Thinking about Assistive Technology

 

In Computer Science, we talk a lot about how we use our technology to solve many of life's problems. One problem we came up with was making technology accessible to everyone. This led to a conversation about Assistive Technology. Assistive Technology is a term for adaptive and rehabilitative devices designed to help people with disabilities who often might have difficulty performing tasks in their daily lives, even with assistance. 7th-grade teams were given the task of brainstorming and developing a prototype of a tool that could assist someone with disabilities. This task required research, data gathering, and then brainstorming some ideas.

Teams then took their ideas to a Paint or Paint 3D program to begin developing. What is exciting is listening to them develop their ideas, with phrasing like "what if we added ____",  and then piecing together a mock-up of their ideas to try it out for themself. This was a testament to true problem-solving and critical thinking. Teams presented their ideas and prototypes to the class. Easily, some of their imaginative ideas could be further developed and used. 

This....is a great idea for

Trust me on this one.....ROBOTICS works!

Yesterday was a surreal day for me.

This is a picture of me in my car, fully loaded with robotic equipment, heading to my first of the season VEX IQ Robotics Middle School Qualifier…. just like I’ve done for the last eight seasons.

Along with my 8 teams, there were 14 other teams who, by coincidence or not, had a teammate that had either been on a past team of mine or had attended one of the camps I held at school. All the members of one 'homegrown' team had teammates from several years of past teams – and – their coach was from one of the first teams I coached.

I kept thinking, “This is like seeing my life flash before my very eyes”. I hugged at least 15 other team’s kids yesterday – and – their parents.

Every one of them did so well, including my 8 new teams. I could not be happier or prouder.

Folks – if you have kids, especially ones that are not very good at sports or music, you must get them into robotics! It will change their life!

Trust me on this one...

My Name is Elana

The first day of 6th grade (circa 1972), the teacher called roll. When she got to my name, she pronounced it "ah-lawn-ah". I respectfully corrected her as my parents taught to do by saying "it's 'ee-lay-na'”. To wit, she said "Yes, but it looks like it should be 'ah-lawn-ah'". And around and around we went until she loudly grunted and said "Ok Miss Fremont" - a proud distinction, had it not been said with her sarcastic tone. So, for the rest of the school year, in a class of Marks, Toms, Andreas & even Sylvias, I was the only one called by my surname with a sarcastic tone. 

I didn't much care for that woman. Not just because of my name, but because of all the other slights to the rules of inter-personal relationships. And to this day, after all these years, it's still a clear memory of how she made me feel. I think we should all feel valued in our learning space, our work space & all spaces in between. 

A friend shared this article from 2016 and I think it still speaks volumes about this very topic: "A Teacher Mispronouncing A Student's Name Can Have A Lasting Impact" - If we are to build relationships with the students in our classrooms, it should begin by properly pronouncing their name.

And, for the record, I still believe that that teacher was the one that lost out. My Science Teacher, Mrs. Chalke, got the distinction for being my favorite teacher that year and beyond!

The Power of Peer Review

Peer Review, point blank, just works. It’s a double check of things as simple as grammar, sentence structure, feedback on steps, and…you, name-its. In my middle school Computer Science class, we also have peers suggest ways to improve products, improved codes, and, in the end, suggest ways to make ‘it’ better.

I introduce the old concepts of T.A.G., but with a twist. TAG is simply: 

T - Tell your peer what you like. What has your peer done well. This is a time to bring out everything that is looking great in the project. Shower your peer with positive vibes here. 

A - Ask questions. When you look at your peer’s project, what are you curious about? What is tricky or unclear? Ask the question. Get more clarity or ask questions that may make your peer think of other aspects they may not have thought of. And….

G - Give suggestions. What can you suggest that would make the project better, more clear, or add that extra special elements to make the project pop? Brainstorm with your peer.

A cheery reminder before Tag-time to all students is to be kind, be constructive, be a helper. I typically have students submit the feedback they gave and the feedback they got as part of all project deliverables in class. 

It just works!

Small Town Robotic Challenge

In Tech, K-2nd grade friends are blending their knowledge of maps, robotics and coding to meet today's "Small Town Robotic Challenge". On our map are replicas of our school, the fire station, police station, hospital, general store, play ground and more. Everything that can be found in a small town is added to our experience - including familiar street names.

Each team of two is given a card that gives a small storyline challenge that the team will need to code their robot to complete. The teams look at the map, determine their path, measure the length of a rotation on their robot, code the robot and away they go. If there are issues, they debug and try again.

This lesson includes: mapping, coding, debugging, algorithms, civic ed, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, math, digital storytelling and so much more.

Gift and Goal - Team-style!

In our Robotics Teams, there are several main traits team members bring to the table - they may be strong at coding, an expert at building the robot, persistent troubleshooter, strong at manipulating the remote control, and 'grace under pressure' at competition. There may be other traits, but these are the main ones we highlight. At the first meeting, I will have all members introduce themself and state which of these they feel they are strongest at and the one trait that might be most difficult for them.

The trait they are strongest at will be their 'gift' to the team - meaning: they will help other members of the team with tips and strategies and help them become better at that trait. They become the team's expert in that trait.




The trait they might find most difficult becomes their 'goal' - meaning: they will work on that trait and seek the team's expert for tips to become better at that trait. They don't necessarily have to become experts, but they should make it a goal to improve.

I have found this system to help not only share strengths, but also to goal-set and invariably with everyone working together with their 'gifts' and 'goals', become a stronger team all the way around.

This is a great idea!