LaSTEM Resources & Opportunites

Learning Blade® is an online, supplemental CTE/ STEM/CS career awareness system:

• Aligns to Louisiana’s middle and early high school math and science standards (grades 5-9)
• Builds awareness and interest in CTE, STEM, and Computer Science Careers
• Introduces basic CS concepts and text-based computer programming

For High School, Post-Secondary, & Workforce. From the creators of Learning Blade® for STEM and KeyTrain®/ Career Ready 101® for ACT WorkKeys®, acquired by ACT,Inc.RFI addresses two gaps that exist in potential skilled workers:

• Understanding and selecting an industry for a career path
• Learning the general terminology and processes that employers use to make them more productive on the job

Ready for Industry provides separate 15-20 hour courses for each of the 5 highest-demand industries:

• Healthcare  
• Manufacturing 
• Logistics  
• Construction
• Information Technology (IT)

Debuted first at the NSTA meeting in Denver, the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aeronautics Museum in a Box was launched at Sci-Port Discovery Center Saturday, April 20, 2024, for the Girls Empowered for More Society, Inc.  100 kits were custom produced, 50 for middle school age students, 50 for high school students. Participants can sign up via Jotform, with emphasis on students traditionally underrepresented in STEM.  

There are 14 activities in the kit that correspond to the Student Guide, covering the History of Flight, Parts of an Airplane, the Bernoulli Principle, Helicopters, Drones, Careers, all the way to the future of flight and more.

Terms: While we launch this limited pilot program, we ask that participants complete at least half the activities, photograph/document their work, and complete an anonymous feedback survey by May 15, 2024. If you want NASA to receive your photos, please complete the photo release form and take high-quality photos to share with us. First come, first serve if you can agree to the terms and complete the registration form.
If the demands exceeds the supply we will put you on the waiting list for the next production. 

The Capital Area STEM Network Center is pleased to offer a new professional development opportunity, called The Ignite Project, to 1,000 public school and public charter school elementary teachers across the state of Louisiana. The purpose of this training is to give teachers in your region/district/school the tools necessary to enrich their content areas with projects that teach fundamental computer science skills. This 40-hour workshop will include in-person and virtual sessions where teachers will learn to use Code.org, Scratch, Micro:bits, robots and more. Stipends will be provided for those who complete this training. 

Due to the large number of potential trainees, our first priority is to recruit dedicated individuals interested in becoming CS Elementary Ambassadors. Ambassadors are those who go through the training then recruit others in their district/school and re-deliver this PD. There will be additional compensation for Ambassadors, of course. We welcome individuals from various backgrounds who share our passion for inspiring the next generation of students through computer science. We created a 2-minute video advertisement to help distribute the message:
https://youtu.be/TpP4v7V8wko 

If you're interested in participating in this workshop and/or becoming a CS Elementary Ambassador, visit our webpage https://capitalareastem.org/ignite/about.html 

Should you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kaleb Gardner, kgard22@lsu.edu, (225) 578-8964.  

* If you are a district leader and would like to sign people up for the training or to be an Ambassador for your district, please contact Kaleb Gardner, kgard22@lsu.edu, (225) 578-8964.

Thank you for considering this amazing opportunity!

Free CS Praxis Training w/ $350 Stipend Starts Mar 2024

ATTN: Louisiana 6th-12th Grade Educators and Administrators

Advance your skills and gain additional credentials at no cost to you.

Apply for the 40-hr Energize Project Here Now! Training starts March 19th. Seats are limited. 

The Energize Project is a LDOE funded professional development opportunity, designed to get 6th-12th grade Louisiana public and charter school teachers certified to teach Computer Science. 

The Energize Project is at no cost, and includes 40 hours of training designed to prepare you for the Computer Science Praxis Exam. Participants will receive study materials and support, a waiver to cover the cost of the Computer Science (5652) Praxis Content Area exam, and a $350 stipend upon completion. The trainings start March 19th and are offered in both virtual and hybrid formats 

This project is led in partnership by the Northshore Regional LaSTEM Center, and Southeastern Louisiana University`s College of Education and Department of Computer Science.

Applications for The Energize Project are currently on pause.
For more details see the attached flyer or northshorestem.org/energize
Questions? Contact Jaila Golden energize@northshorestem.org