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Instructional Technology

The Kalamazoo RESA Instructional Technology Team empowers teachers to transform student learning through technology integration.

Events & Professional Development

Growlers STEM Days

6/27/2017

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The Kalamazoo Growlers hosted two pre-game STEM Education events this spring organized by Kalamazoo RESA's Education for Employment team. Middle school students from southwest Michigan explored different STEM-centered booths from Stryker, AirZoo, Consumers Energy, and area high school robotics teams, to name a few. Representing REMC12W/SWMiTech, Tina Tribu, Jeremie Coplin, Keith Tramper, and Lorri Batsie demonstrated and guided student exploration of the following fun tech tools:

Dash Robot--drive a robot through a maze
Makey Makey--play a banana piano or play-doh Tetris using Scratch coding
Osmo Coding--create a code using physical blocks and an interactive iPad game
Osmo Newton--draw and manipulate objects to solve physics puzzles
Blockbuster Tumble Blocks--analyze which block to pull so as not to make the tower fall
Keva Block Brain Builders--convert 2D images into 3D structures

A young lady approached the Osmo Newton game, and after a try decided she was unable to complete the challenge. She seemed insecure, and when I suggested she try again, she initially resisted. On her second try, she beat the level! Prompted to say, “I am awesome,” she muttered the reaction somewhat unwillingly--but with a big grin on her face.
STEM activities, which we offer through our professional development, TinkerZoo tools, and coaching (check out our website for more info), open the door for students to grow in their confidence, even if at first they don’t succeed. Many of the lessons we teach and coach require several iterations before accomplishment. Iteration is a word for “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Educators should be encouraging this growth mindset in their students. There are few things as satisfying for a teacher and student than that breakthrough moment when a student who has been working diligently toward a goal finally reaches it. 

Look at the faces on these kids in the pictures. Engagement, growth, achievement.
Thanks to KRESA EFE and Stryker for the opportunity to serve SW Michigan kids at this awesome event!
And congratulations to the Growlers on their two wins!
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You Spin Me Right Round, Baby

6/1/2017

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​My colleague, Matt McCullough, posted a great resource on his blog about using fidget spinners educationally. As the spin of this school year winds down, I wanted to share one more lesson idea related to fidget spinners.
If you’re lucky enough to own some littleBits, here is a fun activity for your students: instructions to build a littleBits fidget spinner!

This year I had the opportunity to work with Dayna Cantu, Anthony DeRosa, and Delton Kellogg Middle School students in a makeshift makerspace. Basically, it was an unused classroom with some flexible seating, some cardboard boxes, and lots of old textbooks. We have cranked out some awesome stuff in there this year, including social studies and ELA digital storytelling. Some examples are coding Ollie to represent an immigration journey, adapting fairy tales and Tuck Everlasting to be told through Dash the Robot’s perspective, complete with cardboard settings, and storytelling with Bloxels.

Our littleBits fidget spinner was one of my favorites because the girls had to adapt the directions to work with the kit that Mrs. Cantu owned. They had to replace the input and output bits with others in the existing kit. I was proud of them for problem solving. Their spinner was constructed from cardboard. Then, they went into the hallway and created a whole video of the creation, which totally appealed to my current obsession with CrossBraining (in fact, Mr. DeRosa’s kids actually used GoPros during their littleBits lesson, which was a mechanical arm that threw ping-pong balls at each other).

To check out more fun ideas from Delton Kellogg, follow @lbatsie8, @avd111, @mrscantu5, or #dkschools.
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Hours

M-T: 7:30am - 4:30pm     F: 7:30am - 3:30pm

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269.250.9280

Address

1819 East Milham Avenue | Portage, Michigan 49002