Hey, science nerds? When you think of the STEM acronym, what usually comes to mind first? People I have talked to usually answer something along the lines of this. Envision a room full of supercomputers performing billions of simultaneous tasks while transfering terabytes of data every second. All of these computers are manned by really really smart people, usually wearing horn rimmed glasses. OK, perhaps that idealized view is a bit of hyperbole, but the point is very simple. When we think of STEM, we usually think of technology first. Of course, having walked the floor at I/ITSEC, this vision is perfectly reasonable. However, what are we really trying to accomplish with infusing STEM into the curriculum? My job as a science teacher is not to just show off technology. Technology is a very important part of 21st century society, and everyone should have access, but what is more important is emphasizing that technology is just a TOOL. Tools are only as good as the people using them. The best users of technology are people who are able to...
PROBLEM SOLVE!
Yes, folks, I can have all the fancy gadgets in the world. Give me your laptops, calculators, HDTVs, iPads, iPhones, iTouch, iThis, iThat, but if I can't use any of it for something constructive, what's the point? The ideal STEM graduate can take these (really expensive) gadgets, and use their processing and data capabilities to solve problems. Problem solving capabilities are limitless with appropriate use of this technology. I personally use an iPhone (one of my first posts ever on Caputo's Corner was about my purchase and the future of this device), and I think it is a great TOOL. Yes, I play games on it too (Cut the Rope!), but it is such a convenient TOOL that I use to stay efficient in my job, perhaps to a fault.
The ideal STEM student (in my mind) is an effective PROBLEM SOLVER who makes use of technology to SOLVE PROBLEMS. Perhaps my view is misguided. I'd love to discuss. Comment if you like.
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