM workforce."

Why are librarians conducting STEM/STEAM programs?

First of all, it's fun! Hands on, up close learning, is a great way to learn and retain information. As librarians we have been making story time fun for decades with chants, dances, songs, and more. So why should we focus on incorporating science, technology, engineering, art, and math? I believe we should reach out to our community and promote learning. Learning is more than simply reading a book.

Yes, many teachers are using these subjects in school but libraries are not limited to school age children (or those who attend school). What about families who choose to home-school their children? Why not give one more reason for people to come into our libraries? And why not allow teens a chance to learn about the technology and media resources that are a part of their every day lives.

Why did I get all "STEAM"ed up? I watched a wonderful webinar entitled "STEAM in the Public Library: Programs & Services for Children" by Amy Koester and thought I would share. If you have an account with WebJunction you can watch it here or if you want the original (May 7, 2014) you can find it from Infopeople here. Although this webinar is a year old, I highly recommend it to librarians, teachers, or parents. A good webinar focusing on Teen STEM programs can be found on this link from Tech Soup, "Teens & Tech: Creating Successful STEM Programs in Libraries."

What if I have none to little money for programing?

Anyone who has helped with children and teen programs knows that recyclables can enhance a program. Don't feel that your program will make or break if you have the proper funding. If you do need funding reach out to the Friends of the Library, local companies, local organizations, or apply for grants (see links below).

There's too much pressure, I can't think of a program!

You wouldn't be the first to think this, but one of the great things about being a librarian- we share our knowledge. Search Pinterest (e.g. keywords "STEM" or "Engineering") or click on one of the links below. I have also shared links that were included in Amy Koester's webinar and a few I found myself.

Even if you don't choose to create a STEM or STEAM program, you can always enhance your current story times:

• Add a Non-Fiction Book
• Create a handout for Apps or learning websites
• Share new vocabulary words
• Show new tools that relate to your theme
• Ask questions! It doesn't cost anything but we can create engaged thinkers.

In the end the real goal is to inspire children and teens to think and create. If we are able to get them away from TV for a few hours, Epic Win!

Funding

Friends of the Library- check the one connected to your library or district.

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants- http://www.imls.gov/applicants/available_grants.aspx (for all grants)

• http://www.imls.gov/about/stem.aspx- Includes current STEM newsfeed, publication, and talking points.

STEM Grants.com- "STEMgrants.com provides info concerning: new STEM grant opportunities from federal agencies, state governments, foundations, and corporations.  It also identifies recent STEM grant winners, features news related to STEM funding trends,  provides updates on STEM initiatives and events, and offers insights on developing proposals in response to funding opportunities. STEMgrants.com also offers a free guide to those that sign up for its email list."

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) by ALA- http://www.ala.org/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsaawardsgrants. Not STEM specific, but if you are a member to YALSA this is worth a look.

More Links

Code.org- "Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. We believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra."

National STEM Video Game Challenge- "Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games."

Robot Test Kitchen- "A group of Youth Services and Teen librarians. We believe that when imaginations play, learning happens. We aim to use simple robotics as a means to expand our learning experience for other new technologies. Our goal is to provide an entry point of simple robotics in a way Youth and Teen Librarians can understand."

Scratch- "With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge. 

The Show Me Librarian-  Amy Koester's blog: "This blog is dedicated to exploring programs, services, and other topics in youth librarianship. I get lots of inspiration and ideas from fellow librarians out in the blogosphere, and my goal is to share details of my successes and learning moments in the hopes of adding to the vast pool of collective librarian knowledge. I'm a firm believer in the power of collaboration in this profession. We're a community of sharers, and I am thrilled to contribute."

STEM Collaborative- An idea list of programs and resources by grade. The STEM Collaborative was formed when four public television stations with a steadfast commitment to classroom and community education were awarded a Local Service Initiative grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to create innovative digital content in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subject areas.

Tinker Group- "Tinker is a networking group for library staff who work–or want to work–with children, teens, and technology. We are interested in sharing programming ideas and providing an opportunity to work hands-on with technology."

Teaching Technology So People Remember

Learning and Training with Technology

People learn in many ways, and sometimes we forget as adults, but when we were children we learned by using our five senses. Tactile learning is very important. The sense of touch allows us to hold the device or technology and to become familiar with it. We must remember that there is more than one way to learn. Providing a second way can make the difference between frustration and success.

Handing someone a step-by-step written guide may not be enough. If the person has never worked with that device or technology before, the experience can be very overwhelming.  A better way to handle the situation is to allow staff to play with the item. That is why we create demonstrations or have devices at a "petting zoo." We want people to see a device, become familiar with it, and to realize that it is not as scary as it looks. I have personally learned that screen shots are a great enhancement to written procedures. This technique might be leaning on being overly cautious, however, for some learners, that is exactly what is needed. The experience will remind them: what it looked like when they were actually using the device, where they were in the list of steps, and what it should look like. Remember, we learn by listening, seeing, and using our hands.

I recently responded to a colleague about the best techniques on teaching staff how to use an iPad. Here was my response:

How to train the staff… that is tough, especially since a quick 15 minutes didn’t work for me I would say that a real hands on approach would be best. Try to make it fun, let them play a game! You can say it’s too loud/quiet, you want to switch games, and so on. Another training that works is pairs- pairing up someone who has experience with those who don't. But of course, DON’T pair up as a team that has someone who is a little slower to catch on with someone who is impatient. Honestly, playing with a device and using it is the best way to learn. For written procedures, I find that screen shots are a life saver. Unfortunately, iPads do like to update regularly- especially with the new iOS 8 (operating system, software for Apple devices).

If you have a person who seems really unsure about iPads, let them borrow one for a night or a weekend. You can always create a backup, so even if they change all the settings, your favorite settings are easily changed back. 

Children aren't the only ones who like to play games and, for those who are up for it, a simple "challenge" could be a fun way to learn. When I learned how to use a 3D printer, I remembered more when I did the entire job from start to finish. Don't be afraid to give up a little control- a written procedure is a good backup and it might help some staff but most likely it won't help everyone. On the other hand, screen captures in the written procedure and hands-on learning is the winning combination to help patrons learn how to use new technology.