Management Software

Teaching Tech

Below are a few examples of my personal favorite STEM Educational Technologies I wrote, prototyped, and personally taught lessons for at Thinkery Summer Camps.

Makey-Makey

The Makey Makey allows you to take everyday objects and combine them with the internet. Using the alligator clips attached to any conductive material you can control the keyboard of your computer, such as the space bar, arrow keys and left click of the mouse. We used the Makey Makey for several different types of activities, from Citrus Circuitry, Pumpkin Drum sets, to a literal “Rock” Band.

micro:bit

The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces you to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that you can program and physically interact with. The latest micro:bit adds sound sensing and playback capabilities. My favorite capability is their compass sensor magnetometer, which we used during a GeoExplorers camp.

Code & Go Robot Mouse

The Code & Go Robot Mouse allows for hands-on coding, and I found it an effective tool for 1st-2nd grades especially. It’s a great tool for learning about logic, sequencing, and problem solving— the very basics of computer coding and programming. The photo above depicts an activity I created where campers programmed their robotic mice to travel around the world.

Ozobot

My personal favorite, Ozobots, are miniature robots that can follow lines or roam around freely, detect colors, and can be programmed using visual codes. Because they can follow colorful paths drawn by markers, they worked great in our museum hands-on environment. Campers loved watching Ozobots “act” out storylines as performed according to their hand-drawn programs.

Lego MINDSTORMS EV3

Perhaps the most versatile of STEM educational tech, Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which is produced by Lego for the development of programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. It can be very rewarding after a multi-day design challenge, but a word of caution: there are so many tiny pieces,

littleBits

littleBits are modular electronics, which snap together with small magnets for prototyping and learning. You can connect them together quickly and efficiently for a visually appealing lesson on circuits and robotics.

Participating in the Collaborative Escape Room Project at the University of Texas challenged me to expand my own understanding of what educational experiences could entail.

During a five-month period, our interdisciplinary team of artists and engineers collaborated to design, fabricate, program, install, and test an immersive escape room experience that would emotionally connect our audience to current environmental issues impacting our city. By connecting the data collected on our changing climate with the arts, our team worked to create a compelling call to action to develop programs and policy recommendations that will improve Texas’ sustainability.