learning technology coordinator and science/stem · learning technology coordinator and...
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Learning Technology Coordinator and Science/STEM
teacher at St Mary’s High School, Gateshead,
Newcastle. St Mary’s is a Year 7 -10 Catholic School
that will be expanding to Stage 6 in 2018. He has been
teaching at the school since 1994 and initiated the
iSTEM classes as a Stage 5 elective course. The
implementation of this course has been extremely well
supported by the Hunter ME Program. The aim of the
course is to increase real-life problem solving,
creativity, innovation and collaborative skills with a
focus on increasing the uptake of higher order
Science/Mathematics based subjects in later studies.
The program has proven to be extremely popular and
he is extremely proud of the outcomes being achieved.
Inspired by the ‘Maker Guru’, Gary Stager, it has
transformed his pedagogical approach to teaching. As
a keen advocate for STEM education he has been
fortunate to present at Dioceses throughout NSW,
workshop how MaKey MaKey can transform learning in
the classroom at the ELH ‘Changerous Ideas’
conference in Melbourne & as guest speaker at Criterion conferences in Sydney.
Workshop Overview
STEM concepts shape the world we live in. From the smartphones kids
can’t put down, to the houses we live in, the cars we drive every day, the
building blocks of STEM fuel our modern lives.
It can be tough for kids to learn the basics of programming, engineering
and physics. Often these concepts are seen as scary and intimidating, it
is important to find new tools/resources to get kids interested in a fun,
exciting way.
STEM teacher’s cupboards are filling up with ‘toys’ that teach kids the
basics, encouraging them to learn while they play; from simple vibrating
Bristle Bots to fully programmable LEGO EV3 robots. These toys are so
cool, kids don’t even realize they are learning- something often referred to
as “stealth learning.”
To maximize the learning potential of toys, the best approach is to first
teach the fundamental subject matter that is necessary in order to play,
second, have the learner play and then third, extend the learner by
reflecting upon the learning. But most importantly connecting the
learning to the real world, making the outcomes explicit.
First new follower on Twitter
First person to tweet something ‘nice’, with me tagged
Promotion of iSTEM Course
“PROBJECT”Learning
http://thomascmurray.com/prepackagedstem/
Over the last handful of years we
have seen an explosion in science,
technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education.
And, coinciding with this
movement has been an influx of
new STEM-related products that
are school friendly.
While there is no doubt in my mind many of our students will benefit
from these products, and I do wish they had been invented while I was still
teaching fourth grade…something is missing if we’re not doing much than
placing these items in the hands of our students and teachers, crossing our
fingers, and hoping for change.
At the end of the day, these are tools or resources that can help in
shifting mindsets and culture, but I do believe an over-reliance on them
means too much time and energy is being spent in the wrong place.
•If you’re a traditional teacher putting a pre-packaged STEM product in front
of your students, what are the chances you’ll be able to do add any value
aside from reminding your students to follow the directions?
•If you’re a traditional teacher putting a pre-packaged STEM product in front
of your students, what are the chances the product’s values – prompting of
problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, etc. – will then start to
permeate the rest of your teaching?
While prepackaged STEM products certainly have a place in our schools,
we must remember to invest in teachers as learners and professionals.
Otherwise, students will view STEM as nothing more than “play time”
that serves as a break from the real (and traditional) learning.
•Are some of these prepackaged products so polished and overly contrived
that they ignore any type of problem solving, productive struggle, and iterative
process by paving for students a clear path from Point A to Point B?
Module 1: iSTEM FundamentalsOne of my students first projects: PASTA VEHICLESDesign and Construct a transport vehicle using Pasta. Take photos of your design at different stages and add to your presentation. You will be awarded additional marks for displaying the process. More able students could fix a camera in position and create a stopmation video of their construction.
Module 1: iSTEM Fundamentals {Electrical Circuits}
http://shaneabell.wix.com/circuits
Hunter ME Program and University of Wollongong, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences’ NSW STEM and iSTEM Competitions
Blayke Reeves 2nd Place Overall & Winner of Innovation Award
Module 1: iSTEM Fundamentals {LEAN Manufacturing}Lean manufacturing or lean production, often simply
"lean", is a systematic method for waste minimization
within a manufacturing system without sacrificing
productivity. Lean also takes into account waste created
through overburden and waste created through
unevenness in work loads. Working from the perspective
of the client who consumes a product or service, "value" is
any action or process that a customer would be willing to
pay for.
Module 1: iSTEM Fundamentals {Pascal’s Law}
Syringe Arms
Bridge Testing
Module 1: iSTEM Fundamentals {Paper Challenges}
http://shaneabell.wix.com/hang-glider
http://shaneabell.wix.com/powerup
Module 2: Aerodynamics
Module 2: Aerodynamics {CO2 Dragsters}
Module 2: Aerodynamics {Power Anchor}
Module 4: Motion {Electricity & Electronics}
Module 4: Motion {Coding & Sensors}
Sphero
MaKey MaKey
But the key message is that learning how to program is not the endpoint, but part of the journey of equipping children with the necessary digital skills to solve problems. Our high-level aim should be to develop technology-independent skills and techniques, such as data literacy and computational thinking.So let’s change the focus from just writing code to developing the crucial thinking skills and the ability to solve problems. Toquote Jeannette M. Wing, Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University: “Computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just for computer scientists. To reading, writing and arithmetic, we should add computational thinking to every child’s analytical ability.”
https://storify.com/ShaneAbell/makeredau-twitter-chat-on-makey-makey
https://www.youtube.com/user/disshane/Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHMEY_6Dgcc
MaKey MaKey videos
Module 4: Motion {Water Bottle Rockets}
LinksMicrosoft Onedrivehttps://mncatholic-my.sharepoint.com/personal/shane_abell_mn_catholic_edu_au/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?folderid=15024a0e74f4547deb095f024f49fa67e&authkey=AcrS3whkh22hjToHjUuogWEOR https://goo.gl/diTuqb
Pearltrees Accounthttp://www.pearltrees.com/mrabell
Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/user/disshane/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/ShaneAbell