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Nebraska BLAST!
Nebraska BLAST!:
Building Lasting Afterschool STEM Teams
What is Nebraska BLAST!?
Nebraska BLAST! is a collaborative agreement between the 21st Century Community Learning Center program (21st CCLC) and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). Nebraska BLAST! is a unique opportunity for 21st CCLC staff, teachers from 21st CCLC buildings, and middle school students to learn from and with each other through engaging hands-on learning opportunities focused on NASA/STEM content.
Nebraska BLAST! is a four-year program for certified teachers, afterschool staff, and students
entering grades four through eight. Forty hours of professional development will be delivered regionally to teachers and afterschool staff by STEM content experts throughout the summer and school year. NASA/STEM curriculum will be implemented in classrooms and afterschool settings for 40 hours during the summer and 25 hours the following school year. STEM education includes the content areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This initiative will also include literacy through a project-based approach to teaching.
The program welcomes all students in grades 4-8 participating in 21st CCLC programs, and intentionally targets students typically underserved and underrepresented in STEM career fields
Registration is available online:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NEBLASTworkshopregistration
Log in to your Nebraska BLAST! course (e.g., Aviation and Aeronautics, Cosmic Connections to the Universe, Robotics).
2012 Webinars Focused on NASA/STEM content hosted by Mike McGlone, NASA Specialist
NASA Summer of Innovation website
Nebraska BLAST! Graduate Credit Option
Research on the Impact of Afterschool STEM Education
What is the schedule for the summer 2012 Nebraska BLAST! workshops?
Nebraska BLAST! Map of Regions
Statewide
High Altitude Balloon Workshop (Open to all Nebraska certified teachers)
Strategic Air and Space Museum
Ashland, NE
Monday through Friday, June 4-8th, 2012
Central, Northeast and Southeast, NE
Cosmic Connections to the Universe
Monday and Tuesday, July 9-10, 2012
Northeast Community College, Norfolk, NE
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Thursday and Friday, July 19-20, 2012
Educational Service Unit #10, Kearney, NE
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Optional 3rd day workshop for 15 certified teachers in the Central, Northeast and Southeast, NE region:
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Kearney Public Schools, Kearney, NE
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Nebraska Panhandle
Robotics
The Robotics workshop will introduce teachers and afterschool staff to free resources available from GEAR-Tech-21 at http://geartech21.org and NASA http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/summer/home/index.html that will guide them through introducing students to robotics. Robotics activities engage youth in science, technology and engineering in a way that students enjoy and results in increased interest and content knowledge.
During the workshop, participants will experience fun and engaging robotics activities, build and program a robot, learn about the experiential learning model, and receive curriculum and resources for their classroom and afterschool program.
Monday and Tuesday, July 23-24, 2012
Chadron Middle School, Chadron, Nebraska
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Wednesday and Thursday, July 25-26, 2012
Educational Service Unit #13, Scottsbluff, NE
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Optional 3rd day for 15 certified teachers in this region:
July 27, 2012
Educational Service Unit #13, Scottsbluff, NE
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Omaha area
Robotics
These workshops will focus on developing robotics camp experiences for youth and will include resources and support available from GEAR-Tech-21 at http://geartech21.org and NASA http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/summer/home/index.html for your summer program.
June 13, 2012 Getting Started with Robotics
Morton Middle School
Omaha, NE
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
This workshop will cover basic programming skills and summer camp ideas. This workshop is recommended for those who are just getting started with robotics programming.
June 14, 2012 Robotics Part II
Morton Middle School
Omaha, NE
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
This workshop will cover more advanced programming challenges and summer camp ideas. This workshop is recommended for those who have attended a previous robotics workshop or developed basic skills on-the job while working with youth. We will not cover basic programming in this workshop.
Aviation and Aeronautics Omaha area
Let’s Fly Aeronautics is an introduction to one of man’s great endeavors- learning to fly. Challenging activities such as The Wright Math, Flyby Math, Future Flight Equations, and Bernoulli and More Bernoulli, will introduce students to the underlying mathematic and scientific principles that govern flight. Students will also be exposed to cross country flight planning and will have the opportunity to visit their local airports. At the airport, teachers will be able to tap into local aviation resources such as flight instructors and airport managers. Flight instructors can allow each student to sit in the aircraft on the ramp as he or she points out the instruments and avionics, and airport managers can demonstrate the flight planning resources as well as an airport tour. To supplement Let’s Fly Aeronautics, meteorological topics from the Discover Mother Earth and Father Sky thematic unit, will also be investigated.
Day 2 will include a field trip to the Omaha airport.
July 12-13, 2012 (upper elementary focus)
Morton Middle School
Omaha, NE
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
July 19-20, 2012 (middle school focus)
Morton Middle School
Omaha, NE
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Optional 3rd day for certified teachers in the Omaha area
July 27, 2012
Morton Middle School
Omaha, NE
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Nebraska BLAST! in the News
* Press Release: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECEIVES $750,000 NASA GRANT
* June 15, 2011 - Scottsbluff Star Herald
* June 21, 2011 - The Chadron Record
* July 21-22, 2011 - The Columbus Telegram