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Topics:
 Identifying applicable
topics that are practical and
have a hands-on focus are fairly
easy to find. Sources include
websites such as the site howStuffWorks.com,
along with the resourceful book
Popular Mechanics for Kids: Make
Cool Gadgets for your Room,
2001, written by IEEE member,
Amy Pinchuk, and published by
Greey de Pencier Books Inc.
(ISBN number 0688177271).
Presenters and Coaches:
Recruiting
volunteers to develop and present
technologically oriented subject
matter may be necessary. Articles
in Section newsletters, discussion
at Section Executive Committee
meetings and talking with Section
members informally are suggested
ways to find presenters.
Coaches
are often needed to assist the
attendees during the hands-on
portions of the presentation. One
"coach" can effectively assist 2 or
more groups of 3-4 teachers.
Finding volunteers willing to
serve as coaches may result in
additional presenters.
Publicity:
Suggestions
to obtain volunteer involvement include:
-
 Section
newsletters announcing the
opportunity and asking for
assistance. Follow-up
newsletter articles
summarizing the
presentations are effective
as well,
-
creating
flyers describing the
scheduled presentation
are helpful in
recruiting "coaches" to assist,
-
approach
your GOLD membership for
potential volunteers,
-
invite
Life Members to participate
as presenters or coaches,
-
invite
the Executive Committee to
consider participating,
-
invite
your Section's PACE
chairperson to
participate, and
-
consider
involving your local IEEE
student chapter as coaches.
How
to Begin The School District Focus
 This section is
designed to assist engineers in
contacting the people in the
local school districts who can
assist in coordinating an in-service
presentation for pre-college
educators. The suggestions presented
are based on a cold call to
school district officials.
It
is recommended that at least two
people who have district-wide
responsibility for staff
development, science, technology
and/or mathematics be contacted
to acquaint them with this new
program offered by the local
IEEE Section. Our suggestion is
to begin with the people who have
district level responsibility
for science and technology. These
district level positions could be
directors, assistant
superintendents, supervisors,
coordinators, etc. Briefly
describe IEEE - some points that
may be helpful include:
-
IEEE
is the largest professional
technical organization
in the world
-
IEEE
includes 37 professional societies
-
IEEE
has over 360,000 members
-
IEEE
members are located in over
160 countries
-
Members
include a variety of areas
of engineering
Share
the commitment that the IEEE and the
local Section have in enhancing the
level of technological literacy,
science, and mathematics among
educators and ultimately their students.
Discuss
the alignment of topics or
presentations with state standards,
state assessment tests, and any
local requirements. This is a very
important area of discussion.
School districts are under
increasingly greater pressure to
align all educational activities
to state standards and state
mandated accountability tests.
It is suggested that engineers
interested in this program
obtain a copy of your states'
curricular standards. For your
reference please click
here for the Florida Sunshine
State Standards for middle school
and high school science and mathematics.
Confirm
that teachers will be able to earn
in-service points/CEUs for attending
an IEEE Section presentation.
Teachers need these in-service
points when they apply for renewal
of their professional certificates.
It
is suggested that a local Section
volunteer offer/request to meet
with district level personnel to
discuss the program, the
benefits, and the proposed
topics to be presented. School
district contacts may request a
brief written description,
including learning objectives, of
the presentation being considered.
When
talking with district level
personnel identify potential
dates and venues to deploy the
presentation. Potential venues
may include:
In-service/Professional Development
days identified by the school
district or Saturday mornings. It is
likely that In-service days will be
the preferred venue. During this
portion of the discussion
determine if teachers will have a
choice among a variety of
presentations or if they will be
assigned to a session.
Determine
the length of time your presentation
will be allowed. Expect to have
60-120 minutes sessions. It is
suggested that a four-hour
presentation be developed to allow
for a Saturday morning
presentation. A four-hour
presentation can be adapted to a
shorter amount of time with
little difficulty.
Identify
the facility needs:
-
 tables and
chairs vs. individual desks,
-
power
needs , if any
-
laboratory
setting needed
-
resin
table tops needed vs.
laminate table tops
-
audio-visual
needs, e.g., overhead
projector and screen,
PowerPoint presentation equipment
-
determine
the arrangements for
refreshments for the
attendees. If the
presentation is held on
a school district in-service
day, refreshments will
likely be arranged by
the school district. If
a Saturday morning
presentation is scheduled,
the Section will likely need
to arrange for a
continental breakfast,
soft drinks and possible
lunch, depending on the
length of the program.
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