Just before school began this fall, Thomas Metcalf School hosted a professional development event in the Imaginarium. It brought together educators from around the state to learn about programming in education.
SparkFun was the name of the organization that was traveling the country and which provided the training. The Metcalf event was the Illinois stop on the SparkFun Midwest Tour. Educators and STEAM advocates learned about the SparkFun Kits. Attendees for this STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) event included representatives from both laboratory schools, the College of Education, pre-service teachers, and the University (the director of classroom technologies and learning spaces and the director for CeMaST).
Additionally, the McLean County 4-H director for educational activities, the director of the maker lab at the University of Illinois, and the State of Illinois 4-H robotics educator participated in this hands-on training and networking event.
