UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM)

Last week, teachers participating in the C-STEM Academy I on Introduction to Teaching Computer Science at UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) had a fantastic experience. They learned coding and robotics, as well as how to integrate computer science into their STEM, especially math, classroom teaching. Additionally, they explored the engineering design process to build and control their own robotic machines to solve real-world math problems and challenges. The team project and level-playing-field RoboPlay Competition (https://lnkd.in/gbafSHZX) provided them with a renewed sense of the true meaning of teamwork. These teachers are eager to bring what they have learned into their classroom teaching in fall. As part of our train-the-trainer program, experienced C-STEM teachers and TOSAs shared their own C-STEM experiences and journeys. Below are the comments from some of the participating teachers. “I loved the ability to research and create my own solution to a problem. This really allows the students to incorporate their creativity in a more exciting way. This also teaches them to work through and overcome obstacles. Competition is always great! I learned the meaning of teamwork. :) Keep being awesome!”   — Cassandra Palafox, 10th Grade Math Teacher, River Delta Unified School District “Using the Omnibot to draw!!! They are awesome! RoboPlay is highly engaging and fun :) It was awesome!!! Great job!”   — Cori Williams, 7th Grade Math/STEM Teacher, Lodi Unified School District “I loved the way that the robotics competition built motivation and how the math was hidden in all of the competition.  It will be a great way to build collaboration and reinforce math skills! Thanks for making this so much fun!”   — Jason Howard, 5th Grade Teacher, Elk Grove Unified School District “I was able to work with my team to use the DREAM engineering design method to solve a unique problem about garbage trucks. I am looking forward to teaching my 1st graders how to problem solve using this method! I learned about competitions and RoboPlay! I loved the sneaky math component in the robotics competition. I really enjoyed the RoboPlay competition, the dilating (cow twister) and the panel interview. Thank you for showing us around your lab! It was so cool to see your first prototypes! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and time with us!”  — Jacqueline Danielson, 1st Grade Teacher, Center Joint Unified School District Teachers, thank you for the opportunity to work with you all. Your dedication to helping your students accelerate their math achievement is truly an inspiration for all of us! I cannot wait to see what your students can achieve! Casey Shea, Robert Schwandt, Craig Rapinchuk, Tiffany Thibodeaux, Jill Usie, Brittany Casey, Jason Farrel, Michaelene McKelvey, Jessica Wilke

Learning math can be fun and exciting with robots! Over 130 C-STEM students in grades 1 to 5 from the Hillview Crest Elementary School at New Haven Unified School District participated in a C-STEM RoboPlay Challenge Competition, a level-playing-field inclusive robotics competition, to showcase their mastery of math, computer science, and engineering design. Student teams design and build their own robots on the day of the competition to solve math challenges. School districts, schools, and teachers can host RoboPlay at their own schedule and site. More info about the RoboPlay Competition can be found at https://lnkd.in/ghrHB4gw John Thompson, Michaelene McKelvey

Our first ever UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) CSTEM Roboplay Challenge was a success. It was great to see a year of CSTEM learning put to use. Students were thinking critically and problem solving. All while having fun! Joey Adame Harry Cheng Ryan Bean UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) #cstem #losmolinos

Congrats to all who participated in Orange Unified School District's Annual C-STEM Roboplay Competition https://lnkd.in/ggt8HhPH on Friday, May 31st at El Modena High School. It was a dynamic competition with 23 teams in grades 3rd through 6th. Many parents and participants stayed until the awards were announced. Special thanks to the organizing team Greg Miller, Randy Kolset, Tiffany Lam, and Ashley Higuera-Oakes, El Modena High School hosting site and staff, and teachers Bruce Tuttle and Lauri Truong and their students. A big thank you to Orange USD’s incredible leadership team, Ernest Gonzalez, Craig Abercrombie, Christina Lin, Lisa Green, and Andrea Yamasaki.

Yesterday, Alvord Unified School District organized its 1st Annual C-STEM RoboPlay Challenge Competition (https://lnkd.in/ghrHB4gw) for its Expanded Learning Program students, providing its grade 3-6 students with an amazing opportunity to compete with challenges created by UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM). Sixteen student teams competed from 4pm-7:30pm. For the Award Ceremony, 100+ parents attended, proudly capturing the moments. Kudos to C-STEM Students, Teachers, Volunteer Judges, and organizers Robert Schwandt and David Ferguson. Resma Byrne

Teams at Alvord Unified School District will compete this evening in the RoboPlay Challenge Competition! RoboPlay Challenge Competition is a level playing field robotics competition for students in grades 3-12. It’s a great way for students to hone their real-world math skills while working under time constraints as a team. Learn more about hosting the RoboPlay Challenge Teams at https://lnkd.in/ggt8HhPH

With over a decade of experience in providing professional development (PD) for K-12 teachers, UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) has been training teachers without any prior coding experience on integrating coding and robotics into K-12 math education. C-STEM offers fun, hands-on, and project-based PD. In Summer 2024, UCD C-STEM is offering PD at UC Davis and UC Riverside. To register or explore our Joint UCD/UCR Computer Science Supplementary Teaching Credential Authorization program at https://lnkd.in/gxqiChq6

Last Saturday, April 27th, MANTECA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT held its 3rd Annual C-STEM RoboPlay Competition (https://lnkd.in/gpqYyXXk) at Sierra High School. This was Manteca USD’s first time hosting a competition for all three levels with 20 teams and it was captivating! Students were engaged and excited as they collaborated with their teams to solve real-world math challenges. It was a memorable experience for students, parents, coaches, and judges. Teresa Sicat, Judith Tuddao, Julie Hollander, Clark Burke Ed.D

We are thrilled to expand the pilot implementation of the UC Davis C-STEM TK-12 Math, CS, and Engineering Design with Robotics curriculum (https://lnkd.in/gUEnZkAc) from two schools at New Haven Unified School District to all seven elementary schools. The teachers implementing the program are quick learners and are doing an amazing job. The initial data indicate that the C-STEM program has improved student math engagement and performance. We look forward to seeing what impact the program will have on all their TK-5 students.