Attend
Exhibit
Make Learning Fun With Community Events: Create Your Practical Guide |
Participate and share : Poster
Jenni Hoffman Dr. Gina Finnerty
Find out how to introduce learning initiatives and connect with your community through educational events, expos and festivals. The format, challenges and triumphs of successful educational events will be shared as attendees use collaborative documents and resources to develop and plan an event for their school community.
| Audience: | Coaches, Curriculum/district specialists, Teachers |
| Skill level: | Beginner |
| Attendee devices: | Devices useful |
| Attendee device specification: | Smartphone: Android, iOS, Windows Laptop: Mac, PC, Chromebook Tablet: Android, iOS, Windows |
| Participant accounts, software and other materials: | Google Account / access to Google Apps QR reader |
| Topic: | Communication & collaboration |
| Grade level: | PK-12 |
| Subject area: | Career and technical education, STEM/STEAM |
| ISTE Standards: | For Coaches: Change Agent
Systems Designer
Leader
|
| Related exhibitors: | MakerBot 3D Printers, Anatomage, Inc., VariQuest Visual Learning Tools, Screencastify, PowerSchool Group LLC |
Garnering support for new initiatives can be challenging by itself. In a time marked by COVID fatigue and a longing for "normal", mustering the energy and excitement for educational strategies and system implementations is a challenge. School community events, expos and festivals celebrating effort, sparking a spirit of competition and highlighting success encourage collaboration and partnership with community resources.
By reaching out to small businesses, industry partners, alumni and foundations to participate in and create events, expos and festivals, school communities can share a vision for sustainable learner success. School culture develops to support the whole learner, with education expanding beyond classroom walls, connecting to life outside the school building and looping back through program and project support. Big events that open the school house doors to a wide audience of educational stakeholders lead to widespread student success.
Oley Valley Elementary School's STEMfest began as a 40 minute class exploration of STEM learning activities in the school's lobby after standardized tests and has grown into an articulated K-20 STEM pathway through partnerships developed and celebrated throughout the learning community.
Attendees to this presentation will leave with practical tips and a customizable guide to creating their own events to share their vision, develop partnerships and cultivate a local ecosystem for education.
10 mins - Introduction of Oley Valley School District's path from STEMfest to articulated Career Pathways driven by community partnerships.
20 mins - guided exploration of the planning documents, samples and strategies for creating a school community expo, event or festival.
25 mins - reflection, brainstorming, and collaboration using the planning documents to develop an event framework
5 mins - wrap-up and network to expand PLC and potentially connect events
National Research Council (NRC). 2009. Learning science in informal environments. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
https://www.psaydn.org/2019-stem-ambassadors/
https://www.informalscience.org/research/what-does-informal-stem-education-research-tell-us
Jenn Hoffman is an emerging leader in K-12 education leveraging her enthusiasm for inquiry learning to create opportunities to develop, employ and integrate digital skills in the context of the classrooms. Jenn is a PA STEM Ambassador, Google Applied Digital Skills Ambassador, and international learning lab developer. Jenn has been described as a strategic, learner-focused educator with 10+ years program and curriculum development experience teaching students and supporting classrooms through educational technology implementations with data-driven decision-making models. She is a forward-thinking professional capable of translating network and IT department operations to meet classroom needs.
Doctoral Candidate in Administration and Leadership Studies/ East Stroudsburg University; Defense in 5/2022 2010 - Present - Principal 2001 – 2010 - Assistant Principal 1994 – 2001 - Spanish Teacher Master of Science - Human Resource Development / Villanova University Master of Education – Principal Certification / East Stroudsburg University Bachelor of Arts – Secondary Education & Spanish / Cedar Crest College
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