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Bustos p4 ip2 summary presentation

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Erika Bustos
Erika Bustos

This document discusses using social media to engage students, especially girls, in STEM subjects. It identifies several issues with current STEM engagement, including lack of funding, focus on standardized testing, and subjects being seen as uninteresting. The document suggests ways to address these issues, such as using blogs and podcasts to connect students with STEM careers, and teaching Internet usage to provide access to technology. The goal is to attract more students to STEM fields to address the shortage of qualified professionals in these important areas.

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Erika Bustos EM820 P4IP2 Blog summary
This blog is for my course, EM820, Business Strategies for Social Media. This is a hot topic now, as many businesses are realizing the potential of the social media universe.This blog will focus on how K-12 schools can use social media as a way to engage students (especially girls) in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. There has been quite a push recently to get students involved in the STEM subjects, as the US tends to lag behind other countries in producing qualified and knowledgeable scientists. Since the younger generation is much more involved in social media, having programs that target students via social media can be a way to encourage budding young scientists. Introduction
There are a number of issues that face schools who want to increase interest in STEM. A major stumbling block is funding; education funds keep diminishing while the number of students keeps increasing. High end schools have excellent programs to prepare students for STEM careers, while urban public schools typically have little funding for the arts or sciences. An article by Raju and Clayson (2011) discusses how the National Science Foundation has cut funding to a program meant to introduce graduate students to using STEM in K-12 schools. This type of cut eliminates support for teachers in K-12, who previously had access to graduate STEM students to help with teaching. The program was also meant as a way to improve the skills of STEM graduate students to help them pass along their love for the subjects. Another issue facing STEM engagement is training. Teachers who teach science courses may not be well trained to teach them, especially in elementary schools where one teacher teaches all of the subjects. Given the increase towards standardized tests, teachers focus more on the content that is being measured in those tests rather than in giving students knowledge in all subjects. Since standardized tests tend to focus on reading and math, science courses tend to be pushed to the wayside. While there is a focus on math in those tests, it is usually general math and not math that may be needed for future science courses. Reference Raju, P. K., & Clayson, A. (2011). NSF GK-12 Program must be saved: What you can do to help. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations And Research, 12(3-4), 6-8. Issues facing STEM engagement
A third issue relates to the students themselves. Typically the sciences are seen as not being interesting. While that has changed over the years thanks to the media, students may still be unaware of how to become involved in STEM. Subramaniam et al (2012) present great ideas for engaging students via science fiction. Sci-Fi movies have become very popular in recent years; movies such as the Iron Man franchise and Star Trek highlight much of the technology of the future and have killed at the box office. A large portion of the youth today plays video games; emphasizing to them that they can create the games they play or create the technology they see on the movie screen can also help to stimulate interest in STEM. A fourth issue relates to personnel. In order to stimulate interest in STEM, teachers in those subjects need to find creative ways to engage students. The sciences can typically be dry courses with uninteresting teachers. But if a teacher is passionate about the subject and about finding ways to incite that passion in the students then future STEM students can be created. However, if a teacher only does what is required then those students will not find interest in the courses. Reference Subramaniam, M., Ahn, J., Waugh, A., & Druin, A. (2012). Sci-Fi, Storytelling, and New-Media Literacy. Knowledge Quest, 41(1), 22-27. More issues facing STEM engagement
One interesting blog comes from Camille Cole, who published a book about finding ways to engage students in STEM. She suggests a number of good tools for teachers to use to engage students. For example, Cole suggests starting a classroom blog as well as a podcast. Yes, this creates additional work for a teacher but it allows the teacher to connect better with his/her students. A blog that a teacher can create can address people who have succeeded in STEM careers and what their areas of research are. This can allow students to see what they can do with a STEM career. Reference Cole, C. (2012-2013). Connecting students to S.T.E.M. careers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com. Ideas based on literature
Cole also mentions teaching Internet usage to students. This allows students to constantly use the technology that they someday may contribute to. Given the fact that many students may not have access to a computer or Internet at home (especially in poorer urban areas), using technology at school becomes even more important. This does mean an investment by the schools in providing the technology to students while they are in school. It can also mean redesigning the curriculum to add time to address topics related to technology and science. Cole makes a very good point; the down-turn in the economy has spurred interest in STEM careers. While the general unemployment rate has been rising, the unemployment rate for STEM careers remains low. The advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, as well as advances in computer technology and electronics, has created a demand for skilled workers. However, these skilled workers are hard to come by. All of these are good reasons to invest in finding ways to attract more students to STEM fields. Reference Cole, C. (2012-2013). Connecting students to S.T.E.M. careers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com. More ideas based on literature
Social Media for Millennials http://www.slideshare.net/ToddWilms/social- media-and-stem-for-millenials Connecting Students to STEM Careers http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com/ The STEM Shortage Myth http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A//prospect.org/article/stem -shortage-myth Googles QuestTo Get More Women In Tech http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/tech/innovation/women-at-i- o/index.html?c=&page=0 Empowering Girls in Math and Science https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweringGirlsInMathAndScience Links
This was a very interesting subject that has been getting quite a bit of attention in recent months. For a number of years, educators and others have brought up the fact that the science field is dominated by men. There has been a push to get more women involved in the sciences, and it has been show that the earlier that educators can engage girls in the science fields, the easier it is to keep them in the fields and to ensure that they ultimately enter a science career. There have been a number of programs over the years that have aimed at keeping girls interested in science; however, social media presents a unique opportunity to reach even more girls and to keep them engaged through a number of years. Summary
As blog posts have shown, there are many different ideas on how to engage students in STEM. However, there are those that disagree there is a need for these students. It can be argued that more tech jobs are also needed to accommodate for an increase in STEM interest. Ultimately, the consensus is that the US is behind in the sciences. Social media allows for a dissemination of information to large numbers of people, and can be useful in engaging students in STEM. As technology becomes more embedded in our lives, students will realize more and more the importance of being tech savvy and of knowing how technology works. Educators can use blogging, social networking, and interactive websites to illustrate how the technology works and how students can contribute to new technology. In a few years, there should be no problem getting students into STEM fields; the problem may be making sure the jobs keep up with the supply. Summary

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Bustos p4 ip2 summary presentation

  • 2. This blog is for my course, EM820, Business Strategies for Social Media. This is a hot topic now, as many businesses are realizing the potential of the social media universe.This blog will focus on how K-12 schools can use social media as a way to engage students (especially girls) in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. There has been quite a push recently to get students involved in the STEM subjects, as the US tends to lag behind other countries in producing qualified and knowledgeable scientists. Since the younger generation is much more involved in social media, having programs that target students via social media can be a way to encourage budding young scientists. Introduction
  • 3. There are a number of issues that face schools who want to increase interest in STEM. A major stumbling block is funding; education funds keep diminishing while the number of students keeps increasing. High end schools have excellent programs to prepare students for STEM careers, while urban public schools typically have little funding for the arts or sciences. An article by Raju and Clayson (2011) discusses how the National Science Foundation has cut funding to a program meant to introduce graduate students to using STEM in K-12 schools. This type of cut eliminates support for teachers in K-12, who previously had access to graduate STEM students to help with teaching. The program was also meant as a way to improve the skills of STEM graduate students to help them pass along their love for the subjects. Another issue facing STEM engagement is training. Teachers who teach science courses may not be well trained to teach them, especially in elementary schools where one teacher teaches all of the subjects. Given the increase towards standardized tests, teachers focus more on the content that is being measured in those tests rather than in giving students knowledge in all subjects. Since standardized tests tend to focus on reading and math, science courses tend to be pushed to the wayside. While there is a focus on math in those tests, it is usually general math and not math that may be needed for future science courses. Reference Raju, P. K., & Clayson, A. (2011). NSF GK-12 Program must be saved: What you can do to help. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations And Research, 12(3-4), 6-8. Issues facing STEM engagement
  • 4. A third issue relates to the students themselves. Typically the sciences are seen as not being interesting. While that has changed over the years thanks to the media, students may still be unaware of how to become involved in STEM. Subramaniam et al (2012) present great ideas for engaging students via science fiction. Sci-Fi movies have become very popular in recent years; movies such as the Iron Man franchise and Star Trek highlight much of the technology of the future and have killed at the box office. A large portion of the youth today plays video games; emphasizing to them that they can create the games they play or create the technology they see on the movie screen can also help to stimulate interest in STEM. A fourth issue relates to personnel. In order to stimulate interest in STEM, teachers in those subjects need to find creative ways to engage students. The sciences can typically be dry courses with uninteresting teachers. But if a teacher is passionate about the subject and about finding ways to incite that passion in the students then future STEM students can be created. However, if a teacher only does what is required then those students will not find interest in the courses. Reference Subramaniam, M., Ahn, J., Waugh, A., & Druin, A. (2012). Sci-Fi, Storytelling, and New-Media Literacy. Knowledge Quest, 41(1), 22-27. More issues facing STEM engagement
  • 5. One interesting blog comes from Camille Cole, who published a book about finding ways to engage students in STEM. She suggests a number of good tools for teachers to use to engage students. For example, Cole suggests starting a classroom blog as well as a podcast. Yes, this creates additional work for a teacher but it allows the teacher to connect better with his/her students. A blog that a teacher can create can address people who have succeeded in STEM careers and what their areas of research are. This can allow students to see what they can do with a STEM career. Reference Cole, C. (2012-2013). Connecting students to S.T.E.M. careers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com. Ideas based on literature
  • 6. Cole also mentions teaching Internet usage to students. This allows students to constantly use the technology that they someday may contribute to. Given the fact that many students may not have access to a computer or Internet at home (especially in poorer urban areas), using technology at school becomes even more important. This does mean an investment by the schools in providing the technology to students while they are in school. It can also mean redesigning the curriculum to add time to address topics related to technology and science. Cole makes a very good point; the down-turn in the economy has spurred interest in STEM careers. While the general unemployment rate has been rising, the unemployment rate for STEM careers remains low. The advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, as well as advances in computer technology and electronics, has created a demand for skilled workers. However, these skilled workers are hard to come by. All of these are good reasons to invest in finding ways to attract more students to STEM fields. Reference Cole, C. (2012-2013). Connecting students to S.T.E.M. careers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com. More ideas based on literature
  • 7. Social Media for Millennials http://www.slideshare.net/ToddWilms/social- media-and-stem-for-millenials Connecting Students to STEM Careers http://connectingstudentstostemcareers.blogspot.com/ The STEM Shortage Myth http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A//prospect.org/article/stem -shortage-myth Googles QuestTo Get More Women In Tech http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/tech/innovation/women-at-i- o/index.html?c=&page=0 Empowering Girls in Math and Science https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweringGirlsInMathAndScience Links
  • 8. This was a very interesting subject that has been getting quite a bit of attention in recent months. For a number of years, educators and others have brought up the fact that the science field is dominated by men. There has been a push to get more women involved in the sciences, and it has been show that the earlier that educators can engage girls in the science fields, the easier it is to keep them in the fields and to ensure that they ultimately enter a science career. There have been a number of programs over the years that have aimed at keeping girls interested in science; however, social media presents a unique opportunity to reach even more girls and to keep them engaged through a number of years. Summary
  • 9. As blog posts have shown, there are many different ideas on how to engage students in STEM. However, there are those that disagree there is a need for these students. It can be argued that more tech jobs are also needed to accommodate for an increase in STEM interest. Ultimately, the consensus is that the US is behind in the sciences. Social media allows for a dissemination of information to large numbers of people, and can be useful in engaging students in STEM. As technology becomes more embedded in our lives, students will realize more and more the importance of being tech savvy and of knowing how technology works. Educators can use blogging, social networking, and interactive websites to illustrate how the technology works and how students can contribute to new technology. In a few years, there should be no problem getting students into STEM fields; the problem may be making sure the jobs keep up with the supply. Summary