VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Getting the Most Out of Your Raspberry Pi in the Classroom

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This is a cross post from the DexterEd website and features content of potential interest to VSTE members.

So you purchased a Raspberry Pi!  Now what can you do with it in your classroom?  These simple $40 computers are extremely versatile in the classroom. Whether you have one or a full set, there are plenty of ways to utilize them with your students.  Time for a field trip to my 6th grade classroom!  We have eleven Raspberry Pi workstations setup in my classroom for the students to use throughout the day.  They are used just like our class laptops – web searches, creating documents and slideshows, etc.  We also use them to learn more about physical computing, programming, and to build.  This has been a work in progress over the past three years.  I started with one Pi and it has slowly grown from there. Below are a couple of ways to use the Raspberry Pi in your classroom.

Computers

Using the Raspberry Pi just like we use other computers takes a little setup. The Raspberry Pi is the computer board, so you’ll connect it to a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and ethernet cable to turn it into a computer.

Programming

Many students begin programming using block-based programming languages such as Scratch.  Students can create programs for a variety of purposes.  In my class students have created quiz games, reviews to illustrate concepts in a unit, as well as programs just for fun. Students can also program in other languages such as Python.  Sonic Pi is another program for programming that is designed for creating music and sounds. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has excellent activities and lessons to help you get started.

Physical Computing

Students can learn to control LEDs, buttons, distance sensors, motors, buzzers, and robots.  This can be through class lessons or individual explorations of using the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi to control inputs or outputs.

  • GoPiGo, a complete robot kit you can program in Bloxter, Python, Scratch, C and more.
  • GoBoxEd, a set of curriculum to teach programming in a block based language, Bloxter (built off of Google’s Blockly).

There are also a variety of HATs for the Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Zero.  Another way to explore physical computing with Pi is by using a Sense HAT.  The Sense HAT features include a barometer, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, LED matrix display, and a button joystick. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has excellent activities and lessons to help you get started.

Building –

Minecraft Pi is a basic version of Minecraft made for Raspberry Pi.  Students created builds to show their understanding of social studies concepts, illustrate types of patterns in math class, and to explain novels from book club.

Not only can students build in the Minecraft world just as they do in other versions of Minecraft, they can learn Python programming to build.  This was a  lunch bunch project for a group of my students last year.  They read and learned about programming in Python to create structures in Minecraft, teleport, and much more. Their exposure to Python through Minecraft then inspired them to investigate using Python to program games and to control their robots.  If you need to some support getting started, check out the Raspberry Pi Foundation site.

There is so much you can do with the Raspberry Pi and this post just scratches the surface of the possibilities.  Hopefully you are inspired to dive in and learn more!

Sign up to receive a FREE Raspberry Pi Syllabus!

National Day of Action, December 5, 2017

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Please join the 60+ organizations that make up the Title IV-A Coalition for our National Day of Action!

Join the push to fully fund Title IV-A, which houses the edtech provisions in ESSA. Funding for this program is critical!

Sign up for the Thunderclap here: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/65448-raisethecaps-for-moretitleiv 

Read below for more info and ways you can take action:

Join us on Tuesday December 5th for a National Day of Action to advocate for full funding of the Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program. This grant, part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will allow schools and districts to support well-rounded programs, safe and healthy schools, and the effective use of technology.

In its first year of funding, Congress only allocated 25% of the authorized funds for Title IV-A, severely limiting the ability of districts and states to support these programs. We need to let lawmakers know that an investment in Title IV-A is an investment in our nation’s schools and students, ultimately preparing them for the workforce.

If you want to add your own throughout the day, here are some sample tweets (Twitter now allows 280 characters!):

  • @[Senator], raise the non defense discretionary spending caps and provide #MoreTitleIV of #ESSA, which provides mental health services, access to #STEM, arts, music, PE, & #edtech programs. Our nation’s students deserve the $1.6 billion Congress promised
  • @[Senator] #MoreTitleIV funds mean greater flexibility and more meaningful investments for local school districts! #ESSA #RaiseTheCaps
  • #MoreTitleIV funding provides Ss the ability to give students a more complete, well rounded education @[Senator] #ESSA #RaiseTheCaps
  • All Ss benefit from Title IVA funds, w/o them districts are forced to choose between critical programs. #MoreTitleIV @[Senator] #ESSA #RaiseTheCaps
  • Mental health services, access to STEM, arts & music, PE and edtech programs are at risk w/o fully funding Title IV, A grants. #MoreTitleIV @[Senator] #ESSA #RaiseTheCaps

CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES

Below is a script you can use:

I am a [insert profession or organizational affiliation] and a voter in [insert home state and or congressional district] and I am calling to urge Senator/Representative[insert name here] to raise the non defense discretionary federal spending caps and support full funding of the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program under Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Congress authorized Title IV-A of ESSA at $1.6 Billion to ensure that each school district received funds to support access to a well-rounded education, improve student’s physical and mental health and improve conditions for learning, and to increase the effective use of technology. Unfortunately, the current level of $400 million is wholly inadequate to support the critical services needed in my school.

All of these areas supported by this block grant are critical to ensure all students graduate from high school ready to enter college or the workforce. Underfunding this program seriously undermines my ability as an educator to adequately educate and support the whole child.

I strongly urge you to raise the caps and support the full funding of Title IV-A in FY18.

SHARE YOUR STORY – HOW DO THESE FUNDS IMPACT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS?

Share Your Story Here: One of the most compelling ways to let Congress know about the importance of funding for this program is to hear directly from you about how these programs benefit your students. In order to help us show Congress the real life value these funds provide to you and your students, we are collecting stories about the benefits and consequences of receiving adequate or inadequate funds for programs including mental health services and professionals, music, arts, AP, STEM, and the effective use of technology.

Do you have a story to tell? Has your school received enough funding for these programs? What differences have these funds made in the lives of your students? What happens if these programs and services go away due to underfunding?

Please take a few minutes to write a paragraph or two using this handy form to share your story with us and to show Congress exactly why funding for these programs matters. We need to let members of Congress know how increased funding for this program could help your students.

Two Virginia Education Leaders Receive VSTE ‘Making It Happen’ Award

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Dr. Pam Moran, Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, and Dr. Jan Streich, Executive Director of Learning and Organizational Development of Stafford County Public Schools, were honored with the coveted Making IT Happen jacket for their contributions to the successful integration of technology in education in K−12 schools. The Making IT Happen award is provided by the International Society for Technology in Education, of which the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) is an affiliate.

The Making IT Happen program has made a commitment to work with state and national organizations to identify individuals who are truly Making IT Happen within their respective state or region and to recognize them publicly.

photograph of pam moran

Dr. Pam Moran has served as the Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools since January 2006. Under her leadership, Albemarle has been ranked in the top five of all school divisions in Virginia and among the top two percent of all school divisions in the county. The school division has developed a nationally recognized maker curriculum and opened one of the first CoderDojo Academies where the focus is on teaching computer coding and science skills to students. Albemarle County Public Schools is a member of the League of Innovative Schools, a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress to accelerate innovation in education. Dr. Moran has been recognized with numerous awards including Virginia’s 2016 Superintendent of the Year.

Dr. Jan Streich has been a leader in Virginia educational Photograph of Jan Streichtechnology for over twenty years. A former elementary classroom teacher, Jan served as assistive technology coordinator in the Stafford County Public Schools during the early 2000s before becoming the Director of Growth and Innovation for the Spotsylvania County Public Schools, where she oversaw a tremendous expansion and improvement of instructional technology and professional learning practices in a burgeoning system. Returning to Stafford recently, she is combining the roles of directors of instruction and professional learning, she continues to work with teachers and leaders to improve student learning and teaching excellence. A regular public speaker and conference presenter, Dr. Streich shares her insights and significant professional knowledge with colleagues around the state and the region.

Moran and Streich join a prestigious group of Making It Happen honorees, including classroom teachers, school principals, district superintendents, legislators, governors, and even former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley. Founded in 1995, the Making IT Happen program highlights the dramatic role educators are having on the learning process by using technology and rewards those individuals for their commitment and innovation. To date, over 500 individuals have been awarded this recognition through ISTE and its affiliates. The impact of this program has been felt at numerous conferences around the world. The focus of the Making IT Happen program is on current practitioners, highlighting their significant contribution and encouraging them to continue their work. Making IT Happen recipients are in the classroom, making it happen for learners every day.

ISTE 2018 Conference Registration Opens December 1

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Over 16,000 educators, 550 education companies, and endless learning: ISTE 2018 will be the Epicenter of Edtech in June 2018.

This internationally recognized conference will be held June 24 - 27, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.

Conference registration and the housing bureau open December 1, 2017. Get the best price on this amazing gathering of educators.

Learn more and sign up for updates at the ISTE Conference website.

 

How to Get Funding for STEM and Robots from the PTA/PTO

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This is a cross post from the DexterEd website and features content of potential interest to VSTE members.

You know what you want… now, prep and work with your PTO/PTA to make it happen.

I primarily work with educators at Dexter Industries to help them figure out what they need for their classrooms and assist in getting them started with their robots kits. Outside of my Dexter work though, I’m very involved in my children’s school, having started my 4th year being on the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) board. PTOs and PTAs are such an integral part of schools. They don’t just organize parties and events. They offer another avenue for teachers to request new technologies for their classrooms. Teachers sometimes aren’t aware that their PTO or PTA could actually help them when there are items or curriculum they want or need for the classroom.

PTOs and PTAs are different entities with different rules, but when it comes to helping teachers purchase new technologies for students there are similar ways for the PTO/PTA to say “Yes” to the request. Many times there are grade level funds set aside for each grade. The amount of these funds vary and could range from $100 to more than $500.

At the same time, the principal often receives a fund from the PTO/PTA that could be used for new school technology. Some principal funds are solely used for events, assemblies and other things that benefit the school and all students as a whole, but this varies per principal so requesting funding through the principal funds may be an option for you. With this in mind, if the technologies wanted are to be used in a library Makerspace, Computer lab, or mobile robot lab, then a request to the principal would be very appropriate.

Teachers are also welcomed to just request funds from their PTO/PTA for items they want, and see if a line item could be added to the PTO/PTA budget for the year. The most common way, however, that PTO/PTAs can help educators get new technology is through a dedicated fundraiser for the items teachers want. 

Let’s say you want to introduce robotics to your classroom, lunchtime club, after school program, or in the computer lab/library/makerspace. There are specific steps you should take when requesting that your PTO/PTA develop a fundraiser for the purchase of the robots you want.

As an educator these are the things to consider when pitching to the PTO/PTA:

At Dexter, we’ve built a presentation that covers all these areas for you, check it out here.

  1. Know the robotics kit you want and have bullet points as to why you want it. Make note of which grades it will be used with and how often. Dexter Industries recommends one robot per two to three students. Know how much money it will cost for everything you want- robots, curriculum or course units, any extra sensors or software. You may need additional equipment if you don’t already have it, like batteries, chargers, iPads. Robots are most often programmed via computers, including Chromebooks, and/or iPads.
  2. If possible, be able to share which state standards or course concepts the work you want to do with the robot will meet. For example, Dexter Industries course units and curriculum list all of the state standards that are met when using the kits and projects. We are continually developing new projects and lessons to expand our curriculum offerings.
  3. Know how the robot kits you want will benefit your students. Are the kits going to inspire and be accessible to all types of learners maybe? Are the robots going to create a renewed enthusiasm in an area where students seem bored and test results have dipped? Are you enthusiastic about the GoPiGo (shameless plug) because you can help your students learn to program in real world languages like Bloxter and Scratch, and then move into Python and Java? This is the “sell” part that you want to develop. You should figure out “why and how” the technology would benefit the students. Remember, the PTO/PTA board that you’re asking money from has students at your school. Have a few key points as to how the robots will benefit all students. You can also check out our Lesson Snapshots Guidebook showing you how to integrate robots into different content areas.  
  4. Have an example of the technology, in this case, the robot, to show your PTO/PTA board and principal. Request to be on our PTO/PTA meeting agenda so you can present and show off the robot at one of the general meetings. Show the ease of the software interface and a quick example program that makes the robot move. Have it drive and deliver a sweet treat to where the PTO/PTA board is sitting perhaps. Some robotics companies, like Dexter Industries, offer loaner programs (check out our free 45-day teacher trial) which makes it possible to evaluate the robot and bring it to meetings with your PTO/PTA or other administration who need to give a green light. Be prepared for questions from the PTO/PTA board member and the principal. If you need administrative buy-in first, set up a time with the principal and show off the physical robot, and let him/her know what funding sources you are planning.

PTO/PTAs do a lot for schools and are a great independent resource of the school to request funds for ideas that teachers have. Over the years I’ve been on the board, I’ve seen requests range from iPads and poster makers to sending librarians to conferences. Remember, PTO/PTAs want to help teachers make the school the best place possible for you and the students. They often have funds available or can assist in raising funds to support your efforts. Know what you want, show the technology in person if you can, and simply ask. It all starts there.

By Elizabeth Kiken

Download our free presentation and sample budget proposal to get you started.