News From TechTerra
May 2017
Construct 3D
By: Susan Wells, Founder
Construct3D 2017 was the first national conference on digital fabrication focused on 3D printing for higher education, K-12, and community education. The conference was held in our own backyard at Duke University.
TechTerra Education staff and Duke University staff jointly presented on 3D printing and digital fabrication. The goal of the conference was to bring educators together to enhance and accelerate the use and understanding of 3D printing in the K to 12 and community education environments. Taking 3D printing into our classrooms as a tool and not just as an academic exercise was a key message of the Construct 3D conference.
Our TechTerra team enjoyed a busy exhibition booth, but we also made time to explore the vendors, take a look at several of the presentations, and try out the 3D tools. From Fusion, to 3D drawing, to crash tests and Martian habitats with 3D printers, playful prosthetics, molecules and art, there was something new for everyone. My presentation, Getting Started with Inquiry Based STEM and Digital Fabrication, was filled with enthusiastic educators eager to take this new information into their classrooms.
The Playground – a hands-on session that included 3D tools hosted by Techterra - incorporated a couple of different types of 3D pens. The 3D pen is impressive. It’s like a small hand-held 3D printer. The difference is that instead of using computer software to print the three-dimensional object, the printer head is piloted by the user’s hand operating the 3D printing pen.
This tool is easy to use and fairly intuitive. TechTerra Education staff wholeheartedly supports bringing this technology into every classroom.
Drones - the present and the future for our kids
Drones are everywhere: hovering over our streets, monitoring our crops, filming our team games and family events, helping conduct archaeological field work, exploring remote locations, collecting weather data, and assisting with search and rescue efforts. They are part of our future. The career connections for drones and our kids seem almost unlimited and include STEM (engineering and data collection) and STEAM (movie production, outdoor exploration) applications. Drone technology is growing so quickly that keeping up with the evolution is challenging; however, preparing our kids for a world with drones is critical. Even though drone technology will continue to advance, learning the basics is well worth the effort. A few of the drones currently on the market make working with drones in the classroom an engaging learning activity that can be integrated across the curriculum.
One impressive example of an integrated learning tool in the world of drones is Robolink’s CoDrone. Robolink utilizes Arduino software and codrone software as interfaces to allow the user to create code of their own. Codrone tutorials on the Robolink website walk the user through each step of the process.
Flybrix, by the company of the same name, is another excellent drone for the classroom. Flybrix is a kit that allows a user to “make and fly” a host of different drones using Lego® bricks. The remote in Flybrix is already assembled but the user works with the software for the flying experience. The drone is crash –friendly and easily redesigned. Building, coding, using microcontrollers, and learning the basics of flight, are all part of Flybrix.
Bringing drones and drone fundamentals into the classroom is a step that can provide benefits for students now and in the future.
Making - STEM, STEAM, STREAM - What's in a name?
Making is more than a name or a label. When used to its maximum potential, Making embraces STEM, STEAM, and STREAM academic objectives. Making is a critical part of integrated or connected learning. In other words, all parts of the brain are engaged in the process of moving forward in the fields of science, engineering, and the arts.
Inquiry-based learning coupled with the ability to use hands-on problem solving and free[ exploration provides the cogent rationale for encouraging Making for its own sake. Making, without having the goal of a preconceived outcome, opens the possibility for students to create new ways of solving existing problems.
The value of Making lies in the process of taking old things and combining them to create new things. Some minds will use the process to think about a new way to solve a mathematical equation. Others might see a connection to a better way to engineer an existing machine or device. Yet others may find a new way to advance an artistic concept - perhaps conceive a new anime. Integrating Making into the educational process has unlimited potential for things we might not even be able to imagine today.
Open-ended Robotics - GoPiGo
A versatile edtech tool TechTerra Education has explored is Dexter Industries GoPiGo’s modular robot. This tool allows users to create, code, and invent on almost anything that can be imagined on a car robot platform.
Dexter Industries uses Raspberrypi as the computer that gives users the power to code their GoPiGo robots. The robot cars can be constructed into almost any configuration. Past users designed some of the creations to imitate a Mars rover, a camera car, and robotic soccer.
GoPiGo is designed to let users learn and experiment with coding and construction at all levels from 5th grade up. With the ability to add upgrades and additional components, the versatility will allow GoPiGo to remain a relevant tool for school and camp.
SUMMER CAMPS AT CAMP TECHTERRA
Flybricks/Drones – OSMO tools –GoPiGo at every camp
Don’t miss coding, robotics, and drones for your kids.
Register online or by mail today for Camp TechTerra 2017 Summer Sessions!
(Registration opens soon for Fall 2017 After-School Camps)
Our Summer Camp sessions are available in the Triangle and Triad areas near Raleigh-Durham, NC and in Greenville, NC. Choose your camp and register today. Go to our link at: Camp TechTerra Summer Camp and find your camp today. To register online, click on the Eventbrite link on our webpage. To register by mail, download the Registration Form and mail your completed form, along with your tuition check, to:
TechTerra Education
104R Highway 64 Bypass, #351
Carrboro, NC 27510
Please make your check payable to: TechTerra Education
Do You have a Summer Camp near you?
If you are a parent, a member of a PTA, a teacher, or an administrator, and you want to know how to add a camp, please contact us. You can reach us by emailing us at camp@techterraeducation.com or by calling our office in Durham and contacting our programs director, Janey Hachmeister, at (919) 710-7185. We look forward to hearing from you!
Camp TechTerra After-School and Summer Camps are coming to new places for Fall 2017 and Summer 2018!
Camp TechTerra is adding camps in locations in many states starting this fall! We will be adding camps in Virginia, South Carolina, and other places in the US. If you would like to know how to get Camp TechTerra After-School to your location for 2017 and Camp TechTerra Summer Camp for 2018, please contact us by emailing us at info@techterraeducation.com or by contacting our programs director, Janey Hachmeister at (919) 710- 7185. We want to hear from you!
FAQs For Camp TechTerra Parents
What will my child learn at Camp TechTerra?
Your child will learn, experiment, discover, and investigate coding, robotics, drones, making, stop motion animation, engineering and much more. Our trained staff will work with your child to provide personalized and individualized instruction.
How do I register for camp?
Find the camp sessions that work for you by going to our website: http://www.techterraeducation.com/camp-techterra.html. You can register through Eventbrite or you can mail your registration form and check directly to us at: TechTerra Education, 104R Highway 54 Bypass, #351, Carrboro, NC 27510. (Your check should be made payable to TechTerra Education.
You need to fill out a registration form for each camper. Our registration form is found at: http://www.techterraeducation.com/uploads/1/4/3/8/14380830/camp_tt_registration_summer_2017...pdf
What does my camp tuition include?
Your camp tuition includes:
· 7:1 student to teacher ratio
· Personalized and individualized instruction
· Trained and certified teachers
· Free flex hours at no extra cost with free drop off flex from 8:30-9:00 am and free pick flex from 3:00-3:30pm
· Custom T-shirt for your child
· Innovation presentation at the end of each camp session on Friday at 2pm where we invite families to come and see what their camper has been learning and working on.
Which camp is right for my camper?
Think about what your child finds exciting and look at our camp themes. We offer so many engaging themed weeks that you and your child are sure to find one or more that will meet your needs!
In the News
NASA Awards $100,000 to Winners of 3D Habitat Contest - Two teams share $100,000 prize in the habitat round of NASA’s space competition.
A Two-legged Robot without a Brain - Developers create a robot that doesn’t have an on-board computer.
Cinespace – An Open Film Contest for Students by NASA – NASA is looking for students to create films using NASA imagery. Submissions open on June 1 and close on July 31, 2017.
About TechTerra Education
The TechTerra Education 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.
In addition to offering professional development training, school solutions, and tool solutions, TechTerra Education's Camp TechTerra, held during fall, spring, and summer sessions, offers programs for students ages 5 to 14 that bring together the seemingly disparate elements of technology and nature to help young people better understand the natural world through coding, storytelling, and digital devices.
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