Technology Education Report: From BlueBots to "Life Hacks", What's New with STEAM in Scarsdale?

Some pretty amazing things are new, with much more to come, as revealed in Director of Instruction Technology and Innovation Gerald Crisci's "Technology Education Report" at the 1/23/17 School Board meeting. Assisting him with the presentation were three members of the "STEAM Team", SHS teachers Lisa Yokana (Art), Jeremy Szerlip (Science), and new hire Brian McDonald (STEAM).

With a windy nor'easter bearing down on the area, the School Board curtailed the scope of their agenda Monday evening to focus on the STEAM presentation. Due to weather, no doubt, community attendance was sparse, but it is well worth residents' time to view the presentation on video here and/or review the presentation document, as they reveal an exciting expansion of the education offered to all Scarsdale students.

Those who follow educational topics in our district may recall that recent surveys indicated that "STEAM" headed the majority of parents' priority list in educational investment, and that World Language surveys even had some write-in requests for "Java, "C++" and "Python" rather than world languages. No question, this is a educational need on parents' minds. Scarsdale has been laying the groundwork for this expansion for some time, connecting with organizations such as Princeton Unversity, the New Media Consortium, and the Museum of Science Boston to gather information on cutting-edge STEAM education trends.

Dinner Table Topics?

Most are aware that the new Design Lab construction is in process at the high school, but what else is planned from Kindergarten on up? What are BlueBots and who's dreaming up Life Hacks? What might parents expect to start hearing about over the dinner table?

Kindergarteners and first graders ought to be bringing home tales of their explorations with BlueBots, adorable light-up "bug" robots that they can program to follow instructions. As they progress through the elementary years, their experiences with the BlueBots will help them transition onwards to more traditional programming with Kodable and then Tynker.

Middle schoolers consider coding everyday stuff, as they've had a coding quarterly in sixth grade for three years now, although expansion to seventh and eighth grades is under consideration. The Technology quarterly helps spark interest in various after-school offerings, and traditional engineering projects, such bridge building, foster design thinking that the high school offerings will expand upon.

In high school students' interest and options are exploding. STEAM teacher Brian McDonald noted that he's recently opened the current Design Lab space before and after school and he now has four 3D printers running constantly so that students can complete their projects.

Students already have concrete work to display - one clever "Life Hack" recently completed in the Intro to Design and Fabrication class was a flat shoe-sole meant to be velcro-attached over cleats to allow for safe driving without having to remove sports gear. (Ongoing work at the Design Lab can be viewed here. 

The 270 students who have completed the new introductory level engineering courses can consider choices among next year's second level courses: Design for Modern Production, Physical Computing/Wearables, Robotics, and Design/Build.

Another interesting development both middle and high schoolers may mention is the addition of an Engineer in Residence. SHS graduate Giancarlo Paternoster, who studied mechanical engineering at Lehigh University, is now sharing his knowledge of tools and materials science with interested students and reportedly they're excited by the connection with a young alumnus.

Queries from the Board

School Board members had questions once the presentation was complete.

Board President Leila Maude asked if the STEAM group was meeting with colleges to make sure Scarsdale is staying in line with colleges' goals for students. Lisa Yokana, who teaches Art, Architecture, Introduction to Engineering, and Introduction to Design and Fabrication, replied, "Yes, the collaboration with Princeton was especially useful," and mentioned that they keep in contact with other schools and alumni as well.

Board Vice President William Natbony asked how the Design Lab would tie in to the current initiatives as it comes to fruition. Ms. Yokana explained, "We have designed it as a flexible shell so it can easily change as our needs and technology shift and change. We're bursting at the seams in our current room and the new space will only get our kids even more excited."

Ms. Maude raised the issue of how things would change as the students engage with the STEAM curriculum earlier and earlier. Mr. Crisci explained, "That's why we're starting with BlueBots, starting with physical objects appropriate to the age....Every year we'll have to recalibrate our program, make sure that in the next two to three years it's ready for those moving up.... One goal is to have common language around design, just like the common language of the scientific method, incorporated as they go starting from early on."

Board Member Arthur Rublin expressed his appreciation for the plan keeping Scarsdale on the "cutting edge of education K-12" and Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman concluded the evening by thanking Mr. Crisco and his team for their "dynamic and informative presentation."

Again, it is well worth the time to view the presentation in its entirety, available through the Scarsdale Board of Education website here.