News from TechTerra Education
Summer at Camp TechTerra
By Jessica Queitzsch, TechTerra Education Intern
It’s summer time, and Camp TechTerra is in full swing! A great group of campers joined us for our first session June 6 to 10, a week of Star Wars themed STEM and making.
End of camp surveys elicited overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and campers. One hundred percent of respondents rated the camp as either “very good” or excellent.” One parent reported that their kids “came home excited and animated” while another praised the “individual attention and overall thoughtfulness of the program.” One parent remarked how their child “was very excited about 3D printing.” Others liked “how great the children are treated,” “the integration of nature and technology,” and that the camp “encouraged creative thinking.”
The campers themselves reported liking movie making, the variety of fun activities, deconstructing electronics (an activity letting campers see how the electronics were made), the camp’s relation to technology, and “everything.”
Campers all said they planned to return next year!
Week 2 of Camp TechTerra, focusing on Farm to Table, is now in session.
Still to come:
Week 3 (“Mini Beasts, Imagine That!”) held July 5 to 8 at Pinewoods Montessori
Week 4 (“Carnival STEM and Physics Fun”) held July 11 to 15 at Pinewoods Montessori
Week 5 (“Robots Are Everywhere”) held July 18 to 22 at Duke School.
Are Drones for Kids?
By Jessica Queitzsch, TechTerra Education Intern
Drones are becoming more important every day, as they are being used for agriculture, supply deliveries, land surveillance, aerial photography and videography, and more. As such, it is increasingly important that children understand them. Drones can even be used as educational tools for children, teaching them math, engineering, programming, discussion of ethics, perseverance and hands-on experience.
However, drones are not easy to fly. Even adults struggle to figure them out. There is nothing intuitive about the controls. Drones can cause serious injury if they hit a person. So parents will want to think carefully before letting their child(ren) have a drone. Children can fly them, but should be taught about drones before ever being allowed to fly them, and should only ever fly them under adult supervision.
Tips for Learning to Fly Drones:
- Start by discussing drone safety with your kid before you ever let them fly a drone. Talk about when and where to fly them, the importance of making sure that the area is clear of people and animals before and while flying them, how to fly them, and what your child should do if they lose control of their drone.
- For a first drone, start by flying a small quadcopter. These are made for beginners, and usually have propellor guards, which will protect your drone and you, if you hit yourself.
- Fly your drone inside a gymnasium, or other large, enclosed space. This way you will not lose your drone and (at least theoretically), will have few obstacles to crash into.
- Make sure you know which way is forward on your drone, and always take off with the drone facing AWAY from you. This way, the drone’s forward, back, left, and right will match with those on your remote, making it easier to fly. Also, you are less likely to accidentally fly into yourself.
- If you crash your drone, turn the propellers off by turning the thruster all the way down. This way you will protect your drone, prevent the propellers from breaking or becoming tangled in netting, grass, leaves, and other obstacles, and stop your drone from kicking up dirt and other debris that could hit your eyes.
- Make sure you know the rules governing flying drones. For example, it is illegal to fly a drone above 400 feet or within 5 miles of airports. Go to https://www.faa.gov/uas/ to read the latest rules and regulations governing drones.
At Camp TechTerra, campers are given the opportunity to handle and experience a little of what drones can do in a guided and supervised space. And they’re loving it!
We're using three drones, a very small palm of your hand, a medium size of a dinner plate, and a make your own of legos.
Here are some photos from Camp TechTerra’s 2016 Week One, June 6 to 11.
3D Pens Great Fit for Makerspaces
We've been using 3D printers for almost four years in our TechTerra Training and Camp TechTerra STEM Makerspaces with great fun and great success. This year we added a new tool, the 3D pen. We wanted to see if it enhanced the work and play of designing and creating for our kids. The result: Another maker tool that truly engages and delights learners of all ages.
As we began practicing with the pen prior to launch with our students we found that there is in fact skill involved to using the 3D Pen. Taking time to think and design is step #1. Steps #2 to 10 include patience and practice. There really is no rushing effective use of the 3D Pen. The more we - and our students - used it, the more we and they mastered it.
We knew that the 3D pens were used to repair and to doodle in plastic filament. We didn't know the things that might be created. From three dimensional boxes to our own Sprocket mascot, kids and adults alike spent careful time on design and templates and then more time slowly creating.
Camp TechTerra and TechTerra Training have now added the Glyby Intelligent 3D Printing Pen to our tech tools. These are working really well for us. Note that there are other great pens available.
After using the 3D pen with a bunch of adults and students, here are some recommendations:
- Safety is number one. These pens get hot. Begin with a lesson on use and safety.
- Check out the book- "What Will You Create? Drawing with the 3D Doodler Pen" This is put out by the original 3D pen create, 3Doodler http://the3doodler.com Their website has some great resources. This book was enjoyed by staff and students alike.
- Purchase more filament than you think you might need. This is different than our recommendations for 3D printers. When planning printer resources, the filament rolls go a long way. 3D pen creation takes a lot of filament and users want to work with multiple colors.
- Keep in mind the "Slow and Steady" motto. It's just right for using 3D pens!
By Susan Wells
This piece originally ran on EdSurge.
It’s a new world: the digital and tangible are merging, and educators need to help students navigate the changing terrain. The solution? Let them be Makers.
I’ve been involved in digital learning and education technology for more than 30 years, and the burgeoning attempt to merge the digital and physical worlds has been one of the most interesting aspects of the evolution of EdTech to date. Managing that change in a Making context that encompasses digital tools, hands-on construction, creation and interaction allows students to learn and create new knowledge experientially. It gives them the ability to conceptualize new ideas and invent solutions for unexpected problems.
It’s no longer enough—if it ever was—for teachers to lecture to a row of desks; today’s teacher must be more of a coach. The task now is to help students understand what they need to know, strategize about what they need to do next and engage in critical problem-solving—all while helping them understand how information in the arts, sciences and mathematics fit together.
See, Understand, Make
There are several evolving spaces in which we are seeing the blending of the digital and physical successfully fostering critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.
1. Perhaps most obviously, 3D printing is enabling students to imagine, design, problem-solve and create in the digital domain, and the outcome of their work is a product they can hold in their hands.
A TechTerra camper shows off the insect he created using the 3D Makerbot printer
2. Micro-controllers in the form of Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards extend traditional electronics and circuitry work to the digital world. With traditional construction and engineering tools students, can now add sensors, solar panels, power and movement.
Treva Fitts, a TechTerra instructor, sharing K’Nex construction kit with solar panel control
3. Digital storytelling takes the traditional story or report-writing assignment and moves it to an entirely new place. Students outline their stories and then add voice, images and video that they have created and captured. The end product is a personal multimedia story of learned curriculum.
Student editing her digital story with iMovie
4. Augmented reality is beginning to expand for students. What started with QR Codes now defines the merging of digital and tangible learning. Students interact in virtual worlds with virtual reality platforms and viewers, and work within content with computer-enhanced images.
A student experiencing virtual journey with Cardboard VR viewer
Student designing his own video game with Bloxels
Today’s Makers Solve Tomorrow's Problems
There are challenges in navigating this emerging territory. We have to balance the promise and power of the digital with the skills and gifts of the human, allowing students to partner with the digital while living meaningful human lives in the “real” world. We have to ensure that all students are able to learn and grow in a digitally enabled environment. And cost is an issue, although in this day and age digital technology arguably is affordable even for a modestly funded school.
We can tackle these obstacles. And we should given the potential rewards. By engaging in Making, today’s students and tomorrow’s may well find solutions to the global challenges facing our world.
We’re Growing !!
TechTerra is growing, and we’ve got a new name to capture the breadth of what we do. We’re now TechTerra Education. Our ladybug mascot – whom we call “Sprocket”-- has had a makeover too. Let us know what you think !
About TechTerra Education
The TechTerra curriculum, inspired and informed by Maker Education and Project Based Learning, was developed by Susan Wells, a national leader in mobile-integrated education and public school educator.
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