TETRIX has quickly become the standard for robot construction, providing the rugged framework to carry the micro processing power of the Lego NXT, sensors, motors, servos, end effectors – all those components we think about when we hear the term ‘robotics’.
However, TETRIX is about far more than robots. TETRIX is a building system. To constrict TETRIX to just robotics would be like calling the iPhone a cell phone. While it is top-notch at that function, there is far more capacity within it! TETRIX as a building system is structured to provide numerous apps (borrowing from the iPhone lexicon) which allow it to be used in limitless ways, robotics being just one of them. Limits are not measured in how many minutes per month you have, but in the number of ideas you can generate.
Ideas. They’re simple things, right? Right. But the actualization of ideas is sometimes challenging – but that’s all right too. Kids need challenges – its helps them stretch into places and functions they never though possible.
Take a simple idea like amusement park rides. Now lets refine it a little – scale models of amusement park rides – how about a scale model of a Ferris wheel, or a simple merry-go-round, or a not-so-simple Octopus style (up and down & round and round), or how about . . . wait a minute – I’m the one having all the fun here! Now you think of some, or have your students think of some. Have a brainstorming session, then pick out one or two and start the design process – look at TETRIX parts and pieces and begin to envision the model – it’s amazing how it comes together.
So are these amusement rides robots? No, at least not in the traditional sense. Do they qualify as design projects? Absolutely. Will your students enjoy them? Yes. But don’t take my word for it – give it a try for yourself – your students will thank you.
And for a quick look at some of these ideas in actions, point your browser to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TETRIXbyPitsco#p/u/4/V5kClVCO-1c
Engineering is defined at Wikipedia.com as “the discipline, art, and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific, and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realize a desired objective or inventions.” In other words, engineering is responsible for almost everything we use.
Pitsco understands the importance of engineering and the demand for engineers. That’s why we created the Engineering Academy. Academy courses provide students with an excellent introduction to engineering and knowledge of real-world applications. We hope to make engineering as common as science and math in high schools.
The benefits and features of the Engineering Academy are many. All of the courses are complete, meaning that they include equipment and kits from Pitsco. Activity guides and consumable items are also incorporated.
Courses are all hands-on and intended to connect to core engineering concepts. Each course is project based. Students will spend most of their time doing hands-on projects and tackling challenges.
Teachers have the ability to modify or extend each course. The courses can be taken in the recommended order or a combined sequence that accommodates school schedules, making the Engineering Academy very flexible and easy to incorporate into the classroom.
Courses offered include Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Design & CAD, Engineering Design & Drafting, Engineering Principles & Problem Solving, Green Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Design Applications & Programming, Robotic Engineering – Autonomous and Remote Controlled, and a Senior Engineering Project.
If you are interested in learning more about our Engineering Academy, please visit us online at shop.pitsco.com/engineering.
In the October newsletter of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a message from the NCTM president was included. His statement is an important one and this message does not just apply to Mathematics. He explains that having students make connections, by either applying what they’ve already learned to understand something new, including situations from daily life or other areas of interest, or using hands-on approaches and activities, makes a significant impact in the student’s ability to learn, understand and remember the concept and idea. Below is his message:
by NCTM President Henry (Hank) KepnerNCTM Summing Up, October 2009
Mathematics is an integrated field of study with dynamic connections across many perspectives and to a wide range of human endeavors. Although at times we focus our instruction on a narrow area of mathematics to develop our students’ skills and understanding of concepts, I call on you to ensure that students expect to make connections between the mathematics—and the math-related contexts—that they are currently encountering and those that they have already experienced. Students should expect to make connections and capitalize on them, using insights gained in one mathematical context to investigate conjectures in another.
When students connect mathematical ideas, their understanding becomes deeper and more lasting, and learners come to view mathematics as a coherent whole—connected with other subjects and their own interests and experiences. Through instruction that emphasizes the interrelatedness of mathematical ideas, students not only learn mathematics but also discover its utility. What role do connections play in developing your students’ insights about and understanding of mathematics and its use? My challenge to you is to make sure that connections play an essential role in your students’ learning!
The following examples illustrate how we might help our students understand the interconnectedness of mathematical ideas and other aspects of their lives.
The area model is the preeminent model for the multiplication of whole numbers. For children beginning to think about the product of 3 x 4, for example, placing and counting unit squares inside a rectangle with dimensions 3 centimeters by 4 centimeters is foundational. This geometric representation later leads students to understand multi-digit multiplication in the partial products algorithm, which extends to fraction and polynomial multiplication, at least through degree 2. This is a powerful mathematical process for making sense of the often-meaningless FOIL (first, outer, inner, last) multiplication rule in algebra.
Developing a geometric perspective and justification of the Pythagorean theorem through paper folding and other perspectives builds a foundation for the distance formula (in both 2- and 3-D). I challenge you to prepare your students for distance thinking through work with Pythagorean relations. We shouldn’t have our students memorize the often confusing distance formulae but instead understand the concepts. What do you do in your instruction to emphasize the interrelatedness of mathematical ideas and their social and practical value?
A pivotal concept in algebra and calculus is rate of change. In learning about linear relations, students often encounter slope in algebraic formulae such as (y2 – y1)/(x2 – x1), totally missing the geometric representation of slope as conceptualized and justified through similar triangle relationships. What do you do in your instruction to emphasize the interrelatedness of mathematical ideas?
Middle school students might collect and graph data for the circumference (C) and the diameter (d) of a set of different-sized circles. They could extend their previous knowledge of algebra and data analysis by recognizing that the values nearly form a straight line, so C/d is between 3.1 and 3.2—a rough estimation of pi. How do you create classroom experiences that value and build on the connections between mathematics and students’ knowledge, experiences, and interests?
The graphs of functions—particularly graphs created with dynamic graphing utilities—allow students to search for and investigate approximate simultaneous solutions of two functions. Such work with graphs is especially useful in cases where students’ algebraic solution techniques are inadequate (e.g., f(x) = x and g(x) = sin x).
Students should connect mathematical concepts to their daily lives, as well as to applications from the sciences, social sciences, literature, business and the arts. Moreover, rich mathematical problems enable students to recognize the value of mathematics in examining personal, cultural, and social issues.
Have we prepared our students to ask, “Will mathematical analysis of the question that I am studying help me with my response?” Students who understand the usefulness of connections will know that this is a valuable question to ask.
To view more messages from Mr. Kepner please visit: http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=14989
The buzz this week in education has been about shorter summers and longer school days. The main question that I have is: what would schools do with a longer day? The extra time could be utilized several different ways.
For students who need more time in a certain topic, it would be beneficial to either add more minutes to each class or provide a free class at the end of the day to allow each student more time in a certain area.
Maybe the extra time could be used to beef up classes that currently don’t receive a large time frame or time at all, such as science in elementary schools or adding engineering classes to middle and high schools.
If school days were extended, would this mean that the students would have time to complete their homework at school and thus free up family time at home? Would they be given a wider variety of classes to choose from? Would they have longer time in between classes or longer lunch hours?
For athletic, music, and scholar programs, will the practices for these organizations be held after a longer day or will the students be given an option to attend their team practice for the last class of the day?
I just came from my second grader's teacher conference. Because he needs additional time to help him with his reading, he has to miss out on spelling and writing with the rest of his class, because there is not enough time in the day for him to do both.
Would longer days benefit you? What would you like to see schools do if they had longer days?
Stories related to this topic:Extended School Year Would have Dire Economic Effects, Critics SayObama Pushes for Longer School YearMore School: Obama Would Curtail Summer Vacation
STEM education – it’s all the buzz. Read nearly any educational publication and you will see references to integrating STEM – but few ‘real’ solutions are available.
One of the difficulties is the ‘E’ portion of STEM. Yes, the very word Engineering throws the switch to ‘off’ for most teachers! It’s not that engineering is a bad thing, or that it’s not interesting, or that it can’t be taught anywhere at the K-12 level; it’s just that it traditionally has not been addressed at any grade levels below postsecondary. For years, students’ first classes in and exposure to engineering occurred in the first year of college. With many baby boomer engineers contemplating requirement, there has come a national call to engineering:
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a need for 160,000 more engineering positions over the 10-year period between 2006 and 2016. This 11 percent increase does not include the replacement of many retiring engineers.”
– American Society for Engineering Education
This call necessitates getting more K-12 students interested in engineering as a profession or occupation. As a country, and as educators, we must find ways to gain student interest in engineering at early levels of their education and instill within students the idea that they might have a place in engineering.
As a response to the national call for engineering, a recent study has been done by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council: “Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects.” This report can be ordered through the National Academies Press or can be read online at:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12635#toc
Scroll down to the Table of Contents – about 1/3 of the way down on the page; the various portions of the document are there to peruse online – for free!
While I admittedly have not read the entire document – it is, after all, a 595-page document – there are some clear indicators of what needs to be done. However, from my reading so far, it is evident that the task is large, that there is no single solution, and that it’s going to take some time and initiative to formulate solutions that fit into current education structures.
STEM solutions – coming soon to a blog near you.