Advanced Technological Education ·

Welcome to the ATE Central Connection! Published the first Monday of each month, the ATE Central Connection is meant to disseminate information to and about ATE centers and projects, providing you with up-to-date ATE news, events, reminders, as well as highlighting new centers, projects, and resources. In addition, we will also highlight an educational topic with complementary resources found within ATE Central to help illustrate how ATE resources can be used in the classroom.

We want the ATE Central Connection to be a valuable tool; please e-mail info@atecentral.net with any suggestions about how to make the ATE Central Connection more useful for you or to suggest any information you would like to see in an upcoming issue.

Upcoming Events

– Fundamentals of Light and Lasers Online
– WomenTech Educators Online Training Fellowship Online
– iGETT — Remote Sensing Varies
NetWorks Webinar: New Technologies in Renewable Energies Online
1-Day Introductory POGIL Workshop at Linfield College McMinnville, OR
– Innovations 2013 Dallas, TX
– VHDL and FPGAs: Beginner Course Hudson Valley, NY
EvaluATE Webinar: From Valuing to Visualization: Data Interpretation and Reporting Online
NACK Webinar - Trends in Nano: Program Development Online
– Instructional Strategies for Introductory Physics (ISIP) Workshop Appleton, WI
NetWorks Webinar: Developmental Ed in STEM: Student Perspectives Online
– CalGIS: 19th Annual California GIS Conference Long Beach, CA
– National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Professional Development Institute Arlington, VA
NetWorks Webinar: Developmental Ed in STEM: Promising Practices Online
– 93rd AACC Annual Convention San Francisco, CA
NACK Webinar — Successful Models for Nano Outreach Online
– SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing 2013 Baltimore, MD
NetWorks Webinar: Designing a Corporate College Online
– WomenTech Educators Training Florence, SC
NACK Webinar — (Three part series) Trends in Nano: Careers and Workforce Needs Online
– Security + Palos Hills, IL

For more events, please visit the ATE Central Events page or, if you have any upcoming events that you would like posted on ATE Central or in the ATE Central Connection, please send them to info@atecentral.net.

To add a continuously-updated list of ATE and STEM education events to your web site, use the ATE Event Widget.

Resources in Manufacturing & Design

Gears

From NetWorks:

FabCentral

http://fab.cba.mit.edu/

Fab Labs are the educational outreach component for the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Fab Lab is a group of off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication and electronics tools, wrapped in open source software and programs written by researchers at the CBA. Currently the labs include a laser cutter that makes 2-D and 3-D structures, a sign cutter that plots in copper to make antennas and flex circuits, a high-resolution milling machine that makes circuit boards and precision parts, and a suite of electronic components and programming tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers. A Fab Lab can give its users around the world the ability to locally conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate and test almost anything.

From MatEd :

From FLATE:

U Measure and Design

http://www.ictcenter.org/resources/universal_design.html

This activity from the Florida Advanced Technological Education (FLATE) Center asks students to use the concepts of measurement and precision in the context of designing and manufacturing surgical instruments. The interdisciplinary lesson plan involves science, computer technology, math and technical education. Students will have the opportunity to develop their understanding of number systems and their application in the context of a practical industrial situation.

Social Media Tip of the Month

Free Tools & Strategies to Help You Get the Most Out of Social Media

Globe Keeping track of your posts, tweets, and other social media activities can be a complicated business! When you have limited time and resources, choosing the right tools and strategies to support your social media campaign is just as important as developing the campaign in the first place. This month, we offer one third-party tool and two strategies that are simple to use, free, and most importantly, make your life easier.

  • TweetDeck: This tool is one of the most flexible, streamlined ways to keep track of multiple social media accounts. Simply create a login, and then add your Twitter and Facebook accounts to see everything from your posts to your newsfeed to who's mentioned you on Twitter. You can customize which pieces of information you want, post to Twitter or Facebook, schedule posts for later, follow other people, and more.
  • Set Up Cross-Posting: If you have both a Facebook and Twitter account, cross-posting from one to the other can save you lots of time. To set your Facebook account so your posts automatically show up on your Twitter feed, simply log in to your account and visit the Facebook Page to Twitter app. If you would prefer to post only to Twitter and have those posts appear on Facebook, first log in to Twitter. Then, visit Profile (located under Settings), and click Connect to Facebook.
  • Schedule Posts Ahead of Time: Using TweetDeck, you can schedule Tweets ahead of time. This is especially useful if you want to remind your followers about special events, deadlines, publications, or other time-sensitive matters. Simply compose your post, choose the date and time you want it released, and save. Facebook offers this functionality directly on the site: click on clock icon below the post composition area to schedule a date and time for that post. To review scheduled posts, click on Edit Page at the top of the page and select Use Activity Log.

Community Connection

New School-Industry Partnership Best Practices Guide from FLATE

Screenshot Many members of the ATE community spend significant time building industry partnerships. This can be a delicate and time-consuming process, as doing it well involves identifying potential partners, developing contacts and relationships, and cultivating the partnership to sustain it over the long term. Fortunately, FLATE (the Florida Advanced Technological Education Regional Center of Excellence) has developed a new best practices guide to help ATE projects and centers initiate or nurture partnerships.

Even at a short 22 pages, Forging Positive Partnerships in Florida: Strategies for Starting and Sustaining School-Industry Partnerships is packed with tools and tips designed to help projects and centers attract partner interest and show their work in the best possible light. The first section is dedicated to Partnership Tools: time-tested strategies for engaging many people in various work areas at both institutions. The eight models here include Internships/Externships, Mentoring, and Tours and Talks. The second section of the guide discusses Partnership Tips, or how…misconceptions can be erased and replaced with positive, proactive actions. Among the suggestions here are strategies for discussing advanced manufacturing's green, creative, and hands-on qualities, as well as ideas for how to target girls and women, K-12 students, parents, and more.

For those ATE community members in Florida, the guide concludes with some valuable information about potential partners in that state. Even for those not located in the Sunshine State, however, the guide provides useful, timely, and condensed information that will enhance any project or center's partnership plan.

Did you know?

According to the Council of Graduate Schools, community colleges serve higher percentages of first-generation, low socioeconomic status, and older students than their four-year counterparts. In addition, community colleges serve a proportionately higher number of underrepresented minorities, thus creating an important avenue to degrees and careers.

News & Reminders

FLATE featured on Science Nation

The Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE) was featured on Science Nation on February 11, 2013. The short segment discusses FLATE's curriculum and how it prepares students for the advanced manufacturing workplace.

Is your project/center on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site?

If so, please make sure we've found that site and added it to the ATE Social Media Directory. Having your social media presence linked through the directory will help ensure that interested parties can find you online. In addition, if you currently publish a newsletter, please let us know, as we will be adding links to newsletters to the information available on ATE Central.

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Can CWIS Software Help Support Your Project Goals?

CWIS is open source software, created with NSF funding, that can help your project or center showcase resources online. It's free and very easy to use. We'd be happy to provide you with more information about CWIS and give you a quick tour of its features — please e-mail cwis@scout.wisc.edu to get started!

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