Remember March and April? Those unprecedented months? No need to remind you of how everything imaginable was canceled; how the whole world came to a grinding halt.
But one event continued on as planned – a middle school STEM Fair.
How did this event miss the culling? It was an online STEM Fair.
In March students met in an online classroom with STEM professionals – an electrical engineer who designs equipment for nuclear subs and a microbiologist. After asking these “real-life STEM-ers” about their life and work, students perused a variety of project suggestions from coding to food cost analysis to atomic manipulation simulations.
Excited about their projects, students spent the next weeks exploring, investigating, and creating. The final culmination was “the fair.” Students posted their projects (in the form of videos, pictures, reports, graphics) to an online platform where other students and teachers could view and provide feedback. Two science teachers judged the projects, selecting an edible model of an animal cell and a video exploring physics concepts at work in steel beam placement.
“So great to see the students’ enthusiasm and creativity,” said the event organizer. “One parent even told me that their student is already planning next year’s project. I’m so glad our school – International Virtual Learning Academy – can provide such great opportunities like this for our students.”
International Virtual Learning Academy (IVLA) is an accredited online school for grades K-12. While the whole world was waking up to distance learning, IVLA has been at the helm since 2007. Each class at IVLA is facilitated by a certified teacher and each student is supported by a success coach. Students work at their own pace through online curriculum chosen by the family. Teachers grade work, track progress, and answer student questions. Regular live online classes add a layer of socialization and school community. High school students are able to earn college credit while in high school. Click here for more information about IVLA.