You know sometimes you can be just working in your job and all of the sudden find something that really excites you about the services you provide, whatever that service might be. Well, I just had one of those moments when looking in PBS LearningMedia (PBSLM). This is not a “hot off the presses” moment as this collection has been on PBSLM for a little while, but the clip I happened to look at seemed to encapsulate so much of what makes a good instructional media resource should be. The clip I am talking about is from a PBSLM collection called “Aerospace Engineering”. This particular clip is an interview with an engineer, Tricia Hevers, who works with launching satellites into space. Some of the things this clip does so well are:

• Shows a highly successful woman employed in a STEM field
• Let’s us hear about what interests she had as a girl that led her to the field
• Gives a good description of what she does with a lot of detail about her exciting career
• Explains what satellites are and how important they are
• Talks about the importance of role models especially women role models in STEM fields
• Talks about the soft skills one needs to get a job in a STEM field such as this one
• Talks about the importance of math in her field
• Communicates the motivations behind and the excitement she feels regarding her career
  

While it may be hard to believe that just one video clip can do all this, take a look and I think you will agree this is a great resource and it is just one example of the kinds of great media resources you can find on PBSLM.  Here is the link to the clip so you can see for yourself.

Remember, if you haven’t been on PBS LearningMedia in the last month, you need to take a look at all the great positive changes that have been made to the site since it’s redesign launch on September 4^th. If you would like training for members of your faculty on the redesigned site then please contact me or the KET Education Consultant for your region of the state. Here is a link to the contact page showing all the consultant’s regions. Thanks for allowing me to share my excitement!

Larry Moore
KET Education Consultant
North Central Region