Looking for ways to integrate effective, engaging STEM and STEAM education in remote learning? There are many ways to lead fun and functional lessons at a distance that combine the creativity and critical thinking skills of science, engineering, arts, and mathematics education.
Here are some resources from across the web to help deploy relevant STEAM activities and lessons at a distance.
Don’t Fret, Get PhET
Short for Physics Education Technology, the PhET project at the University of Colorado focuses on collecting and sharing “explorable explanations,” or descriptions of a process or concept that students and virtually interact with. PhET includes more than 150 interactive simulations and well over 2,000 teacher-submitted lessons. You can even find tips for using PhET simulations here.
Technical Expertise from Georgia Tech
The Georgia Tech Research Institute shares remote lessons on making an electroscope (PDF), using energy to measure distance (PDF), making a rain gauge (PDF), and more. The university also has a distance learning STEAM homepage which includes useful links like EarSketch, a program designed to teach coding through music-making developed by Georgia Tech’s school of music.
Getting the Latest in STEAM
THE Journal has compiled a regularly updated list of remote STEAM resources, now at 18 pages of links and counting. Odds are what you’re looking for is there, even if it takes a bit of digging.
Using Your Common Sense
Common Sense Education, a nonprofit dedicated to vetting educational materials, has a trove of science and tech learning pages, apps, and other tools organized into categories like Interdisciplinary Lessons and Activities, Robotics and Coding, and Game-Based Learning.
Wakelet Wonders
Wakelet is popular not only to share idea with students, but between teachers, too. Check out this Wakelet containing free STEAM resources from the Cobb County School District in Georgia.
Putting the A in STEAM
It’s important to include diverse aspects of STEAM education, whether in-person or at a distance. Edutopia, a project of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, has compiled a number of articles and resources into a toolkit for moving from “STEM” to “STEAM.”
Take-Home STEAM Resources
You might be considering what kind of learning aides students could use at home. This post from Vivify STEM Education outlines their top picks for take-home resources.
A New Dimension of Remote Teaching
Interested in 3D design? Explore these remote 3D activities from Makers Empire.
To STEMfinity…
STEMfinity hosts a board filled with digital STEM resources, which can be filtered by topic, limited to only free resources, or to separate out lessons and activities from references and articles.
…And Beyond!
Major cultural institutions in the U.S. are sharing STEAM tools, too. National Geographic has organized a Learn at Home portal, while the Smithsonian Institute’s Learning Lab shares thoughtful links, including resources in Spanish, and the National Museum of Natural History shares webinars and events for distance learning.
What remote learning resources are you using to lead STEM and STEAM learning? What kind are you hoping to find? Join the discussion in the comments to this post!
Photo by Ousa Chea on Unsplash
