June STEM Roundup
Welcome to the June edition of our STEM / Edtech Roundup. In this edition you'll find information about the BBC Micro:bit Playground survey, Big news for Flip users, and the theme for British Science Week 2025.
BBC Micro:bit Playground Survey
The BBC micro:bit playground survey is part of the BBC micro:bit – the next gen campaign. They have teamed up with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to launch an exciting investigation to help children aged 7-11 get to grips with data science and digital skills in a fun and practical way that relates to their every day lives.
The teacher's guide includes all of the information you need to get started including details of the benefits of taking part, how the survey is linked to the curriculum, support that's available to you and much more.
To contribute to the UK-wide survey results, you will need to submit your class data via the Micro:bit Educational Foundation’s Playground survey data upload tool by 5pm on Wednesday 31st July 2024.
Flip - Closing and Moving to MS Teams
Users of Flip (formely Flipgrid) need to be aware that it is moving to Teams for Education, and that Microsoft is retiring their web and mobile apps. To access it you will need to click on Assignments inside Teams, and select video from the dropdown menu to send and receive video assignments with your students. Current users who can not access Teams in your schools will need to download all your videos by September 30th.
In addition, Padlet have set up a flip importer which can help move your videos across to Padlet: https://t.co/aVI7ZkeBpe
The Best of Edtech Right Now
Quizizz recently asked hundreds of Edtech coaches what their best tips and tools were for making the most of Educational Technology. The resuting spreadsheet is a very handy list of tips and resources. Click the button to see it.
British Science Week 2025 Theme
British Science Week is going to be 30 years old in 2025! They've just announced the theme for this special week. For 2025 the theme is 'Change and adapt'. Packs for the week will be available soon.
Applications for Kick Start Grants – funding for schools to run events during British Science Week in 2025 – will open in September 2024.
Science Museum CPD
The Science Museum is offering a fully funded programme of CPD courses for primary and secondary teachers from September. Participants will learn from their Science Museum Group Academy experts in person at the museum (and partner museums) or online. Courses include STEM engagement and Exploring science through play. Click the button for more details.
Online Science CPD Course
I have put together an online primary science cpd course - How to Teach Primary School Science. Designed for both student teachers and experienced educators, this course is your gateway to mastering the art of science education in primary classrooms. Work through at your own pace with 15 video lectures covering all aspects of primary science such us working scientifically, planning for science, pupil talk, assessment and more.
To celebrate the launch of the course, use the code LAUNCHCODE24 to get lifetime access to the course for the reduced price of just £19.99. Code expires 18 July.
Science Fix Book: Preorder Now.
If you're going to be starting a primary ITE course in September - you can preorder my Science Fix book now which has everything a new primary science teacher needs! It's the culmination of 18 years of initial teacher training. It's also aimed at existing primary teachers who want to boost their science knowledge and understanding of how to teach it. Preorder via Amazon now via the link below.
STEM Dates for the Diary July 2024
All Month – Plastic Free July
5th NHS Birthday
7th World Chocolate Day
16th World Snake Day
20th World Moon Day
27th July – Aug 11 National Marine Week
29th International Tiger Day
July's STEM Birthdays
7th Nettie Stevens Geneticist known for her discovery of sex chromosomes, fundamental in understanding the mechanisms of heredity. (07/07/1861)
10th Nikola Tesla Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, and futurist, was a pioneer in the development of alternating current (AC) electrical systems and numerous other groundbreaking inventions, fundamentally shaping the world of electricity and wireless communication. (10/07/1856)
12th George Washington Carver Developed crop rotation techniques to enrich the soil, helping peanuts become a very important crop in America. (12/07/1864)
17th Eunice Newton Foote The first person to publish a scientific paper on climate change, showing the link between carbon dioxide and atmospheric warming. (17/07/1819)
23rd Carl Linnaeus Developed the binomial system of classification of all living things. One of the founders of modern ecology. (23/05/1707)
28th Beatrix Potter Known for her children's books, particularly "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," and her contributions to conservation and mycology. (28/07/1866)
July's STEM Anniversaries
1 July 2004 Publication of the 95% complete human genome sequence.
4 July 1997 The Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars.
4 July 2012 Scientists announced the observation of the Higgs boson, the elusive particle that gives almost all other particles their mass
5 July 1996 Birth of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.
10 July 1962 Telstar, the first communications satellite, was launched.
15 July 1972 Launch of NASA's Pioneer 10, the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt and make a flyby of Jupiter.
16 July 1945 The first atomic bomb was detonated in New Mexico, USA.
20 July 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, marking the first humans on the moon.
20 July 1976 Viking 1 lander becomes the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars.
21 July 2011 Space Shuttle Atlantis lands for the final time. After 135 missions, the Space Shuttle Program ends.
25 July 1978 Birth of the first 'test tube baby', Louise Brown. The first baby produced by In Vitro Fertilisation or IVF.
31 July 2008 The Large Hadron Collider at CERN was completed.
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