2019 Video Showcase

By Sarah Hampton

You know how excited you get when a movie you can’t wait to see is finally released? That’s my current state of mind because the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase will be here May 13-20!

The showcase features short videos from over 200 innovative STEM+C education projects. It’s one of my favorite ways to learn about cutting edge research and interact with researchers themselves. Even more, it’s a great way to spark ideas for my classroom and bolster my collection of STEM resources and tools. Plus, the showcase is practically designed with filters that allows me to browse videos by the relevant age bands and topic.

While many of the tools I’ve learned about are still in beta phases, some of the projects have become go to resources for me. For example, I first learned about PhET Simulations through this showcase video and can’t imagine teaching math and science without them now. Even when the resources I learn about haven’t become classroom staples, they’ve been perfect for those one off situations. For example, I was asked to teach a life science unit just a few weeks ago while another teacher was out. I don’t normally teach life science, but I remembered seeing a video about a genetics simulation called Geniverse and decided to try it. I was thrilled with how well it helped the students see how traits are passed down! I’m sure I could have explained it with whiteboard and markers, but I doubt the process would have been as interesting and individualized as the simulation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been reminded of a showcase video which led me to incorporating some element of it in my classroom!

Sometimes the videos are so motivating that they make me want to change how I teach a unit or my pedagogy in general. That was the case after I watched this video about IC4 which inspired me to design two physical science units around United Nations Sustainable Goal #6: Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation for All. My students monitored our campus stream and partnered with EarthEcho International to report our findings on their international database. They also designed and built gravity fed water filters, a water desalination device, and a cross between a fog net and harp (two tools to harvest fog) to brainstorm how people worldwide might be able to gain better access to clean and safe water. Not only were the students able to think deeply about physical science topics because of the project, they were also exposed to topics that are more traditionally considered to be earth and life science concepts and, most importantly, they learned in context of something that matters locally and globally. (You can read about my early thoughts after watching IC4 in this post to see how I progressed from reflection to action.)

I like to think of the time I invest in the showcase as adding ideas and tools to my teaching toolbox. (Bonus: the ideas and tools are free because the projects are federally funded!) Some tools will be like screwdrivers and hammers because I know I will use them frequently. Other tools will be like a car jack or a paint sprayer–I won’t need them often, but there’s nothing better when those situations come up. I can’t wait to see what this year’s videos add to my toolbox and hope you find the STEM For All Video Showcase as useful as I have. Let me know what you find interesting by tweeting @CIRCLEducators!