Rockets, programming, and robotics, oh my!

This summer a half dozen of our teachers spent three days exploring all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the engineering method presented by Thomas Dubick, a leading educator in the field. Participants were Nora Norville, Bonnie Pierce, Ingrid McNeill, Hoppy Smith, Liz Owens, and Mary Ann Marriott. Day one, teachers built circuitry and investigated electronics using Snap Circuits and Little Bits sets, as well as exploring basic computer programming. Day Two was spent building a LEGO EV3 robot and learning to program its movements. This busy workshop then wrapped up on day three in the Computer lab using Fly to Learn simulation software and lessons to explore forces and to “fly” a plane, with a touch of simple rocket launching in the courtyard as a culminating activity. Everyone left filled with an excitement and enthusiasm for introducing more real engineering into our curriculum and ready to collaborate on ways to make that happen. Tinkering, Making, and Engineering; using technology to apply science and math in real world applications- this maker movement naturally overlaps the natural inclinations of children with the power of learning by doing and we are excited to offer this to our students at EDS.