By Kelsey Wydendorf, 2013 BHI Conservancy intern

1. Using
Technology
as
an
Environmental
Educa6on
Tool
By:
Kelsey
Wydendorf

2. What Is STEM Education?
— Science, Technology,
Engineering, and
Math
— Creates project
based, hands on
learning
— Emphasizes real
world application
and critical thinking
skills

3. Why is STEM Education Important?
— Current lack of proficiency in STEM subjects
— 29% of K-12 teachers report teaching science 2 or fewer
days per week.
— Only 29% of tested high school graduates were labeled as
college ready in science subjects
— Need to inspire students’ interest in STEM
— Of all 9th graders in 2001, only about 4% are expected to
earn college degrees in STEM fields in 2011

4. “Technology truly transfixes
the students’ focus. They
are 100% engaged. They are
so engaged, they don’t even
realize how much of the
curriculum is tied in.”
-Veteran teacher at Scales

5. STEM
in
the
Workforce

6. STEM in the Workforce
— Projections for 2014 show that 15/20 of the fastest
growing jobs are in STEM related fields
— The STEM workforce contains about 21.4 million people,
which is about 15% of the employed population
— Employment in STEM fields is increasing faster than non-
STEM related occupations.

7. “We are now at an
inflection point for a much
bolder transformation of
education powered by
technology”
-National Education Technology Plan 2010,
Department of Education

8. Greening Technology
— Technology can help appeal to a variety of learning styles.
— Technology is a way to engage and inspire children
— “Technology is an amplifier…it helps us extend our
senses. We interact with the environment through our
senses, so technology as an amplifier seems a logical
element.”

9. Programs with iPads
— Used to target programs
with lower enrollment
— Ways to engage youth and
inspire them to learn about
the environment
— Ability to connect different
generations on the island
and inspire the youth to
continue our mission of
conservation, education and
preservation

10. How to Use Apps in Programs
Birds Eye- $19.99
— Uses GPS coordinates to
locate recent bird spottings
near your location
— Provides additional
information about your own
bird sightings- including
photographs and bird calls!
— Citizen science aspect- can
log and photograph your own
bird sightings to application
data

11. How to Use Apps in Programs
Leaf Snap- Free!
— Acts as an electronic field guide
for plants
— Useful for Conservation Corps
camp programs
— Helps identify species of trees
or plants based off of pictures
using visual recognition
software

12. How to Use Apps in Programs
Star Map- $5.00
— May be used to enhance Bald
Head After Dark and Turtle Walk
— Uses compass to locate and
identify stars at your location-
even as you move it across the
sky!
— Acts as an interactive
planetarium
— Provides additional information
about objects in the sky

13. How to Use Apps in Programs
Project Noah- Free!
— Citizen Science app that could
be used with any program
— Allows citizens to record wildlife
observations- including GPS
coordinates, photographs, and
additional notes
— Scientists compile data from
citizen scientists
— Allows people to identify any
unknown wildlife observations

14. How to Use Apps in Programs
The Wild Lab Bird and Marine-
Free!
— Citizen science application to help
scientists gather data
— Upload nature encounters related
to birds and various marine
invertebrates
— May be used with birding
programs, camps, and
beachcombing programs
— Uses GPS and camera to upload
valuable information about wildlife
found

15. Grants as Funding
— Grants are awards of financial assistance from an
agency to carry out a public purpose of support
— Steps to Writing a Grant:
— Identify goals
— Address mission and objectives within the
community
— Create action plan for implementation
— Create plan for evaluation progress

16. STEM Education Grants
— American Honda Foundation
— Mission: “To help meet the needs of American society in
the areas of youth and scientific education by awarding
grants to nonprofits…”
— Funding priority: “Youth education, specifically in the areas
of science, technology, engineering, math, the
environment, job training and literacy”

17. STEM Education Grants
— Melinda Gray Ardia Environment Foundation
— Mission- “To support educators in developing
environmental curricula that integrate field
activities and classroom teaching.
— Emphasizes importance of hands on ecology and
experiential learning

18. STEM Education Grants
— Additional Grant Opportunities:
— Verizon Foundation- focus on STEM education for
K-12 youth
— Dominion Foundation- focus on STEM education

19. “The more clearly we
focus our attention on
the wonders and
realities of the universe
about us, the less taste
we shall have for
destruction”
-Rachel Carson