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connector STEM teacher

Taught STEM 4 Years or More-The Connector [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep. 125]

by Naomi Meredith

Taught STEM 4 Years or More-The Connector [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep. 125]

connector STEM teacher

Check out the full episode on taught STEM 4 years or more:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Once you hit 4+ years as a STEM teacher, you enter into the next phase of the STEM teacher pathway, which is the Connector STEM teacher stage. This stage is where you find your groove as a STEM teacher. In today’s episode, I’m sharing the successes and challenges that come with this stage, the importance of continuous growth and innovation in your teaching practices, and sharing behind the scenes of my journey at this stage.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • An overview of the 3rd stage of the STEM teacher pathway: the Connector STEM teacher
  • What Connector STEM teachers need to continue to grow in their teaching role
  • Challenges that arise during this stage of the STEM teacher pathway
  • Things I learned and experienced as a Connector STEM teacher

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


When I made it through my 1st 3 years of teaching K-5 STEM, and at this point 9 years of teaching in general, I knew I had found my thing in education. I have definitely developed a passion for elementary STEM, and it is something that continues to grow and a big reason why this podcast is here today. Getting to this stage in my STEM teacher pathway definitely has had many successes and also a lot of challenges. In this episode, I’m going to walk you through the 3rd stage of the STEM teacher pathway, the connector. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:15]:


In case you haven’t heard, I am so excited to announce that the doors are open to my STEM into fall group coaching. If you’re looking for more support when it comes to your STEM lessons for the year, figuring out how to use your materials and what materials you need to purchase in the future, and having that guidance of like-minded teachers like you, and getting to learn with me and from me, Naomi Meredith, then I invite you to the limited spots in my group coaching program and for this super fun cohort. You can grab more information at naomimeredith.com/STEMintofall. I could not believe that I made it to my 4th and 5th year teaching elementary STEM. And not only that, getting into my 10th or 11th year of teaching. And if you’ve been teaching a while like I was, it’s a pretty big accomplishment. I never knew going into elementary education that STEM was even a thing or even how to implement technology. I didn’t have a whole lot of experience with that in my student teaching and really my 1st 2 years of teaching as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:34]:


I did do a lot of hands-on learning and experiments, so I’ve always known that’s important in a way that I definitely like to learn. I’m a very highly creative person, and I just really love to create, whether it is digital things or things with my hands. I love that kind of stuff. So elementary STEM, in hindsight, of all the things that I have done in all of my experiences, is definitely a great fit for me, and I love thinking of new challenges and new lesson plans that students can implement. I just really love learning. I really, really do. Super corny, but just ask my teacher honey, husband. It’s how I am.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:17]:


Yes. I am a bit corny, and I really mean what I say. I really, I really do love to learn. So what was it like? What is a connector? What is the stage on the STEM teacher pathway? Well, as a connector, you are in 4 plus years of teaching elementary STEM, whether you’ve been teaching in the classroom before this role but really you’ve been teaching elementary STEM for a while, and you are filling your groove, you’re feeling confident about your class, you’re probably like me, you have a whole bank of lessons that can carry you throughout the year and beyond. And you’re able to adapt easily. You know that your lessons are standards-based, but also, if there are new things that arise, you are able to implement those things into your program and take out the things that might not be working anymore. Likewise, you really do know your students. When you’ve been in a spot for 4 plus years, you know your students not only on that personal level but also as a grade level and those things that those ages like to connect with and the types of lessons that work best for them.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:30]:


You definitely have been able to differentiate your lessons, whether those are things that are planned or even things on the go, you’re able to figure out things because you’re really comfortable with the tools and the setting in your classroom, and it really shows too with your students. They really are comfortable as well, and they get to know you. I recently actually visited my school that I taught at their fun run, and I thought it’d be a good way to see all the kids in a less non-intrusive way. So I saw every kid, but I wasn’t interrupting all their classrooms. And it was so funny. They’re like, oh my gosh. Miss Meredith, the other STEM teacher, is over there. Like, it’s fine.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:12]:


It’s okay. It’s not like a competition. But, it’s just really cool because the kids were so used to me and a great, great teacher in that role now, but they got so used to me over the course of 5 years in the way that I do things that they didn’t know any other way that STEM could be taught. And everybody has their different rhythm and things that they’re comfortable with. So just really cool when you get to that place where kids really get to know you, and you get to know them and also the things they like and don’t like. Also, when you’ve been teaching in this role for a while. As the connector, you are looking for really in-depth ways to connect as a community and to push you along and push your thinking, whether that is in your own school, your own school district, or even beyond your district walls, where you can find a place to collaborate and continue to grow as an educator. Your biggest focus is when and you’re in this general because you are comfortable in that is to make sure that you don’t get stuck in your ways, especially if you are the only person in your building who teaches this subject, it’s kind of easy just to keep doing what you’ve been doing.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:23]:


But really, in any role in education, you want to be continuing to learn and grow and adapt, and that is the same with your STEM lessons. You might even notice with your students that they need more of a challenge. When you first got in that role, they might know some things they might not, especially if they’ve never had a STEM program before. So, you definitely need to grow and change your program based on global trends. What are some new things that they need to be learning? What are some skills that are important? And also, this might even be the types of tools. Do you need to update some of the things in your curriculum, all of those types of things you still want to grow and change and provide that innovative experience for your students? Also, you might even be experimenting with different teaching styles. Maybe you tried a little bit in your 1st couple of years, but you’re feeling really confident where you could be co-teaching with other teachers in your building.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:21]:


Maybe they do something in their class that they bring into your classroom. Maybe you’re co-teaching across your district, maybe you’re planning whole units with other teachers in your district, or maybe you’re even planning a lesson with people in a group coaching setting, which is something that I do in my group coaching program where we developed a whole ocean unit, a whole entire Makerspace ocean unit that doesn’t even exist in my shop. We created this together based on the passions and interests of the teachers and their students and also their lesson plans and created all of these different things together, which was so powerful, especially since the teachers in my program were the only ones who taught STEM. So, definitely looking for those ways because you have that capacity, you understand your program, but you really wanna grow in it. Maybe you’ve already dabbled in this before, but even your after-school programs have become more refined, and you’ve really figured out your rhythm and flow with that and really pick the programs that you’re really passionate about and are worthwhile your time after school. So, in my journey as a connector in elementary STEM. So, I was going into my 4th year. By this point, I had already completed my STEM certificate and my master’s in STEM education.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:43]:


So again, I will definitely record a podcast about this in the future. Just waiting on a few things. But that’s something I definitely have planned at some point. Because I am so glad I ended up waiting to get my master’s in education. Then I waited, what, until my 9th year of teaching to get my masters because I didn’t know what I wanted to spend all this money on. I always thought curriculum and instruction, which I still think, would be a good fit because that is something I really love doing. But I’m so glad that I waited because, again, I figured out by this point in my career, end of my 3rd year teaching STEM, going into my 4th and 5th, that I was super passionate about this. This is my jam.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:26]:


This is what I absolutely love doing. So that might even be an opportunity for you. How can you continue your learning, maybe even going into another program to pursue that? Also, starting off in my 4th year, my schedule had a big change. So, if you go back and listen to the other 2 episodes, I talk more about my schedule and how crazy it was, and all the different hats. My different hats didn’t go away. The only thing that changed was that I wasn’t going to be co-teaching anymore just based on the funding and my school and how the week was split up, and where the kids would go when they didn’t have STEM, that wasn’t an opportunity our school had anymore. So with that, it was exciting.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:08]:


I actually got to teach more STEM. So I got all of my kids, my 6 classes a day, my 150 kids a day for 5 days in a row, 45 minutes each. So I had 5th, 4th, 3rd, lunch, and then first, to kinder and second. So, I had the same 6 classes for those 5 days in a row. And this was really amazing to me because I was so used to teaching the 3 days out of the week. And for me, I was like super excited, and the kids were too. We literally got double the amount of STEM. And with that, because my projects would kind of carry on for 2 months, I was actually doubling my year-long plan.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:51]:


Now, I already had that planned out. I already know what knew what those lessons were, and I’ve tried some things here and there, but I really got to dive in and go through that whole engineering design process. So maybe if you’re thinking in this role, how you can better improve your program? Are there ways that you can even extend the time, the amount of time that you actually see kids? That can actually make a huge difference in your teaching, too, and be a different challenge. How can you make projects last longer? During these 4th and 5th years is really when I also started exploring more STEM stations. I had tried it before, but I am really being more strategic in those STEM stations. I talked all about it in my k through 2 STEM planning workshop, and we also did a lot that in my group coaching as well, is planning out those STEM stations that are purposeful and standards-aligned, not random, and something that the kids look forward to. And that was a huge game changer in my management and also my whole curriculum in k to 5. During these years, I really did refine my afterschool clubs.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:54]:


I was known for hosting a lot of after-school clubs because I wanted kids to be involved and try new passions and continue things that they really, really loved. I always had those certain kids who always signed up for my STEM clubs. Every single year, I knew they would sign up, and I always made sure they got in because that was their total thing. This is when I actually developed my school-wide video news. So I also did a whole series about this and have a whole workshop all about setting up your school-wide news. But this is when I really transformed our school-wide announcements and built that consistency and excitement over something that would show every single day and also deliver important information. So this became like a whole movement in my building, and since I had the capacity where I knew where my curriculum was going, I really could focus on having this really awesome program when it came to my school-wide news where we would video prerecord the news at least a week ahead and then also edit, and those could be shown in classrooms based on the teacher’s time and not worrying about the announcements blaring overhead. Also, with after-school clubs, I really was focusing on hosting clubs that would be a part of our district events.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:13]:


And those things were actually growing in our district at the same time. So before, I did clubs where it was kinda random, I was testing out tools a lot of times, like, I don’t even know how this tool works. Let me run a club so I can figure it out. But at this point, I kind of knew how those tools worked. So I picked clubs that would actually benefit a future event where a lot of kids could participate, and I could bring a lot of kids to that event, which was super exciting, especially in this 4th and 5th year of teaching STEM. Again, this was my 10th or 11th year of education. I am the kind of person who’s always trying to pursue and grow and learn and wants more challenges and opportunities. So I was really seeking out ways to connect with other teachers for myself, but also to connect with all of you because I know how important that is.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:04]:


So I’ve always had my business for this whole STEM world, elementary STEM coach Naomi Meredith, I’m really transformed within my 1st year of teaching STEM, but especially in my 4th 5th years is really developing things that could bring you together and help you dive in deeper like those online workshops and my membership. So, I’m really thinking about those things. Also for myself, I really wanted to share that knowledge with teachers in my district and present at a lot of events that we did. We did some professional development where we could sign up and teach about something. So, I really tried to push myself and be in that role where I could teach others about the things that were happening in my classroom and then also present at a lot of online summits and online conferences. Again, I will share information with teachers who haven’t heard of me before and need some new refreshing ideas in their classroom and push myself that way. It does take a lot, yes, I can do this with my students and figure it out and do all that. But it’s another where you can take what you have learned, refine it, and be able to present it in a way that makes sense to others.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:18]:


It’s really hard, everybody. Maybe I maybe I don’t make it seem very easy. And I apologize. But it really does take a lot a lot of practice to really go through. Okay. Here’s this concept I want to explain to you, and then let me break it down so that it makes sense so you can make sense of that. So, I mean, I guess that’s teaching, but really teaching how you are teaching, that is a challenge. So beyond that 5th year of teaching K-5 STEM, I did end up leaving the classroom, which I talk more about in episode 108, and talking through this whole journey in education, but really continuing that passion where I can be here to support you in all sorts of ways in your elementary journey so that you can be a connector, and you can be that navigator, investigator, all those things in your STEM teacher pathway where I can provide more time and support with for you with my resources, podcast, all of those different programs, and also have the opportunity to connect with other companies and still get my feet wet in teaching.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:27]:


I do have some things where I still get to teach them in person because I absolutely love it. I am also so passionate about making this elementary STEM community so much smaller. So when it comes to different resources that I can specifically provide you if you’re in this stage of the connector or going into this stage. You’re going into those later years of teaching elementary STEM, and you’re thinking, how else can I grow? What support do I need? Continue listening to this podcast. I absolutely love you being here. And if there’s something that you’re looking for, please shoot me an email or message me on Instagram. I take screenshots of those and save them and end up planning those into my content because that lets me know if I don’t have an answer for you, like, hey, I already recorded in this episode, if I don’t have that, then I will end up recording it. So it really helps me know what you are looking for, what are those things that I want to be creating and help make sense of everything for you? From there, if you’re really looking for a community, I definitely encourage you to join my STEM teacher bookshelf community, where we read a book a month to help us continue our growth.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:38]:


I read them at least 2 times where we can continue that growth in STEM and innovation. There’s always more to learn, and have that community where we can discuss the topics that are presented in the book and also have a really fun live call where we can connect together. Now, when it comes to more big lesson getting and really digging into your program and making sure everything’s cohesive, and you’re finding ways to grow, we do this in my group coaching program It’s open only a couple times a year. Currently, if you’re listening to this live, it is the STEM into fall cohort where we will get started in October, and we will go through part of the new year just with winter breaks and all of that. Want to make sure we honor all of our times off, but also honor the time that we are other. So, that is a great opportunity for you to connect and grow and learn. I absolutely love my STEM in spring group. It was such a great group of ladies, and we really connected within our chats and also our live calls.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:40]:


I had a plan going forward and then definitely after things based on what our teachers needed in the group, and it was just an amazing place to be. So, every cohort is definitely different. There is a plan in mind, but then also changing that for what you’re looking for. If you really just want some help 1 on 1, I’m also available for that too. So there are also some ways we can work together for the short term and the long term if you just wanna connect with me on a deeper level. And, Definitely, those workshops are available as well, some planning workshops and also how to host your own video school-wide news. So everything will be linked for you in the show notes. Definitely, I’m creating and always thinking of ways to help you grow as an educator.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:22]:


Even if I’m not sharing them quite yet, there are things that I’m always working on behind the scenes to improve myself in my STEM teacher pathway and ultimately help you and your students so that it is an amazing and great place for you to be.

connector STEM teacher

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

navigator STEM teacher

The Navigator STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.124]

by Naomi Meredith

The Navigator STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.124]

navigator STEM teacher

Check out the full episode on The Navigator STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series]:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

You made it through your first year of STEM as an investigator STEM teacher, and now you’re transitioning into the navigator STEM teacher role. Whether this is your 2nd or 3rd year as a STEM teacher, there is so much more to learn when you enter the navigator stage of the STEM teacher pathway. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my experience as a navigator STEM teacher, things that I learned, and giving you some great resources to ensure you excel in this stage.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What is a navigator STEM teacher
  • My experience in the navigator stage of the STEM teacher pathway
  • Resources to support you as a navigator STEM teacher

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


Once I got through my 1st year teaching elementary STEM, I was so excited. This 1st year in teaching STEM confirmed that this was a passion of mine, and I was ready for year 2. That 1st year in my STEM teacher pathway, I had the role of a navigator, and I was ready to step into that next stage as an investigator. What are these stages that I’m talking about? Let’s dive into the 2nd stage of your STEM teacher pathway, the investigator, and how my experiences can connect with yours. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:05]:


The doors are officially open to my STEM into fall group coaching program, and you are hearing it first on this podcast. I haven’t talked about it anywhere else. I am actually ending my STEM into the spring cohort this week if you’re listening to this podcast live. And me and the group members, the teachers in this group, we’re So sad that our time is over. It has gone by so fast, and we had four incredible months together where the teachers audited their lesson plans. They looked at their inventory and were able to see where they were at in their STEM year and where they would like to go. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:59]:


I really felt like during this time with these teachers, I got an inside look at their classrooms, and I really got a feel for what their teaching style is, how their program runs, and how I could best support I loved working with these teachers every single week, including our live calls and our group messaging, seeing pictures, hearing successes of lessons that we planned together, and how great they were, including the whole k through 5 ocean unit that we planned together. I am so sad that this group is over, but I’m confident that they’re gonna be even more amazing in their STEM spaces. The spots are limited for my group coaching program, and I would love to invite you in. There are 2 different levels for you to join that can meet your needs, and by being a podcast listener, you get a bonus of $500 off on level 2 of our group coaching STEM into fall. Now, this is a limited-time bonus. It will expire on September 28, 2023, so make sure to jump into that. You can join our group coaching program at namiemeridith.com/stemintofall. And to grab that extra $500 off in level 2, use the coupon code stemintofall, all one word and no spaces.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:19]:


I’ll see you in our group. Make sure to go and claim your spot. Making it through my 1st year of elementary STEM was quite a whirlwind, and there were a lot of comparisons between that 1st year teaching STEM and my 1st year teaching ever. Now, thankfully, I had 6 years of teaching in the homeroom classroom, 2nd grade for 2 years, 3rd grade for 4 years. Luckily, I had teaching experience under my belt, so it did really play into my success that 1st year teaching elementary STEM. What was it like my next couple of years teaching elementary STEM? Because I knew this was definitely the pathway for me as an educator. So, let’s jump into my STEM teacher pathway and how I moved from being an investigator in my 1st year to moving into the role of a navigator. So, what is a navigator in the STEM teacher pathway? This is a whole pathway that I came up with, and you might be in this stage of your STEM teaching career.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:25]:


A navigator is you’ve already accomplished that 1st year teaching STEM, and you are within your 2nd to 3 years of STEM. You are really getting the hang of managing multiple projects at once. It’s not as overwhelming as it used to be. You know what’s going on in your controlled chaos environment, and you are really getting those systems and routines down. Of course, tweaking things when they’re not working the way that they should, but you are getting that momentum in your STEM space. With that, you have your bank of lesson plans that went well your 1st year, and you’re starting to work on getting creative with your lessons. Maybe not a whole overhaul of every single lesson in your program, but maybe trying some new things to see how they will work and how you can really challenge your students who are ready for it. With that, your main areas of focus are to continue building your program and refining your practices, along with building your classroom community and starting a little bit with the community outside of your own classroom walls.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:36]:


You also, with that lesson planning, are starting to plan your own original standards-based lessons now that you have seen and tried lessons that are standards-based, You are ready to start creating and implementing your own. Now that you’re in your 2nd or 3rd year of teaching STEM, you’re not as overwhelmed. You were reaching out to Teachers before, but really, I need a solution to this for tomorrow. but you’re hoping to reach out to other teachers who are like-minded like you in a not so last minute type of situation, but people that you can talk to regularly when it comes to your lesson planning and also seeking guidance for what you’re trying to do in your classroom. For me, in my role as a navigator, It was very interesting these 2 years of teaching STEM. Let’s be real. So, my 1st year teaching STEM was a little bit crazy, In my schedule, my 1st 2nd year was very similar. In my 2nd year teaching STEM, I taught on Mondays instead of teaching GT science, I did my 1st year teaching STEM. I was actually teaching 8 classes a day. And that was getting a little bit crazy.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:49]:


It was extra planning time for teachers. I was getting paid through a grant. That’s a whole other thing. But I was getting paid for a grant for my Mondays, and I was providing extra plan time for teachers. So I saw that Monday lesson as an isolated one-day lesson where even if I had the same classes later on that week, I wouldn’t connect those lessons together. Then, on Tuesdays, I was co-teaching with the teachers in my building to help them implement STEM and innovation and creative ways. And then, throughout all this time, I was also the technology point person in managing our school-wide technology, cleaning that up, creating systems and processes that weren’t there. Then, students had STEM as a specials Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 3 days in a row for 45-minute sessions.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:35]:


So I had those same 6 classes for 3 days, and then it repeated the following week. Those Mondays did get a little bit crazy. I was really worn down after 8 classes. 6 says a lot. 8 is even more, and there was always 1 Monday where I had all my 5th graders and all of my 1st graders. And I’ve talked about this in a previous podcast episode. Those are, for me, my most challenging grade levels and for teaching both of those on the same day. And there’s so many similarities between those ages.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:11]:


I was really struggling, so I ended up splitting up my Mondays where I taught 4 classes, their extra plan on Mondays, and 4 on Tuesdays. So, things are getting off to a good start. And then in the spring of 2020. We know what happened, but we all went remote online. And that was really intense for me because, yes, I had all of these roles, but my role as the technology point person really came into play. Teachers were seeking me out for my knowledge of technology in general and what can they do with teaching their students online. How are we supposed to connect? What are we supposed to do? So, my role as a coach and a co-teacher was really amplified during this 2020 season. There were some things that I did have to do for elementary STEM.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:06]:


My teammates and I created a choice board. And, you know, for that spring of 2020, it was kind of a Let’s make the rules as we go kind of teaching because no one really knew what to do. And it was weird. It was super interesting. So, Again, I took on that role as a coach, and I got a lot of firsthand online coaching experience during 2020 time because our special schedule was really random and sporadic. So what I ended up doing is hosting a lot of mini work Shops for the teachers in my building based on their needs and based on the things that they were telling me that they needed when I popped into their grade level conversations virtually. And I was hosting these online mini-workshops for teachers that were really targeted for what they were looking for, whether it was specific Tools that they wanted to learn more about and how to utilize those online, or maybe it had to do with lesson planning. Maybe they were looking for creative ways to engage their students while they were teaching remotely.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:08]:


So I really had a lot of coaching experience and got to know my Teachers in a different realm, where I had had experience using online tools a lot, whether it’s in my classroom or just talking with other teachers online. And so this was a role that I really became comfortable with and really started to love this online coaching because I was doing this in person, but now I had this experience doing this online. And so this was in my 2nd year of teaching, so that was very interesting. Going into my 3rd year of teaching STEM, it was a weird year for us. We actually did Start off with all of the kids going into the building. We had all of our students 100% in elementary, and then at any moment, a class could go online, and we would be treat teaching virtually. So we definitely had to adapt, and I had to have lessons Since ready to go, that would work remotely because maybe even I was teaching 5th grade, and then 2 hours later, 3rd grade was gone, and I was teaching them remotely. And so it was just very crazy and chaotic in that fall.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:17]:


It did start to slow down in the spring of 2021, but definitely trying to make my lesson plans work for a lot of different environments in that 3rd year. In my 2nd and 3rd year of teaching STEM, I was already planning it along with my year-long plan and really looking into the standards when it comes to creating standards-based lessons. I had a few from the previous year that were really strong, and I was just refining them when I was teaching those. And then I was adding more into my year-long plan that you all know today at that k through 5 stem year-long bundle. Out of this, a very memorable unit was actually my STEM survival camp unit. That was something coming into the fall of 2020 Was a unit that I created that could be done remotely, but also be very beneficial in person. And students didn’t have to share materials, and they were actually using materials from outside. So that’s a really big insight behind the scenes of how that whole unit was created and where I was in my STEM teacher journey.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:25]:


Likewise, going into this 3rd year, I was looking for more meaningful connections with other like-minded teachers like me. I wasn’t finding a whole lot on Instagram. Yes. There were those little pops of conversations in relationships that I made, but I wanted to have something that was more consistent and could help me grow as an educator. So, at first, I was just going to get my certificate in STEM and have that endorsement or have that certification, which then actually ended up leading me into my master’s in STEM leadership, which I started at the end of the spring of 2020. So it was funny because when I was teaching students online or when I got to see them again in the fall, I was like, hey. You were doing online learning, and so was I, and I’m still doing that right now. Like, this is a real thing.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:15]:


Online learning is not a new concept. This is something that real-life people do. I’m hoping to do a future podcast episode about my masters in more detail. I know some of you have asked me about it, so I have that in mind. I haven’t forgotten. I’m just waiting on a few things before I can do that. Also, in these 2nd and 3rd years of teaching STEM and in this role at my STEM teacher pathway as the navigator, I was getting more involved with district-wide planning events. So, I was feeling confident in my STEM space.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:47]:


There were things I was still figuring out, but I felt I had more of that mental capacity at that time because my year was basically planned. I was just trying the lessons, but I had more of a capacity where I wanted to help my district even more. So I helped them with planning events such as an event we did called Steamapalooza, where we had a lot of different booths where kids could experience Different quick STEM experiences and also different people in the community to share how STEM works in the real world. I also planned our first RoboCon, and me and another teacher were in charge of the Wonder Workshop competition, where we actually created stations for the challenge where students could go apply their skills, and they were all Olympic themed. So that was a really fun experience. And funny enough, that whole RoboCon situation, that whole event happened right before The shutdown in March 2020, so that actually happened at the end of February. So we’re so glad, in hindsight we were able to kick that off. Also, in the 2nd and 3rd year, I was trying other after-school clubs, adding back ones that students really, really loved, and getting more involved a little bit more in our community outside of my typical 6 classes a day and all the other roles honestly that I had.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:07]:


I just really wanted to get to know my students in a different way, build those relationships, and really try out other tools that I could use for future lessons. If you wanna hear more about the types of clubs that I’ve done, I have an episode where I talk about the 8 different after-school clubs, And that will be linked in the show notes if you are interested. If you are having a similar experience and you are possibly in the role of a navigator in your STEM teacher pathway. I definitely have some resources here to support you and to make sure that you are feeling well and not searching for resources and not knowing where to go, I have been curating for those and continue to improve these things to make sure that they are that serving you. 1st is this podcast, the elementary STEM coach podcast, and I definitely plan lessons thinking of all of you in what you need and the questions that you were asking me. So, thank you again so much for being here. And if you’re loving it, I appreciate all of the comments and kind words and all of the reviews. So, this podcast is definitely a great resource for you.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:16]:


If you’re looking for something specific, I do have a free playlist for you to check out. I have all of my episodes categorized into topics. So it’s the same exact episodes, but they’re organized in a way. So, if you wanna learn just about robotics, you can have all the lessons and binge listen to those about just robotics. If you wanna hear just about how I can help you and your role, you can listen to those lessons. And so it’s pretty cool because once you get the link, you actually get a little private link. You can’t search it up in a podcast app, but you actually scan it, and then you can get it like a real podcast. So it’s pretty cool how it works out.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:54]:


Also, if you’re seeking out a community, that is a huge thing that Really helped me grow as a STEM educator and is continuing to help me grow. But there are a lot of different ways where I am pulling you all together in this Online space to help you feel successful. 1st is my STEM teacher bookshelf community, where we live once a month. And we also have questions that go along with the books that I put together for you based on books I have read or ones that I really think would benefit us in this STEM educator community. And so it really pushes you along to improve your professional development reading, but also connect with other teachers who are like-minded like you? So it’s a super fun community, and I live for those live calls. If you’re looking for something more where when it comes to really diving into your lessons and all of the materials and how to put everything together and you really want more of that support, I invite you into my STEM into fall group coaching program where we will work together over the course of a few months. We will take some breaks with the whole winter holidays. But over the next few months, to really go through your year-long plan and push you along with that, along with also how we can use the materials you have on hand and what are some other purchasing decisions you can make in the future. I welcome you into that group.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:16]:


I am so excited to kick this off. Our live call will be in mid-October, so make sure you sign up before then. And I do have a special $500 off for being a podcast listener. So if you put in the code stemintofall, you get $500 off for this next week, off of that level, too. If you just wanna work with me 1 on 1 just for a little bit, like, maybe for a week or two, and just have that 1 to 1 time with me, I also do offer that type of coaching as well. My main goal is to help you out, just as past Naomi would’ve loved to have all these resources all over 1 place and really build my STEM community and feel successful. Also, if you wanna hear more behind the scenes, I created another free pop-up podcast, my not so straight pathway to STEM teaching and what I would do differently today. There are 3 episodes you could binge within the hour, so pop on over. Everything I’m talking about is in the show notes.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:13]:


Know it’s a lot of things, but it’s all linked there for you. But with this pop-up podcast, you can hear more behind the scenes of what my pathway was like. In the next episode, we’re gonna be talking about the 3rd stage in the STEM teacher pathway and what my journey was like in that part of my STEM teaching career.

navigator STEM teacher

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

investigator STEM teacher

First Year STEM Teacher-The Investigator STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.123]

by Naomi Meredith

First Year STEM Teacher-The Investigator STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.123]

investigator STEM teacher

Check out the full episode on First Year STEM STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series]:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

During my career as a STEM teacher, I went through different stages of what I call the STEM teacher pathway. The first stage of this pathway is the Investigator STEM teacher. In today’s episode, I’m discussing the first stage of the STEM teacher pathway and sharing my experience with navigating this stage. I also share insight into what I wish I knew during this stage and give tips and strategies to help you successfully navigate the Investigator STEM teacher stage. 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What is an investigator STEM teacher
  • What it was like for me in the investigator stage
  • Resources I wish I had during my first year as a STEM teacher

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

Throughout my career as an elementary STEM teacher, there were different stages that I went through as a STEM teacher. I’d like to call this the STEM teacher pathway. With this journey in STEM, each stage had its own successes and challenges. Today, I am sharing the first of the 3 stages in the STEM teacher pathway, the investigator, and how my experiences were really shown within this stage of elementary STEM and how my experiences can definitely help you in your STEM journey. Before I was a K-5 STEM teacher, I was a classroom teacher, and I was extremely excited about my role.

Naomi Meredith [00:01:19]:

Now, not to say that it didn’t come with any challenges, and some not so pretty things as well. If you’ve been teaching some for some time now, or you are just getting started, or maybe you’ve been in it for a couple of years. I have put together for all of you a very special pop-up private podcast. You can’t find it in your regular podcasting app, but I do have a special link for you in the show notes or you can go to naomimeredith.com/STEMpathwaypod. In this 3 part mini-series that you can binge as soon as you get the link, I take you through my not so straight pathway in STEM teaching. And what I would actually do differently today if I were to do it all over again. Of course, it wasn’t all a miserable failure. But there are definitely some things that I wish I had the opportunity to do or even thought of and I thought that I might as well share that with you in this special pop-up podcast.

Naomi Meredith [00:02:27]:

Now, with this podcast, it is for a limited time only. So make sure to jump in on that. Again, grab the link in the show notes and join me in that very special journey that I put together for you for free. From talking with all of you inside of my programs, whether it is my STEM teacher bookshelf membership, my group coaching program, my workshops, or even my STEM teacher 101 course, and sometimes even in my emails, and when you guys send me audio messages, and really also my experience in STEM is that there are a lot of different stages within this STEM teacher journey. Now, a lot of us have actually been in the classroom before getting into this role. Sometimes, it was voluntary getting into K-5 STEM. Like me, it was a choice, but some of us are kind of pushed into it because we might be showing some skills that can really benefit this STEM space.

Naomi Meredith [00:03:28]:

However you fell into this role, there are some markers when it comes to the stages of your STEM teacher pathway, and I’m going to be talking about that 1st stage today, the investigator. As the investigator, you have taught in STEM for no years at all, so maybe you dabbled in it within classroom teaching, but it is your first year in STEM, and you are definitely trying to figure things out. More likely than not, you actually were a classroom teacher before. You have some sort of teaching experience, and you are walking into this space with limited supplies, and, more often than not, 0 curriculum. You might have some formal training when it comes to elementary STEM, but you also are grabbing resources wherever you can. Maybe just like this podcast. You happened upon it when you googled elementary STEM podcast, and you saw me pop up in my pink jacket. So you are looking for resources to keep you afloat with not only creating this curriculum, but also building up the systems and routines in your classroom and getting to know all of your students.

Naomi Meredith [00:04:42]:

Oh my gosh. That’s a lot of names to remember. Right? You are looking at all of these different resources to not only help you professionally but also find the things that will work best when it comes to the types of lessons that can be used in your classroom. And you’re really figuring out what elementary STEM means and how to have experiences that are well rounded and different types of things that students can connect with. Here’s what it was like for me as the investigator. I had taught in the classroom for 6 years. I taught 2nd grade in a Title 1 school for 2 years, actually, the school that I student taught at. So, technically, I was in that building for 3 years. Then I moved and got a 3rd grade teaching role, and I taught in that role for 4 years.

Naomi Meredith [00:05:31]:

And within that role in the 3rd great is where I definitely fell in love with technology, innovation, and hands-on learning. I was taking every free and paid training that I could to definitely develop my skills and try these things with my students. A big turning point for me was actually when I went to the ISTE conference, I-S-T-E conference, which side note, is going to be in Denver, Colorado, in the summer of 2024. That’s where I’m from. And so if you sign up, you definitely have to find me. Maybe as I get closer, I’ll set a meetup where we can all meet up. That would be super fun. I will be there. I already have it on my calendar.

Naomi Meredith [00:06:12]:

But, anyway, that conference, it was in Denver, actually, years ago when I taught 3rd grade, and it definitely lit me up. And I knew that this was a pathway in elementary education that I knew I had to get into when it came to innovation and STEM. That word was kind of being used, not really. I remember clearly I was doing reading testing with my 3rd-grade students, and I was in between grading those assessments. And I was looking for other positions to help me grow as an educator and impact more students. And the position popped up for this K-5 STEM teaching position in a neighboring district, and I thought, okay. I might as well apply. You can listen to the full version of my interview and how that went all the way in episode 1.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:03]:

I’m very honest about how that went, but spoiler alert: I did get the job, which is awesome. And when I walked into my space, it literally was a brand new classroom. It was all remodeled I didn’t even have the glass walls. I taught in a fishbowl. One of my walls was all glass, but they didn’t have the glass wall installed yet. So it was literally this fiberboard that actually drew some innovation quotes, and I was looking at the pictures the other day. I’ll have to pop those into the video version of this podcast, but my room wasn’t even completely finished. And it was like, okay.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:41]:

Good luck with your position. My year is as an investigator. It’s this 1st year as an investigator had a very interesting schedule. It was super crazy. So this just kind of made my first year really, really crazy. It was super fun, but I’m telling you, it was nuts. On Mondays, I taught GTS science to students who are identified in science, I was helping them with project-based learning and meeting their science goals. Tuesdays I got to know the classroom teachers a bit better, and I got to co-teach in their classrooms to help them implement innovation and STEM within their regular content.

Naomi Meredith [00:08:21]:

And then, from Wednesdays through Fridays, I taught STEM as a specials K -5. So 6 classes a day, the same three classes in a row for 45 minutes each. Later on, in the years, I think it was my 3rd year, it was when I started teaching STEM 5 days in a row. But definitely, my role was very crazy, and I also was the technology person. So, managing school-wide technology that I may or may not know about and how to figure that all out along with after-school clubs, leading an innovation and tech committee for my staff, and also hosting trainings for your staff before and after school. So, needless to say, just even hearing about my schedule, it was a lot. Super high energy, which you probably can tell from this podcast.

Naomi Meredith [00:09:09]:

That’s just how I am. I do need a little bit of coffee to get me going, but I’m a very high-energy person. And so it was just a lot. It was just a lot going on in a lot of different projects. Now, when it comes to the actual STEM classroom, I was really, really figuring out behavior management and systems and routine. And with every classroom setting, it doesn’t matter what you teach. I am huge on behavior management. And how to have a really safe space for students but also we can be successful together.

Naomi Meredith [00:09:43]:

I’ve talked about this before, even in my podcast where I about why your 5th graders aren’t motivated in STEM, and I will link that in the show notes. But it’s really scary for kids to be creative, and that’s something that I actually was realizing pretty quickly this 1st year as an investigator that, oh, kids are excited to do projects, but they’re also very wary if they haven’t had time to really experience these things yet, they might not wanna do it. So not only was I trying to figure out the curriculum in my schedule, but also how do I manage a classroom, and it does change for different grade levels? I had taught most of them in some capacity before, but it does change the way that you deliver content. What do my students either know What are they learning in their classrooms? What are the standards if I even had to look at them? I will say this 1st year, my lessons were a bit all over the place. I did start off my year with digital citizenship, but that was totally fine. I didn’t really know what else to begin with, so that’s why I started with digital citizenship because that’s something I did when I taught 3rd grade. So, I thought that was a safe space to start with, which is fine. Eventually, the 1st month turned into STEM survival camp, which I highly recommend.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:03]:

I know a lot of you are actually starting to do that in your classroom, so definitely look into those lessons in my TBT shop, but I started off the year with digital citizenship and just understanding what you can know about technology. What do they not know? It was really a big learning curve. With that, I was also trying to figure out where do I like things in my classroom. How do I like to teach in this space? What is the flow of the room? Where should the furniture go? How should I even have crayons? I had crayons. Like, they’re actually very broken. Now broken crayons still color. I know. But I had a big bucket of crayons, and it was a project with 1st grade.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:46]:

I put it in the middle of the table. My tables were fairly big. They were great for K-5, but for a little kid, they couldn’t reach everything. And I just remember the screaming and kids crying because one of the kids wasn’t sharing all of the crayons, and I said okay. We need to share. That’s what we do, blah blah blah. And that student proceeded to put all the crayons in their mouth, chew them up, and spin them back in the bucket, which is awesome. So I learned, okay, a big bucket of crayons, in the middle of the table.

Naomi Meredith [00:12:15]:

Not a good idea. So even little things like that my 1st year, I could not have predicted at all. And it was just definitely a learning curve, and that’s okay. In a lot of ways, I felt like a 1st year teacher, which, thank goodness, there are things I did know about teaching in general, but it was just all of those things coming up yet once. Again, my lesson planning was very random, and I felt like I was just planning day to day and kind of not always thinking about the big picture of things and doing a lot of those quick one day lessons, which, in turn, you actually are planning a lot more. I also remember when I did make her space, I ran out of supplies during the first lesson. I thought Makerspace was a free for all, and students just built whatever they wanted. They make it how giant they want. They use unlimited tape. I was so wrong about that.

Naomi Meredith [00:13:15]:

No. That is not how it goes. So, again, So much fun. The students were learning about the class along with me. We were definitely building the airplane wallet flu. But there’s just a lot of things within this 1st year of STEM that you’re like, wow. What just happened today? So, thinking back to past Naomi and the things that she really needed, that first year teaching STEM, and also thinking about your guys’ experiences when I talk with all of you, all the different ways that we chat, I needed a full thought out K-5 STEM year-long plan of lessons that somebody has already taught with their kids has a lot of different experiences. So I could literally just plop that into my lessons and focus on my systems routines and behavior management.

Naomi Meredith [00:14:07]:

And really, for me, it was learning the whole school. I would love just to have something that was authentic and usable with kids. Not one of those curriculums that are just, you know, those big box ones. There are a few I have in mind, but something that actually works with students. So that’s definitely something that past, ma’am, you wish she had in this investigator role. But a good thing for you that is already created for you. I also wish that I had a podcast that I could listen to. My crime podcast through crime ones weren’t really helping me, when it came to teaching elementary STEM, maybe a little bit of the forensics part, but not really.

Naomi Meredith [00:14:46]:

And so I really wish I had a podcast. So thank you so much for being here and listening along the way. Some of you even said that this podcast is a long time coming, and they’re so glad you’re so glad that I have it. And so, definitely using this podcast as a resource, I do even have all the episodes categorized So if there’s a certain topic that you are looking for, we’ll put that in the show notes, but I do have a podcast playlist for you. So same exact show, just everything is sorted into categories, so you can see the episodes for a specific need. I also just wish that there was a course that could line up how to set up those systems and routines. So yes, having those plug and play lessons, but somebody who could guide me and say, okay, here’s what you should do for setting up your lessons. Here’s what you should do for setting up your classroom.

Naomi Meredith [00:15:38]:

Here are some things to think about. Here are some other ways to grow in your STEM journey. Just a getting started course to have that all ready to go, and it does exist now. It’s some teacher 101. So definitely thinking about where you’re at in your done journey. Or if they’re even if you’ve taught more than a year and you’re like, oh, I need to go back to that systems and routines thing. Then those things are definitely available for you that I have created. And again, those will be linked in the show notes.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:08]:

So, of course, I got through my first year teaching STEM, and I didn’t give up. I would be exhausted every day, but definitely figured out and was ready for my 2nd year in STEM and transitioned into that role in the STEM teacher pathway as the navigator. Which I am going to be talking about that role in the next episode. As a reminder, if you wanna hear more about my journey and the things that I wish I had. There are some other things that past Naomi wish I had and things that I would do differently. I have created a free pop-up podcast for you that is available for a limited time only, and there are 3 many episodes that you can binge within the hour and hear of different things that I wish I had and things that you can definitely consider in your STEM teacher pathway. Thanks so much, and I will see you in the next episode.

investigator STEM teacher

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

elementary stem teacher

3 Stages of Being an Elementary STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.122]

by Naomi Meredith

3 Stages of Being an Elementary STEM Teacher [STEM Teacher Pathway Series] [ep.122]

elementary stem teacher

Check out the full episode on 3 Stages of Being an Elementary School Teacher:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Through my own STEM teaching experience and talking with so many of you about yours, I came to realize that there are three stages of being an elementary STEM teacher: the investigator, the navigator, and the connector. In today’s episode, I am discussing the phases of the STEM teacher pathway and highlighting what happens at each stage. I also share my experiences at each phase and tips and strategies to ensure you excel at each stage.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The 3 stages of being an elementary STEM teacher – The STEM teacher pathway
  • What happens at each stage
  • What you need to know and have in place in order to succeed in each phase

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


Becoming an elementary STEM teacher is quite a journey. My experiences and needs definitely changed when I was a young teacher for 5 years. And a lot of those things, I know that you can definitely relate to as well. In fact, I broke down a typical STEM teacher’s pathway with what you are experiencing at different points in your role. The different types of needs that you have, and even the ways that I can best support you. This is the first episode in the STEM teacher pathway series, and I am so excited to jump right in. 


Naomi Meredith [00:00:49]:


Before I was a K through 5 STEM teacher, I was a classroom teacher for 6 years. I taught 2nd grade for 2 years 3rd grade for 4 years. When I made the transition into K through 5 STEM, I was so excited, but I was also very overwhelmed. And let’s be real. I didn’t know everything.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:36]:


Even if you have been teaching elementary STEM for a while or maybe you are just getting started, I wanna make sure that you’re not making the same mistakes that I did. With that in mind, I have put together a bonus private podcast with 3 episodes where I am sharing my not so straight pathway to teaching elementary STEM. And what I would be doing different today. It’s absolutely free of this private podcast, but you do have limited time to listen to it. So as soon as you get the link, you can binge all three episodes, and they are actually shorter than my typical episodes. These episodes will be available from September 14th, 2023, all the way to October 6. This is going to be linked in the show notes for you, or you can grab this at naomimeredith.com/STEM pathway pod. When I was mapping out this podcast series for you guys, I was legit journaling it.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:43]:


I have always been a journaler off and on throughout my entire life, but I was legit sitting on my back deck with my little dog, Frederick, and thinking about my STEM journey. And with that in mind, I noticed that throughout my years in elementary STEM, there are certain things that I needed my 1st year that were completely different than the middle of my career and also the 4 5 years and beyond. And you probably are feeling the same exact way. So I came up with the STEM teacher pathway and the 3 phases that You typically go through in this elementary STEM role. Those are the investigator, the navigator, and the connect These phases are, again, based on my experiences as an elementary STEM teacher and 11 years in education. But more specifically, those years as a STEM teacher, and also all of the conversations that I have been having with all of you over the years. Whether it’s been in my online workshops, my STEM teacher bookshelf membership over on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore, all of those different places and all of those different conversations is where I gathered information and really categorize these different STEM teacher phases and this pathway that you typically go through. Now I’m gonna be explaining these 3 different phases, but it’s okay if you’re feeling like, oh, I really resonate with 2 of these or all three of them.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:23]:


And guess what? That is absolutely okay. There are no technical pull rules to it. There isn’t a quiz to take or something to pass if you feel like that you are in 1 phase or another This is to really help you understand where you might be in your STEM teacher journey and how I can best support you. Likewise, when it comes to the resources that I will be talking about, again, these aren’t tied a 100% to each of these phases. I really wanted to go through and categorize all of these things so I can be your best support in your STEM teacher journey And if you were feeling overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start or where you are even at or how to grow and keep going, this episode is perfect for all of you. The 1st phase in the STEM teacher pathway is being the investigator. When you are in this phase, you have taught elementary STEM for about 0 to 1 year. So you are very new to this elementary STEM position.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:29]:


You’re typically a former elementary teacher in whatever type of capacity. So you have some background in teaching already, But this elementary STEM position is brand new to you. You are typically walking into this role with limited lies and 0 curriculum. And more often than not, you don’t have any formal training when it comes to elementary STEM. You might be really good already at hands on learning, engaging your students using technology in effective ways. And someone might have thought, hey. You’d be really good at that elementary STEM thing. Why not you give it a shot? That was exactly me.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:11]:


There are a whole lot of things that you need to do when jumping into this role, but typically the main focus in this investigator role are a few things. First, you are really focusing on building your systems and routines. Especially if you are going from teaching the same class all day to teaching multiple classes all day In a variety of grade levels, you need to figure out those systems and routines that are going to work for the entire day. Likewise, you are really building up those relationships with students. It does take some time to get to know those kids, but you you know as a teacher that it’s important to build relationships no matter how many students you have. Also, the lesson planning can be a bit overwhelming because you’re really focusing on those systems and routines, which is definitely the foundation of your program. And so you took definitely need ready to go lessons that are standards based that you don’t have to think about it quite so much this year. So you can focus in on those really foundational things in your classroom, and you can learn the tools as you go.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:24]:


You are in this phase where you are just gathering all of this information. You are in all sorts of Facebook groups. You are just soaking in all of these resources and all the different things that elementary sim can be. So you can build up the program and really have it be a well rounded experience for your students. Now when it comes to specific resources that can be really helpful for you, that I can help you with is, of course, this podcast. And if you’re here, thank you so much for listening. This podcast is definitely here for you. And I really encourage you if you haven’t already go back to the beginning of my podcast.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:03]:


There’s stuff for — all the things, but really go back into the beginning and see all of those back to school types of lessons. I also have all my podcast episodes categorized, which I will link that in the show notes. So if you’re looking for something specific while you are definitely getting started or really new stage, definitely check that out. This podcast is here for you. When it comes to ready to go lessons where you don’t have to think about it, I definitely encourage you to check out my K through 5 STEM, your long bundle of lessons. There’s a lot of great updates that are always coming to those lessons and I’m always thinking about how to improve those. So when you have those ready to go lessons, you don’t have to worry so much about the lesson planning quite yet. They are there and ready to go so you can focus in on those systems and routines.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:53]:


When it comes to what things you should be doing in terms of building out the program. I talk all about that in-depth in my STEM teacher 101 course. Which there is actually a podcast component to that. But inside of that course, I will walk you through all of the things you need to do when it comes to setting up your classroom basic lesson planning. So you already have those ready to go ones with my bundle of resources. But really talk about, okay, here’s some lesson planning structures and other ways to keep going in your program. So this is the course you never knew you needed. You probably didn’t have much coming into this role.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:35]:


So I put it together in this nice little course where you can have it all ready to go and you can even do it in a weekend. Moving along in your STEM teacher pathway is You’re becoming a navigator, and a navigator has been in this STEM role for about 2 to 3 years. And you’re really gonna hang the hang of this elementary stent position, and it’s really a lot of fun. You are getting to know the students. You have some tools that you absolutely love and feel confident about. There’s other tools that you are excited to learn and you’re feeling comfortable enough that you are ready to be creative with your lesson planning, and you’re adding in your own things to make it your own. Along with that, you are excited to try other teaching strategies. So maybe your 1st year, you really focused in on whole group instruction So you can get the hang of things and how you are gonna actually teach the lessons to your students.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:38]:


But now you’re ready to try something new, maybe like STEM stations with your students and how to have all of these different things going on at once. With that, your main area focuses when you are a navigator is you are building behind students prior knowledge. You already know your kids a bit. You have that relationship building going, but you are focusing on, okay. So here’s what the kids did with me the past year or so. Let’s continue to build upon that knowledge so they can grow in their STEM skills. You are also starting to have the time where you’re not so overwhelmed by just the whole building the STEM program, but creating those original lessons. So you still are have those lessons that are built out for you, but then you are adding in your own twist of things based on what you’re seeing with your students, and your comfortability level.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:34]:


Now that you have some things under your belt, you’re also ready to collaborate with other like minded teachers to help you continue where you are at in your STEM journey and where you are headed. This also will help you see those different holes in where you are at and what you’re missing. So meaning with other like minded teachers is extremely helpful now that you have that year under your belt. When it comes to specific resources in which I can help you with, I have a quite a few options for you. My podcast again is always going to be an option for you, and I do have that private podcast that is available for a limited time. So definitely check that out in the show notes where I do talk about my journey in elementary STEM and the mistakes that I met made and what I would do different. Also, when you’re thinking about different planning structures and ways that you want to enhance your teaching strategies, My k through 5 STEM planning workshops are broken up into k through 2 and 3 through 5 are a great opportunity to have Awesome success within 2 hours. You get example lessons and also I talk through that structure so that you can easily implement that into your room.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:53]:


There also are a few ways that I can provide you some opportunities to connect with other student teachers. I remember how hard it was just finding other people who were doing what I was doing. Now I was lucky enough to some people in my school district who were other elementary STEM teachers, but it was also really amazing talking to other people who were not in my district because you get a lot of different perspectives and hear what things could be. You kinda get one-sided when it’s just your district because your district tells you one thing. But it’s nice hearing other people’s perspectives all over the country. So inside of my STEM teacher, a bookshelf membership, This will help you not only with your professional reading, but also where you get to connect with other like minded teachers in our online discussions and in our monthly live calls. Now if you’re needing more guided support and really ready to dive in, My group coaching program is opening up really, really soon for the fall of 2023. And you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and, again, have weekly live calls where we can focus in on where your lesson planning is going.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:07]:


So creating those original lessons and also how we can use the materials that you have and also grow your program as well. So that’s coming up really, really soon, so keep an ear out for that. As you were traveling along this STEM teacher pathway, and you’ve taught for about 4 and plus years and beyond, You have become a connector, and you are in love with elementary STEM. This is your thing. You are never going back to whatever you taught before. That’s not happening again. Someone’s gonna have to pull you out by your coattails because you are ready and staying in elementary STEM. You just love it so much.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:50]:


You are, at this point, about 4 plus years in, you are confident about your STEM, your long plan, you have a whole year of lessons with a mix of already made lessons and also some of your unique lessons, and you’re ready to adapt to those STEM trends. So you have a firm foundation of what elementary STEM currently can be, but you are very open to adapting your lessons based on the things that your students need on those STEM trends, but also you are really focusing in on Okay. My kids have had me for a while now. They’re ready for harder things. I actually talked about this with Jennifer Mahhen in a past episode. We were actually talking about grant opportunities, but she noticed the same thing in her program that the longer she had the kids talking years, The kids had more capabilities and skills and in turn, needing more tools, needing more sophisticated lessons to meet her students’ needs and really challenge them. You are also focusing in on wanting to add more community building things when it comes to STEM outside of your classroom. That might be when it comes to collaborating on district wide events, or even adding in after school clubs that are bringing together your community.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:14]:


Maybe you’ve done some after school club before, maybe in those 1st couple of years that are just some quick and fun things like Lego building or makerspace challenges. But maybe you really want things where it’s more competition based where students are showcasing your skills or ways that you can in more kids like doing video school wide news where you’re really bringing your community together in bigger ways. Maybe you’re also planning STEM events where you are bringing outside resources where there are parents or other people in community who are sharing about how STEM is used in their real world. So you’re all of the pieces are coming together. And when you’re at this point, You’re ready to do all of those extra fun. I haven’t quoted you in March because STEM is always fun, but all of those extra things in your role. You also might be trying some different teaching styles. So again, those STEM stations are might be things that you are doing, but I’m even talking about things like co teaching with other teachers in your building.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:16]:


It could be ways where maybe they’re doing something in their homeroom classroom and then they’re bringing it into your STEM classroom and expanding on that idea. Maybe you are collaborating with other teachers outside of your building. Maybe they’re in your district or in another state or another part of the world. So you’re really thinking about those ways where you can enhance those global collaborations with your students and maybe even your own professional development. Since you are loving this role, so much. You definitely need an opportunity to continue your passion and have some help when looking at your program in a different way. And to push you along and having that feedback. Again, that group coaching program that I will be hosting coming out really soon for fall 2023, will be a great way for you to collaborate and really challenge yourself when it comes to how you can continue to build your program But then if you also need more guidance and just really want to brainstorm and bounce ideas back and forth, I love doing that, and I do have one to one coaching spots that are available, which those are open at any time, unless for some reason, I close them, but they’re open at any time, which, again, you can find that in the show notes.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:33]:


Teaching in elementary STEM is definitely a Ernie, and it’s okay if you don’t have it figured out going into this role. We talked about those different phases in your STEM teacher pathway. And we start off as that investigator. So you’ve taught 0 to 1 years, moving into that navigator role and then into that connector role. And who knows? Whatever it is beyond. Which phase of the STEM teacher pathway are you in and which ones are you really connecting with? Now don’t forget, I do have my private podcast coming out for you for a limited time only. So if you’re listening to this episode while it comes out, that is available for you. And I am sharing my journey in elementary STEM and the mistakes that I made, my not so straight pathway in elementary STEM, and what I would do differently if I were to do it all over again.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:30]:


You can find that private podcast link and all of the resources that I talked in this episode in the show notes. And for that private podcast, you can grab it at naomiemeritus.com/ STEM pathway pod.

elementary stem teacher

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

video making for students

3 Benefits of Video Making for Students [ep.121]

by Naomi Meredith

3 Benefits of Video Making for Students [ep.121]

video making for students

Check out the full episode on 3 Benefits of Video Making for Students:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

You may have heard your students talk about wanting to be a YouTuber or TikToker, and in this day and age, it can very well be a reality for them. If you’re wondering if you should incorporate video production into your classroom, today’s episode is for you. In today’s episode, I’m sharing three benefits of video making for students. Who knows, you just might have the next big YouTube star in your classroom!

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Benefits of students making videos
  • Why learning how to create videos and be on camera are essential skills for students
  • Tips for getting started with video making for students
  • The different types of video content students should create

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


When I grow up, I want to be a YouTuber, or I want to be a TikToker. Do you ever hear this from your students? More often than not. Okay, so I am a little bit biased about this topic because, yes, here on the Elementary STEM Coach podcast, I am also a YouTuber per se, where I do record the video of my podcast episodes and make other video content as well to share with all of you to help you with STEM education. So again, I definitely believe in this topic and see the power of it, and I know that students creating videos is really important. Being a YouTuber isn’t that far-fetched of a dream. In fact, YouTube is the number two search engine compared to Google. We, as humans, like watching videos. We like watching other people.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:00]:


Whether it is a how-to video on how to fix your microwave, I definitely watched one of those in the past couple of weeks, or even how to cook something. Video can bring so much content to life, and you actually get to see what is happening, whether our students become YouTubers or TikTokers. In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you the benefits of students creating videos and different ways that you can get started. You are here listening to this episode, and I already completed my live virtual workshop when it comes to setting up your pre-recorded schoolwide video news.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:10]:


Now, if you’re sitting here, you’re like, oh man, I wish I should have signed up. Don’t worry, I recorded the whole experience, so you didn’t have to miss out. So you don’t have the opportunity to chat with me live. But inside, you get the whole workshop, all of the templates to get started, and all the tips and tricks to be on your way. So, in 2 hours, I know that you can be successful with your video schoolwide news. You can jump in on that at naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop. Okay, I have a confession to make. When I was a kid, I was a lot like my students.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:50]:


I always wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, and I actually made that dream possible, which is pretty cool. I always wanted to be a teacher. But on the side, there are a couple of things. I always wanted my own business, and I always wanted to be on camera, which is super funny. All three things have actually come true. I haven’t changed much, apparently, since I was a kid, but I always wanted to be on camera. It first started when I was watching the Barney show, and I got really jealous of the kids that they got to make all of these cool crafts on camera and show all of us how to make them. And then it moved on to Bill Nye, the Science Guy, again, he’s super entertaining.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:39]:


It’s a dream to have him on my podcast, go tag him and tell him I would love to have him on here. But I started with Bill Nye, then went to Bill Nye the Science Guy, and then I went to Disney Channel, and I loved just seeing other kids on camera. But my favorite parts again were the ones when kids were teaching you how to do something, so they’re like, here’s this science activity, or here’s how to do this. And I really loved that. So when I wasn’t playing school and messing with my siblings and trying to teach them how to read, only one of them listened to me, and I did teach them how to read. We were actually making a lot of videos with our camcorder and had the little cassette tapes in there. So, making videos has been something that I’ve been doing for a long time. I’m definitely not shy when it comes to the camera, whether it’s pictures or video, which here I am today, making my dreams come true.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:35]:


And I do make a lot of videos on how to do things, whether it’s here in the STEM classroom, elementary STEM, or even if it’s recorded videos, which is pretty funny. So super jealous of Selena Gomez. She was a Disney Channel kid and Barney kid, so I definitely knew the wrong people growing up, but we’ll see. Everybody has their own journey. The more that I was thinking about this, though, I asked myself the question, did I ever make any videos when I was at school? And the answer is no. I personally did not make one video during the school day. And not to say the technology wasn’t there, it was, but I just didn’t really ever have the opportunity to ever make a video. I was in a photography class, but I never made any videos, and so it was harder again to get that technology.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:32]:


But think about your students, think about your teaching career. Have you ever had students make a video with you? Even if you’ve taught within the past ten years, you’ve had the technology in your back pocket. And our students shouldn’t be going through school K through twelve and say, yeah, I never made a video at school. They should never, ever be able to say that. Videos can be super polished, like having a video school wide news, or they can be super simple, like recording what they did on their work. In Seesaw again, video is not going away. Video is super important, and even as little as pre k students should be making videos to share their ideas. So let’s talk about this more.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:25]:


What are the benefits of students making videos? Why should they be doing this? Why should they be in front of the camera and behind the camera? Why does this even matter? They’re not all going to be YouTubers, let’s face it. But they all need these video skills. So let’s get into it. The first benefit of students making videos is it brings the content to life. Everything doesn’t have to be a video. I mean, it can be, but it doesn’t all have to be. And you’re probably sitting there like, yeah. Naomi, you were a STEM teacher.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:59]:


Of course your kids made videos in your class. Yes, they did. But when I was a classroom teacher, they also made videos in my class. And when I was co teaching with teachers, I showed them to have students make videos in their class. The big project that I remember is when I taught third grade, we did a rocks and minerals museum. And so students kept bringing in these beautiful minerals that they got from all these places. They had so many of them. I said, you know what, we’re going to create a whole project and we’re going to create a rocks and minerals museum, and you are going to study about one of these minerals and create a presentation that when they come into our museum, they can learn all about it.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:42]:


But the part of this museum is we aren’t there to present when we go to a museum. There are people helping out, but there’s videos and other things that we can watch so we can have the project come to life. So I did have students create a video clip, and that was part of their presentation that had QR codes and different things. But I had them create a video to share part of the information about their rock and mineral. Same thing when I was co teaching second grade, was learning about weather. And so we did a whole weather report that they could present. And then I modified the same kind of thing when it came to third grade, which you can actually grab that lesson in the show notes when it comes to a whole green screen, worldwide weather report, there are so many different ways that content can be brought to life. So when you’re thinking about ways for students can share the information, think about does it have to be a poster that is stagnant and they’re standing next to it talking about it, or are there ways that they can share that same information and put it in a video format? When you do that, watch the engagement rise.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:57]:


The second benefit of students being able to create videos is it’s teaching them the skills to be able to explain things clearly to others. This is an important life skill. Now, the top tier of this, being able to explain the information to others is when I did my schoolwide prerecorded video news. And if you missed out on a bit, I have the workshop at Naomi Meredith.com Newsworkshop. And every day we shared news that was happening in our building, like the lunch, the birthdays, after school clubs, and other big events that were coming up. But students had to be very clear in how they were presenting the information. So everybody can understand what is going on. But you can even do this really simply with having things that aren’t as pre planned.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:52]:


So even going into things like Seesaw, Flipgrid, and WeVideo, students can either record their screen or record their face explaining more about a topic. It can be as polished as you want, or it could be as easy as hitting record and talking about what was their favorite thing that they learned today. So the more kids have practiced being on camera, the more comfortable they are going to be. You’re going to have little kids who say, I don’t like being on camera, and I say to them, that’s fine, but this is a skill that we need to get better at. And the only people as of now who are saying this are me, you, your classmates, maybe your parents. We’re not putting it anywhere else. And so again, it’s a very important skill. But not only that, in the elementary space, it’s a skill for when they get to be an adult.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:45]:


Think about how did you feel teaching online during COVID. Now, for me, personally, I didn’t mind whatsoever. I was very comfortable being on video calls, and that was something that I was doing regularly anyway. So teaching on camera was actually really fun and I really enjoyed it. But not every teacher had that same experience. There was a lot of teachers who had never made a video for their class before. So me transitioning online was very easy because I had that video experience. But teaching isn’t the only thing that needs video experience. More and more and more employers are looking for people who are confident on camera, who can speak to others.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:33]:


And we want to prepare students for their real world. In fact, I’m going to be working on the side with a company who was looking for people who can do STEM presentations well on camera and who is comfortable doing things on camera. And if I hadn’t had this experience before, there’s no way I would have even applied or they wouldn’t have given me the time of day. So just think about that for your students. Again, they might not all be YouTubers, but everybody needs experience being confident on camera so that they can present the information clearly for others to understand. And the third benefit of students creating videos is they’re going to appreciate the whole process of creating higher quality projects. You know, when you give students a project, they’re moaning and groaning, oh, we have to do this again. Well, you want kids to be excited about what you are doing and when it comes to a higher quality video, so still do those little quick videos, having them check in, having them explain their ideas, but also balance it when it comes to producing a video from start to finish.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:48]:


So you have the idea, you have the script, you record, you edit, you make some changes and then you’re ready to publish. So there are benefits to both types of videos. So you definitely want to do both. I tell the kids, anybody can just hit record and make a TikTok video, whatever, it goes viral. Woohoo. Good for you. But if you have the skills to create high quality videos, you’re going to have the skills for that longevity of where you can actually do more with your videos just like this podcast. Honestly.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:19]:


So when we did our school video news, the kids were actually amazed and shocked how much work it was behind the scenes to get a five minute video out there. They were so surprised that IDIS didn’t let them show up and just start talking to the camera. They actually had a script that they had to read and practice and perform so that they sounded good on camera. Likewise, my editing team was so shocked and they loved editing their friends news. They loved seeing all the mistakes, but they were surprised too. They’re all, oh wow, the actual video is seven minutes, but when I took out all the extra parts, it turned it down to four. I know. And they also appreciated students who practiced more and they didn’t have to edit as much.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:12]:


So there’s definitely times when there’s a lot of editing in my episodes for my podcast manager and a lot not of editing so that can happen as well. But they definitely appreciated the whole process and they were really proud of their work because it is work behind the scenes to get higher quality videos. Now it doesn’t just have to be your school wide news. You could even do projects in class when it comes to using research, writing a script and doing all of that similar process. I did this with students where they were learning about space junk and why space junk is a problem and even figuring out what space junk is. And students created a video to teach others about it and possible solutions. So they did go through a whole similar process and instead of their face being on camera, they added an audio narration. But they did add some pictures and video clips on top.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:08]:


Another lesson that I tested out with first grade is that we were learning about the four seasons and why they work, how long the days are, and students created little props where they would use the props to help them explain the different parts of the seasons and how they worked. And then they helped each other film the videos. That was a lot of fun. They did have a script in first grade. So that is something that I will definitely work on and refine and get that lesson out to you. But you can still use scripts and a whole process of video making, even with younger students. And another fun way to create videos when it really comes to storytelling, every type of video can have storytelling. But a big thing I really like to do this is with stop motion animation.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:56]:


So that is when students take a ton, a ton, a ton of pictures, and they’re played really fast where it creates a whole video through it. So one of my favorites is when students were researching about fossils and they picked a fossil and they had some information about it, but then they had to tell a story of how that living thing in the past turned into a fossil. What was its story? How did that happen? Because not every living thing becomes a fossil has to be in the right time and place. So that was a really cool way to use stop motion storytelling to add in that element of videography. So that lesson I do have and we will link in the show notes. As you can see, I am so passionate about video creation and teaching students proper ways to do this when they’re young so that they can be confident on camera and use these skills for things even outside of school. So when it comes to those benefits of students making videos, here’s what we talked about. First is that it can bring content to life.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:03]:


Next is students will be able to explain things clearly to others. And third, this helps students, when they create videos, appreciate the process of higher quality projects. Hopefully, after listening to this episode, you’re going to start at least one way for students to create videos consistently in your classroom. Whether that is doing quick little videos, explaining their work, or even starting your schoolwide video news, there are so many benefits to it. And your students are going to love this opportunity to practice something they’re already passionate about in a structured way. Thank you again for being here and I will see you in the next episode. 

video making for students

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

video school announcements

5 Misconceptions about Pre-Recorded Video School Announcements [ep.120]

by Naomi Meredith

5 Misconceptions about Pre-Recorded Video School Announcements [ep.120]

video school announcements

Check out the full episode on 5 Misconceptions about Pre-Recorded Video School Announcements:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Have you been hesitant to start a school-wide news club because running it sounds like a lot of work? Maybe you believe you don’t have access to what you need to get started. In today’s episode, I’m debunking 5 misconceptions about pre-recorded video school announcements and sharing many of the benefits of transitioning from traditional announcements to video announcements.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 5 misbeliefs about pre-recorded video school announcements 
  • The truth about these misconceptions
  • Benefits of pre-recorded video school announcements

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


What is it typically like when the announcements come on at your school? Over the intercom. Usually, this happens in the morning. The kids are coming into the building, they’re unpacking their backpacks, they’re getting ready for the day, pulling out their homework, and checking in with their friends. You, as the teacher, are managing all the things. Like always, you might have a couple of emails you’re finishing up. You’re greeting students, fighting fires, and getting everything ready so you guys can have a successful day. Meanwhile, the school-wide announcements come over the intercom. Sometimes, they’re at the typical time they’re scheduled for, or maybe they’re a minute or two late.


Naomi Meredith [00:00:45]:


But either way, they are often really disruptive. No one’s really listening, teachers or kids. And sometimes, they seem to go on forever and ever. I totally get it. It was like this at my school. And out of the three schools that I worked at, it was like this in every single building. But it doesn’t have to stay this way. In fact, our school-wide announcements totally changed at my school when I switched to a prerecorded video model.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:23]:


But I know what you’re thinking. That sounds great, but that’s too much work to do. Video news? Can’t we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and no need to change it? Who cares if anybody’s listening anyway? Don’t worry. In fact, I have heard all of those sentiments before when I got the video news recorded at my school. So, in this episode, I am debunking five common misconceptions when it comes to starting video school announcements and what it really is like behind the scenes. 


Naomi Meredith [00:02:24]:


If you haven’t already checked it out yet, I am hosting live a workshop to take you through the whole process of setting up your video school-wide news. From the pre-prep to the script, recording, organizing all the content, and editing to publishing, I’m going to be showing you it all in this live two-hour workshop. Now, if you’re listening to this episode live, you can definitely still jump in on that workshop and interact with me and other teachers who will be there. But if you’re listening even months down the road, don’t you worry. This workshop will be recorded so you can listen on the go and get some awesome wins in 2 hours. Not only will I be talking through the process and helping you get set up with your video school-wide news, there will also be templates and examples to help you visualize and get this running with your students for all of this information and even more to jump on in find it naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop. So you’re hearing me talk about this video news, and you’re thinking, okay, that’s great, but we just want to keep it the way it is.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:47]:


That just sounds like too much work. But what if, in education, that’s one of the most detrimental things to say is, well, we’ve always done it this way, we’re just going to keep doing it this way. That was definitely the school that I worked at. Video news, I know, isn’t a new concept, but it was something new at my school. And really, teachers were very wary of it. They were unsure of how it would go, what information was going to be shared, would it actually be helpful? Would kids even sign up for the news? Spoiler alert: I had 40 my first year sign up for my news club and 80 the next year. So yes, kids are very interested. The biggest barrier was the actual teachers.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:36]:


So here I am breaking down those misconceptions and how video news can actually be a great success in your school and help you understand the reason why this is important. Even just by shifting the way that the information is presented, you might even have great content coming over the intercom. You can still keep that great content, but just shifting the way that it is presented can make an even greater impact on your school community. Video is not going away. Video is not a new thing. In fact, I am here recording this podcast. And yes, podcasts are excellent. I am all for audio only, but also you have the pleasure of listening to this whenever you want.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:29]:


Same with your video news. You can watch it at any time of the school day. That works best in your schedule. And likewise, I understand the value of video. So, while I’m recording this audio, I am looking directly at a camera. So you can actually absorb the information by looking at my face. So video is extremely powerful, and it’s definitely not going away. So let’s get into these misconceptions and why this can actually be a game changer in your school.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:04]:


Switching your school-wide announcements that are blaring over the intercom and in a video format. The first misconception you might have when setting up your school-wide video news is that you need fancy equipment to get started to record. Guess what? I thought the same thing. I thought the same exact thing. And this even goes back to when I was excited about starting this podcast. This actually is the second podcast that I’ve ever had, and we use some fancy things back on that podcast. The innovative teacher podcast. I think it might still be around.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:43]:


You might have to go check, but I realized that you can do amazing things with minimal materials. Really? Right now, all I’m using is software to record. My phone is my camera, and then I have a microphone. So, I thought of the same concept when it came to my school video news. Looking in my classroom, I had iPads and tripods, and really, I had my phone also had a slightly better camera than the iPads. And that’s all we used to get started. We just used the camera app on the iPad and hit record. And maybe you’re saying, okay, well, we don’t have iPads, we give up.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:25]:


The second year, we actually switched to the cameras on the student devices. So we use that front facing camera as a way to record our news. Now, when it came to the editing side, the first year, I used iMovie, which is something that is embedded in iPads already. And also, on my computer, I used iMovie to edit. The second year, we used WeVideo to edit. So it works a lot like iMovie. But I had more students who were actually helping me edit instead of me being a team of one editing with a couple of students who joined me in the second semester. But those were the platforms that we used when it came to the editing side.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:07]:


And then I posted everything in Google Drive, and it was shared within our school. We actually didn’t post on social media. That was just something that we decided for school and student safety that this wasn’t something posted outside of our school building. So, the tools to get started were really simple, and there are two things. First, like I said, these were things that we already had on hand, so I wanted to use these tools in an effective way. And the second thing is I wanted students to see that you can create great content with minimal tools. And these minimal tools are actually really good. The videos that I’m creating here at home are way better than the ones that I was creating at their age.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:54]:


Our technology is so much better, and it’s even smaller. So let’s use it. You can start implementing a green screen. I did write a grant for a greenscreen, tripod, so that is something we add in later on. Again, the technology of editing is very simple. You can do that in iMovie. We video or. My favorite iPad app is Dew Ink Green Screen by Dewink.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:20]:


It has a pink octopus on it, but you don’t even have to do that either. Half the time, we didn’t edit the green screen, and it was okay. So if you’re letting just the actual tools hold you back, you probably already have the one tool to get started in your back pocket your phone. The second misconception when it comes to having prerecorded video school announcements is you need a lot of prior experience to get started. Teachers and students. Guess what? I always would tell my students this I wasn’t born knowing how to use any technology. Surprise, surprise. I didn’t come out of my mom and know how to use a 3D printer or make a video, they don’t either.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:07]:


Now, kids these days, sure, maybe they’re able to adapt and learn technology a lot quicker, but it is a big difference to using technology in academic ways that can be a whole podcast in itself. Likewise, with you, everything can be learned. I have a book that I really love. It’s a business book by Marie Forilio, and it is called Everything is Figureoutable. And I told my students that that is true. So, just like with the news, we were building the airplane as we flew it. And good thing for you, in the workshop, I kept track of everything that we did for two years. So you don’t have to worry about having any prior experience.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:46]:


If you can turn on the camera on your phone, you are good to go. If you can hit record on the camera on your phone, then you are ready to start the news. With that and with the scripts I’ll give you in the workshop, you are going to be creating a repeatable structure that you can build upon as the year goes, especially if you are doing this every single day, then you’re going to figure out some kinks along the way. That’s just how teaching is. When you’re teaching something new, you’re going to be a lot of times learning along with the kids. So, as long as you have the structure set up like the one I’m going to be giving you, then you can jump in and get started. It is totally okay. And with that, when it comes to, oh, we don’t have any prior experience, that’s the whole point of it.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:37]:


With this club, you have the opportunity to even connect to important standards. I’m thinking about the Common Core State Standards and specifically speaking and listening standards for every grade level. There is something about being able to share your ideas in a clear way and also create digital presentations. Now hopefully, you’re doing that anyway in your classroom. But this is a big presentation where students’ work is being shared right away, and there’s immediate feedback. Along with that, you can even check out the SD standards for students. The prerecorded video news really go along with a lot of standards within that, those technology standards. And I’m even thinking about a global collaborator where we are getting information from their real world, their school.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:30]:


They’re getting that information and presenting it in a way that it makes sense for not only teachers but especially students. So this is a really great way that will build upon skills that they may or may not already have and ones that we’re already hoping to teach our students. When you’re thinking about setting this up and the skills that you will be teaching your students, your recording team will actually help you create parts of your script. So there will be sections that they will actually have to prepare before they even hit record. It’s not something where they will show up and the script is 100% done for them. They have to have a bit of buy in to get it ready so they can record their day. Then as the year goes on, you can teach other things like green screen going in other locations, interviewing people, you can add in other elements like that even. There were times of the year when kids get a little bit squirrely, where we had to remind them of ways of how you should present on camera.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:38]:


Sometimes I would even show them videos of this podcast of me talking to you and I would show them, am I messing around on camera? No. Am I climbing all over the chairs and bugging the people next to me? Now for me, it’d be bugging my dog Frederick who’s behind me. No, because I need to give the information. And so, same with them. You can make silly videos all day long, but that’s not the purpose of the news. So you’re really teaching them a different way to present on camera. Same with your editing team. You’re going to be teaching them skills as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:13]:


And even if you don’t know how to edit yet, these platforms are so much easier to edit in, don’t you worry. So they’ll learn how to clean up your video. And I even have a whole checklist that we created together. I had an initial checklist, but then as we got going with kids, me and the other teacher who ran the editing side as we got going, we added some things to this checklist and we really made it a must do and may do checklist when it comes to editing. And again, same exact checklist that I use when I edit my videos, which will also be included in the news workshop. Again, you are teaching kids when they’re on that editing team, skills that are important to publishing a great clean video. And you can build up those skills as you go, like editing the green screen, adding music, adding text overlay, adding transitions, so you don’t have to know all of it at first. Your students might not either.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:09]:


And you’ll learn and grow together and be amazed by how far you come. The third misconception when it comes to starting your prerecorded video news is that audio announcements are sufficient enough, no need to change them. Sure, it’s probably easy for your admin to pop on the intercom and disrupt what you are doing, and go on and on for five or so minutes about information that may or may not be heard. Great, keep doing that. That’s fine. You can still have the same people present and have the same information. You’re just making it more visual. What’s really great when you have the news that’s actually pre-recorded and not live, is that teachers can actually plan it into their systems and routines.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:58]:


And when we’re really thinking about, okay, what’s working best for students, what is really going to help the learning environment, what is something that kids can count on? This video news was something that worked for every teacher, and they put it in at a different part of their day. And actually, funny enough, if kids were being a little naughty in the morning, the teacher would not play it, and they had to earn it back, so they would eventually play it later on. But they loved it so much that kids didn’t want to miss out on watching the news. I reached out to a lot of the teachers that I worked with, classroom teachers, and also my teammates when it came to what they thought of the news. And here’s what one of the third-grade teachers said I love the RHL news. That was our school RHL news because it’s a consistent way to receive and spread information to my students. It provided reminders for teachers about after-school clubs and upcoming events. It was five minutes every morning to help kick off the day.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:03]:


My students love seeing themselves and their friends deliver the news. And here’s what one of our fourth grade teachers said about the news another teacher who is implementing this into her daily routine our school news is wonderful. It is a great way for the entire school to get information, but not at the same time. It gives teachers the flexibility to do the morning announcements when it fits into our mornings. It is also great to see students step up as leaders. And it was a great way for teachers and staff to promote their own clubs and after-school activities. And, of course, the joke of the day. It genuinely made me laugh alongside my students.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:44]:


Another thing I loved was the crosswalk questions with Ms. Meredith. It was interesting and fun. I highly recommend all schools create something like the School News to better build your community. This is just another way, again, where you can build your community in a fun way that is super visual and has that video component. And I’ve said this before, but YouTube is the number two search engine next to Google, and we’re giving kids the experience to create high quality videos that when they’re outside of school, they can start doing this process on their own. This was a big one. I actually got pushback from some teachers when I got this started.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:27]:


They were very skeptical of the news. But the fourth misconception for starting your pre-recorded video news is that only adults should be saying the announcement. And I got this one quite a bit where, oh, aren’t kids going to be missing out on important information? How are they going to know what to say? Well, the answer could be yes. They could be missing out on important information if you have no structure in place and you’re doing everything last minute. So, thankfully, in my workshop, I have a very easy content plan where you can collect the information in a very easy way, and you’re not missing out on anything. Also, if you’re really concerned about adults presenting the news, we actually did use adults at the very beginning of the school year, busy times a year when we couldn’t do after-school clubs and the end of the school year. So if you really, really need adults to be on camera, don’t worry, there’s plenty of chances to do that. There’s about 180 days in the school year, so there are going to be days when adults are on camera.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:34]:


Another thing I got when it comes to having only adults present on the announcements was we should be hearing from our principal every day, and yeah, that can be actually really important. So again, when we started off the school year, we did have our school principal do the announcements and get them going. And also the end of the year, we also recorded our principal saying the Pledge of Allegiance, since that was something that our school district does. And so we put that video clip on our announcements. So every day the principal was saying the same thing, and the kids actually knew the tone of voice in the way that she said it, so they would actually repeat it, which is kind of funny. And then we also had the principal record segments that we would throw in throughout. So the students were very aware of who our principal was. And let’s be real, yeah, they like seeing our principal, but they like seeing their friends a little bit more on camera.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:27]:


So there was plenty of opportunities for our principal and admin to be on screen. Also, in episode 119, in my guest interview, Becca and her teammate Carly, she was saying that her principal had a hard time giving up these school announcements, which mine did too, at first, but then they actually ended. Up really liking it a lot better because it freed them up in the mornings where they weren’t rushing to the intercom and saying something really quick and then being on their way. So it might be a transition at first for your admin, but they might end up really liking it a lot better. It will secretly free them up quite a bit. And this is the last misconception when it comes to having pre recorded video news is if the school announcements aren’t live, you can’t add any last minute changes. I had a lot of teachers who were very worried about that one, but there is still a way to add in those things. A huge benefit of not going live is you’re not reliant on the technology working.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:31]:


There are more things that can happen if you’re going live instead of pre-recorded. So many different things, especially your school might have been like mine, where the WiFi wasn’t very good, so I did not want to risk it. And that would have been my plan time every day if we ended up going live. So what we did is we pre-recorded the news on Monday and the whole school was aware of that. So again, with the content calendar and the way that we set up the year and also the way that teachers can submit information, it helped them be on track of getting that information in so it could be presented on the news. And they knew if they didn’t give us the information soon enough, they’re going to have to wait and it’s not as urgent. So it did help everybody who wasn’t necessarily on the news crew team be more efficient with their planning to make sure that we can present the news. And that also helped with Admin as well, making sure they were organized.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:29]:


I would definitely send out a lot of emails and ask people questions and stay on top of those things. But it helped everybody get on the same page because they knew if they want other kids to hear about it, they need to get their calendars ready to go and send them our way. So I know Carly also said this in that same guest interview with Becca, that it also helped their school with their communication as well. So it really can streamline that information even though we weren’t live, because people knew we were going to pre-record it now, because it was pre-recorded, mistakes do happen. And I did watch every single episode before it was posted. So I would sit down after our editing team and I would take all the videos, watch every single one, and if there were things that had to be added last minute, I could easily do that. I got pretty fast at editing and when it’s the same structure, the videos are what, five minutes? Five or so, seven at the max. Sometimes, they were two minutes.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:30]:


Then you can get really quick at editing because you know where certain parts are supposed to be. And with that it’s really fun where you can add in those fun segments like crosswalk questions with Miss Meredith or even commercials for clubs, so it does free up. We’re adding in those fun little things not dependent on technology, and you still can add in those last minute things. And when worst comes to worse, I would even type a little note on our news page and teachers would get the information and it would be okay. As a recap, here are the five misconceptions when it comes to having prerecorded school video news. The first one was you need to have fancy equipment to record. The second misconception was students and teachers need prior experience making videos before getting started. The third misconception was audio only announcements are sufficient enough.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:24]:


The fourth misconception is only adults should be speaking on the announcements. And the fifth misconception is if the announcements aren’t live, you can’t add any last minute changes. Like I’ve said in other episodes, I am very passionate about this topic and getting kids to create videos in structured and productive ways. And in fact, in the next episode, I will be talking all about the benefits of students making videos. So yes, with the news and other ways of making videos in general. And if you haven’t already, it’s not too late to sign up for the live workshop you can jump on in naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop. Hopefully, I can see you live, but if not, join us for the recorded session. And I know that you’re going to have some great wins in our 2 hours together.


Naomi Meredith [00:25:17]:


See you in the next episode.

video school announcements

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

school started their school-wide news

How this School Started their School-Wide News with Becca McMillan and Carly Dolliger [ep.119]

by Naomi Meredith

How this School Started their School-Wide News with Becca McMillan and Carly Dolliger [ep.119]

school started their school-wide news

Check out the full episode on How this School Started their School-Wide News with Becca McMillan and Carly Dolliger:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Today’s episode is an exciting one because it is the first time we have two guests! In this episode, I chat with two of my friends, Becca McMillan and Carly Dolliger, about their experience with how their school started their school-wide news. Becca and Carly share so many great insights on the importance of collaborating, how they’ve made their school-wide news engaging, and so much more! 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Insight into how Becca and Carly’s school started their school-wide news club
  • What it’s like to have a partner teacher to support with running a school-wide news club
  • The benefits of pre-recording your school-wide news
  • Things to consider when resuming your school-wide news after the summer break
  • Advice for getting started with your school-wide news club

Resources Mentioned:

Meet Becca McMillan:

Becca McMillan is a STEM Teacher and Coach at a Title 1 elementary school in Colorado. After teaching in the classroom for 9 years in all different grade levels, she took on this role as a new passion and challenge. For the past 4 years, Becca has taught K-5 STEM and also coaches teachers to integrate STEM into their classroom curriculum. She is in a unique, flexible role that allows her to meet the needs of her school community. Becca plans and co-teaches with teachers, which allows STEM to be applied in all content areas rather than being an isolated subject.  Becca believes that STEM education is more than just Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, it is a mindset that provides engaging, real-world problem-solving experiences for students.

Connect with Becca:

Meet Carly Dolliger:

Carly is currently a K-5 performing arts teacher in Colorado. She is in her 5th year teaching and incorporates theatre, dance, and music Colorado standards in her curriculum.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


What is it really like having a daily recorded school-wide video news? I know I can talk about my school’s success since this is my favorite type of club I’ve ever hosted in my school. But let’s hear it from some other teachers.


Naomi Meredith [00:00:18]:


Today’s episode is so much fun because I have two guests, some of my teacher friends and friends in real life who implemented their school-wide video news with the system and resources I shared with them. These ladies use these resources in their school-wide news and had great success that they are so excited to continue this tradition in their school building and bring their school community together. Both ladies actually teach at the same Title One school, and they have a lot of ideas of how to make their school-wide news even better and get kids involved in various ways. Today, I’m speaking with Becca McMillan, who was on the podcast before in episode 40, and Carly Dolliger. Becca McMillan is their K-5 STEM teacher and coach at their school, and after teaching in the classroom for nine years in all different grade levels, she took on this role as a new passion and challenge. Carly is currently their K through five performing arts teacher, which is such a cool position. You don’t hear about that very often in the elementary space, a performing arts teacher. She is in her fifth year teaching and incorporates theater, dance, and music with the Colorado Standards in her curriculum. I am so excited for you to hear this interview and how their school-wide news positively impacted their school community. All right, well, thank you ladies so much for being here on this episode. I’m really excited about this one because this is the first guest interview where I’ve had two people as guests. And so we were talking, I was actually in Becca’s classroom for back to school and helping with her Maker space stuff, but then we were talking all at the InedCo conference about doing a potential podcast episode, so we planned it out, and here we are to talk about school-wide news. I’m super excited.


Carly Dolliger [00:02:59]:


Excited to be here.


Becca McMillan [00:03:01]:


Double trouble.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:02]:


Yeah, double trouble. And is this Carly, your first podcast episode?


Carly Dolliger [00:03:07]:


It is. Little newbie.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:11]:


You’ll be great. And is Becca’s second on this show? She was in episode 40.


Carly Dolliger [00:03:17]:


She’s a pro at this point.


Becca McMillan [00:03:19]:


Second overall.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:22]:


Second and second. Perfect. Well, speaking of just creating things. We’re talking about setting up your school-wide news, and I know that you two do this together, so you work at the same school, and you’ve had a lot of success. So I would love I’m so excited to talk about this because I’m sure people are yeah, yeah. Naomi, I’m sure it went great at your school, but it actually can work at other schools, so we’re going to be talking about that today. So, Becca, how did you get started at setting up your school-wide news at your school, and what is the format of it? How does that all go down at your school?


Becca McMillan [00:03:59]:


Yeah, so I kind of noticed the need for it, and I knew that Naomi had started it at your school successfully. And so we chatted about it during one of our PLCs that we had together, and you shared all your stuff with me, and I just felt like our announcements in the morning principal, she means well, but it’s a crazy time of the day. Everybody’s coming in at different times. Every classroom is different, and whenever the principal gets on the intercom, you can’t necessarily hear if kids are needing to talk. Maybe kids are more of a visual processor. So I didn’t feel like the morning announcements were super productive. Not everyone. Yeah, they would drag on sometimes. And so the news, I felt like, was the answer, and then along came carly.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:09]:


Showed up. Did you start it before? Like, was it already going and then Carly showed up, or how did that oh, no, okay. Nope.


Becca McMillan [00:05:18]:


I had been wanting to start it. I just didn’t get it off the ground.


Carly Dolliger [00:05:24]:


Then you needed the perfect partner.


Becca McMillan [00:05:27]:


When Carly came along, it felt like it would be more manageable.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:32]:


So, Carly, how did you hear about it? How did you get roped in? You’re, like, show up. You’re like, all right, I’m here. What happened.


Carly Dolliger [00:05:39]:


Well, I hadn’t even had the job yet, actually, and I was talking to the principal, who, love her, created this performing arts position that I now have. I taught high school theater for a few years before this, and she had just casually mentioned before the interview, oh, everybody’s really excited, and Becca, our STEM teacher, really wants to do the news. So I had already known that I was going to do this part of this job before it existed. But it was really exciting to kind of already feel a little welcome, at least by Becca, like, have that enthusiasm. And like, oh, okay. I have a little place that I can go to, and I have something that I can work on with these kids that I know that they’ll be able to be excited about. So I got roped in really early. I think I knew I was doing the news before I knew that I had the job.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:43]:


Well, I’m glad you guys did it together, because I kind of had the same situation when I started the school news at my school, I kind of talked to a teacher about it the year before, and we were like, just talking back and forth. I’m like, hey, we should do the news at our school. She’s like, okay, whatever. And then I figured it out in my head, and I texted my principal and all, okay, I’m going to do the news. This is how we want to do it. We’re just going to try it. She said, okay. So it was me and another teacher. We did it the first year together, and then the following year, I roped in a few more teachers. Kind of the same thing, like, you need to be on my news crew next year. But it does help having more than one person, just like management, but also bouncing ideas off of each other. It makes a huge difference.


Carly Dolliger [00:07:26]:


Well, and it’s nice because Becca can really then focus and hone in on the STEM aspect of it. And then I can take those maybe different kids, maybe same kids on a different time in a different day, and then really focus on that performance aspect, the being on camera, being our news hosts and the anchors of the day. And then they can really get excited about that and then move to a new space, a new person, and then get excited about the editing and the tech side of it as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:03]:


There’s a lot of moving parts, even if you’re not going live. So you don’t go live either, right, with your news?


Becca McMillan [00:08:09]:


No, we record a week ahead at least.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:14]:


That’s good. So do you record on one day, or do you just try to fit it in in your schedule when it works?


Carly Dolliger [00:08:21]:


So it really depends on the year, what we try to do, because obviously it’s the beginning of the year now, and recording in advance isn’t possible with kids right now. So usually I have the club after school on Mondays, and we’ll record the entirety for the next week. And your materials were super awesome for how to format it. And then I’ll put it in a slideshow so it’s like a teleprompter, and we’ll just record the week straight on one day.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:56]:


Perfect.


Carly Dolliger [00:08:57]:


But Becca now, because it’s the beginning of the year, kids aren’t super in routine, and we don’t have clubs yet. She’s been really awesome at snagging those teachers who are in the right place at the right time to be on our news, and she just does it. She’s running around fitting it into her schedule right now.


Becca McMillan [00:09:17]:


Yeah. Last year I had a group of kids that loved giving up their lunch in recess to come edit the news. That was their thing. So I’m not sure that we’ll have that this year. So I might do it after school, maybe with Carly, maybe another day. We haven’t figured that out yet, but that’s what we did last year. And then I would just make sure it was good after school and then post it on our Google site.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:46]:


I like that how you tried both just with being flexible, because I know some teachers really don’t want to stay after school, or they would rather do it in the middle of the day as a club, which is definitely an option. I think that’s totally fine. And then we did it where my first year, we recorded on Tuesdays, and then I was the editing team, so I edited all of them, and then I roped in two kids later on in the second half of the year, but then more kids wanted to edit. So the following year, we recorded on Mondays after school, and then the editing team did it on Tuesdays after school. Same thing with the beginning of the year, like getting teachers and kind of finding your flow of how far ahead you have to get so that it works out. You have to really map it out where, okay, we have to record on this day. We have to be ahead this many days for it to work out. So I think you’ll get well, the.


Carly Dolliger [00:10:49]:


Problem that we faced last year is we would be like because Becca is very organized. I’m somewhat organized, but we would be ready weeks in advance. We’d be like, okay, but we would need the announcements from administration. And so there were times last year where Becca would have to input it a little last second because of I feel like her and I collaborating. Has pushed for better communication school-wide. Just because we’re like, if you want it, you got to give it to us. But some teachers have really honed in on it, and some teachers are really excited to share, especially this year, what they’re doing in the classroom and then have it all over.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:32]:


I love that. Okay, so you’re kind of what, year two on this?


Carly Dolliger [00:11:37]:


Yeah, year two.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:38]:


Okay, so year two. So teachers are more excited. The communication has gotten better, getting the content. What was it like when you first got started? Was it the same response? How did teachers feel about it? Was it different between teachers, students, and Admin? What was that like when you first started?


Becca McMillan [00:11:55]:


I felt like our principal was she liked doing the morning announcements.


Carly Dolliger [00:12:03]:


School?


Becca McMillan [00:12:04]:


Yeah. I think it was hard for her to give it up, but once it happened, I think she liked that extra time in the morning to not have to be ready to do the announcements right at whatever time. And teachers loved it because they could just play it whenever they were ready in the morning. And kids loved it because they got to see other people from the school doing it, and then some of it was their classmates, and then they were excited to try it too. So feel like very positive response all around.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:41]:


Did you have any teachers who were like, oh, I missed the old announcements. Did you have any of that pushback?


Becca McMillan [00:12:48]:


No.


Carly Dolliger [00:12:48]:


That’s good. Not a single one.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:53]:


That’s good.


Carly Dolliger [00:12:54]:


Excited too. And we put actual jokes in there that we try to be silly with our scripts and we can add a little extra flair when you have the time to create a script rather than just giving information over an intercom.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:11]:


Yeah, I agree. Did you see this, too, that it was more student centered? That because you have student presenters. So once you get going, you have teachers, obviously, but when you have kid presenters, did you feel like the announcements just were more relatable for the kids to watch instead of just hearing something over the intercom? And they don’t know who this they may or may not know who the person is that’s drowning on and on. But did you see a change in how kids absorb the information too?


Becca McMillan [00:13:41]:


Definitely. I mean, kids would be like, I saw you on the news, or in the beginning, and I think we need to bring this back. We haven’t been doing it this week, which is fine, but we were doing book recommendations. Like teachers would come on and do book recommendations and then kids would go to that teacher in another grade level and ask them to borrow that book. I thought that was really cute. But yeah, I think they definitely are more engaged in the information than they were just listening on the intercom.


Carly Dolliger [00:14:14]:


A lot of the times now they’re actually excited for the news because they get to watch becca’s really creative and is awesome with coming up with daily themes that we’ve recommendations and then we’ve added on as the year goes. And so I think this year we’re continuing to add on to those. We’ve gone through a few right now. Our favorites are. Would you rather Wednesdays?


Naomi Meredith [00:14:45]:


What’s that?


Carly Dolliger [00:14:49]:


Either students make it up or we’ll get a segment from some teachers last year where they would have to come up with a would you rather question. So with just two options, it would just be a question of the day or Would you rather Wednesday? And it would usually just be something silly and we’d give a few seconds for them to think about it and it’s just like warming up your brain in the mornings and just with something fun and silly to ponder.


Becca McMillan [00:15:17]:


And it gets kids to talk about their opinions, which they have to write about anyway, so getting them to talk about that leads into the writing process too, when they start to do persuasive and opinion writing. That’s been really cute.


Carly Dolliger [00:15:33]:


And there’s like full debates on it too.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:35]:


Really?


Carly Dolliger [00:15:36]:


Yeah. These kids will seriously, especially behind camera when they’re figuring it out. And one of them before we start recording or while recording, they’ll be like, this is it. And they really mean it. It’s really cool to see for sure, and they never matter, but they do.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:57]:


So cute. Okay, so before you tell me the other segments you do, you’re not just doing Would You Rather, what is the news actually like when they watch it? What do you do every day that’s the same?


Becca McMillan [00:16:11]:


So we have whoever’s reporting introduce themselves. They say the date we do birthdays today was National Eat a Peach Day. Whatever. Whatever.


Carly Dolliger [00:16:28]:


What national holiday is it?


Becca McMillan [00:16:30]:


And Naomi, you had those great videos, too, with the More Common Holidays, which I think has been great to embed those. So kids are learning about what other kids celebrate. We have a joke of the day. What am I missing? Carly and lunch.


Carly Dolliger [00:16:50]:


What’s for lunch?


Becca McMillan [00:16:52]:


What’s for lunch?


Carly Dolliger [00:16:54]:


And like, clubs after school, if there are clubs, it’s just reminders of we.


Becca McMillan [00:16:59]:


Were doing a sight word of the day. But kindergarten is not doing that this year, so it’s okay.


Carly Dolliger [00:17:05]:


So there’s a lot that we have to put in that core little bit.


Becca McMillan [00:17:10]:


And then we do commercials, too. Like if there’s special announcements of upcoming events, we’ll do that.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:16]:


That’s perfect. So then you have that, and then you were doing themes. So you had the Would You rather day. And then what were your other days?


Carly Dolliger [00:17:25]:


We have thankful Thursday. Oh, we’ve got a lot mindful Monday.


Becca McMillan [00:17:31]:


We were doing with our school psychologist for a while. It was with a specific group of kids that she would meet at a certain time, and I would record her using a mindful strategy with those students. She went on maternity leave, so we’re going to get that back up and going. But we’re trying to figure out Tuesday. Tuesday has been tricky. Would you rather? Wednesday thankful Thursday. And then I think we’re going to try what fun Fact Friday?


Naomi Meredith [00:18:03]:


Yeah.


Carly Dolliger [00:18:06]:


Last year we didn’t have Fridays because Fridays were still the day that the principal got to announce, okay. So she could still hold on to something. So this year we’re excited for Fridays. I feel like Fun Fact Friday is the way to go.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:19]:


What about Tuesdays? You do talk about it Tuesday, and there’s like, reminders about how to behave in the cafeteria, how to line up at recess. It could be, go check out the lost and found. We did that one a lot. That one was a really popular segment.


Carly Dolliger [00:18:40]:


Our last lost and found segment was a fashion show. It was so great. It was a good one. The kids really got into that one and they would be like, that’s my jacket. Yeah, go get it. Go get it.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:59]:


When the teacher is wearing it, because sometimes you can find some good stuff as a teacher, too, you’re like, hey, this fits me. I might keep my eyes.


Carly Dolliger [00:19:06]:


I will say I did carry a lunchbox and have a little hat on at one point in the fashion show.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:14]:


Okay, so what else did you do? Okay, so you had all those themes, and then you have your normal structure, which I did the same one. And it works really well because the kids like that consistency and knowing what to count on, knowing what the news is, all the events. But then the fun things just adds that flair and building community, which they’re really fun, and the kids will think of stuff, too. So you did that. Okay. I loved this one so much. And I need to get a video clip from you, Becca, because it’s so funny what you did for Reading Madness. What was that one?


Becca McMillan [00:19:50]:


Yes. So we had a whole month last March where we had a school-wide competition all based around literacy. And one of the ways that classes could earn points was by guessing the mystery reader that was on the news. So if you’ve seen Mystery Singer, where they wear the ridiculous costumes and they sing, and then people have to guess.


Carly Dolliger [00:20:21]:


Who the celebrity is.


Becca McMillan [00:20:23]:


Mass Singer. Mass singer? Yes. I guess you could call it Masked Reader.


Carly Dolliger [00:20:30]:


I think it was like Mass Mystery.


Becca McMillan [00:20:32]:


Reader or something like that, probably. So we got what do you call the animal that represents your school? Our mascot. It’s too late.


Carly Dolliger [00:20:47]:


Support.


Becca McMillan [00:20:49]:


Our mascot is Mighty the Mustang. And we have a costume that teachers take turns wearing to be Mighty the Mustang. And so I recorded a bunch of teachers just wearing the head mask, the head of Mighty, and they each read a Michelle Silverstein poem wearing it. And so then classes had to guess who the Masked Reader was for that day on the news.


Carly Dolliger [00:21:23]:


If they got correct, they would earn quite a few points for our school-wide competition.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:29]:


This reminded me I’m sorry, go ahead.


Becca McMillan [00:21:33]:


We have found that our teachers are quite competitive. So it was very engaging for the whole school.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:40]:


Yes, well, it reminded me I think I sent you the episode of Abbot elementary where they have a literacy like competition, a reading competition. And I’m like, oh, this is so perfect for this. I was dying. And the way you edited the video clips were so funny, too. I loved that segment so much. It was pretty good one that I did last year. And it was honestly, because I had to do crosswalk duty so many times, and I was bored out of my mind because it wasn’t very busy where I had to stand. So I did crosswalk questions with Miss Meredith, and I had the art teacher actually film me crossing the street, holding up the sign. And so I had a question of the day, like some random thing. Like, if you were to do one of these things, ride a hot air balloon or go deep diving in the ocean, what would you pick? And I would record the kids answers and put all the clips together as, like, a little segment. I would just pop in. So the kids were hounding me all the time. When you go to crosswalk duty, when you crosswalk duty. I’m like it’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Okay, go find me. But they were sad when I didn’t bring my microphone. I’m like, Sorry, I don’t have time to edit this. But it’s just fun doing that kind of random stuff that I feel like is missing sometimes. Or we don’t do as many assemblies, or it’s that stuff that makes school fun and memorable. So did you do anything else, like, any other segments that you loved?


Becca McMillan [00:23:19]:


We’ve done so many things.


Carly Dolliger [00:23:21]:


I feel like we’ve been, like we use last year as kind of an experiment. Like whatever we felt like trying, we would at least record and we would at least see what happens with it. And so I feel like coming back to school, there’s just a lot of things that we’re like, oh, yeah, we did do that.


Becca McMillan [00:23:41]:


That was awesome.


Carly Dolliger [00:23:42]:


It’s just reminding ourselves of everything. The other day, we were recording some teachers for it. We did whole groups of grade levels because we only have two or three on per grade level. One, they are just like the kids when they record. They’re on campus.


Becca McMillan [00:24:03]:


Yeah.


Carly Dolliger [00:24:04]:


They’re like, oh, I messed that up. I’m like, It’s okay, keep going. They’re like, no two. We finished recording, and then all of a sudden, Becca was like, oh, we need our would you rather Wednesday? And my mind was blown. I was like, oh, my gosh, we did so much, I forgot.


Becca McMillan [00:24:21]:


Another popular one is the Bloopers. They get sad when there aren’t any Bloopers certain days, but the Bloopers are the hardest to edit. But they do love the Bloopers well.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:34]:


And it’s hard, too, because you don’t want to encourage Bloopers. Like, you have to do Bloopers, because sometimes some kids would say you would hear them, I’m going to mess up on purpose to make sure it’s a Blooper. So there are some groups you’re like, hey, you need to calm down. It’s not about the bloopers. It’s about delivering the high quality content. But here and there, if it pops up, I love the Bloopers too. They’re my absolute favorite. And the first year, I saved every single Blooper and made an Ultimate Bloopers reel that was 20 minutes long and.


Carly Dolliger [00:25:08]:


Played week of school.


Naomi Meredith [00:25:10]:


And the kids had no idea I was doing this. This is what happens when you’re the only editor. So I was able to save them all. But I think the segments are just like, a fun way. And in the workshop I’ll be hosting, I actually have a growing list of different segments that people can grab on. So the link will be in the show notes for that workshop, but definitely you guys will remember them, too. I’ll share it with you guys. You get in on this free, but everybody else check out the link in the description.


Carly Dolliger [00:25:42]:


I will say you and your resources were super useful. When we first started to set up, it gave us a lot of confidence of like, okay, there’s already something that we know for sure does work in a school environment, and it’s similar to ours. We’re in the same school district, but regardless, it’s very applicable to a broad range of, like, okay, this is exactly how it goes. This is the order. This is smooth. And, yeah, it definitely helped a lot. Just give us the confidence to actually start. Good.


Naomi Meredith [00:26:17]:


I’m so glad it was helpful. And yeah, I’m all about that. Try it out, and then I’ll share it with you guys. So the same stuff is in the workshop. So I’m so glad that it worked for you, too.


Carly Dolliger [00:26:28]:


Well, and Becca was just because I hadn’t met you yet, but Becca goes, I have a shared drive with my friend.


Becca McMillan [00:26:33]:


She’s amazing.


Carly Dolliger [00:26:34]:


She has everything here. I’ll just share everything with you. And so now whenever I go to my shared drive, it’s like collaborators, and it’s the three of us. Every time I pull it up, you’re.


Naomi Meredith [00:26:44]:


Like, It’s all there. It’s all saved. Well, I’m so glad it worked out well, and it was something that was repeatable, but you’ve obviously added your own twist and things that other people can do. And if someone in a couple of words or a sentence, if there was someone who is hesitant about starting their school-wide news, what advice would you give them?


Becca McMillan [00:27:07]:


Start small. I would say start small and then get kids to do most of the work.


Carly Dolliger [00:27:16]:


Agreed.


Naomi Meredith [00:27:17]:


Yeah.


Carly Dolliger [00:27:19]:


I would say just do it. It’s okay to make little mistakes. Honestly, it’s okay to make big mistakes. You might accidentally say somebody’s birthday on the wrong name. But at the end of the day, creating that production with those students is giving them way more opportunity and student leadership, and they get so excited. I couldn’t imagine not having it, just with how pumped those kids get. And I say, just go for it. Jump in. Start little, but jump in.


Becca McMillan [00:27:59]:


And we had all different kinds of kids want to do it, and we had kids who were struggling readers, but they wanted to perform, and they learned those scripts, and it helps their literacy. So if you’re questioning if it’s applicable to your standards, it is.


Naomi Meredith [00:28:25]:


I would totally agree. Oh, go for it.


Becca McMillan [00:28:27]:


Sorry.


Carly Dolliger [00:28:27]:


Well, it’s so personable. Whatever you need to exemplify. Our school-wide goal last year was literacy, and we did really see that improvement with what we were doing. You can choose what you want to exemplify and what you want to really hold the students accountable with, and there’s just so much buy-in that it really works well.


Naomi Meredith [00:28:51]:


I’m so glad that I had both of you here to share your experience and just, like, getting behind the scenes, and I’m glad that you’re going to be doing the school again, and you already have ideas. You’re probably going to jump off of this and think of, like, 5 million more things that you want to try. So, all the places to reach out and connect with you. I’m going to put this in the show notes for everyone. But, thank you so much again for sharing your experience. And it’s just good for other teachers to hear that it can be done. It’s actually not that scary to pre record your school-wide news. There’s so many benefits to it, and you guys are definitely a testament to that. So thank you so much for your time.


Becca McMillan [00:29:30]:


Thank you for having us. Yeah. And for your help, 100%.


Carly Dolliger [00:29:37]:


And for your help, of course.


Naomi Meredith [00:29:39]:


That’s what I’m here for. Thank you.

school started their school-wide news

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

setting up your school-wide news

3 Tips for Setting up Your School-Wide News [ep. 118]

by Naomi Meredith

3 Tips for Setting up Your School-Wide News [ep.118]

setting up your school-wide news

Check out the full episode on 3 Tips for Setting up Your School-Wide News:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

If you’re thinking about starting a school-wide news club at your school, there are a few things you want to consider before you get started. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 tips for setting up your school-wide news. I share insight into how these tips helped me when I was hosting a school-wide news club and more.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Tips for setting up your school-wide news
  • How I implemented each of these strategies at my school
  • Why I implemented each of these strategies in my school-wide news club

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


Are you ready to start your school-wide news club? But how should you get started? In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you the three top tips for starting your school-wide news club without ever having your students go live on camera. I am so excited about sharing all the behind the scenes secrets when it comes to hosting your school-wide video news club. This is a club I am extremely passionate about and a system in process that I have put together and carefully kept track of so I could share it all with you so you can have the same success and positive experience for your students and school-wide community. I’m going to be sharing with you some awesome tips in this episode, but if you want more, jump in on this live workshop that I am going to be hosting for you, Naomimeredith.com Newsworkshop and Inside.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:31]:


In this two-hour live workshop, I will be sharing all of the tips and tricks when it comes to starting your news club, all the way through recording, editing, the tools that you need, and all the way to the end when you’re ready to hit publish every single day. If you are listening to this podcast in real time, make sure to check out that link and jump in so you can join me live and other teachers to interact with me. But if you can’t make it live or you’re listening to this way months later when this is posted, don’t worry, the whole workshop is going to be recorded so you can access the information on your own time, but also still have the same success. The link will be in the show notes, and we are excited to have you inside the workshop. This episode is part of a series that I am doing all about STEM after-school clubs. I hadn’t talked about this before in my episodes. I’ve kind of hinted at it here and there, but you guys kept asking, so I am here answering. In the last episode, 117, I talked about what you’re missing out on by not having a video school News Club.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:43]:


So, if you haven’t listened to it, make sure to check it out after you finish this one. So you’re here, you’re convinced you’re ready, you would like to start a school-wide news club where the kids are recording the news, and you have a team that’s editing, and the videos are posted every day. But it sounds like a lot of work. And let me be real, it is a lot of work. It is a lot of work, but it’s a lot more work if you don’t have any systems in place. Just like anything, I am the kind of person with anything that I’m really passionate about, especially when I’m in my creating mode, whether it’s lessons, clubs, or content for you guys. I have so many ideas swirling in my head, but I won’t implement them until I figure out a system that will be implemented to do all of these things and something that can be repeated over and over and over again so I don’t really have to think about the whole process. So, I have a lot of things swirling in my head.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:46]:


Like this workshop was swirling in my head for a while, but I don’t do it until I know I have a system in place that is going to work, and I will, of course, iterate things and fix them if they don’t. But for the most part, when I implement something, I have some sort of system in place. My podcast manager knows who implements this. I have all the ideas, and I will get them out there. I just have to figure out the system first. So, the same goes for hosting your school-wide video news club. There are lots of ways you could do this, but if you have a system in place that is repeatable, that you can do every single day, week after week, year after year, you’re going to find so much more success where you don’t have to think about the little things and all that creativity will flow in naturally. So much so this process works that I was able to repeat it and get more teachers to help me on my team, so I wasn’t doing this alone. I even shared this process with my teacher friends at another school, and they use the same exact thing, it has been extremely helpful for them, and they use the same exact process and, again, add in their own little bits of creativity.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:58]:


So, there is a method to the madness, and I’m going to be sharing with you three top tips to get those things in place. If you are ready to get started with your school-wide video news, the first tip for setting up your school-wide news is to have a consistent schedule. This was the biggest club that I had ever hosted my first year. We had 40 kids, which is quite a bit of kids, and we had never done this before, and I was impressed. Forty kids signed up for a club that I had never done before, which was super exciting the second year because kids had seen what the news can be and its capabilities and all of those benefits that go to the previous episode. I talk about all those benefits of it. I had 80 kids sign up. 80, it doubled.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:52]:


So, you need to figure out a consistent schedule. And I didn’t cut anybody. I actually had a method where I kept everybody on my crew. So you need to create a consistent schedule so you are getting out this news on time. Also, with the format, I had this because that’s a lot of kids. I wanted a lot of kids to have opportunities to think about the format. We had a recording team, and we had an editing team. Kids could not be on both teams, so they really had to choose.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:23]:


Most kids actually knew if they wanted to be on camera or not, but you had a couple of kids who wanted to do both. So I’m like, you really do have to pick. Or maybe you do this for half the year, and then you switch to the other half of the year. So, having that consistent schedule where kids were recording in time for the news to be edited and then in time for it to be posted for the following week, we really had to be consistent with our schedule. Likewise, you really need to think about when you have upcoming breaks, what are you going to do? Are you going to record ahead of time? Are you not? Are you going to have teachers help you? Are you going to be canceling days? You really want to map out the whole year of when you’re hosting the club because that makes a huge difference. Each year that I hosted the news, I actually recorded on different days based on our school calendar and the days we had off because that actually did make a difference in how often I would see kids, and I needed the kids to come every week. There were times, I will say, when there was a glitch or something, and I had to record the news at home with my little dog, Frederick. And all the kids in the school, by the end of the year, knew that my dog’s name was Frederick, and they would ask about Freddie.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:34]:


Freddie Boy. They gave him nicknames because they had seen him. Maybe I also said his nicknames on camera, but there were times when I might not have thought about it, and we were scrambling. So, really look at your candle. Your candle. Really look at your calendar to make sure you have a consistent schedule. The next tip for setting up your school-wide video news is to have scripts. 90% of the time, I did not let the kids talk off-script.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:06]:


They were not allowed to do that. I told the kids this is different than creating videos at home. And for fun, that’s different. I do that, too. I create fun videos, blah, blah, blah. But I would even show them my videos of my podcast. So, I do record videos of my podcast while I’m doing this simultaneously. But I did show them the videos.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:30]:


And for the most part, I do have a script. So, I’m not reading word for word, but I am using a script while I am talking to you guys. But I told them that there are different videos for different purposes. Anybody can turn on a phone and take a video, sure, but the purpose of our school-wide news is to deliver information. And with that, we do have to have a script so that we get the information accurate and that we are keeping it consistent for our audience because they’re depending on us for this important information. They got so good at reading the scripts. They were a lot like Will Ferrell in the movie Anchorman because they would just read it, and then they wouldn’t always know what they were saying. And it was funny because sometimes they realized after the fact that they said something, and then they would start giggling, or they would be surprised to be like, oh my gosh, is that really happening? Because they know what’s going to happen ahead of all the other kids a lot of times.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:31]:


And so they got pretty good at reading this script. So it was really cute when they would get excited about an event happening because they were finding it out as they were reading it again. Having a script is really important. It sounds boring, but trust me, it’s not boring. Having a script is really helpful for the presenters because they know the flow of how the script is going to go. And I had a lot of kids who actually struggled at reading, who wanted to be on my news club. It was totally voluntary, nobody was forced into this. But I had a lot of kids on there, and there were certain parts that they knew that they could be confident at reading because the script was the same all the time.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:12]:


Some of the content would change, but the exact format of it was exactly the same every single time. This was also helpful for my editing team. So we recorded on one day, and we edited on the next. Now, I did mention this in another episode. I was the editor for the first half of the first year, and I did watch every single video before they were posted, every single one. So I watched 300-plus videos? So, I got pretty fast at editing. But this helped the editing team because as they were editing same for me, we had the script pulled up, and then we had the video right next to it.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:51]:


So we would actually edit in partnerships where they would go through the script and make sure that the kid said everything. Sometimes, here and there, recording groups would actually miss a section. So my editing team had to record and put that section in, or this was sometimes really sad. Sometimes that, the other groups, the kids who are recording, their microphone wasn’t on. I have had that happen to me on my podcast. Their microphone wasn’t on, and then the editing team had to record for them. So, having a script was really helpful because we didn’t have to recreate that information. And also, having a script is helpful for your audience for the rest of the school.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:34]:


The school knows what we’re going to say. They knew exactly the format of what we were going to say. We even said birthdays and lunch. And if we didn’t say somebody’s birthday, there was an uproar for sure. I definitely got emails and texts about that, and we had to add that in. So, knowing that consistency and format was not boring for anybody. It built into that routine because kids knew how to fill it out. There was some ownership for the kids who were presenting.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:03]:


They did have to help fill out part of the script. But there was a whole system to this, and trust me, it will make your life easier. And the final tip when getting started with your video news is to use easy to use equipment. We didn’t really use a lot of fancy stuff. There are a few reasons for this. The first year that we recorded, we used iPads and then some tripods that I got from a grant. The next year we had different student computers, and it worked out a bit better, and I was trying to streamline things even more. I’m always working on efficiency in everything that I do.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:43]:


But the second year, we used student computers, and students recorded directly in WeVideo. W-E-V-I-D-E-O. We video all one word, no spaces. So we use that platform so students would record in WeVideo. And then, the same video was opened up the next day for our editing team, and the video was there for them. So, we used very simple tools. Eventually, we added in a few more fancy things like we tried green screen. When the kids were able to present on camera efficiently and effectively and work together as a team, I showed them how to record and set up their green screen.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:23]:


And then also my editing team, I showed them how to edit the background. We also started to add in microphones. We played around with that. So you really don’t need that big of equipment to get started with this. Also, this is a huge benefit of not going live. I didn’t have to worry about the internet issues. Let’s say the Internet was down that day, the kids just couldn’t watch it. But I wasn’t dependent on the internet, always working at all times, which wasn’t always the case.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:56]:


We use very simple things, and honestly, there were times we just use my phone to record. So if you just have a phone, if that’s the only thing you have, you don’t have iPads, you don’t have student devices, use your phone, and you can get started with some video news. Another reason why I did this is for one, let’s be real budget. I didn’t have a big budget to buy all that fancy equipment and lighting and all of those beautiful things, but I didn’t want to. Yes, I wrote a grant for Tripods. That was something I did want, but I really didn’t want to get super fancy things because I wanted to show the kids what you can do with constraints. The tools we were using were not fancy, but we were able to publish something that was better than just a basic home movie. So I wanted to show kids those hacks.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:53]:


And guess what? With this podcast, I don’t use a whole lot of fancy stuff, either. I have a podcast microphone that I actually won at a conference. It was definitely meant to be because it was right before my podcast actually launched. I use my phone camera as my camera for the video version. I have a desk lamp that I got at Walmart and a stand up light that somebody gave me in my computer. So I don’t have a whole lot of fancy things either. I’m not in a fancy recording booth. And I wanted to show kids that you can create something with very, very simple supplies.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:32]:


So keep that in mind when you’re getting started. As a recap, here are some three simple tips that you can use to get started with your school-wide video news. First, have a consistent schedule. Next, make sure you write those scripts. And third, use easy to use equipment. In the next episode, I’m going to be talking with two of my friends who also run their school-wide news, and they use the exact system that I did after passing it along and talking with them. And so this episode was a lot of fun chatting with these friends, so make sure you don’t miss out. And while you’re at it, before you hang up this podcast or turn it off, make sure you check out the show notes and check out my workshop, where I’m going to be sharing with you even more tips and the whole system that I use for setting up my school-wide news.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:29]:


You can grab that at naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop.

setting up your school-wide news

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

school-wide news club

What You’re Missing By Not Having a School-Wide News Club [ep.117]

by Naomi Meredith

What You’re Missing By Not Having a School-Wide News Club [ep.117]

school-wide news club

Check out the full episode on What You’re Missing By Not Having a School-Wide News Club:  

 

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Watch the video version of this episode here:

Episode Summary

If you’ve been considering hosting a school-wide news club but are unsure if it’s worth it, today’s episode is for you. There are so many benefits to starting a school-wide news club. In today’s episode, I will be sharing three benefits that you’re missing out on by not having a school-wide news club and sharing some of my personal experiences from hosting one when I was a STEM teacher.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What led me to start a school-wide news club
  • 3 things you’re missing out on by not having a school-wide news club
  • How starting a school-wide news club benefited my school

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


Thinking about hosting a school-wide news club, but not sure if it will be successful. Are there even benefits of hosting this type of club, or is it just one more thing to do? Honestly, having a school-wide news club is something that I wish I had started sooner when I was a K-5 STEM teacher. In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you what you’re missing out on by not having a school-wide video news. Maybe you already know before listening to this episode that hosting a school-wide news club is definitely something that you want to do. And if you’re still unsure, I’m gonna get into that in this episode, but either way, I am going to be hosting a live 2-hour workshop where I’m going to be sharing all the secrets of starting your school-wide video news club, and the students never have to go live.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:33]:


That is a huge benefit of this. I’m gonna be taking you through the whole process from setting up the club to what it looks like when you are recording some tips and tricks for editing, some fun segments, and all of that process from start to finish and how you can manage it throughout the year and the doors are officially open. So make sure you jump in on that at Naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop where you can join us live for the workshop. And if you can’t make it live or if you’re listening to this months later, don’t you worry. The whole experience is recorded, and all the resources and templates are in there for you so you can go about it at your own pace. If you are listening to this podcast or video in real time, then the benefit of being there live is you get a chat with me and other teachers while it’s happening. So, you definitely don’t wanna miss out on this experience. It’ll be a lot of fun and something I’m very passionate about.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:37]:


So make sure to check it out in the show notes for that link. In the last episode, 116, I talked about 8 different types of STEM after-school clubs that you can host. And one of them is the one that I’m gonna be talking about today. And that is having a school-wide video news team. And in the 11 years of being a teacher, this was the one club that I was totally obsessed about. I will say Battle of the Book I hosted was pretty much up there. It was a competition, and we won in the district. So that might be why I’m a little bit biased about that club.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:17]:


But other than that, I loved, loved, loved having a school-wide news team, and we actually called it the RHL News crew. RHL is our was our abbreviation for our school, and it was a whole experience. and I love this club so, so much. I know video news isn’t a new concept. whether it’s live or prerecorded. Ours was pre-recorded. I know this isn’t new, but there’s a reason why I actually started this at our school. When I first got my K-5 STEM teacher job, the announcements were over on the intercom, and they would come kind of at random times.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:05]:


It was within this 20-minute block where they would randomly come on, and they were extremely loud. Like, so loud I had to cover my ears. They were extremely loud. And I know some schools have the opposite problem. You can’t hear them at all. So either way, they were super loud, and they sometimes took up to 10 minutes. Now this was during my planning time, so a lot of times, I had meetings during this, so I had to mute myself because they were going on forever. But then, the times I was covering in classrooms, I noticed that when the announcements came on, kids wouldn’t stop and listen.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:44]:


It just maybe wasn’t part of their routine, or they knew it was gonna go on for a long time that the teacher just said, hey, just keep doing what you need to do because it’s gonna be a while. But the biggest thing that I realized is that the content and the announcements were really good, but It wasn’t getting absorbed. It was like in one ear out the other. And I really felt that way with teachers and students. even for myself, I wasn’t listening to them half the time because I knew it would take forever, and it was kind of the same old same old thing. You might even have a similar experience at your school. So one summer, just really thinking about the passion that I have for creating videos and podcasting, I figured I’d pitch to my principal that, hey, I wanna start a video news crew, and I had another teacher who was willing to help me with this.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:42]:


I wanna start this out. Here’s how it’s gonna go. We’re gonna figure it out. And thank goodness. I jumped in, not having a clear plan. I had some idea, but I’m so glad that I did because this was definitely an experience. Not only by me hosting the club, but it was something that brought our school community together in ways I had never ever even imagined. And it was just a favorite of not only me but everybody in the building. So I’m gonna be sharing with you those things that you might not even know.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:21]:


These are things that I didn’t even know that I was missing out on until I started doing it. There were experiences that I didn’t know could exist. So let’s jump into those reasons. Now if you’re feeling like, you know what? Who cares? Like, we should just keep the announcements the way they are. Sure. Go ahead. Turn me off right now.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:41]:


But I’m telling you, this was such an amazing club and worth the work, worth putting in all the systems and routines because it brought up those amazing experiences. The first thing that you’re missing when not having a school-wide news video club is helping your school community be better informed. Not to say that your school isn’t informed, but maybe your school was like mine. We got a lot of information, but our information was coming from all sorts of places. There was a sign outside of school when you would drive in. There were signs inside of the school, whether they were paper or digital. Multiple emails from our admin, emails from our PTCO of events coming up, and emails from teachers who were hosting various after-school clubs and their own events. There were all sorts of ways that information was being thrown at us.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:47]:


It wasn’t really streamlined, and it was very easy to miss what that information was. Likewise, all of the ways that this information was being thrown at us was really teacher-centered, which is very important, but the kids weren’t really aware of what was going on. They had to rely on their teachers and their parents to let them know, which, yes, that’s what we’re doing in the video news. But there wasn’t any other way for students to access that information. So if they had a substitute or long-term sub, they might miss out on some things, or just depending on their parents’ communication style, they might be missing out on things. So there were a lot of holes in how information was being communicated in our building, and that was something that I definitely wanted to streamline where everybody could hear that information all in the same place. I also told you about our announcement, where I guess this is where kids would get information.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:51]:


They weren’t very consistent, whether it was the person who was saying the announcements or the time that it went on, or sometimes they didn’t go on at all. There was a lot of information that was being missed, whether it wasn’t being said or just being missed where people weren’t listening. So, again, there just wasn’t really any consistency in the way that information was being delivered, and I thought that we definitely needed something that was student-centered. Student to student, where we are really communicating and putting everything in one place and something that they can count on. Think about the regular news, like everyday news. It’s on at a certain time, and people can count on it. There are certain things that you know are going to be said, and you’re going to get information.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:43]:


I wanted the same thing for our teachers and our students. The information still was coming out in random places, but I figured out a system where I could gather all of that information in one place, and teachers were able to communicate those upcoming things in one place, so it did help streamline everything that was coming in, and the teachers were more informed about what was happening and so were the students, like, actually informed. So much so informed that if I ever made a mistake, kids would come up to me right after they watched it in their classroom and let me know that there was a mistake. like, I would mess up a club, or I didn’t say their birthday. I would get all the texts when something would go wrong, but at the same time, It didn’t bother me as much because I knew people were paying attention. This was never an issue before. So people meaning teachers and students, were very into watching the news to get the information for the day. You’re probably wondering how I kept all of this information together and kept it organized so that it would come out on time for the news.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:00]:


I am going to be sharing my whole system inside of my workshop, Naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop, and that template and system will be explained there. It’s really not very complicated once you get the rhythm of it. And so this is how all the information was organized in one place so that we could produce a daily news show that everybody could depend on and actually get useful information that they needed. Another thing that you are missing out on when not having a school-wide video news club is another opportunity for students to build skills that they need for their future. We hear about this all the time. We need to be preparing kids for jobs that don’t exist. And that’s absolutely true. I never knew that I would be creating a podcast and have an online business when I was in 2nd grade. had no idea, but somehow the things that I learned led me to this position today.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:02]:


Likewise, that’s for our kids. There are things they think they might wanna do now, and it might actually happen, but there’s also a ton of different jobs that are out there that don’t even exist, and we need to build up their skills now. A big thing with that is video. I know a lot of students, and you probably too, that when they grow up, they want to be a YouTuber or a Tiktoker. And it does sound pretty silly, but they’re really not that far off. In fact, there is a lot of research out there showing that YouTube is the number 2 search engine compared to Google. And you might be thinking to yourself, oh, I’m going to Google it. And if I can’t find the answer by reading, then I am going to find a video to teach myself how to do this.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:56]:


I did this the other day. I found a video of a person who explained very, very clearly in 5 minutes how to fix your microwave if it won’t stay closed It was a great video. Really well done. It explained everything I needed, and I fixed my microwave in 10 minutes. So not only that, whether students become YouTubers or not, just having the skills to be able to talk on video is a skill. It’s an absolute skill. Think about when you might have had to teach online during COVID or even another time. Now pre COVID, I had been making videos and talking on video for a long time.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:42]:


So that was definitely a skill that I was completely comfortable with, and teaching online wasn’t a big deal for me. So whether aside from that or not, this is just a skill that I already had. Also, for the students, this is something they need as well. If you’re not even that convinced, there are common core based standards about producing work in a digital platform. They’re writing standards about this. and there are speaking and listening standards about being able to communicate ideas clearly, and this can also be in the form of digital content. digital content, especially video, is definitely not going away whether you like it or not. What’s really funny is my teacher, honey, who’s not my husband, but he is a high school Spanish teacher, and I wanna say he’s someone who is super techie.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:37]:


He’s not bad. He actually is pretty good. He does actually ask me for advice on Instagram, which is pretty funny. But he would see me come home and edit these videos from school, and he would watch and giggle, and I would show him all the bloopers and all the little segments. And even for him, he would say many times how great of an opportunity this is to have a school video news, and he wishes that his school, the high school that he teaches at, had this, which may be really sad that his high school didn’t have anything like this, but it is something that kids are really passionate about, and we really wanna play upon things that kids are passionate about and that they love. Not only that, whether it’s just something they’re passionate about, this is a skill they’ll need in a job. Being able to present on video, whether it’s in a video meeting or creating content for their job, or talking to students if they do become a teacher. So this is a very helpful skill being able to be on camera and having a school-wide news after-school club can definitely play upon this experience, not only for the students who are on camera but the kids who are watching. This will help them build their skills, and I’m not even kidding you.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:58]:


I did this for 4th and 5th grade, who were on my news crew. But when I had my younger students make videos, just videos explaining their work in Seesaw, K-5 did this with everybody, even the kids who were not on my news crew would talk in a certain way on their videos and try to explain their thinking a lot more. and even tried to explain their thinking better because they saw a video every day of their peers presenting in a clear way. And I could even use that as a teaching point where, oh, when we make a video, we don’t want the camera to be shaking the whole time, just like our RHL news. Do they do that? No. Oh, when we talk in our videos, we need to speak clearly, and we’re not making silly voices because that’s not what we do in our school-wide news. And I’m watching you so you could be on our news one day. So it really helped the kids who were not even on the news at all. They saw what high-quality kid videos can look like.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:01]:


But you also might be thinking, oh, but what about the kids who don’t like to be on camera? Sure. There are those kids as well. And so that’s why when you set this up, another great benefit to this is what’s happening behind the scenes. Another excellent skill is being able to edit video to make it not only interesting for others to watch but also where it can clearly display the information in our video news, which I will definitely show examples of during our workshop. We added fun little segments that we recorded on the side, whether it was something about the artwork or crosswalk questions, which is something that I love to do, but adding in fun segments and video overlays and tech and adding in all of these different elements to really make it engaging for our audience. Not all kids like to be on camera. It is something they need to learn how to do, but there are kids who like to edit more. For me, I like both. I do actually like to be on camera, and I also do like to edit videos, but there are kids who like that too.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:12]:


So both skills are super powerful and having both. You have kids who are on camera, and then kids who are editing. You are able to mesh their skills together, and they are collaborating in a really interesting way. The third thing that you’re missing out on by not having a school-wide video news crew is you are building your school community in a creative way. There are lots of ways to build your school community. And the two biggest ways that I thought were my actual news crew and everybody else who wasn’t on it, so everyone in the school. With my news crew, especially the 1st year that I hosted it, I built this really special relationship with these kids. Now maybe you’re a STEM teacher who wants to get started with this, or maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re a classroom teacher.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:04]:


But the kids that you do this with, you really build this special relationship with them all year. And for me, it was like having my own class again because teaching all the kids in the school, you’re pumping out kids really fast, in a sense. They’re going in and out of your classroom all day, so your relationships are just different. But having this news crew that we met every week was really, really special, and we got to know each other in a different way. Also, this RHL news crew was a brand. Let me tell you. I definitely branded this whole experience. We had a logo.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:39]:


We had shirts that the kids would wear on camera and they would wear around school. There were parents who were emailing me. Oh my gosh. Can I get another shirt, or my kid who’s in kindergarten really wants to be on the news. Kids would see another, like, a little kid would see an older kid, and the older kids wearing the new shirt, they’re like, oh my gosh, are you on the news? The older kids would feel so proud and say yes. I am. Or I would be wearing this shirt, and kids in class would be wearing this shirt. and I’m like, oh my gosh, I’ll see you later for news club, or I’d say, oh, I like your shirt.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:14]:


Who designed it? And they would laugh to say, you made it, Miss Meredith. I’m like, oh, yes. I did. But it was just a whole thing, a whole brand, and it was something that kids really strived and wanted to be a part of. And with that, with building the school community, there was everybody else who wasn’t on the news crew, but we created ways to involve them in the news. So, yes, they watched it in their classroom every day, but we did some fun segments that I mentioned before. We did some fun segments to involve more of the kids, even if they were officially on the crew. One of the ways that we did that is we had teacher segments. So we interviewed every teacher in the building.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:58]:


We asked the same five questions, and the teachers responded to those questions, and we would throw those in. I also did something called crosswalk questions, where on my crosswalk duty, when it was during slow points, I would have a question of the day. I had a little small microphone, and I actually interviewed kids with their responses. I’d put all of their responses together, and that would be a fun little video clip that we would do. We also promoted our school clubs when it was time to sign up for our clubs. Me and the other special teachers PE, art, and music, and other teachers who had after-school clubs, created little commercials to promote those things. We even had a joke box that sat in our school library since kids had library every week. Students could submit a school appropriate joke that we would possibly read on the news, and we would also share their names.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:49]:


And then we also read birthdays every single day. So, yes, we have the kids who are the stars. I have, in quotation marks, the stars on the camera and the kids who are editing, but we involved the other kids in the building as much as possible. And again, something that everybody looked forward to. This was also really powerful when we were doing our school fundraiser. When we were getting those sign-ups for clubs, we got an overwhelming amount of response because the kids would hear about it every day, and their parents were getting emails, and the teachers were getting emails, and everybody was informed and knew what was going on, and they were excited about it. My PE teacher even wrote about this.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:34]:


She was really sweet, and she said that our news program was such a great addition to our elementary school. Kids paid more attention to the morning announcements because they were listening to other kids. Now we set up an easy way for teachers to submit announcements and items that needed to be included in the news. I truly believe that the news was the reason our fun run funds did so well the past 2 years, we shared important info and exciting videos about the run that was in front of all of our students every day. So our PE teacher was sweet and wrote that comment. It was such a great experience. Everybody thought, why didn’t we start this years ago? Because it was such a positive experience and something that they are continuing as well. Also, this whole system of setting up the school was such a success that even my friends at a neighboring school implemented the same exact system that I set up, and they’re still using this, and I’m actually gonna have them on the podcast in a few episodes, and make sure you don’t miss out on that one.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:37]:


As a recap, here are the three things that you are definitely missing out on by not having a school-wide news video club. First is keeping the school community more informed. Next is building skills that kids need for the future. And third, you have the opportunity to build your school community in a creative way. In the next episode, I’m going to be sharing with you some tips for getting started with your school-wide video news. And if you’re ready to dive in and get all of the ideas on how to start it from start to finish, Make sure to join in on the workshop. The doors are open. You can grab that link in the show notes or go straight to Naomimeredith.com/newsworkshop.

school-wide news club

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

types of STEM after-school clubs

8 Types of STEM After-School Clubs [ep.116]

by Naomi Meredith

8 Types of STEM After-School Clubs [ep.116]

types of STEM after-school clubs

Check out the full episode on 8 Types of STEM After-School Clubs:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Playlist of each type of club in their own bite-sized segment: 

Episode Summary

You’ve made the exciting decision to host a STEM after-school club, but now you may be wondering what types of STEM after-school clubs you can host. That’s what I’m discussing today. With over a decade of teaching experience, I have gained much experience in hosting engaging and interactive after-school clubs that students love. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 8 types of STEM after-school clubs you can host, and I’m sharing some strategies to support you with starting your own.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 8 types of STEM after-school clubs
  • An overview of each type of after-school club
  • Tips and strategies for starting each type of club

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


So you’re ready to start hosting a STEM after-school club. What types of STEM after-school clubs can you be hosting? Based on my experience of being a teacher for 11 years and 5 of those being a K-5 STEM teacher, I have a whole list of STEM after-school clubs that you can try, and these are all clubs that I hosted in my classroom that my students absolutely loved and provided a variety of experiences. So let’s dive into these fun club ideas. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:30]:


Pretty soon, I will be hosting a live workshop to take you behind the scenes on how I set up my favorite club of all my school-wide news. Not only will I be showing you exactly how the news ran day today, but all of the prework that I did at the beginning to get it all organized to get kids signed up. All of that behind the scenes work to what we actually did every week to set up the news where we didn’t have to go live every day and depend on that. There is a whole method to the madness Everything is all streamlined, and I kept track of it all. So I could show you exactly what I did. I don’t want you to miss out on this super fun opportunity. So make sure you join the wait list because you’ll be the first to know when it’s live And for people on the wait list, you always get a bonus. So make sure you join at Naomimeredith.com/newswaitlist. It’s also linked in the show notes, so you can check it out there. In the last episode, I talked about the three reasons why you should host a STEM after-school club.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:20]:


If you haven’t gone back and listened to it, no worries. Keep listening to this episode. And then when you’re done, Go check out that one because they all go together, and it will all make sense. I love after-school clubs so much they’re a lot of fun to plan, and also it’s an awesome opportunity for students. My first year teaching K through 5 STEM. I went a little bit crazy, and I hosted 4 days of clubs. The only day that didn’t have clubs were Wednesdays. But those clubs were all different because I wanted to have a whole variety of experiences for my students and have them interact with STEM in a lot of different ways.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:06]:


Also, in my district, all of the clubs were actually free. So We’re a really nice opportunity for them to join. When I did do creative clubs, sometimes I charged a small fee of $3 just to pay for extra materials. And that was plenty when I had about 20 to 30 kids. That could buy me enough supplies for what I needed for the projects I was thinking about. Also, for 2 of my other clubs, I designed shirts, which I’ll talk about when I get to these clubs later in this episode, And that was optional. Students didn’t have to buy a shirt, but this was a good way to promote the club, which again will make sense in a second. When I hosted clubs, the clubs typically ran for 4 to 6 sessions in a row. So if their club were on a Tuesday, it would run for the next 4 to 6 Tuesdays.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:03]:


The other specials, teachers in art, PE, and music, we went through and tried to really plan these sessions together so that it all made sense when it came to when a new club would start, when it would end, and all of those different sessions. There were a few clubs that I hosted that did last the entire year, but then they had their own schedule. So it goes into all of that management and all of that pre-work when it comes to setting up a club. which I will talk about in the workshop. And if anything, if you’re not even going to do school-wide news, joining the workshops is helpful because the way that I set up that club is exactly how I set up all of my other ones. So you’ll get the templates in that workshop anyway, so join it for the 1st hour and then leave for the next. I don’t know. But they’re all of that work, and all of that management helped it run smoothly for the rest of the year I had all the kids set up and organized, so I didn’t have to worry about it again.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:05]:


Another fun thing that I ended up doing once I had my school I knew running is me and the other special teachers started to make commercials promoting our clubs when it came to the time to sign up. They were anything fancy. A lot of times, my commercials had my dog Frederick in them, which all of the students in the school knew who Frederick was because he was in my commercials a lot, and he was also on the news with me when I had to record something last minute at my house, but it was so fun because we had made commercials about our clubs, and then our clubs were always full because they knew about them because they would go home and tell their parents about it. So it was a really fun way how we promoted these opportunities for kids. So kids always signed up. We also tried with our clubs when it came to signing up, where we would mix up the grade levels. So sometimes I would have a 4th and 5th-grade club running, and then the PE teacher might have a second and third-grade club. So kids could have a lot of different experiences.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:10]:


Sometimes we had clubs with kindergarten and 1st grade. I did that my 1st year, and the kids are really, really, really hired at the end of the day. So that’s definitely up to you if you host clubs for kindergarten and first. I don’t recommend it. I love the little one so much. They are my favorites, but they’re also really tired at the end of the day, and it’s just a lot. So that’s my 2¢ on that. My clubs ran for about an hour after school.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:40]:


I was still done at the end of the day by 4 p.m., got to go home, and there were about 20 to 30 kids in each club. Almost all of them I ran by myself. Here and there, I had some clubs I had some help with, which also depended on the club that I was running, but most of them, I was running by myself, and it worked out just fine. So let’s get into those eight STEM after-school clubs, the different kinds you can run, and I’m gonna be sharing with you just a little synopsis of what I did in each one. For some of them, I do have lesson plans created. Some of them I don’t. Some were just like on the fly, or sometimes it was a curriculum that was already created.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:22]:


which is going to make sense as you’re listening to this. So if I do have materials currently at the time of this recording, I will share them with you here. And, again, when it comes to the whole setting up a club, the whole process is exactly what I did for my school-wide news. So join in on that waitlist, Naomimeredith.com/newswaitlist, because then you can see, like, how to even set up a club to begin with. With the clubs I’m going to mention, you really don’t have to do them in any certain order. I don’t really have them in a certain order anyway. They’re just When I thought of them, I wrote them down. So here they all are, the 8 different types of STEM after-school clubs that you can try.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:05]:


The first one that you can try is computer coding or anything related to computer creation. This will take literally no prep from you, which is awesome when it comes to hosting an after-school club. The program that I really like to use for this club setting when it comes to computer programming on the computer is Google CS First or Google Computer Science First. It is a free program, and at the time when I did it, they actually sent stickers that went along with the challenges. It changes all the time. They’re always updating it and making it better, so I’m not quite sure if that is still a thing with this program. But what I really liked about it is that there are different themes of coding. So there’s a whole theme that you are deciding to create your challenge around.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:58]:


So there’s fashion and design, there’s storytelling, but you’re solving this problem through coding, which is pretty awesome because real world problems are using coding as one of the ways to solve them. So it was pretty cool. The curriculum’s all laid out there. they have a lesson that the students watch. They have videos. and then they apply what they learn using scratch. So they have both at the same time, and they are building upon that challenge to really solve it. It’s super cool.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:33]:


I highly recommend it. It’s a great way you could do this club a couple of times a year and just choose a different seam. I had everybody work on the same theme. So when I presented the club, it was computer coding, fashion, and design. So they knew what we were getting into, which was pretty fun. On this side note, this isn’t exactly computer coding. Now I know there are elements to coding with this, but you could do things like a Minecraft club. You could use Minecraft for education, as an option if you don’t want to do that as a regular classroom lesson, or also you could do a 3D printing club.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:13]:


This is a great time to try out 3D printing because the biggest management is you managing the prince as a teacher. So if you do this as a club, You only have a handful of students. You’re learning the platform. So try it as a club this year. And then the following year, you could do it with everybody. So a great way, pretty low preps since you’re using student devices. You don’t really have a whole lot of other materials to worry about. but computer coding on the computer is a great option.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:43]:


The 2nd type of STEM club to try is using LEGO bricks. Whether you have LEGO education kits or LEGO just mixed LEGO Bricks, This is a great club as well. Again, minimal prep. I did 2 versions of this club. I did LEGO 1.0 and LEGO 2.0. In LEGO 1.0, we just had quick one-day building challenges A lot of them I just made up, like building the tallest tower, and then we measured them with yardsticks. It was pretty fun. The kids liked it.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:20]:


It wasn’t so fun when the towers fell over, and they had to clean it up, but it was things like that that they would build in one day. We would learn about it. We would watch some videos about it. They would try the challenge, and then they’d clean up and go home. Super low maintenance. When it came to LEGO 2.0, They didn’t have to come to 1.0 to start. It’s just a fun name I came up with. In LEGO 2.0, we use LEGO Bricks and other materials to merge them together and do stop motion animation.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:49]:


This is actually when I tested out stop motion animation. I had never done it before in a class. So I tried it in my after-school club. I loved it. I love teaching it. There are a lot of units I actually like to teach. I feel like in every unit I teach, I love that one, which is pretty true. but it was really fun teaching stop motion animation came up with a whole unit, and actually, with that unit used it for a summer camp class that I taught all about stop motion.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:19]:


So that was a lot of fun. That lesson, I do have the whole thing that you could use for an after-school club. So you can check that out in my stop motion bundle, which I’ll link in the show notes. If you were looking more up for a LEGO challenge. I recommend looking into the junior 1st LEGO League. I might have mixed up the words of that. I always mess that up. but that is a competition based LEGO challenge.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:46]:


It can be a bit pricey. the prices change quite often. I did it for 1 year because our district decided to fund that, and then we did our own challenge within our district. But essentially, you have LEGO education kits. They do tell you which one you’ll use. And then you have a challenge, and then the students build and solve a challenge, and there’s lessons that go along with it. So it is pretty self-guided. Again, it is a bit pricey.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:12]:


So look into it first. but if you want more of a competition or something more guided, that’s a good thing to look into. The 3rd type of STEM club that you can host is a school-wide news club. Again, this is one of the most favorite clubs I have ever, ever, ever hosted. It was like having my own class again. which is why I think I liked it because I had the same group of kids. I thought of the idea one day when I was walking my dog, Frederick, and it popped into my head, and I figured out how I was going to do this. My biggest challenge was that I didn’t want to be going live every day because, for me, that was my planning time, and I needed my plan time to plan.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:56]:


And then here in Colorado, you get snow days, we get a delayed start, and I didn’t want the news to be dependent on weather and kids getting there. So I figured out a whole system of how to have the news pre-recorded. So my students would only come on Mondays, and then it would be the way we scheduled it out. Everything was ready to go for the next week or so. In the 1st year, I only had a courting team of kids. I had 40 kids, so I split them into 2 groups, and we alternated weeks, and it grew so much in popularity. The kids up absolutely loved it. I had little kids begging me to be on the news.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:37]:


The following year, it doubled. I had 80 kids sign up. So I had about 60 kids on my recording team and 20 on my editing. No. That’s not true. I had 50 in my recording and then 30 in my editing. So we would record on Mondays. I had 3 groups of 20, and then we edited on Tuesdays.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:01]:


I had 3 groups of 20. And then, the way I scheduled it out, they all had the same amount of time to be in the club. So it was a whole lot of fun. We had a logo. We had a brand. We had a whole brand about it. It was a huge privilege to be on it. kind of in a lot of ways, like student leadership, but in a different form.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:22]:


the kids were literally obsessed. So was I. I did have teachers help me with this one and help guide the news, but it was a whole lot of fun and very informative. We actually informed the school about what was happening. It wasn’t just random. Oh, what’s the sports for today? Like, we actually kept up with what was happening in the school. What were the current events of elementary school life? So I’m gonna share it with you.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:47]:


That’s a whole snapshot of what we did, but I’ll share with you how I set this up. So join that waitlist at Naomi Meredith.com/newswaitlist. The 4th type of STEM Club that you can host is creating things with your hands. I did this in a few different ways. One of them is that I hosted a Makerspace club, and this is where I tested out a lot of my seven stories lessons that you can get in my shop, which I’ll link to the ultimate bundle in the show notes. This was so much fun, where we would read or listen to a short story and then complete a related STEM challenge. I did charge about $3 for this club so that I could cover the cost of materials that I didn’t have on hand, and that was plenty. Most of it was recycled materials anyway.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:37]:


This was a great club because, again, I tried out lessons and things that I liked and didn’t like. It also let me see as a teacher how I wanted my classroom maker space to be set up because I have it had it set up all the time. It wasn’t something that I would bring out when I wanted. It was always set up. So having a club setting helped me see, okay, how is the flow of materials? Are there places where kids get stuck? where should the scissors go? Where should the markers go? What is a what makes sense in this situation? So that actually helped me find the flow of my maker’s face. If you wanna hear more about Makerspace, I highly recommend going back to listening to episodes 5 and 6, and I break down that whole thing And then all the things that I use to set it up, I have a bundle of that as well. So everything I just said will be linked in the show notes. Another creating club that I started but actually didn’t get to finish.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:35]:


So I was really, really sad about this. I started a digital branding basics club. In this club, the whole purpose was for students to create a fictional brand where they would be providing a good or a service, and they would develop the whole brand around it. So we were going to create a basic website to talk about brand colors when it comes to the psychology of that and why certain colors are used for certain things. Design a logo that they create digitally and also get it cut on our school cricket machines. And with the logo, we’re also gonna put it either on a shirt or on a hat, which I, again, was so sad. I didn’t get to do this club because the COVID shutdown happened.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:19]:


So we had 1 week of this club, and then it never happened again. And then, I went in a different direction with my club, so I didn’t have the chance to fit that one in. So creating clubs, definitely recommend it could be a little more prep work, but kids love it. The 5th STEM club to try is an experiments club. This is a great way to do those experiments that you haven’t done in a while that take a little bit of prep, like slime and ooblec. Only do ooblec if you don’t have carpet on your floor. Definitely don’t do that. And, also, just those things that are, engaging that they might miss out on the regular class.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:58]:


They may or may not be doing those things. So hands on experiments are a great club. With that, I also hosted an after-school club, which, honestly this one I didn’t really like very much, but we did it. I tried it. Didn’t do it again. but hosted, where we were setting up a school weather balloon that we were going to send up into near space, and the students were picking the things that we would have as the experiments that we would send up with the weather balloon, and they also set up the frame with help with some people from our district. And then, I had to go and set up a school-wide assembly event where the whole school went to watch this balloon getting set up, and the kids who were in the club got to help with that process. I didn’t like this one as much because it was very teacher driven.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:46]:


And I and, like, teacher driven in a sense where I was doing a lot of the learning and the trainings, and also I did have to drive and get the balloon. So I had to drive for 2 hours and then go find it in the middle of a field and drive back Also, this was very weird. It’s weird how a couple of clubs got affected by this, but the day the balloon got launched was the last day the kids had school for the spring because of the COVID shutdown. So it was weird. I thought it was cool, a cool experience, but also a lot of work for the teacher. So keep that in mind. Another club, number 6, that you could try is having a technology support club. This one is a lot of fun because you can train the kids on certain technology skills that are needed in the school that are constantly being asked of you, and they’re your eye support team.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:40]:


So I would tell kids that I am the manager and you are my employees, and I’m gonna train you on the ways of the different things that are needed in the school. the 1st year I did it every other week. And then, in the following years, I just did once a month. That was plenty. But if I needed help with certain things or teachers were asking me questions because I was the technology person. I would send out my eye support team, and they would be there to help. I did also have a logo and shirts for this 1, and they would wear them proudly, and they were definitely a lifesaver. Another fun thing that I had these kids do in the club is that they made videos for our school-wide news, and they would make videos of certain processes of how to use technology like plugging them in, hanging up headphones, logging into Seesaw, and they also made cleaning videos that we would send out every so often on the news.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:29]:


And likewise, during testing season, there were certain technology things that 3rd through 5th-grade teachers had to do. So those kids helped me make videos as well that we could play on the news. Two more clubs are coming at you. I told you it had lots of ideas. The 7th club that you can try is robotics. There are a lot of different curriculums out there, so this is actually a great time to use the curriculums that come with your robots. My favorite is the Dash robot by Wonder Workshop, and they do a whole robotics league competition that comes out in the fall. So I recommend trying that.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:05]:


Also, the Vex robots are really great. There is a competition element. So if you could get other schools in your area to do it, it’s a lot of fun. I haven’t hosted Vex as a club, but I have judged it, and it is super, super cool. So If you have the money in the space for it, again, that one can be a bit pricey, but that one is a lot of fun and a good challenge. And the last type of club, that isn’t really a club, but you can create take home STEM kits. This developed when we actually couldn’t do after-school clubs, and I can do a whole episode about this one, but I created Take Home’s STEM kits that were for purchase. And in the kit, there were 4 different STEM activities that had the instructions, a video, all the supplies, All of the related science, people in STEM, and explorations, all included in this box, and a new kit came out every month for 6 months.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:02]:


So it was a lot of fun to put these together. A great way for kids to be involved with STEM at home. I did make commercials to promote these to get kids to buy them. I didn’t really make any profit off of it at my school. It was really just to fund the materials, any extra money I just put back into the program to buy more masking tape, which is something I always seem to run out of, but I do have a couple of commercials I made. I will post those in the show notes They’re pretty funny. One of them has my dog Frederick who is the star of the video. So check them out.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:33]:


They’re silly. They’re cheesy, but they were a hit. As a recap, here are the 8 different STEM after-school clubs that you can do in your classroom. 1st, computer coding, 2nd, LEGO, 3rd, school-wide news, 4th, creating clubs, 5th, experiment clubs, 6 technology support, 7th, robotics, and 8th, which is a club, not really a club, take home STEM kits. In the next episode, I’m going more go into more depth about the benefits of having a school-wide news crew. which you definitely don’t wanna miss out on. It definitely changed our school-wide culture for the better. So that is an episode I’m really excited to record.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:19]:


And while you’re at it, make sure to check out the show notes. There are a lot of fun goodies in there, including the link to sign up for the wait list for my live workshop training, and you can find that at Naomimeredith.com/newswaitlist.

types of STEM after-school clubs

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!