MNCEME

Supporting and Delivering Standards with PLTW Curriculum in Spring Valley

Corey — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:55 +0000

This session on Monday, May 7, 2012 will take place at Kingsland Schools District Conference Center, 705 North Section Avenue, Spring Valley, Minnesota from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. It will detail several of the successful Minnesota PLTW school integration models and how PLTW supports student attainment of the standards. Participants will also receive an overview of the Minnesota PLTW Frameworks and how to access them. The PLTW Frameworks were developed to give educators the “power tools” to build the process for student’s success of the standards. This session will be interactive with participants and allow ample time for questions. The is no cost to attend this event but registration is required. Costs are supported through a grant by the 3M Foundation.
Please send the following information to james.mecklenburg@mnsu.edu:
First Name________________________________
Last Name________________________________
District Name______________________________
School Name______________________________
Position__________________________________
Phone____________________________________
E-mail____________________________________

If you have additional questions, please contact Jim Mecklenburg, james.mecklenburg@mnsu.edu,
320-493-5229 or 763-263-2687.

PLTW CORE Training

Corey — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:14:37 +0000

This year’s PLTW CORE training will take place on August 6 -17, 2012 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The following courses will be offered:
Biotechnical Engineering
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Digital Electronics
GTT (Gateway to Technology) Foundation
Principles of Engineering

Registration is open.

Who’s Who: Jim Mecklenburg, Project Lead the Way

Corey — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:04:28 +0000

Leading the Way for a Better Future

For Jim Mecklenburg, Minnesota Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program director, PLTW is not just about a job. It’s not just about sharing the curriculum with Minnesota schools. For Mecklenburg, PLTW is the way to educate the students who are the future of our state, our nation and our world.

Hands-on Education

Mecklenburg’s passion for hands-on education began early on. Raised in New Ulm, Minnesota, he was a student who learned best by doing hands-on projects. He rolled his passion for “doing” into a career and began working as a carpenter. He later became a teacher and, in 1999, began working with the Minnesota Department of Education. “That was where I learned about PLTW,” said Mecklenburg. “I knew it was right for Minnesota and I made it my personal and professional goal to bring PLTW to Minnesota schools.”

PLTW entered Minnesota schools in 2002 with only six schools statewide using the curriculum. Now, PLTW is in nearly 230 middle and high schools throughout Minnesota.

Mecklenburg’s grandson Colton attends one such school. Last school year, as a seventh-grader, Colton was exposed to PLTW and began building a CO2 car through his classes. At the end of the year, he showed Mecklenburg the car and detailed the processes of designing, building and evaluating.

It is these success stories that help Mecklenburg find meaning behind what he does. “Success begets success,” he said. “And if students find success in middle schools then they can move on and they see their career pathways. I believe so strongly in the positive effects that PLTW brings to students.”

Strong Partnerships

The positive effects start with the partnerships between schools and industry. A strong partnership is one of the key aspects of a successful PLTW program, according to Mecklenburg. In middle school, business partners may judge competitions, like Colton’s CO2 car. But, in high school, business partners become even more critical, serving on advisory boards and helping to determine which specialty courses the school will offer.

Mecklenburg gives the example of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Manufacturers are saying it’s a course that needs to be taught but has been cut from schools. PLTW brings back these elements to our education systems.

“PLTW is hands-on learning,” said Mecklenburg. “That’s the way the real world works. Instead of ‘traditional’ education, you are encouraging students to be involved and look at the problem and the challenges … all while using the math, science and communication skills. It’s all intertwined with PLTW.”

“The PLTW curriculum is designed and delivered within the national academic standards,” explained Mecklenburg. Currently, are efforts underway to help identify the Minnesota academic standards that are delivered and supported through PLTW in both middle and high school courses. “You see the problem, but you never see the application,” he said. “My grandson knew the math calculations because he saw the application in building his car. All those concepts—he was immersed in and absorbing them without realizing it.”

Exposing Students to Careers

“If I had a wish, I would have all middle school students take PLTW courses because it gives them an understanding of how things work, while exposing them to careers,” said Mecklenburg. He notes that today’s elementary and middle school students will work in careers we cannot predict. The skills PLTW teaches students and the understanding they develop will help them succeed in these unknown career paths. “I look at my five grandchildren,” he said, “and they all have cell phones or toys that are interactive and make noise. You can see how we are exposing them to technology. They may not understand it but, at some point, they need to understand how those technologies work.”

Mecklenburg’s commitment to PLTW is more than just a position. It’s a passion for the future of our nation and the future success of his grandchildren, and their children after that. “As parents and grandparents we want what is best for our children and grandchildren,” said Mecklenburg. “I know in my heart and mind that PLTW is right for my grandchildren because I have seen the success in Minnesota schools and other schools across the nation.”

Rachel England is a contributing writer for Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association.

2012 Rube Goldberg Competition

Corey — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:16:16 +0000

Congratulations to the winners of our Regional Rube Goldberg Competition at Minnesota State University Mankato: The Three Knuckleheads from John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota. It was a very close competition. They will be competing in the National Rube Goldberg Competition at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan on March 17, 2012. Congratulations to all of our competitors.
2nd Place: Southland 2, Adams, MN
3rd Place: Seal Team 7, St Clair, MN
4th Place: Team Sesame, St Clair, MN
5th Place: Loyola #2, Mankato, MN

Student’s Choice Award: Team Sesame, St Clair, MN
Spirit of Rube Award: Southland 2, Adams, MN
Team that traveled the farthest award: Shananigans, Carlton, MN
Team that exemplified the theme award: Eagles 1, Edgerton, MN
Team that used the most duct tape: Witch Doctors, New Richland, MN

We hope to see all of you again next year.

SAVE THE DATE!
Our High School Rube Goldberg Competition is scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, 2013.
Our Collegiate Rube Goldberg Competition is scheduled for Thursday, February 7, 2013.

Minnesota Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Counselor & Administrator Conference

Corey — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:47:06 +0000

A PLTW Counselor/Administrator Conference is a professional development conference designed to inform school counselors, administrators, teachers, school board members, business/industry partnership members, post-secondary advisors, about the PLTW program and give them information they can use to encourage students to enroll in PLTW courses.

***Attending this session will meet the PLTW Certification requirements. ***

Where: Waubun-Ogema-White Earth High School, 1013 3rd Street, Waubun MN 56589

When: Thursday, February 23, 2012 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Cost: $30.00 which includes refreshments and lunch.

Register Here.

Questions: Jim Mecklenburg, james.mecklenburg@mnsu.edu, Work cell (320) 493-5229, Home Office 763-263-2687

A map, directions, and final agenda will be sent to registered attendees via e-mail prior to the event.

PLTW STEM Education Fund

Corey — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:17:37 +0000

Project Lead the Way (PLTW), through its PLTW STEM Education Fund (PSEF) is connecting companies, foundations, and philanthropic organizations seeking to impact STEM education with schools interested in providing their students with an innovative, high quality STEM education program. PLTW is committed to assisting schools interested in implementing PLTW curriculum with an opportunity to apply for funding.

The application is currently open for schools seeking to implement the Pathway to Engineering (PTE) high school program or the Gateway to Technology (GTT) middle school program during the 2012-13 school year.

The PSEF involves a competitive grant process. Successful applicants will have visited at least one other PLTW school, prepared a PLTW program budget, lined up potential community partners, and developed a computer lab that meets PLTW requirements. To access the online application and further information, please visit http://grants.pltw.org/.

The deadline for applications is January 20th, 2012.

PLTW will notify schools in March, 2012 regarding the status of its application.

Grant Awards

School districts interested in starting a high school Pathway to Engineering (PTE) program are eligible for start up funds of up to $35,000 over three years. High schools must commit to implementing a minimum of four courses, a minimum of one each year, to be eligible for this funding.

School districts interested in starting a PLTW middle school Gateway to Technology (GTT) program are eligible for start up funds of up to $20,000, over two years. Design and Modeling (DM) and Automation Robotics (AR) are required units.

Use of Funds

Grant funds are restricted to training costs for teachers (no stipends) and the required equipment and supplies for the GTT program and the foundation PTE courses: Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) and Principles of Engineering (POE) and one of the following specialty courses Digital Electronics (DE), Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA), Aerospace Engineering (AE), Biotechnical Engineering (BE), and Engineering Design and Development (EDD). Funds may be used to purchase the teacher laptop, lab printer, and digital projector and screen. Grant funds are not be used for renovations, lab/student computers, network infrastructure, or items listed in the PTLW purchasing manuals as “Optional.”

For More Information

For more information regarding PLTW STEM Implementation Fund and the PLTW Model Grant Program, please visit http://grants.pltw.org/ or email Arvetta Jideonwo: ajideonwo@pltw.org.

For information regarding PLTW programs, please visit www.pltw.org.

For information on PLTW in Minnesota, please contact:

Jim Mecklenburg, PLTW State Director, james.mecklenburg@mnsu.edu
Ken Maguire, PLTW Regional Director, Upper Midwest, kmaguire@pltw.org

1st Annual MavBot Competition

Corey — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:07:13 +0000

Anyone can enter a robot in the 1^st Annual MAVBOT Competition.
Teams of any size (i.e. one or more persons) can enter robots however no more than two robots may be entered by any team.
When: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 9 AM – 12 noon.
Where: Centennial Student Union, Room 253/4/5, Minnesota State University Mankato.
Two participant classes are available. Novice class for Elementary and Middle School and Advanced Class for High School, College and Adult.
Novice Class Prize: Lego 8547 Mindstorms NXT 2.0 Robot
Advanced Class Prize: $250 MSU Mankato Scholarship

Pre-registration is required by sending an email to Dr. Vince Winstead.

For more information and preregistration.

East Ridge teacher vying for prestigious award

Corey — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:01:07 +0000

Education wasn’t an integral part of Nancy Berg’s life.
“I was raised in a family where education wasn’t important,” said the East Ridge High School science teacher.
Berg said she hadn’t even intended on going to college, let alone becoming a teacher herself.
But now, Berg has achieved numerous accolades, including being named one of three finalists in the Presidential Award of Excellence for Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
“The fact that I came from that environment, with really no positive influence, and be successful is an accomplishment,” she said. “It’s always a competition with myself.”
The PAEMST is the highest honor teachers in math and science can receive, Berg said.
A national panel selects one math teacher and one science teacher from each state to travel to Washington, D.C., to have lunch with the president, meet with legislators and receive a $10,000 prize.
“Having lunch with Obama would be one of the perks — that would be a life experience for me,” Berg said. “I didn’t look at the award from the point of getting another accolade, because I’m fine. I looked at it like an opportunity to really get my voice heard.
“I think I have a good feel of the pulse on what needs to be done. I want to be heard because I think I have something to say.”
Berg said she is most passionate about expressing the need for smaller class sizes and inquiry-based, hands-on learning.
“The teachers are the facilitators,” she said. “You are not spoon-feeding the students, they are discovering.”
The path to teaching
Berg became a teacher really by chance. It was thanks to a friend that Berg even went to college and it was there that she took a class in biology.
“The teacher was just amazing,” she said.
Because of that class, Berg decided to major in biology.
After graduation she began working on genetic research as a lab technician.
“I’m too gregarious to be sitting behind a lab bench,” she said.
It was another friend who planted the idea of becoming a teacher.
“She said to me, ‘My god woman you have the gift of gab, you should be a teacher,’” she said.
With the coaxing of her husband, Berg received her teaching license in 1984.
“I was passionate about it from the minute I started it,” she said. “ I knew so much about science, I just wanted to tell it.”
Berg began teaching in District 833 in 1994 at Woodbury High School.
“I love the way you can light up kids,” she said. “I want to engrain in them a passion to learn.”
A rigorous process
Berg’s husband Ryan nominated her for the PAEMST.
She said she almost thought about not applying for the award since the application process was so involved.
In order to be considered for the PAEMST, a teacher must submit a 15-page application addressing various questions relating to philosophy, methodology and strategies.
Additionally the application needs to include supplemental materials such as a lesson plan, resume and demonstration of how the teacher has influenced education.
The panel judges teachers on: mastery of science content, use of instructional methods and strategies appropriate for students learning, effective use of assessment strategies, reflective practice and lifelong learning and leadership in education outside the classroom.
Berg said she spent close to 120 hours on the application.
“The whole process was very intense,” she said. “It’s a very rigorous process.”
Growing STEM
Berg said she was humbled to learn she was named one of the three Minnesota finalists, out of roughly 30 nominations.
“It felt good,” she said.
Berg said she thinks she was chosen because of her dedication to East Ridge’s Project Lead the Way biomedical sciences course.
Berg was the first teacher in the country to teach the course.
“Every time you listen to President Obama speak he’s always pushing STEM programs,” she said. “The program I’ve been instrumental in developing is a STEM program.”
Project Lead the Way is a four-year course where students explore concepts of human medicine, introducing them to bioinformatics; examining the processes, structures and interactions of the human body; studying prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases; and investigating innovative and designing innovative solutions. The course is centered around an inquiry-based, hands-on approach.
The winners of the PAEMST will be announced this winter.
Berg said she thinks she has a pretty good shot because of her STEM program.
“I don’t think personally I’m any better qualified than most, but it’s the fact that I took the initiative on this STEM program,” she said. “I’m sure the other people are just as qualified teachers, but I think I have a good chance because of the STEM program.”

Originally published August 31, 2011 in the Woodbury Bulletin. Written by Amber Kisbert.

MN Project Lead the Way 2011 Regional Conferences

Corey — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:50:17 +0000

Join us for a one-day conference about how to successfully use Minnesota’s PLTW curriculum and how it supports student attainment of Minnesota Academic Standards. We are using a regional conference model, rather than a statewide conference, to provide greater access to our PLTW schools and those schools that may be interested in implementing the program. The daily agenda/schedule is intended to be open in order to accommodate teachers’ scheduling needs. Please arrive at the beginning of a session. There is no charge for the conferences. PLEASE REGISTER HERE.
Funding support for conferences is provided by the 3M Foundation.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
September 19-October 24, 2011

9/19/11 (Monday)	Ridgewater College, Willmar REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 15, 2011	Conference Program Information

9/26/11 (Monday)	Minnesota State University, Mankato REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 20, 2011	Conference Program Information

9/30/11 (Friday)	Saint Paul College, St. Paul REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 26, 2011	Conference Program Information

10/3/11 (Monday)	Hennepin Tech, Eden Prairie REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Sept. 27, 2011	Conference Program Information

10/7/11 (Friday)	St. Cloud State, St. Cloud REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Oct. 3, 2011	Conference Program Information



10/14/11 (Friday)	Bagley High School, Bagley REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Oct. 10, 2011	Conference Program Information

10/24/11 (Monday)	Alexandria Tech, Alexandria REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Oct. 18, 2011	Conference Program Information

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE/AGENDA

9:00-10:00AM	Introduction of Co-Affiliate Directors and MN PLTW Update Dr. Kurt R. Helgeson, Associate Dean, College of Science and Engineering, St. Cloud State University and Dr. Aaron Budge, Chair, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Minnesota State University

10:00-10:15AM	Break

10:15-10:45AM	Critical Issues Breakout	Jim Mecklenburg, MN PLTW Program Director

10:45-11:00AM	Discuss Issues

11:00-Noon Potential PLTW Program Participants are invited to begin here.	Frameworks Overview and Other Curricula Resources	Kristil McDonald, Clearbrook-Gonvick

12:00-12:45PM	Lunch Buffet

12:45-2:00PM	Frameworks Continued	Kristil McDonald

2:00-3:00 PM	Addressing Critical Issues Q & A	Jim Mecklenburg

3:00PM	Conference Adjourns

3:30-4:30PM	PLTW Information Session for Schools Considering Implementation	Jim Mecklenburg

Minnesota State University, Mankato and St. Cloud State University are the new engineering affiliate partners for MN Project Lead the Way. The University of Minnesota will continue as a PLTW participant but will no longer carry leadership responsibilities. As engineering affiliate partners both St. Cloud and Mankato offer college credit for PLTW courses. In addition, St. Clouds offers Industrial Technology scholarships and Minnesota State Mankato offers $500 scholarships for PLTW alumni. Dr. Kurt R. Helgeson, Associate Dean, College of Science and Engineering, St. Cloud State University and Dr. Aaron Budge, Chair, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Minnesota State University serve as Minnesota’s Affiliate Directors.

For further information about Minnesota’s Regional PLTW Conferences contact:
Jim Mecklenburg, MN PLTW Program Director, james.mecklenburg@mnsu.edu
Judi Evans, MN PLTW Affiliate Assistant, judith.evans@mnsu.edu

PLTW CORE Training

Corey — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:55:58 +0000

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) CORE Training was held at Minnesota State University Mankato from July 31^st – August 12^th. Three courses were offered: Gateway to Technology Basic (GTT), Principles of Engineering (POE), and Digital Electronics (DE). For more information www.pltw.org.