Winter Snow – Creative Ways to Teach STEM
EECO Winter CONFERENCE February 3 & 4, 2017
Fees:
Full conference: (Friday-Saturday, 3 meals, snacks, and lodging) : Member $110 and Non-member $135
Saturday Only: (3 meals no lodging): Member $75 and Non-member $100
Student: Full Conf.: $85 ; Sat Only $65
Saturday Night: Lodging: $25
Schedule and Session Descriptions
Friday- February 3, 2017
6:00 – 7:00pmConference Registration and Room Check–in Location: Library
7:00 – 10:00pmWelcome/EECO Update, Youth Leadership Discussion, Environmental Career Program Update and Career Bingo! New information and be prepared to win some great prizes!
Location: Dinning Hall
Youth Leadership Discussion: By Al Marietta, Sarah Fisher and Joe Brehm
The folks from Camp Oty’Okwa and Rural Action will be giving information about the creation and the implementation of their Youth Leadership Workshops.
EECO Update:
Current events and programs going on with EECO and partnering organizations. Environmental Career Program Update and Career Bingo! New information and be prepared to win some great prizes!
Saturday- February 4, 2017
Saturday Keynote:
Lisa Rainsong holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a member of CIM’s music theory faculty. Lisa also earned a Naturalist Certificate from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. She now teaches bird song and insect song classes across Ohio and does her own field recording for these programs. In addition, she does field research on crickets and katydids – research work that is done primarily by ear. Her recordings and photos can be found on her blog, Listening in Nature at listeninginnature.blogspot.com.
Singing Winter into Spring
Have you ever noticed that the first spring bird songs begin as early as late January? Our year-round residents have started singing to claim their territories and advertise for mates, and it’s actually the best time to begin learning bird song. Familiarizing yourself with their songs is much easier before the migrants and summer residents create a complex ensemble that sounds like everyone’s singing at once!
Saturday – February 4, 2017
7:30 – 8:00amMorning Hike -optional
8:00 – 9:00amRegistration for Day Participants
8:00 – 8:45amBreakfast
9:00 – 10:00am Concurrent Sessions I
10:10 –11:10am Concurrent Sessions II
11:30 – 1:00pm Lunch/Afternoon optional Hike
1:15 – 2:15pmKeynote: Lisa Rainsong
2:30 – 3:30pm Concurrent Sessions III
3:30 – 3:45pmBreak
3:45 – 4:45pm Concurrent Session IV
5:00 – 6:30pm Dinner, evaluation and Resource Distribution
Session I Presentations:
Earth-like Planets Around Other Stars: Implications for Our Own Ecology:By Douglas Fowler
Over the last 10 years, observations and studies have yielded the existence of thousands of planets around other stars. For some, the term Earth-like is bandied about in the media. What do we mean by Earth-like? Could we live on one or more of these worlds? Could we even get there? Can we be careless with our own planet? What are the implications for energy and environmental policies? By examining these questions, can we gain some deeper knowledge of our Earth’s ecology? High School to Adult – Library
Stuck Inside with Technology:By Heather Quinones
What to do when stuck inside because your class just had their brains squeezed dry with testing or the weather suddenly turned and your cool outdoor program has just been cancelled. And you now have 25-30 students who need some incentive to focus on the classwork again but are way more interested in their phones (texting, tweeting, snapping, etc..). This session will bring you some new ideas through online apps to not only refocus students into their lessons but possibly new ways to bring the outdoors inside through technology. While Heather has a few devices that will enable you to try some of these apps out you are encouraged to bring along your own phone or tablet. If you have an app that you have used successfully in a class please bring it along, we will create time to share your ideas as well. Middle to High School- Dining Hall
Session II Presentations:
Green Journals: By Laura Grimm
This eco-friendly activity encourages students to complete monthly activities involving an adopted location near home. The Green Journal integrates science, art, social studies, writing, and mathematics. Participants will learn about the monthly activities, view examples of student journals, receive materials to start their own Green Journal, and participate in a journaling activity involving an adopted location at Camp Nuhop. Upper Elementary to Middle School –Library
Activities for the Anthropocene:ByDonna Farland-Smith
Scientists are now referring to our current geological age as “The Anthropocene” to emphasize the impact that humans have had on the land, seas, climate and wildlife over the past 200 years. In this hands-on session, discover classroom activities and interactive online resources to help students explore different aspects of the Anthropocene including human population growth, climate change, changes in biodiversity and land use. The presented activities build knowledge and skills in life science, social studies and math, while applying learning to authentic problems. Middle Grades–Dining Hall
Session III Presentations:
Nature Inclusion-Connecting Urban Audiences to Environmental Education:By Mary Skapof
We’ve all heard the phrase “Nature is everywhere,” but as educators, it may not be so easy to utilize learning spaces that have limited natural features and engage audiences that have historically been overlooked in the field of environmental education. We’ll discuss common barriers that are encountered when working in urban schools and communities and provide some tips to successfully connect with urban audiences. We’ll also present a few examples of hands-on activities that are appropriate for indoor learning spaces, or areas with limited natural resources. Elementary – Dining Hall
Navigation Basics: Map and Compass Skills:Caitie Sheban & Bridget Saultz
This presentation will run through some basic navigation skills from how to use a compass to making your own map. There will be activities for a range of ages and an outdoor component to test your skills!– Library
Session IV Presentations:
Teach Like a Ninja:By Amanda Kriner
Using creative writing as a tool for stealthy environmental cross training.
This session will use 1-2 outdoor writing prompts as examples to help educators focus on using writing as a tool that can be flexibly practiced across all subjects to get students excited about using their words expressively and powerfully. This is one of those “sneaky” teaching tools, and the goal of this session will be to give educators a look at some activities that appear to be a little too much fun, and to discuss their relevance to different subjects and to life. We will dive into the concept that creative writing in the outdoors can build on classroom writing skills, as well as improve a student’s ability to vocalize emotions, share empathy, and appreciate other’s work. It will also be a subtle reminder of the importance of our environment, as we appreciate the scenery we sometimes forget is the basis of every single story we live and imagine. Any age- Library
Skunk Cabbage Thermodynamics: By Josheph Higgins
Students explore thermodynamics by examining a fascinating winter blooming plant. Thermoregulation and species competition are also covered.
- Dining Hall