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EdTech Show Daily Friday, January 27, 2017 6 TROXELL DEFINES THE CONFUSING WORLD OF STEM, STEAM AND MAKERSPACE Though there are a plethora of pedago- gies and schools for parents and students to choose from, the scene is dominated by a few popular educational styles, including some acronyms you may have heard but not be entirely familiar with. Troxell, a leading end-to-end solution provider for technology and collabora- tive solutions in K-12 and higher ed has provided a breakdown of the differences and similarities between STEM, STEAM and Makerspace learning environments and discusses the role of technology in each. STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM schools, integrate the four subjects into a cohesive learning model based on real-world applications. In STEM schools, the focus is on learn- ing as a collaborative, project-based and hands-on process. Problem solving and critical thinking are at the core of STEM schools. Students are encouraged to develop and test their own theories, rather than memorize information hand- ed down by their teachers. Whether graphing a trajectory or exploring robotics software, technology is essential to much STEM curriculum. Students learn to use and master tech- nologies that will benefit them later on in STEM careers, which is highly benefi- cial, as jobs in STEM fields have grown three times as fast as those in non-STEM fields since 2005. STEAM In 2012, the 43rd season of Sesame Street was brought to viewers by the let- ters S-T-E-A-M, heralding a nationwide interest in STEAM as an evolution of STEM. Proponents of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) schools suggest that STEM misses several crucial com- ponents that equip students for our rapidly changing world. STEAM schools place Art and Design at the center of the STEM approach and focus on the ingenuity they say is missing from STEM programs. STEAM schools also incorporate the use of technology in a similar man- ner to STEM schools, though perhaps with more of a focus on design software and related technologies. Interactive tablets may make more of an appear- ance in STEAM schools as students incorporate sketching and design with engineering. Makerspace The Maker movement focuses on trans- forming students' learning experience in schools and places an emphasis on cre- ation and creativity through doing. By tinkering, experimenting, playing and collaborating, students design products and processes of their own. Makerspaces may be physical or vir- tual or both. With the undeniable role tech- nology will play in tomorrow's world, the ideal space would incorporate a wide range of tools, activities and materials. Digital fabrication and robotics may hap- pily coexist alongside cardboard con- struction and woodworking. As you can imagine, a Makerspace classroom may look like many places we have seen – a woodshop, a computer lab, a science lab or an art room – and yet nothing like any- thing we've seen, as creators work to incorporate these elements into one space for kids. One thing is evident about the future of these educational approaches: the clear- cut lines between programs that once existed are now blurred in many schools as subject integration erases barriers and brings experiential learning – not the content – to the forefront. Visit Troxell at booth #1923. For more information, go to www.etroxell.com or call 855.TROXELL. FOCUSING ON SPECIAL STUDENT SERVICES Focus School Software understands dis- tricts need a software platform that allows them to effortlessly manage stu- dents who qualify for specially designed services and instruction. Focus' Special Student Services (SSS) module provides districts with necessary tools to support students through many facets of the special education process. The SSS module offers a customiz- able platform in which districts can design and maintain desired program workflow in a wide variety of areas, including early identification, response to intervention and early warning tracking, section 504 eligibility, formal and infor- mal evaluations, individualized educa- tion plans, progress monitoring, event management, student caseload, cus- tomizable form builder technology and more. Educators and school-based profes- sionals have the ability to create and customize events under three main pro- grams: Response to Intervention (RtI), Section 504 and Special Education (IEP, evaluations). The Focus SSS Student Event Management system allows districts to set requirements on each individual program event to help guide the end user through the special services process with ease. The system provides for users to receive Portal Alerts, an area for uploads, and like all Focus solutions, specif- ic user profiles for secure program access. In addition, the included Form Builder is a user-friendly tool that allows districts to build, cus- tomize and maintain all forms relevant to the special student services process. Once forms are created, districts will have the ability to link these forms to appropriate events and event steps through the SSS set-up menu. Through Form Builder technology, each district has the opportunity to utilize and store forms specific to its unique processes and desired workflow. The Focus SSS Form Builder valida- tion edit feature allows the district to set up validation logic for each individual form. Once validation logic is estab- lished, the interactive form will serve as a compliance guide for the end user. The Form Builder also includes features like form widgets, customizable headers and footers, a built-in calendar and more. Visit Focus School Software at booth #1941. For more information, go to www.focusschoolsoftware.com. ASHA POLL: PARENTS, TEENS WILLING TO MODERATE TECH USE TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION Telling parents and teens about the risks personal technology overuse poses to speech and language development prompts an overwhelming willingness to change usage habits, according to an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) poll of parents and teens taken this past year. After reading a statement about com- munication and social development in children and teenagers, nearly 80 percent of parents said they would be more likely to set stronger household guidelines for managing technology use. Of parents polled, 93 percent said they'd be more likely to make a concerted effort to engage in more conversation with their children (ages 0-19), and 90 percent said they'd be more likely to encourage their children to have more interaction with their peers to support communication development. The same information led about three-quarters of teens to say they'd be more willing to use devices less and com- municate in person more. For more information, go to www.asha.org.