At the start of the year, I dreamed of starting a STEAM Fair. I knew it could be done and yet, I wondered how to really get it started. Where do I begin?
I reached out to my PLN through Twitter and started gathering ideas. I watched to see what others had done in the past. I incorporated what I saw and what I learned with what I envisioned. I started talking to students about it in October and some were ready to get the ball rolling. Then, I assigned STEAM projects within the seventh and eighth grade technology classes. These students truly embodied all things STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. I saw their ideas from the beginning and watched them grow. Our students rocked this assignment!
I used Google Sites to construct a page where parents and students could go to develop and submit ideas. I used tinyurl to customize a shortened link. tinyurl.com/StAnneSTEAM2016
In March, I had two fabulous inspirations. I attended a field trip with my son for a science show during which we saw a flying saucer (a weighted helium-filled mylar balloon) and we both knew we need one of these in our life. At the CUE Annual Conference in mid-March, I saw remote-controlled sharks for the first time. I enjoyed the shark races at the closing keynote and felt inspired to bring sharks to our STEAM Fair.
We had student-made projects, we had sharks, we had a flying saucer. We added the STEAM Fair to Open House night. I hoped we would get at least a few parents through to see things. The day arrived and students pitched in to set up the room. We had podcast listening station, a recording area, and a coding table. Projects were spread around, but we left the center open so people could move around freely and to allow plenty of room for driving the sharks. I had also just received my Swivl demo model and set it up with my Samsung Galaxy tablet. I left the remote handy with the tablet turned on. This provide an opportunity to catch some moments of the STEAM Fair we may have otherwise missed. One student stood by and showed people how his Rubik's Cube solver worked. This and the sharks became the stars of the STEAM Fair.
It has taken some time, but using WeVideo, I have finally edited the video and images together to show our STEAM Fair 2016 success.
Are you thinking of doing a STEAM Fair? Go for it! Want to know why? Take a look at the awesomeness that can come from a STEAM Fair:
STEAM 2016
Want to see that Rubik's Cube solver one more time? Here is the video of just it.
Look for more coming on WeVideo and Swivl soon!
