Events
Speaking Topics
Speaking Inquiry Form
Events
We enjoy sharing our passion via speaking. On this tab, you can see upcoming and past events! To learn more about our presentations, please visit the "speaking topics" tab. To contact us, please see our "inquiry form" tab.
Upcoming
November 21-23, 2019: CAST (Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching)
Our Session at CAST 2019:
Unlectured: Amoeba Sisters Adventures in Transforming the Lecture
12-1pm on Nov 21 (Thursday)
Dallas, TX
View all the sessions at CAST 2019 here! You will find so many exciting topics presented by many science educators!
Note: This conference has a "make the case" page with resources for making the case to attend! This is one of our FAVORITE large science conferences. If you are a science educator, this is a fantastic conference with tons of science educators sharing their ideas, knowledge, and experiences. There are TONS of sessions to pick from, and we will also have a one hour session on one of the days.
Our Session at CAST 2019:
Unlectured: Amoeba Sisters Adventures in Transforming the Lecture
12-1pm on Nov 21 (Thursday)
Dallas, TX
View all the sessions at CAST 2019 here! You will find so many exciting topics presented by many science educators!
Note: This conference has a "make the case" page with resources for making the case to attend! This is one of our FAVORITE large science conferences. If you are a science educator, this is a fantastic conference with tons of science educators sharing their ideas, knowledge, and experiences. There are TONS of sessions to pick from, and we will also have a one hour session on one of the days.
Previous Events
March 2019: ComSciCon- Houston (at Rice University)
Communicating Science with GIFs
Houston, TX
March 2019: South by SouthWest Edu (SXSWedu)
Unlectured: Adventures in Transforming the Lecture
Austin, TX
March 2019: Metroplex Mini-CAST
Keynote: The One Creating is the One Who is Learning
Dallas, TX
March 2019: TCCTA Annual Convention
Harnessing the Power of YouTube Videos to Facilitate Curiosity and Student Questioning
Houston, TX
July 2018: Panhandle STEM Conference
Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Biology
Lubbock, TX
July 2018: UTeach Stem Conference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Who is Learning"
Austin, TX
June 2018: American Society of Microbiology Microbe
Part of Symposium titled Creative Approaches to Presenting the Microbial World
Atlanta, GA
June 2018: #KleinPinIt Conference
Keynote: "Adventures in Creating"
Klein, TX
November 2017: CAST (Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching)
Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Biology
Houston, TX
October 2017: Region 4 Science Conference
Formative Assessments with Student-Created GIFs
Let Students Be Creators with Science Vocabulary
Houston, TX
August 2017: TEKS Resource System Conference
Five Fantastic Ways Students Can Be Classroom Creators
Bringing Science TEKS to Life with GIFs
San Antonio, TX
May 2017: UTeach Conference
Speaker in Opening Plenary (Pinky is a UTeach alumna)
Austin, TX
March 2017: ComSciCon-Houston
Science Multimedia Panel
Houston, TX
January 2017: Klein ISD Unconference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Who Is Learning"
Klein, TX
October 2016: TCCA
Amoeba Sisters Present: Five Fabulous Student Creation Types
Houston, TX
October 2016: Region 4 Science Conference
Student Video Creation in Science with Humor and Relevance
Houston, TX
July 2016: UTeach Alumni Conference
Strategies for Student Creation in a Time-Crunched Classroom
Austin, TX
June 2016: Region 9 Texoma Regional Math and Science Conference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Learning"
Amoeba Sisters Video Creation in the Classroom
Bringing Biology TEKS to Life with Comics and GIFs
Wichita Falls, TX
October 2015: TCCA
Student Video Creation: Combining Creativity with Content The Comeback of the GIF: Animated Models Created by Students for Students
Houston, TX
July 2015: "Amoeba Sisters Student Video Creation Workshop"
(in collaboration with UTeach)
Austin, TX
March 2015: SXSWEdu
"Video Creation: Where is the Humor and Relevance?"
Austin, TX
February 2015: Region 4 Science Conference
Student Video Creation in Science with Humor and Relevance
Houston, TX
November 2014: CAST (Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching)
Engaging the 21st Century Biology Student With Student Generated Video
Dallas, TX
October 2014: Region 4 Digital Learning Conference
Beyond Screen Record: Bringing Humor and Relevance to Video Creation
Houston, Texas
July 2014: UTeach Alumni Conference
Engaging the 21st Century Learner with Video Creation
Austin, Texas
Communicating Science with GIFs
Houston, TX
March 2019: South by SouthWest Edu (SXSWedu)
Unlectured: Adventures in Transforming the Lecture
Austin, TX
March 2019: Metroplex Mini-CAST
Keynote: The One Creating is the One Who is Learning
Dallas, TX
March 2019: TCCTA Annual Convention
Harnessing the Power of YouTube Videos to Facilitate Curiosity and Student Questioning
Houston, TX
July 2018: Panhandle STEM Conference
Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Biology
Lubbock, TX
July 2018: UTeach Stem Conference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Who is Learning"
Austin, TX
June 2018: American Society of Microbiology Microbe
Part of Symposium titled Creative Approaches to Presenting the Microbial World
Atlanta, GA
June 2018: #KleinPinIt Conference
Keynote: "Adventures in Creating"
Klein, TX
November 2017: CAST (Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching)
Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Biology
Houston, TX
October 2017: Region 4 Science Conference
Formative Assessments with Student-Created GIFs
Let Students Be Creators with Science Vocabulary
Houston, TX
August 2017: TEKS Resource System Conference
Five Fantastic Ways Students Can Be Classroom Creators
Bringing Science TEKS to Life with GIFs
San Antonio, TX
May 2017: UTeach Conference
Speaker in Opening Plenary (Pinky is a UTeach alumna)
Austin, TX
March 2017: ComSciCon-Houston
Science Multimedia Panel
Houston, TX
January 2017: Klein ISD Unconference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Who Is Learning"
Klein, TX
October 2016: TCCA
Amoeba Sisters Present: Five Fabulous Student Creation Types
Houston, TX
October 2016: Region 4 Science Conference
Student Video Creation in Science with Humor and Relevance
Houston, TX
July 2016: UTeach Alumni Conference
Strategies for Student Creation in a Time-Crunched Classroom
Austin, TX
June 2016: Region 9 Texoma Regional Math and Science Conference
Keynote: "The One Creating is the One Learning"
Amoeba Sisters Video Creation in the Classroom
Bringing Biology TEKS to Life with Comics and GIFs
Wichita Falls, TX
October 2015: TCCA
Student Video Creation: Combining Creativity with Content The Comeback of the GIF: Animated Models Created by Students for Students
Houston, TX
July 2015: "Amoeba Sisters Student Video Creation Workshop"
(in collaboration with UTeach)
Austin, TX
March 2015: SXSWEdu
"Video Creation: Where is the Humor and Relevance?"
Austin, TX
February 2015: Region 4 Science Conference
Student Video Creation in Science with Humor and Relevance
Houston, TX
November 2014: CAST (Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching)
Engaging the 21st Century Biology Student With Student Generated Video
Dallas, TX
October 2014: Region 4 Digital Learning Conference
Beyond Screen Record: Bringing Humor and Relevance to Video Creation
Houston, Texas
July 2014: UTeach Alumni Conference
Engaging the 21st Century Learner with Video Creation
Austin, Texas
Speaking Topics
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We tend to personalize our topics to our audience, but below are some of our active topics that we are very passionate about!
KEYNOTE: "The One Creating is The One Who is Learning" [Estimated Time: 45 minutes- 1.5 hours]
Amoeba Sisters is a science YouTube channel that was created to try to solve a classroom obstacle, but over the past five years, it ended up showing us more about creating than we could have ever imagined. We have discovered there is so much learning in the creative process. What is the value in involving students as creators in the classroom? What are some ways that students can create while still facing obstacles such as limited classroom time and/or resources? Join us in exploring the lessons we've learned in our adventure in creating! Discover how you can empower students as classroom creators! Featured Presentation: "Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Science" [Estimated Time: 1-1.5 hours]
The one doing the creating is the one who is learning, and this includes your science students! As the Amoeba Sisters, we are creators of videos, GIFs, and comics that demystify science. Consider the power of providing opportunities for your students to create! Learn how to involve your students as creators in your classroom while still maximizing your classroom time. Student creation types discussed include GIFs, comics, podcasts, and more with strategies for handling obstacles including limited technology. Teachers will leave this session with five ideas, several template resources, and recommendations of freely available tools to involve their students as creators, and not just consumers, of creations that can support science standards. Featured Presentation: "Bringing Science to Life with GIFs" [Estimated Time: 1-1.5 hours]
GIFs are popular among students on social media, but did you know they are also very powerful in science education? GIFs can serve as powerful visualizations and models for science processes and vocabulary. Take a look at the GIF science collection we have created! Learn how you and your students can create GIFs with or without technology while maximizing precious classroom time. When students are provided opportunities for creating GIFs, the result is a powerful blend of engagement, relevance, and science content! Featured Presentation: "Using YouTube Videos to Facilitate Curiosity and Student Questioning" [Estimated Time: 1-1.5 hours]
As co-creators of the Amoeba Sisters YouTube Channel, we create short science educational videos that use a style of memorable comics. Yet, we are only one of the many educational YouTube Channels out there! YouTube videos can serve as a tool, and like many tools, it is how the tool is used that determines its effectiveness. What are some different styles of educational YouTube videos out there? How can educational YouTube videos be more effectively used so that they provide more time for student discussion and encourage students to ask questions beyond the content? What are some free tools that can help students connect to the YouTube content? Participants will leave this session with an understanding of educational tools that can be used with educational YouTube videos, tips that help make YouTube videos more accessible, and creative ideas for promoting student discussion and questioning. Featured Presentation: "Facilitating Student Discussion with Biology Comics" [Estimated Time: 1-1.5 hours]
There is research that suggests humor, when used effectively, can be used to increase student content retention. As the Amoeba Sisters, we create biology videos, GIFs, and comics that strive to be memorable and are frequently humorous. How can the many biology comics that exist out there be used to facilitate student discussion and dynamically change traditional lectures? How can students get involved in creating biological comics that can be presented to the class for feedback? Participants will leave this session with an understanding of using comics as a student discussion tool as well as ideas for involving their students in the comic creation process. Concepts in this presentation are very similar to the method behind our Unlectured Series. Workshop: "Communicating Science with GIFs" [Estimated Time: 2-3 hours]
While GIFs have been around since 1987, they have surged in popularity on social media and everyday messaging communication. Have you considered their use in education? GIFs can be very powerful for communicating educational concepts including science processes and vocabulary. This session will demonstrate several ways that GIFs can be used for class discussion as well as how instructors- and students- can create their own. Participants will leave this session with ideas for using GIFs in their biology course as well as a sample template for creating them. A smartphone, laptop, or tablet is recommended for this session. Note: Unlike the featured presentation on GIFs, this workshop format provides more time for participants to create GIFs to communicate their science (perhaps what they are teaching or their current research). We have a collection of GIFs that we often use as examples which may be helpful to view if considering whether this session would be a good fit. Workshop: "Amoeba Sisters Video Creation Workshop" [Estimated Time: 2-3 hours]
This workshop shows a teacher-student collaborative video creation process that uses a similar style of video creation that we use in our videos. The steps used are designed to maximize time and work with already freely available technology resources. You can actually find out more about our video creation steps on our "Student Creators" page. |
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Speaking Inquiry Form
We enjoy traveling to share our passion through speaking events and workshops! NOTE: After Fall 2019, we are taking a pause from speaking events/conferences [except for those previously scheduled] until Fall 2020.
If you have an inquiry, please complete the below form! Note: We do not do email lists or newsletters, and we are not frequent emailing amoebas. We only respond to emails or contact forms (such as this one below) to answer an inquiry or provide requested information. See privacy policy. |
Common Questions and AnswersDo you charge a fee to speak at an event?
Typically, yes, if it's a request. We need to be fiscally responsible to support ourselves, and we can give an estimate from the information given on this form. We calculate time, travel [from Houston/Dallas TX], and hotel costs if we are asked to speak at a school, district, or conference. However, we strive to keep our costs down as much as possible. We are not interested in using speaking as a way to generate revenue for our work; we are more interested in using speaking as a way to share our passion with others. We just have to ensure that we aren't losing money when we speak. What are your speaking topics?
Check out the "speaking topics" tab to see our active topics! I am a teacher. Can I invite you to Skype in to speak with my class?
Yes! We love speaking to classes on Skype. Since we won't have travel costs and the time commitment is usually small (15-30 minutes) with prep, we never charge anything for this. Here are the steps we suggest to take: 1. Check with your school/district administration first as rules about how to proceed can vary around the world. Keep in mind that you have many options. For example, you can choose to disable your camera during a Skype session (and only enable audio) so that we're the only ones actually visible. 2. Check that you have the ability to Skype in your classroom; you may want to test the connection with a colleague. If you have a technology specialist, you may want to ask for their collaboration. 3. Contact us and let us know times/dates that work for your class. 4. Ask students to brainstorm questions ahead of time; they may want to write them down beforehand. This is the sequence of what we have done in the past, but you may have another request: 1) How we got started. 2) What we learned along the way. 3) How creating has made us enjoy science even more and has helped us reach others. 4) Do you have any questions for us? With Pinky's new baby, our current ability to Skype may be a bit limited. We also highly encourage checking out Skype a Scientist (not affiliated)! |
NOTE: After Fall 2019, we are taking a pause from speaking events/conferences [except for those previously scheduled] until Fall 2020.