Mo Physics Mo Problems

As a teacher, I am always looking for highly engaging activities. It takes time, though, to craft ones that can be seen to hit the standards of a course. Or, maybe it takes a little time to realize that the skills students are being asked to employ are in the standards. It is just a matter of finding ways to make this learning visible. This week, we had the finals of the Sphero Chariot Challenge. Students designed and built Chariots for Spheros. They then programmed them to travel a short course with a couple of turns. While this culminating activity was a great driver for many of the students, the results of this race did not determine any grade. The content and skills were addressed along the journey to the end. At the end of last year, my co-teacher Andelee Espinosa and I did a maker project in our Fabrication Lab involving Sphero Chariots.   Read here post on the activity here.   I was excited to have the opportunity to complete this project again the last month. I mad

I’ve got a brief reprieve tonight to write this post so I’m taking advantage of it. Otherwise, it won’t happen until 2019. In our physics classroom, one of the goals is to have students use maker projects to practice the design and engineering process. Some of these projects have included LittleBits powered cars and boats. Most of these projects have been created using materials students brought in by students like plastic cups, CDs, popsicle sticks, and the like. So the ultimate construction process tended to be fairly imprecise. This year our school has a new Fabrication Lab with a variety of different tools which students can use to create. These included (but are not limited to) 3D printers, laser cutter, video production room, and lots of CNC tools for use on woods, plastics, and metals. There are so many possibilities in this space. As this is a new space, our Tech Ed department was looking for classes to be guinea pigs in the space. So, my co-teacher Andelee Espin

We all have an idea where we want to take our classroom.  We all have a vision.  It cannot be accomplished overnight.  For some innovations, we need to take baby steps. I've been intrigued by the idea of Maker Spaces for a long time. Why? I love the idea of a space where students can experiment with the design process and have a large variety of tools and materials at their disposal.  The idea of truly giving students voice and choice is made physical.  That is why I am so intrigued about making my classroom into this type of physical space. One of the first activities I have my physics students do is build a vehicle that will accelerate powered by a mousetrap of rubber band. Over the years, I've been collecting tools and scraps required for the construction.  When we started construction this week, it felt very different. Last term, my department head purchased an open storage system for many of my classroom supplies.  So these building supplies t