Today we started working in our corporations for a longer amount of time due to the fact that deadlines are close by.  As close as the end of this week!!  All corporations are supposed to have their mission mats and fields up, robots built and programmed, ads, commercials, and newspaper articles also need to completed! 

Everyone is working like little busy bees.  If you were to come in and visit you would see a conglomeration of tasks going on.  Students working, helping one another, being interviewed by our press, some might be laughing while others are serious, but most of all.......learning while they are having fun!

Cowbots Inc. seem to have it together.  They just need to remember to bring in their materials tomorrow to complete their mission field!!

Where is that robot F.M.T.A.14?

 

It has been a very busy three weeks!  As you may know, we have launched our Agbotics project with Clarkson University.  In the mornings students meet with their department heads to have further training in their specialized areas.  In the afternoon, "corporations" meet in different classrooms. This is when a member or members from different departments come together to form a corporation.

Lincoln and Dallas know what
they are doing!

All the robot builders meet here in my room in the morning.  We started out by learning what parts came in the Base Kit, what the motor does, and what the 4 sensors do.  They have also learned that there is a Design Process for Engineering and it involves research and taking notes!  The builders have also learned how gears work when you put them together.  The builders have been doing an amazing job.   The have quickly learned that building a robot can be fun, but it can be stressful too!

Just learning the ropes!

Almost Completed

In the afternoon, the Cowbot Inc. meets in my classroom.  They have decided that their robot, F.M.T.A.14 will feed, milk, test, and throw away any milk with antibiotics in it!  They definitely are pushing themselves!  The CEO of the corporation is Shannon Cree and her CFO is Tiarra Anderson.  Both of them are doing an amazing job!  Last week and this week we had a couple of speakers come in to talk about dairy farming, the process that it goes through from cow to store, and what a free stall barn looks like.

F.M.T.A.14

Mrs. Gerrow

Mr. Oakes

Today we were lucky enough to have 6 Clarkson students along with Amanda Clapper come work with everyone!  The students really enjoyed having a helping hand and were very proud of the work that they completed.  A huge "THANK YOU" to Clarkson University!

Helping hands from Clarkson!

Good Afternoon!

I would like to update everyone on our Trash-Bot project that we are working on this week and next.  Students have been given the following Design Challenge:

• Make a robot out of household (100% recyclable) items that you would normally throw away.  

The Driving Question for the project is:

• How can I make a robot out of trash that has a function and represents an Ancient Country's culture?

The Trash-Bot must be a maximum size of 12" long by 12" wide by 24" high.  Glass, perishables, store bought kits, and anything with sharp edges is not permitted.

Students have been randomly placed into new classes for this project.  Within each class students have formed teams of 3.  Yesterday teams in my room signed Team Contracts and made a Needs To Know List based on the Driving Question. 

Today they will research answers to their questions on their Needs to Know List and start to design their robots on paper.

New STEM Council!

Today is a bittersweet day.  Today marks the last day for our current STEM council.  Ericka Reardon, Delanie Deshane, Sarah Tremblay, Adam Hubbard, and Libbie Tarbell have done an amazing job the past 7 weeks!  They have planned activities and challenges for over 100 STEM students, created a bulletin board, and helped with the Nature's Vision fundraiser.  They have had several working lunches throughout the past weeks, giving up time to be with their friends.  I am honored to have had them as our STEM Council!  The following students will be filling their shoes:  Co-Presidents - Tim Cook and Kanenstenhaiwi; Vice President - Sarah Tremblay (previous Co-president); Treasurer - Lucas Bigtree; Secretary - Jillian Johnson.  Congratulations to our new members!  I am looking forward to working with all of our new people and can't wait to see the activities and challenges that they come up with!

Good Evening Parents and My Gamers!
     Tomorrow is our big day!  Everyone has worked very hard and we are almost ready for our 1st debut!  We have a few final touches to make before the elementary students come to watch the dress rehearsal.
     I have to say that I have truly enjoyed almost every minute of our project!  I did have a difficult time standing back and allowing the kids to problem solve on their own, especially when they would look to me for answers.   However, they would put their heads together and come up with some type of solution to the problem.  This always put a smile on my face.  When they struggled I would suggest to use their peers or even someone outside the classroom.  They have grown and learned several important skills that are needed in the work force.
     Monday morning during our "staff meeting" they learned quite quickly that when the "coffee", really hot chocolate runs out, that I  (the boss) meant it when I said I wasn't supplying the cups or drinks anymore!  No hot chocolate until today.  Thanks Meg for bringing in cups and hot chocolate for everyone!  Another "thank you" to Ayla also for bringing in drink mix!
     I hope to see a lot of parents and community members tomorrow between 4 - 6!  The 73 STEM students have worked very hard the past 12 days.  Please come and support them!  There will be a lot to see.  It is in our middle school gym.  I hope to see you there!

Week of The Gamers!

Good Morning Everyone!
     I'm finally taking a breather from our very productive morning to update you on our progress.  The Gamers have been very busy this week!  They have accomplished a lot and have overcome some huge hurdles along the way.  Today everything seems to be coming together!  Whew!
   
The "Hades End" Gamers have their backdrops done, the game itself has been tested, revised, and is now ready to be played by the public!  They have also completed a write up on the process they went through to get to where they are today with their game.  They are now putting the final touches on Hades house and figuring out how they will display their rules for the game.   Nice job Team Hades!

Gamers researching and writing rough drafts for their projects.

     The team "The Quest" is working hard also.  They have completed almost everything!  They also had some hurdles to overcome, especially trying to make their posters look like papyrus!  Sam came up with an awesome idea to make a scroll for the history of the game to be written on!  I believe that they only have a few finishing touches to make!  Awesome job Team Quest!

      "Poseidon's End" have all worked collaboratively today, split up their tasks, and are making some nice progress with keeping the deadlines they set for themselves.  Some of them have worked on a tablet to write their rules on and it looks amazing!  All of them have put their heads together to complete the main prop for their game.  I believe the history of their game is almost complete and this afternoon they will be making a video of the process they went through to create their game.  Keep up the great work Team Poseidon!

     Our Gamers have been working very hard this week.  Hades End have finished their posters, tridents,  and sign.  They are putting the final touches on their rules sign tomorrow.  They have also completed a test run on the tridents to see if they are going to be strong enough.  Great work boys.

     The other two groups have also been working hard.  Poseidon's Trident and The Quest have worked on their signs, props, research, and rules.  I can't wait to see the finished products!