STEP Conference 2015

       On October 6th and 7th, our department ILE (Innovation and Learner Engagement) participated in the STEP (Science and Technology Education Partnership) Conference held at Bourns Technology Center.  Schools from around the Inland Area came to see demonstrations, exhibits, STEP talks, and classroom sessions all based in STEM. It was an exciting event with plenty of learning going on for teachers and students.
       RUSD was well represented with two classroom sessions as well as a booth showcasing our efforts using Google CS First. On the first day, we were able to partner with Google as representatives from the company came to present to the participating schools. In one room, students were able to walk through a coding session with Jennifer Vaden Barth, Google EDU program manager. In the room next door, we were one of the first in the country to share Google Expeditions. Expeditions is an app that uses photospheres from around the world combined with Google Cardboard to take students on virtual field trips. Teachers are able to take students to a variety of places such as Mars, the Coral Reef, and even inside NASA, providing an immersive learning opportunity. Two Google engineers who grew up in the Inland area were proud to present and share their knowledge with students about their career pathway that led to working at Google.
       On the second day of the conference, RUSD showcased two coding rooms where students from Moreno Valley, San Bernardino, and Yucaipa were able to go through a demo module using CS First. Two of our staff developers, Caryn and Ari were the lead gurus for each session, with plenty of help from the rest of our department.  For photos from the event, see below: