National Conference for National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
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Ward's booth at the NSTA Conference
I attended the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) national conference that was held in Indianapolis. This took place towards the end of March and beginning of April in 2012. There was a group of about ten of us (NSTA members and Grand Valley Sate University professors) that took a Grand Valley bus to this national event. When we arrived, there was a big process of checking in and going through catalogs of the different speakers, sessions, and events taking place on each of the three days. I went through each of the days catalogs to pick out what I found to be most interesting and beneficial to me. A lot of these events really stood out to me, but a couple that I knew right away that I wanted to attend were: bringing science into the classroom, implementing science into other subject areas, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Each day there were around 100 or more different booths set up around a large conference hall. Many of them gave away teaching tools, tips, and other great teaching related advice. A lot of them were different companies advertising their materials, work, and experience. I learned so much new information. I also made a lot of connections and got many useful tools that will be beneficial to me when I am teaching. I got to see Bill Nye the Science Guy, hold a tarantula, and do a dry ice explosion. I got different books that integrated science with other subject areas, a stack as tall as me of DVD's that are science related, activities in a bag that teach certain concepts, and a total of five or six different bags full of stuff I collected and won from different booths and companies. There were so many interacting experiences that I was involved in and information that I have gained that I will use in my future classroom.