For the fifth year, we will be convening education innovators. At ExCITe, STEAM is more than education. It’s the belief that the creativity and “maker” spirit that is common to both the Arts & Design and the STEM fields provides a relentless source of inspiration and innovation. Most importantly, the convening of diverse perspectives spanning STEM and the Arts offers unique opportunities to share ideas, form new connections, and sow the seeds of transformation.
Programming this year highlights inclusive making. There will be two hands-on STEAM activities on creative robotics (using Arduino microcontrollers) and app development (learning to code in Swift).
We will feature a variety of case study speakers and our keynote speaker, Dr. Shirin Vossoughi.
Case study speakers include:
- Dr. Michelle Rogers, Dr. Ayanna Allen-Handy, Dr. Raja Schaar, and Dr. Vallerie Ifill, Drexel University
- Michael O'Bryan, Village of Arts and Humanities
- Lisa Shaffren, Crefeld School
- Dr. Chris Wright, Drexel University
- Adam Durant, FirstHand
- Students from The Workshop School
Dr. Shirin Vossoughi is an assistant professor of Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, where she draws on ethnographic and interactional methods to study the social, cultural, historical, political, and ethical dimensions of learning. Vossoughi’s research centers on hybrid learning environments that blend formal and informal elements and support young people to engage in sophisticated forms of disciplinary thinking while questioning and expanding disciplinary boundaries. As the daughter of Iranian immigrants, she is also personally invested in the development and study of educational settings for youth from migrant, immigrant, and diasporic backgrounds. Vossoughi is currently studying embodied learning in after-school tinkering/making programs, as well as the role of feedback on writing in the context of political education. She takes a collaborative approach to research, partnering with educators and students to study the conditions that foster educational dignity and possibility.
The program schedule can be found below, lunch and light breakfast fare will be provided.
- 9:00 AM - Welcome and Introduction
- 9:15 AM - Case Study Talks: Michael O'Bryan, Adam Durant, Dr. Chris Wright, Lisa Shaffren, Black Girls STEAMing Through Dance
- 10:30 - Break
- 10:45 AM - Briefs: Workshop School, Remake Learning Days
- 11:15 AM - Keynote Presentation: Dr. Shirin Vossoughi
- 12:15 PM - Lunch
- 1:00 PM - Workshops: "Making Music, Amazing Apps