This session will discuss ways and ideas to create a fun-based program with an educational purpose. Do you have kids that moan or groan when you tell them that you are going to do academics? Well come to this session and learn ways to make academics fun! Hide your academics in a fun package. Have you ever wanted to add more STEM activities? We will give you some back pocket or easy STEM activities that can be used in a pinch. We will also provide time for networking and idea sharing, so come with your own ideas and open minds. Together, we will turn boring into exciting!
Christina recently graduated with her Elementary Education degree and has been such a valuable asset to the Carbon School District and the Rising Raptors After School Program in Helper, UT. Christina has a passion of working with kids. She is an expert in working with the local community... Read More →
Site Coordinator, Carbon School District - Rising Raptors
Jimmy Parker is a Site Coordinator at Carbon School District in Price, UT where he has been part of the program since the beginning. Jimmy has a unique background; for the 20 years prior to joining the Carbon School District, he was in Business in many roles including Business Owner... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 10:30am - 11:30am PST
Room 1026
Science is a topic that some students struggle to engage with and understand. Illustrations and animations have always been a part of the science story. With the rise of design/software and student interest in this subject, we should look at how and where design and science intersect and combine these subjects to increase student learning and engagement. In this discussion, we will look at ways in which students can learn science by creating 3D and 2D illustrations, infographics, and animation.
Chris Manfre is a designer/animator and mentor at Spy Hop in Salt Lake City. In addition to the subject of design, Chris is also passionate about science and believes that we can use the power of design to help people learn science. Chris has a degree in Biomedical Visualization from... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 10:30am - 11:30am PST
Room 1008
UEN has developed a traveling "exhibit" to share STEM resources available to all Utah families and Caregivers. This session will show attendees how to set up the interactive "exhibit" and engage K-8 students with specific resources. Topics include hypothesis and experiments; base rates and probable cause; random and selective sampling; confounded evidence and isolating variables; and experimental design and assessment.
Community Partnerships Manager, Utah Education Network
Lisa Cohne has worked in education for more than 30 years. For the last 18 years, she has worked at the Utah Education Network leading partnerships with higher ed, PreK-12 organizations, and individuals. She is the project manager for all Early Childhood work and multicultural resources... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 10:30am - 11:30am PST
Room 1025
*Please bring your computer or tablet as this will be an interactive session.* EVERFI provides educators with engaging, online learning resources in topics such as financial literacy, digital literacy/citizenship, STEM readiness, coding, and entrepreneurship. Each course is standards-aligned and free of charge to educators. In this session, we will take a deep dive into our financial literacy courses 'EVERFI & FutureSmart' as well as STEM resources. Everyone who attends our presentation will be given login credentials, standards-alignment documents, lesson plans, and ongoing technical and curriculum support at no cost.
Carly Cahoon MACL is an EVERFI Schools Manager based out of Utah. She has a passion for education and technology and has worked in Education and Nonprofits ensuring the sustainability of teaching practices and experiential engagement.
Saturday February 23, 2019 11:45am - 12:45pm PST
Room 1022
Looking for creative ways to engage your students in space science? Well In this session, we’ll explore tips and tricks to bring space concepts to life without having to leave your program site. We will explore Stellarium, a free, easy to use planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Additional activities and resources on space concepts will also be provided, so get ready to blast off towards the stars in your own program!
Holly Phillips has been the Director of Operations for the Utah Afterschool Network since fall 2021. Along with her team of nine, she focuses on program quality in both the afterschool and licensed child care setting. Her prior role with UAN involved research and tool creation to... Read More →
Come engage in a STEM task and a discussion on best practices in STEM education. In this session, we will work through a task together, identify what STEM is and is not, and discuss examples of how afterschool staff and classroom teachers can work together to create meaningful STEM experiences for students.
Elementary Mathematics Specialist, Utah State Board of Education
Shannon Ference serves as the Elementary Mathematics Specialist at the Utah State Board of Education where she supports Utah schools in the implementation of state math standards to ensure equitable and quality mathematics education for all Utah students. She has served in various... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 11:45am - 12:45pm PST
Room 1080
Stories found in literature, film, and the variety of rich, cultural heritage across the globe are a well of inspiration for technology-based problem-solving activities to teach science and engineering. This activity, organized by The Natural History Museum of Utah, teaches empathy and critical thinking by applying the Design Thinking Process and creating a solution for a character in the story.
Education Specialist, The Natural History Museum of Utah
Bonnie Jean Knighton has been an informal educator in various museums for twelve years. For the last five years, she has worked as an Education Coordinator at the Natural History Museum of Utah. In this role, she provides outreach programming to elementary school students and professional... Read More →
Education Specialist, The Natural History Museum of Utah
Catherine has eight years of experience in education including afterschool programs, adult learners in a technology setting, and doing outreach to fourth grade classrooms.
Saturday February 23, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PST
Room 1026
This session is a high-level look at transformative technologies reshaping enterprise and how that translates to teaching with technology in K-6 classrooms. We'll discuss human computer interaction, computational thinking, self-organized leadership, and occupational readiness as it relates to the modern classroom. Attendees will play hands-on in groups to facilitate learning experiences that can be translated directly to your afterschool program.
Alex's interest in computer science first started in middle school when there was a two-day coding seminar. When she wanted to pursue this new passion of hers, she realized that there were no computer science or computer programming elective in her school. So, she worked with the... Read More →
Kyle Muir started FuzePlay in 2015 with the goal to make learning and teaching with technology easier for his sister and her 3 daughters. After spending a year researching and running STEM workshops in Utah classrooms and attending EdTech conferences across the country, Kyle invented... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PST
Room 1025
The healthy environment you foster at your afterschool program can make a difference in a child’s lifelong habits. By the end of this session you will walk away with simple, concrete goals to improve your program in four different areas: menus, physical activity, professional development, and nutrition and wellness. Half of the session will focus on improving menus and nutrition using Farm to Afterschool principles – using local foods in menus, agriculture education, and afterschool program gardens.
Child Nutrition Specialist, Utah State Board of Education - Child Nutrition Programs
Maryann Durrant is a Child Nutrition Specialist at the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). She works as part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Team. As part of her responsibilities, she is able to work on Farm to Fork as well as creating trainings for CACFP sponsors... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PST
Room 1005
STEM has become a very important but intimidating element of afterschool programming. We all know how important it is to introduce youth to these topics and careers, but STEM can be intimidating for both youth and afterschool leaders. Come learn new ways to introduce STEM to students who are less likely to want to attend a traditional STEM class. We will also familiarize you with research-based STEM curriculum available at no cost through USU Extension.
Afterschool Administrator, Utah State University Extension
Deborah Taylor Ivie has over 12 years experience working both with Service Learning and Afterschool programming. Areas of specialization include service-learning, STEM education, near-peer mentoring, and literacy. Deborah holds a Master of Science Degree in Family Life Education with... Read More →
Saturday February 23, 2019 2:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Room 1022
In this interactive session, we will explore opportunities to engage your students' creativity while teaching them valuable STEM skills in a hands-on environment. We'll explore future, often forgotten workforce opportunities to excite the artists in your classrooms. Come get your creative juices flowing and learn about the science of sound in this discussion-based gathering with takeaways that enlist both the left and right side of the brain.
Originally a military brat with many hometowns, Dallas found herself back in Salt Lake City with her beautiful daughter. Navigating corporate America and realizing her happiness laid elsewhere, she jumped at the chance to immerse herself back into the academic world when she found... Read More →
