The objective is to provide visionary leadership to the education community by: (a) identifying and analyzing the needs and opportunities for future STEM curriculum development; and, (b) recommending policy positions and actions by funding agencies and STEM educators regarding the development and implementation of STEM school curriculum. Specific questions to be addressed include:

• What will a high-impact, technology-intensive STEM classroom look like in the near and long-term future?
• What materials development and research are required to make this future vision possible?
• What design, development, and diffusion processes are most likely to produce new approaches to STEM education that are implemented in schools?

The vehicle for accumulating, discussing and articulating future technology-intensive STEM curriculum needs and opportunities is a series of workshops. Initially, a small visionary group will produce a framework for the future. Subsequently, a larger and broader group of education and curriculum developers will consider the vision and opportunities for implementation. The result of this work will be a collection of information, ideas, and recommendations organized for practitioners (teachers and administrators), curriculum developers and researchers.

Report of a Workshop Series

First Workshop: December 1-3, 2009, Lansdowne, Virginia

The first workshop in the series solicited perspectives from key progressive thinkers in STEM education and instructional technology regarding the following questions:

What will a high-impact, technology-intensive STEM learning look like in the near and long-term future?

What development and study of instructional materials, models, and technologies will be required to make those future visions possible?

Summary

Reflection Papers

Second Workshop: May 17-18, 2010, Lansdowne Virginia

Focus: Articulating a Research and Development Agenda for Learning Designers

Building upon the visions for future STEM educational environments described in the 1st Workshop, participants will identify high priority work (research and development) that is needed to capitalize on technological advances and produce/deliver/use the next generation of curriculum and instructional tools and environments for advancing STEM learning in formal (school) and informal (museums, community centers, etc.) settings (and across settings). The goal will be to produce a research and development agenda related to STEM curriculum (instructional tools, materials, platforms, systems). That is, what are the high priority areas for R & D? What are critical questions that need to be addressed?