I have enjoyed this year working as an eLearning coach. I have gotten to assist teachers and students in using technology both in class and out of class. We have had the opportunity to teach lessons on using new hardware, Google Drive, Prezi, video editing and more. It has been a busy and great year and I look forward to being able to work with the eLearning team to continue moving forward in using technology to further learning experiences for our students.
One of my favorite experiences of the year was working with robotics teams in the Elementary and Junior High. Students can learn so much from this process. Students learned about obvious things like robot design and programming, but they also learned about teamwork, problem solving and how to not give up on a difficult task. When I first learned about a program that could bring science and technology to more students. I was very interested.
Next year, in addition to continuing as part of our eLearning team and working in the special needs department in the high school, I will be starting an exciting new program in grades 3-6 next year. I will be starting Project Launch in the elementary. Launch is a new program that has been designed by Project Lead the Way to bring instruction in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) to the elementary. The current school year was a pilot year for this program. A few selected schools nationwide participated in this program. Next school year is the first official year of Launch. I am proud that we can offer this to our students. I think that it will really serve as a supplement to in class science instruction and increase students' interest in STEM.
This program will happen in grades 3-6 as one of the special/rotation classes for these grades. PLTW has designed a curriculum with hands-on activities that is particular to each grade. These are the subjects that will be covered in each grade: (1st semester/2nd semester)
3rd grade- Materials Science: Properties of Matter/Form and Function
4th grade- Stability and Motion: Science of Flight/Forces and Interactions
5th grade- Energy: Collision/Conversion
6th grade- Robotics and Automation
I will be attending some training in the summer to become certified as a Program Launch teacher. I am excited about attending this training and learning more about the program. I look forward to sharing more with the staff and students as I learn.
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