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High Schools Need to Use Social Media to Spur STEM Engagement

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I agree that these social digital tools can add excitement and interest, not to mention the added bonus of true collaboration with peers globally as well as contact with experts in the field. Unfortunately most districts, including mine, block any and all social networks as well as any software that has any kind of ramification aspect. We continue to teach in a mode of past centuries primary out of fear of liability.

Gridjumper of FL 8:16AM May 03, 2012

Your viewpoint is very interesting, but only a small part of the rapidly declining American STEM education picture. Yes, social media can have it place as a tool in helping assist STEM education, but the scope is FAR larger in scope than you are addressing.
Powerful STEM education MUST begin very early in elementary school, AND, be fostered by exciting hands-on STEM activities, field trips, physical competitions and energizing presentations that employ audience participation.
All of this must begin with dedicated STEM-only educators having dedicated hands-on and minds-on STEM labs in elementary schools. When not conducting exciting, amazing and energizing face-to-face work with students, those full-time STEM educators (one per every elementary school in our nation), would be busy performing professional STEM education development with all of the other educators in the school and with families and the community after school.
Then, that strong beginning must be coupled with robust STEM education programs in middle and high school.
Students must become physically engaged, which means dramatically stronger STEM education programs inside AND outside of our schools, with STEM enrichment events on weekends and robust STEM education summer camps and internships.
But, America has its head buried in the sand, just like the people who fail to understand the ramifications of climate science and other technical issues that are becoming critically important to our nation and the world. America's growing political and commercial war against STEM will end up destroying our nation's future if we do not turn this around immediately. We are actively pulling the rug out from under our children's future and giving the store away to other countries.
To that end I am working with a brand new team of dedicated volunteer educators, business leaders and community personnel in pursuing enhanced STEM education experiences for our children via our new Central Coast STEM Education Collaborative on the coast of California www.ccstem.com.

Walter Reil of CA 11:02PM April 13, 2012