Postcard from the NSTA Conference

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference is always an exciting event where we can showcase MMSA’s programs as well as listen to talks from others that measure best practice and new innovations. This year’s NSTA conference in Los Angeles was no exception. MMSA’s WeatherBlur citizen science project presented its use of the S.M.A.R.T process (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant and Timely), that builds scientific questions, at two share-a-thons where we gave out the program’s wonderful SMART poster. There was great interest from teachers, especially about our use of the Fulcrum app for data collection. We also attended some great talks, including how to use ESRI’s online GIS system (which is now available free to schools) for displaying data. If you have never attended an NSTA conference, it is an experience worth having. The next national conference is in Atlanta, Georgia in April 2018.