Monday, May 23, 2016
Tech Thursday & Tinker Time Join Future Fridays!
In an earlier post, I described Future Fridays which take place during the lunch periods at VHS to allow students to experience latest technology and concepts in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Now, we've added Tech Thursday and Tinker Time which occur at SMS and VES respectively. Both events were wildly popular with the students and will become a monthly event during the 2016-2017 school year.
Spheros, Spheros Everywhere!
You may have noticed the mesmerizing colored lights of the Sphero robots rolling around the hallways of VHS. As part of our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) integration efforts, we have acquired 12 of these versatile robots to incorporate into projects and lessons in all classes. Currently, we are using them in our art classes for painting abstract portraits and gain experience in long exposure photography. Next year, we are planning to use the Spheros to power student-constructed Roman chariots when learning about ancient Rome in 7th-grade social studies. We are also using the robots in Biology at the high school to conduct our own experiments in genetics to study the inheritance of traits.
Spheros can be controlled by steering the robot with the driving part of the app on their mobile device, or can be programmed with simple block code. Most of the students have been driving the robots using their smartphones as the remote control, however, I am hoping that as our comfort level with this technology increases, students start coding their own Sphero programs.
If you would like to use these within your classroom, please let me know and I will find a project that correlates to your curriculum. For more information on Sphero Education, please visit http://www.sphero.com/education.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Future Fridays
This past Friday, during Vermilion High School lunch periods, we held our first Future Friday symposium providing our students time to explore some new technology trends and tinker with some traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tools, such as robotic kits and building blocks. A favorite included the banana piano, created by using a program in Scratch and the MakeyMakey, a device which can turn any conductor into a keyboard. The Sphero robot was a huge hit with its maneuverability, speed, and multi-colored lights. Students were astounded when they were magically transported to a museum through a VR (Virtual Reality) app using the updated View-Master. And it wouldn't have been Future Friday without the versatile Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer that can be used for a limitless number of projects and applications.
Future Fridays were started to incorporate STEM concepts for our high school students and solicit their ideas about creating a Makerspace at the high school. A Makerspace is a creative work place for the members of a community to put their ideas into practice. Many libraries, such as the Cleveland Public Library have converted a portion of their building into a Makerspace and are now offering access to equipment and services, such as 3D printing. For instance, you can create a 3D file (.STL file) from home, send it to the Cleveland Public Library, they print it out for you on a 3D printer and you pick it up a week later for a nominal fee. More and more schools are following this trend and are devoting resources to setting up their own Makerspace areas. The idea is to provide students the opportunity to use their imaginations to invent solutions to problems while learning perseverance, for most solutions are achieved only through a process requiring numerous attempts and modifications.
Become involved as a teacher in your building by contacting your principal. We are currently looking for volunteers to form a STEAM (Art too) committee. If you are a student and would like to get involved, please begin by completing this form: http://goo.gl/forms/f5FvrQqTzw
You can also contact Mrs. Bengele for more information.
Future Fridays were started to incorporate STEM concepts for our high school students and solicit their ideas about creating a Makerspace at the high school. A Makerspace is a creative work place for the members of a community to put their ideas into practice. Many libraries, such as the Cleveland Public Library have converted a portion of their building into a Makerspace and are now offering access to equipment and services, such as 3D printing. For instance, you can create a 3D file (.STL file) from home, send it to the Cleveland Public Library, they print it out for you on a 3D printer and you pick it up a week later for a nominal fee. More and more schools are following this trend and are devoting resources to setting up their own Makerspace areas. The idea is to provide students the opportunity to use their imaginations to invent solutions to problems while learning perseverance, for most solutions are achieved only through a process requiring numerous attempts and modifications.
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| Makey Makey Banana Piano |
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| Sphero SPRK Robot |
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| Raspberry Pi |
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| View-Master VR |
Become involved as a teacher in your building by contacting your principal. We are currently looking for volunteers to form a STEAM (Art too) committee. If you are a student and would like to get involved, please begin by completing this form: http://goo.gl/forms/f5FvrQqTzw
You can also contact Mrs. Bengele for more information.
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