5:45 –  Up and atom (sorry, I can’t resist a good Simpsons reference).  To the hotel gym for a little wake-up exercise.   Criminey, altitude does make exercise harder.

7:00 – Caffeinating and fueling up for a day of science education. Mmmm.. Oatmeal.

7:45 – Checked in and all official. Check out the fancy presenter ribbon 🙂

8:00 am –  First session of the day!  Understanding the Vision for Science Education from the NRC Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards from Brett Moulding. My takeaway from this was the idea of a “science performance”.  Just as students showcase the skills they practice in music class at a concert or a performance, so must students with science.  Students need opportunities to try out what they’ve learned by applying them.

9:00 –  Found a bench and an unoccupied outlet to catch-up on emails and work on another conference proposal.

10:30 –  Random conversation with fellow conference goers about inflatable planetarium domes. Evoked horrifying flash back of nearly being trampled by preschoolers trying to get to the front of the dome to see Elmo at outreach event several years ago.

11:30 –  Strolled through first half of the exhibit hall.  Nearly gave in and bought an I Heart Science t-shirt.

12:00 – Conference going is hard work, grabbed a bento box to fuel more science education networking!

12:30 Second session of the day – STEM! How to Create Rigorous, Authentic Learning for All.  An overview of the transformation of Preston Middle School in Colorado into a STEM-centered school.  The stand-out point was the importance of engaging faculty in STEM.  Specifically, when creating a STEM-focused school, build around the passion of the teachers. Their enthusiasm and passion will draw students in.

1:35 –  Realization that in fact I didn’t finish my slides for tomorrow’s presentation.

2:00  – Third and final session of my day – Building Collaborative Partnerships to Advance K-12 STEM Education.  A panel discussion of creating collaborations to strengthen STEM educational initiatives.   My biggest take away from this session was learning about the National Girls Collaborative Project .

3:30 – Search for afternoon coffee (thanks 7-11).

4:00 – Slides, slides, slides.  Put together the last portion of tomorrow’s presentation – Bringing the Zooniverse into the Classroom.

6:00 – A dinner of subpar Mexican food.  Perfectly good guacamole ruined by olives.

7:00-  Slides done, now to blog.

8:10 – Blog done!

More from NSTA tomorrow.