BioBuilder provides a new model for education, applying biology to solve engineering challenges. We educate, train, and build a community around biological engineering and synthetic biology by offering open-access content that teaches science and engineering. Curricular content includes instructions to perform hands-on activities suitable for advanced high school classes, community colleges, and undergraduate programs. BioBuilder also hosts teacher professional development workshops, biodesign afterschool clubs and provides opportunities for educators to communicate with one another and for students to share the data they have collected. New this year, BioBuilder@LabCentral will establish a dedicated physical teaching laboratory that will dramatically expand public access to our state-of-the-art bioengineering curriculum, training and facilities.

NK-12: Teaching and Learning Using Interactive Ink Inscript The NSF-sponsored INK-12 project (DRL-1020152, DRL-1019841)
is investigating three educational technology questions:

1. How can technology that allows students to both draw and use representational tools support learning mathematics?

2. How can technology that enables a teacher to view and share student work with her class support students’ learning?

3. What role can machine "understanding" of student work play in facilitating the teaching and learning of multiplication and division?

To investigate these questions, we have designed, implemented, and tested software tools for our tablet-based classroom interaction system called Classroom Learning Partner (CLP). With CLP students use a tablet pen to create and manipulate mathematical representations and wirelessly send them to their teacher. The complete history of students' interaction with the computer is saved along with the final representation and is thus available for analysis by teacher and researchers. CLP performs automatic analysis and sorting of students' work to help teachers choose appropriate examples for class discussion and to help identify students who may be struggling with particular concepts.

CLP has been used in elementary and middle school classrooms. The focus on the INK-12 grant is on upper elementary math education, in particular, the concepts of multiplication and division.ions

MIT BLOSSOMS is an Open Source international effort to create and implement interactive math, science and engineering video lessons for use in high school classes. BLOSSOMS lessons demonstrate and encourage a new pedagogical model for teachers, one that focuses on Active Learning and Inquiry-Based Teaching. BLOSSOMS goals:

1. To develop students' critical thinking skills, moving away from rote memorization and teaching to a test.

2. To create student excitement about STEM subjects and careers. (STEM= Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

3. To show the relevance of STEM material to everyday lives.

4. Gently to introduce teachers to technology-enabled education.

5. To develop within the students an awareness of and appreciation for different cultures.

Idea: The regular in-class Teacher downloads onto her/his laptop computer the selected BLOSSOMS lesson before class and studies the lesson plan. In class, the teacher remains in charge. The students are in their regular seats. Once the class starts, the teacher turns on the BLOSSOMS video lesson and shows the first video segment, typically less than 3 minutes. The segment challenges the students in a topic that builds on their core knowledge but one that they have not seen before in a text or lecture. The video is turned OFF, and the Teacher then guides the class throughout a 5-minute very active-learning pursuit (e.g., working in small teams, a contest, a human simulation). Once the learning objective is achieved, the Teacher turns on the BLOSSOMS video for segment 2, and the process is repeated. A typical lesson has 4 to 7 segments, each followed by intense active learning. We call our pedagogical model a "Teaching Duet."

BLOSSOMS lessons are excellent for teacher training in new pedagogical models. Our training has been certified, as we offer Professional Development credits. We have trained, face to face, over 1,500 STEM teachers in 8 different countries.

The Office of Engineering Outreach Programs at MIT has been empowering middle and high schoolers from diverse backgrounds to become future scientists and engineers for over 40 years. Join us to learn more about our programs and to see some of the projects created by our outstanding MITES class of 2015.

Scratch is a visual programming language and online community which empowers people of all ages to create their own stories, games, and animations.

Spin is a photography turntable system that lets you capture how your DIY projects come together over time.

With Spin, you can create GIFs and videos of your projects that you can download and share on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network.

MIT has submitted design patents on Agile Atoms DNA/RNA Sets, an innovative breakthrough in biology education. The DNA/RNA Sets will be followed soon by the production of the Protein and tRNA Sets as well. These molecular models can simulate the key processes in cells that are difficult to learn such as replication, transcription, and translation. The sets can also illustrate DNA and protein structures, demonstrate protein folding, and display examples of how a protein’s shape determines its function. Using a curriculum perfected over the last 10 years utilizing LEGO-based prototypes, educators in grades 6-16 can vary the complexity of the lesson that is delivered with the models. The first question educators typically ask us at our workshops is, “Where can I get these?” or “I wish I had these when I was learning this!” Additionally, health professionals and biotech industry leaders looking to advance workforce proficiency in genetics are finding our instructional methodology ideal for this purpose. As we move forward, the next MIT Edgerton Center challenges will be: 1) scaling up the professional development of instructors, 2) designing self-paced modules for individual kit owners/borrowers, and 3) thinking about global dissemination. As one educator exclaimed, “It’s a game-changer!” We welcome you to come and visit our exhibit to see for yourself.

The TEAL pedagogical model represents an attempt to incorporate a variety of research based teaching models and technologies into the first-year physics subjects 8.01 and 8.02. The courses are non-lecture based with an emphasis on active learning. Students work together in groups of three, using tabletop experiments and computer-based visualizations to develop their conceptual and analytic understanding of mechanics, and electricity and magnetism. The syllabus is designed to integrate concepts, experiments, and problem solving skills in an interactive learning environment in which students regular discuss concepts and problems in class with their teachers and peers.

The MIT Education Arcade provides fun and accessible ways to explore real and virtual worlds, experiment with technology and use games to build math and science skills. The games, simulations and tools we develop are designed with the educator in mind. They use technology to create powerful learning environments in schools, in the home and in the community. At this event we will be demoing a variety of our projects including The Radix Endeavor, Lure of the Labyrinth, StarLogo, and Gameblox, to illustrate a number of playful ways for students to explore STEM.