In Brief

Digital Learning Day

Behrend student Doniciana Cortes demonstrates the interactive math word wall for Barber National Institute students and their aides.

Behrend student Doniciana Cortes demonstrates the interactive math word wall for Barber National Institute students and their aides.

Credit: Penn State Behrend

Students in MTH ED 427 Teaching Mathematics in Technology-Intensive Environments, taught by Dr. Courtney Nagle, associate professor of mathematics education, had the opportunity to put theory into practice this spring. They participated in Digital Learning Day at Erie’s Barber National Institute, which serves children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral health challenges.

The students created an interactive math word wall using the Aurasma/HP Reveal app to showcase multiple representations of mathematics terms and demonstrate how the app can be used to teach mathematics to students with diverse learning needs. Digital Learning Day began in 2012 as a grassroots effort to highlight innovative education and teaching practices that are improving student outcomes through technology.

Math teachers add skills

This summer, nearly 100 middle and high school mathematics teachers attended Penn State Behrend’s Best Practices in Teaching and Learning Mathematics Conference. The annual conference is organized by faculty members and students in the school’s secondary education in mathematics program.

Get your head in the stars

Yahn Planetarium at Penn State Behrend, located in the Zurn Building, is open year-round. The planetarium offers public shows on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 and 2:30 p.m., all followed by a look at the current night sky using the planetarium dome.

Groups, clubs, and organizations are welcome to schedule private events and can choose from more than twenty different shows.

Programs for the public change seasonally. The current offerings are:

  • Sunstruck—Thursdays and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m.—recommended for ages 9 and up. Travel back in time to experience the birth of the sun and learn how it came to support life, how it threatens life, and how its energy will one day fade away.
  • Larry Cat in Space—Saturdays at 2:30 p.m.—recommended for all ages. Take off on an adventure with a curious stowaway cat.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger. Shows are free for all current Penn State students as well as faculty and staff members with Penn State ID. For additional information, contact planetarium director Jim Gavio at 814-898-7268 or [email protected].