2019 MESTA Conference

One graduate credit will be available for the conference for an additional fee of $190. Registration and payment is required through Hamline University. Forms to register for this class will be available at the conference. Contact Lee Schmitt at lschmitt@hamline.edu

Location

District 287 Conference Center
1820 N. Xenium Ln, Plymouth, MN 55441

Date: Friday, February 1, 2019

Time: 7:45am-3:00pm

Location: District 287 Conference Center. 1820 N. Xenium Ln, Plymouth, MN 55441
Keynote Speaker, Break-out Sessions, Activity Share, Free Resources, Breakfast and Lunch included

Optional Thursday night activity:
Thursday, January 1, 2019
5:30pm Social Gathering
Gabe's by the Park 991 Lexington Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55103 651-646-3066
(Dinner at your expense.)

THURSDAY EVENING EVENT

7:30-8:30pm:
View the Cosmos at the Como Planetarium

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Native Skywatchers - A Leading Model for
Indigenous STEM– and Examples of More
Inclusive Science

Video Links

Annette S. Lee, Director of Native Skywatchers,
Astronomy Professor at St. Cloud State University

CONCURRENT SESSION PRESENTER INFORMATION

Skywarn Storm Spotting and Severe Weather

Jarrod Schoenecker, President of the Twin Cities
Meteorological Society, Metro Skywarn Trainer and
Board Member
wallcloudchaser.com/

Bedrock Geology and Hydrological Challenges of Southeast Minnesota

Julia Steenberg, Minnesota Geological Survey

Authentic Learning and Assessment

Haley Kalina, Alexandria Public Schools and Dana
Smith, Nicollet Public Schools

Story Maps

Jacqueline Hamilton, Minnesota Geological Survey
and Matt Winbigler, Cloquet Public Schools

Join us at a Minnesota classic, the Como Planetarium.
Recently updated with a state-of-the-art immersive video system, this intimate venue will be our vehicle to explore the solar system and beyond. Additional possibilities for the evening include a trip through deep space and updates on current space missions. Participants have the option of meeting colleagues for a social gathering and dinner at their own expense at Gabes by the Park before the show.

Como Park Elementary
780 West Wheelock Parkway, St. Paul
$10 fee as noted on the registration form.
Reserve and pay in advance.

“Celestial Calendar-Paintings and Culture-Based
Digital Storytelling: Cross-Cultural,
Interdisciplinary, STEM/STEAM Resources for
Authentic Astronomy Education Engagement”

Annette S. Lee is an astronomer, professional visual artist
and the Director of Native Skywatchers (NSW), an
interdisciplinary and intercultural community-based
research and programming initiative, with three decades of
experience in education as a teacher and educational leader
and program administrator, and researcher. The overarching
goal of NSW is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way
of living and sustainable engineering through a living and
participatory relationship with the above and below, sky
and earth. We hope to inspire all people to have a rekindling or deepening sense of awe and personal relationship to the cosmos. Particular focus will be on examples, tools, and strategies employed by NSW. Currently Annette is a Professor of Astronomy at St. Cloud State University (SCSU), Director of the SCSU Planetarium, and an Indigenous STEM consultant for Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. Annette is mixed-race Native American and her communities are Ojibwe and D(L)akota.

This presentation will introduce participants to SKYWARN,
a volunteer network of severe storm spotters established by
the National Weather Service with the goal of obtaining
critical weather information during severe weather events,
and addresses severe weather in our area. Start becoming
familiar with severe storm structure, see specific examples
of local storms, learn how SKYWARN is utilized and why
it’s important, and find out how to become a SKYWARN
spotter in your area.

The bedrock of southeast Minnesota contains some of the
most heavily used aquifers in the state. These aquifers
support domestic, agricultural and industrial water needs as
well as more than one hundred trout streams that are fed by
groundwater. Geologic mapping, dye trace and groundwater
chemistry investigations, as well as outcrop and borehole
observations, have improved our understanding of
groundwater flow through these formations and allowed for
better groundwater management in the region. We will
review the geology and hydrogeologic setting of SE
Minnesota, highlight recent bedrock mapping in the Twin
Cities, Rochester and Winona areas as part of the County
Geologic Atlas program.

Experience some of the most successful techniques
we have discovered in our instructional coach and teacher
roles. Explore strategies for transforming your instruction
through formative and summative assessments, cross-age
learning, labs, and projects. Learn to apply methods that
encourage students to design and ask their own content-
related questions. Take away practical strategies that are
ready for implementation as early as next week.

What is a Story Map? How can Story Maps be used in the
classroom? Everyone has access to ESRI's mapping
products, but where to start? Building a Story Map can be
easier, and more fun, than learning how to use Power Point.
Figure out how to get set up and see successful examples
from other Minnesota schools.

Gallery

Contact Us

Conference event information:
Dana Smith dana.smith@isd507.k12.mn.us
Conference registration questions:
Jeff Lynum
mestarocksalot@gmail.com