Elementary STEM Teaching Integrating Technology and Computing Holistically

该项目将推进学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，以更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的实践。E-STITCH（Elementary STEM Teaching Integrating Technology and Computing Holistically）项目是一个课程和专业发展项目，旨在促进3-6年级计算机科学的有意义的科学探究。根据最近的全国调查结果，大约一半的学生谁打算追求科学相关的职业生涯在六年级最终获得干相关的学士学位，相比之下，只有三分之一的同行谁计划在非科学相关的职业生涯，学生的早期教育经验影响潜在的未来职业选择的基础上，学术准备和个人身份的制定兼容干追求。因此，该项目的意义和重要性在于创造有意义的综合STEM学习体验，提供基础知识，帮助年轻学生成为知情公民，并激发他们在完成小学教育之前对STEM专业机会的兴趣和认识。此外，增加学生的兴趣和参与与干6年级是后来承诺进入干劳动力的关键预测。教师在一个地理区域内的专业发展还将提供机会，建立一个专业人员的扩展学习社区，可以持续发展和支持电子纺织品增强的教学，在农村地区尤其重要，因为那里的教师往往分散在各地，可能无法定期聚集在一起，形成一个专业的学习社区。STITCH专注于整合电子纺织品技术，为小学教师和学生，特别是农村地区的小学教师和学生开发创新技术经验。E-STITCH是一个课程开发项目，旨在促进与物理科学相关的有意义的科学探究与技术（硬件和软件应用程序和开发）。该项目针对3-6年级的教师和学生，开发新的课程，让学生参与与适合多学科教室的多个内容领域相结合的计算活动。这些项目提供了使用新技术作为科学探究和数据建模工具的机会，同时利用与学生校外兴趣和文化背景的联系。E-STITCH项目将有意义地吸引30名教师和1，800名学生参与一种新颖的方法，将计算融入犹他州不同农村社区的科学和工程活动，包括农村白色，拉丁美洲人和美洲原住民人口。E-STITCH通过设计，原型设计和创建与他们的兴趣和需求相关的对象，直接让学生参与STEM内容和技能。电子纺织品结合了嵌入式计算的元素，用于控制织物制品的行为。与传统的电线和试验板相比，这些人工制品是使用新型材料创建的，例如导电纤维或导电尼龙搭扣，用于光，声音和压力的传感器，以及致动器，例如LED和扬声器，以及织物工艺的传统方面。通过使用这些材料缝制电路来生产可穿戴物品（例如T恤，背包），学生们参与设计智力严谨以及文化和个人意义的解决方案。收集的数据将有助于了解如何有效地将制作融入K-12核心内容领域，以符合标准并满足不同学习者的需求。由于E-STITCH项目使用非传统材料，通过探究为STEM学习创造新的、有意义的切入点，它将吸引传统上在STEM领域代表性不足的学生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase student motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). The E-STITCH (Elementary STEM Teaching Integrating Technology and Computing Holistically) project is a curriculum and professional development project designed to facilitate meaningful scientific inquiry with computer science in grades 3-6. Based on recent national findings that about half of students who intended to pursue science-related careers in 6th grade ultimately earned STEM-related baccalaureate degrees, in contrast to only one third of their counterparts who planned on non-science related careers, students' early educational experiences influence potential future career choices based on both academic preparation and the formulation of personal identities compatible with STEM pursuits. Therefore, the project's significance and importance lies in its creation of meaningful and integrated STEM learning experiences that will provide foundational knowledge, prepare young students to become informed citizens, and stimulate their interest in and awareness of professional opportunities in STEM prior to completing elementary school. Further, increased student interest and engagement with STEM by 6th grade is a critical predictor of later commitment to entering the STEM workforce. The professional development of teachers within a single geographic region will additionally provide the opportunity to establish an extended learning community of professionals that can sustain continued development and support of instruction enhanced by e-textiles, especially significant in rural districts where teachers are often geographically dispersed and may not be able to come together as a professional learning community on a regular basis.Project E-STITCH focuses on integrating e-textiles technologies to develop innovative technology experiences for elementary teachers and students, especially in rural areas. E-STITCH is a curriculum development project designed to facilitate meaningful scientific inquiry related to physical science with technology (both hardware and software applications and development). The project targets teachers and their students in grades 3-6 by developing new curriculum to engage students in computing activities that are integrated with multiple content areas appropriate for a multi-subject classroom. These projects provide the opportunity to use new technologies as tools for scientific inquiry and data modeling while leveraging connections to students' out-of-school interests and cultural backgrounds. Project E-STITCH will meaningfully engage 30 teachers and 1,800 students in a novel approach to integrating computing into science and engineering activities in diverse rural communities across the state of Utah, including rural White, Latinx and Native American populations. E-STITCH engages students directly with STEM content and skills through the design, prototyping, and creation of objects that are relevant to their interests and needs. E-textiles incorporate elements of embedded computing for controlling the behavior of fabric artifacts. In contrast to conventional wires and breadboards, these artifacts are created using novel materials such as conductive fibers or conductive Velcro, sensors for light, sound, and pressure, and actuators such as LEDs and speakers, in addition to traditional aspects of fabric crafts. By sewing circuits using these materials to produce wearable items (e.g. t-shirts, backpacks), students engage in designing solutions that are intellectually rigorous as well as culturally and personally meaningful. The data collected will contribute to understanding of how to integrate Making effectively into K-12 core content areas in ways that align with standards and address the needs of diverse learners at scale. Because Project E-STITCH uses non-traditional materials to create new and meaningful points of entry into STEM learning through inquiry, it will engage students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.