STEMpower

Student Grouping Strategies to Maximize Engagement

Mar 21, 2019

If you've ever studied probability, odds are, you’ve calculated some combinations. Let’s see if you can put your skills to the test in this real-world problem: In a class of 30 students, how many ways can you group them if you want five per group? (Answer: 142,506 possible groups.) In other words, a ridiculous amount of possibilities even before considering the decisions still to come. Do you change groups for every project or keep them the same for an entire semester? Do you vary ability levels or group learners with similar aptitudes? Do you let students create their groups or assign them into carefully selected teams? It’s a tough cookie, we know — so let’s take a closer look at some of these grouping options and analyze when they would be most effective.

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset: How to Create an Engaging Learning Environment

Mar 06, 2019

In late 2007, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph. D., shook the psychology world with her publication of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. In the book, Dweck details her simple, yet groundbreaking discovery of the power of one’s mindset. From education and sports to work and the arts, nearly every area of our lives, at its core, is dramatically influenced by how we perceive our own abilities and skills.

The How Would You Drone? Drones for Good Video Contest Results

Mar 04, 2019

To highlight precisely how UAVs are helping students engage with the world, PCS Edventures introduced the How would you drone? Drones for Good Video Contest. Challenging 13-18-year-old students to submit a 60-90 second video detailing how they would use drones to solve global issues, this contest had over $15,000 worth of prizes up for grabs for both the student and their school.

Top 10 STEAM Picks for 2019

Jan 25, 2019

Every year, hundreds of educational products are released into the world. While this new technology is exciting and innovative, it also means hours of research for the educators who want to bring fresh STEAM programs to their students. To help make their jobs a little easier, we’ve created this one-stop shop for the learning solutions we’re most excited for this year. Buckle up, and get ready for a year of STEAMventures!

Discover How Student-Led Exploration Transforms STEM Learning

Jan 16, 2019

The Discover Series allows students to get their hands on today’s relevant technologies, approaching modern topics through hands-on, self-guided exploration. Promoting an atmosphere of creativity and innovation through exciting lessons in robotics, engineering, drones and video production, students explore topics they are actively interested in, all the while developing soft skills including communication, critical thinking and persistence.

Bolster Student Learning with STEM Enrichment Camps

Jan 09, 2019

Enrichment Camps are all-in-one learning solutions developed to bridge the gap between the classroom and after-school or summer activities. Designed around 12 individual lessons which can be strung together or taught throughout a semester, Enrichment Camps spotlight a particular STEAM subject through fun, interactive, hands-on learning activities, all in an effort to develop personal passions and to help mitigate summer learning loss.

Capturing Imaginations with STEM: Behind the Scenes at PCS Edventures

Jan 04, 2019

How does an idea turn into a STEM Solution? This week we sat down with Michelle Fisher, PCS Edventures Director of STEM Development, to talk about the STEM product creation process and everything that goes into creating a engaging student experience and an easy to implement teaching tool.

Building with BrickLAB Makes Learning Fun

Dec 19, 2018

BrickLAB is a gateway into spectacular STEMventures! As a learning solution capable of invigorating any educational environment, BrickLAB is manipulative-based learning at its finest. Comprised of plastic blocks that combine and interlock paired with curriculum and educator resources, these sets empower students ages 5 to 95 to build anything they can imagine.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018

Oct 17, 2018

On October 5th, 2018, President Trump signed The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, legislation aimed at establishing new conditions for recreational drone use, among other things. The Act is full of extensive drone-related and non-drone related changes, which means that the way you fly recreational drones, whether it be as a hobby or for educational purposes (unless you are licensed under Part 107), is going to change in the next year.

Invigorating Learning and Career Technical Education with Discover Drones

Sep 14, 2018

Outside of a learning environment, can you remember the last time you used the Pythagorean Theorem, the Bernoulli Principle or basic chemistry in your day-to-day life? It’s true that these lessons, the hours of studying formulas or practicing mathematical proofs, are used as foundational stepping stones for continued learning, meaning that while it isn’t being used daily, it is still constructive to continued education, but the root of the question still goes unanswered. Why aren’t students learning about the things they are interested in? Why aren’t they learning about the things they will use in the real world of work? Well, this is where Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs come in.