Cheryl McClure
NCCE 25 PresenterChecking in with NCCE 25 Presenter Cheryl McClure, Bellevue School District Science Teacher, Amazon Future Engineer Teacher Ambassador
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Did you grow up in the Pacific Northwest?
I grew up in Michigan, but we’ve lived in the area for almost 25 years, so our kids have grown up here. We love being able to get outdoors and enjoy the mountains to sound!
Tell us about your education and what you are studying at Michigan State University.
I graduated from Alma College in Michigan, just north of MSU. Last summer I came across Michigan State University’s MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program, and it looked interesting. As a continual learner I was intrigued by the opportunity to expand my coding and computational thinking pedagogical skills, and so far, I’ve learned a great deal. Kudos to MSU MAET!
Cheryl was highlighted for her engaging and informative session she presented at NCCE 25.
For those who did not attend your Coding for Climate Action session:
What have you observed about students’ understanding of climate change after participating in the Coding for Climate Action curriculum? Do you see shifts in their attitudes or behaviors related to the environment?
This year will be our third year learning with the Coding for Climate Action curriculum using Micro:bits and MakeCode. I was fortunate to be part of the 2023 pilot with my students, I am appreciative these pilot materials are, and will remain, available for anyone to use. The curriculum was developed by Amazon Future Engineer, Micro: bit, and NSTA. The curriculum incorporates learning about natural hazards, basic coding concepts, along with physical prototyping where students design early warning systems to increase community resiliency awareness.
My students’ engagement, creativity, and fun are overwhelmingly evident in my 7th grade science classes. If you walk into my classroom during a coding sensors lesson, then you’ll hear a joyful cacophony of student pairs actively working together to figure out how to code just the right sound for an alert! The CFCA curriculum is focused on solutions, which means my students can build and apply their coding knowledge into physical prototypes using Micro: bits. In turn this helps my students to better understand natural hazards and how technology can be used for practical mitigation. After building prototypes students are then charged with creating community awareness and a call to action about natural hazards attributable to climate change.
You mentioned that the curriculum is on an OPEN SOURCE Science site. Can you please share this information?
The CFCA curriculum (pilot) materials can be found here: https://www.amazonfutureengineer.com/cfca
(I believe OpenSciEd is planning to incorporate parts CFCA lessons into their units but not to create a separate CFCA unit.)
Here are my presentation links for my NCCE sessions:
Cheryl also presented about her role as an Amazon Future Engineering Teacher Ambassador, and there was a huge interest in learning more.
Tell us about your role as an Amazon Future Engineering Teacher Ambassador:
Are you a founding member of the Amazon Future Engineering Teacher Ambassador? Please tell us about your experience.
I am honored to have been invited to apply for the inaugural AFE Teacher Ambassador group. My cohort, along with the 2nd cohort, is an amazing group of almost 100 educators from around the country. We are from diverse backgrounds, experience, and grade levels with a common goal to foster computer science equity for students.
Cheryl is one of the 5 AFEs in Washington. This group of educators were selected for AFE’s two-year fellowship to expand access to computer science and technology across their classrooms and communities.
What type of ongoing support does Amazon Future Engineer provide to educators? Can you walk us through some Amazon Future Engineer website resources for teachers looking to implement this curriculum?
Besides the AFE teacher ambassador program, there is a variety of support available for any educator on the AFE website, from CS courses, career tours, scholarships and internships for students. AFE works to connect educators with additional resources from CSTA and Code.org.
As a middle school science teacher, I particularly appreciate using the Career Tours in my classroom. These tours are free interactive virtual field trips to explore careers in technology. We participated with a few tours this year, such as Callisto: Space Innovation Tour, and the Careers Behind the Beats, which pairs nicely with Code.org Music Lab! My students gave these tours a solid thumbs up!
Thank you, Cheryl, for taking the time to follow up after the conference and share a little bit more about yourself and your sessions.
NCCE 26: CALL FOR PRESENTATION
February 25-27, 2026
Deadline: August 2025
This year, NCCE 26 is about transforming how we engage, explore, and experience learning, just like we hope our students do daily. We’re moving away from the “sit and get” approach and leaning into hands-on, minds-on, feet-moving sessions that spark curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. We hope that you will join us!
We’re looking for dynamic educators and edtech enthusiasts to lead interactive sessions that get participants doing, not just listening. Whether trying out emerging tools, engaging in real-time problem-solving, or diving into simulations and design challenges, we want sessions that bring learning to life.
For those interested in presenting at NCCE 26 and being amplified for what you are doing in your district, join us in Seattle, WA February 25-27, 2026.