The pilot testing interest form is currently closed, but keep an eye on our blog and newsletter for Digital Storybooks project updates.

Last summer, EiE curriculum developers kicked off an exciting new initiative: EiE Digital Storybooks. As our August 2016 blog post describes, this project is an effort to better accommodate educators and learners by integrating our storybooks into a digital platform. Through collaboration with our outside partner, Alipes, these new storybooks are fully customizable. Educators can choose between abridged and unabridged versions while easily turning on or off features like vocabulary supports, discussion questions, and interactive animations. At EiE, we test our new products thoroughly to best ensure that by the time they reach the classroom, educators have a reliable product that works. We depend greatly on the feedback from educators and experts in the field. This fall, we are looking for classroom teachers to pilot test our digital storybooks. Click here to sign up for pilot testing and read below for more information about this exciting initiative.

A few weeks ago, we asked you to complete a reader survey. We were blown away by our readers' enthusiastic response! You gave us tons of great information that will help us make the blog and newsletter even better for you. You also asked some excellent questions about the blog, newsletter, EiE curriculum, and everything in between. We wanted to make sure we shared the answers with all of our readers!

We know that in July, the last thing educators want to think about is the upcoming school year—but hear us out! This August, we’re offering an exciting, free online professional development opportunity: Getting Started With EiE. With this back-to-school webinar series, you can get a jump start on your professional development and feel confident about teaching engineering in the fall. This series is for EiE educators who need a little support from our PD team—like those who are brand new to teaching engineering, those who have an EiE materials kit sitting unused on their shelves, and those who need a refresher on how our curriculum materials work. In this interactive series, you’ll connect with our PD providers and other educators to get ready to dive into hands-on engineering instruction with ease. Best of all, you can attend these free sessions from the comfort of your own home!

The National Science Teachers Association is holding its annual STEM Forum & Expo next week in Kissimmee, Florida. Members of the Engineering is Elementary team will be there, and we’d love to see you! Find us at booth #716 in the exhibit hall, check out our session on developing Engineering Habits of Mind, and visit us at the Elementary STEM Showcase! If you drop by our booth or attend one of our sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to enter a raffle for the EiE materials kit of your choice.

Are you having trouble getting middle-school-aged youth engaged in engineering challenges? When we developed our out-of-school-time curricula for grades 6–8, Engineering Everywhere, we committed to creating an additional free resource: the Special Report video library. We developed these 10-15 minute videos to set a context and get middle schoolers excited about engineering. Each video features an Engineering and Technology Correspondent who introduces youth to a field of engineering by speaking to experts about the problems they solve. These videos are engaging and entertaining, and show youth how vital the Engineering Design Process is in the real world. Check out three of our favorites and see how an exciting video can energize the young engineers in your program!