Last Thursday, the BVX Girls Coding Club organized an afterschool activity for second to fifth graders with the hope of creating more interest in STEM subjects, particularly with girls. With seven types of workshops, the elementary schoolers were encouraged to combine both programming and engineering concepts in their workshops. For example, the LittleBits station, which simulated a circuit formed of electronic building blocks, or the Makey-Makey station, which encouraged creativity by connecting common objects to computer programs. Younger students worked with Cubetto and Dash & Dot, two robots that demonstrate how computers (in this case the robots) took commands that were written into a program (which the students accomplished through basic block based coding). Exposure to such activities left the students excited to learn more, both on their own and in their technology classes. Continue reading “BXV Elementary School Coding Workshops”
Tag: Educational Technology
Electric Airplanes May Soon Take Flight
Planes today are engineering marvels, but they require a lot of money. But, electric aircraft are starting to take flight, and it is becoming cheaper than ever to learn how to fly.
Planes today are engineering marvels, connecting people and small towns to the world. But everyone would agree that they are not very efficient at travel, and can be expensive to maintain when fuel costs are high. Electric planes are a hope to solve that problem, by replacing traditional planes with more economic and environmentally friendly, electric planes. The companies behind these concepts explain that these planes would run totally on electricity and cut ticket prices, so flying could become cheaper for you and me.
Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning
Not only teachers are switching from chalkboards to Google Classroom which is more efficient, but students are using iPads and other electronic devices which help them improve their attention span and their general interest in learning. Technology ushers in a fundamental structure in changes that can range from achieving significantly higher grades to advancements in student’s productivity.
Technology is becoming popular throughout the globe and is seen almost in every teaching and learning environment. Technology infused classrooms with a different type of positive attitude compared to boards or books. These learning tools such computers and handheld devices “expands course offerings, experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21st century skills; increases student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning.” It transforms teaching in a different way because student feel more engaged and participate more by knowing their is a sense of communication at school and at home.
According to statistics at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, this new system benefits student’s minds by being provided resources and systems to help them improve their own instruction and personalize learning. The US Department of Education also states “Online learning opportunities and the use of open educational resources and other technologies can increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning.” Not only in the classroom but at home students have felt less stressed being able to check their assignments online instead of worrying they lost the sheet of paper they copied it from the board.
Overall, technology has greatly impacted both teachers and students minds both in the classroom and at home by feeling connected and less stressed from their academic work.
By: Mia Gradelski
Bronxville Student Help Desk 