Speaker Bio:Tracy Smith has been teaching Physics at Upper St Clair High School since 2003. Last year, her courses grew to include robotics education. With a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a Master's Degree in Automotive Systems from the University of Michigan, her engineering background had her excited to embark on this new educational journey. Prior to teaching, Tracy worked at Chrysler for four years where she had the opportunity to see how classroom education translated into the workforce. With this background along with her recent journey into the realm of robotics, Tracy found herself endlessly questioning the best ways to prepare students to become future innovators. Over the past two years she has been connecting with teachers, students, parents, community members, and businesses to provide new and exciting opportunities where students can learn technical skills and apply them in exciting and diverse arenas. Her interest in being a presenter is not because she is an expert in any field! Instead, Tracy looks to share lessons learned and inspire others to take on new challenges to bring a more relevant education to K-12 learners.
Multiple Avenues to Empower Student Innovators:How can we make connections between content knowledge and practical applications? How can we grow the number of students participating in innovation and technology opportunities? The key is offering diverse experiences that resonate with the interests of each unique student. This presentation suggests the need for a network where students, parents, teachers, community members, and businesses work together to supply diverse and relevant engineering and technology opportunities for all learners. Through the use of interactive padlets, you will walk away from this session with ideas to bring back to your own schools.
Virtual Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84079620403Meeting ID: 840 7962 0403
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