BIO

“Growing up, my parents never abandoned an opportunity to teach me about different cultures and ideologies,” says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Alicia C. Lane. “But it was my exploration-focused hometown of Huntsville, Alabama — also known as ‘Rocket City’ — that launched my interest in science and engineering.” Alicia’s passion for STEM led her to earn degrees in chemistry and in civil/environmental engineering, and to become a leader within several nonprofits, including the National Society of Black Engineers and the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. While working as a civil engineer in Detroit, Alicia was also awarded a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship, and earned a Master of Arts in education from the University of Michigan. Subsequently, she managed the STEM-themed career and technical education programs within DC Public Schools, where she launched the first biomedical science, computer science, and engineering career programs east of the river at Anacostia and HD Woodson High Schools. Today, Alicia is a program director for Techbridge Girls, which aims to increase access to STEM careers.

In her free time, Alicia travels as much as she can and works on her TED-Ed Innovation Project, codenamed DollarStoreSTEM. Learn more about her project below.

IDEA

Classroom science and technology experiments can be expensive. Yet there are many ways to teach STEM for less than 30 cents per student. As an engineer-turned-educator, Alicia created an online resource with 20+ lesson plans that make it easy and affordable to teach fundamental concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math — using everyday objects.

INNOVATION PROJECT

What first comes to mind when you think about technology? Technology is all around us, yet according to Engineering is Elementary, ”many students believe that technology only refers to things powered by electricity.” In Alicia’s Technology in a Bag lesson plan, students examine a “mystery bag” filled with non-electric examples of technology and discuss the process of invention. Other lesson plans developed by Alicia include Wonder Woman Super Cuffs and the Marshmallow Challenge. Every lesson plan featured on DollarStoreSTEM is designed to be:

Affordable (less than 30 cents per student)
Accessible (kid- and teacher-tested)
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Science and Engineering Practices)
Accompanied by TED-Ed lessons (to help with implementation)

Alicia’s tips:
DO submit your favorite lesson to DollarStoreSTEM. If selected, you will receive a free #DollarStoreSTEM classroom kit, which includes enough supplies to serve approximately 20-25 students.
DO use or retro-fit what you already have (lessons, supplies, etc.) and what is already published on ed.ted.com. Many of my lessons are “borrowed” and re-packaged to make planning and execution easier.
DON’T let suggested grade levels be a barrier. DO what teachers do best, and translate it to meet the needs and grade levels of your students.
DO email DollarStoreSTEM@gmail.com for help!

This article is part of the TED-Ed Innovation Project series, which highlights 25+ TED-Ed Innovation Projects designed by educators, for educators, with the support and guidance of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program. You are welcome to share, duplicate and modify projects under this Creative Commons license to meet the needs of students and teachers. Art credit: TED-Ed.

“The kids of today tap, swipe and pinch their way through the world. But unless we give them tools to build with computers, we are raising only consumers instead of creators,” says programmer Linda Liukas. That’s why parents and teachers should introduce coding as a creative act — a playful form of making that requires imagination, bravery and perseverance. Ready to teach your kids how to code? Here are 5 great places to start.

1) Hello Ruby
Hello Ruby is a whimsical website (and book!) created by Liukas to explain programming fundamentals to kids. The detailed lesson plans are appropriate for kids 5+.

2) Code.org
Code.org teaches students the basics of programming through a free series of guided exercises — and is one of several resources on this list to be recommended by the TED Technology Team. To bring coding into your classroom, check out the Hour of Code model.

3) Scratch
Created and maintained by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT’s Media Lab, Scratch is a both a programming language and an evolving community of young coders. To get started, dive into these resources.

4) Girls Who Code
Will the next generation of computer scientists include more Ada Lovelaces? Yes, if teachers and parents inspire more girls to start coding — and to embrace risk. “Most girls are taught to avoid risk and failure,” says founder Reshma Saujani. “Coding is an endless process of trial and error.” Learn more about the Girls Who Code curriculum here.

5) CS Unplugged 
Even a Waldorf school can get excited about these computer science teaching tools. “CS Unplugged has activities you can do without a computer to teach programming fundamentals,” says Liukas.

Image credit: Celeste Lai/TED-Ed

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Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Around the world, there are many excellent role models — both male and female! — for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math. Here are 5 of our favorite TED-Ed Lessons written by women in science:

1. What’s below the tip of the iceberg?

It’s a well-known fact that the majority of an iceberg lies below the surface — but just as stealthily hidden are their fascinating qualities. Traveling the seas, teeming with life, and sometimes even making a noise called “bergie seltzer,” there’s so much more than meets the eye. Camille Seaman gives homage to these icy isles. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

2. Why are blue whales so enormous?

Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale — it’s as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale). Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

3. The Arctic vs. the Antarctic

How can you tell the two poles apart? Where are the penguins? What about the bears? The Arctic pole is located in the Northern Hemisphere within the deep Arctic Ocean, while the Antarctic pole is smack in the middle of the ice-covered Antarctica. Camille Seaman describes how enterprising people and organisms have found ways to reside around both poles despite the frigid temperatures. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

4. Light waves, visible and invisible

Each kind of light has a unique wavelength, but human eyes can only perceive a tiny slice of the full spectrum — the very narrow range from red to violet. Microwaves, radio waves, x-rays and more are hiding, invisible, just beyond our perception. Lucianne Walkowicz shows us the waves we can’t see. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

5. The death of the universe

The shape, contents and future of the universe are all intricately related. We know that it’s mostly flat; we know that it’s made up of baryonic matter (like stars and planets), but mostly dark matter and dark energy; and we know that it’s expanding constantly, so that all stars will eventually burn out into a cold nothingness. Renée Hlozek expands on the beauty of this dark ending. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

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