STEAM Preps to Help Santa
The “jolly old elf” may need some help someday, so our students made sure they were prepared to answer whenever that phone might ring! On this particular morning, they practiced their skills learned in STEAM class to keep their skills at the ready.
Students in LCCTC’s STEAM class have been integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics since the start of the year. They have been learning to build mazes, apply their new technology lessons, and begin their coding journey using Sphero, a programmable robot ball that can zip through the hallway quicker than any kid speed-walking their way to lunch! Adaptable to every skill level, students using their Sphero can begin their learning by drawing, driving, and playing games. They can then advance their skills by using programs with block-based coding or by leveling up to Javascript.
Today’s lesson: Students engineered a sleigh to be pulled by Santa’s 10th Reindeer, “Sphero.” Students coded their Sphero to advance through several obstacles and stop at five different houses to “deliver a package.” They needed to give Santa enough time (about 3 seconds) at each stop to get down the chimney, drop off his gifts, return to his sleigh, and then get back to The North Pole — all in time for Christmas morning! Up to the challenge and akin to projects that companies like USPS and FedEx might tackle, students considered the task – the route, the weight of the packages, the design of their sleigh, and the timing needed – to meet each challenge in the most effective, successful manner.
“This was a cool lesson,” states Construction Trades senior from New Castle, Isaac Baker, “because we got to use our hands-on skills to build the sleigh. It was a little bit of a break using concepts of design we learn from shop and applying them to an academic challenge.”
Welding senior, Tommy Siddall (Union) enjoyed the freedom to create their own sled design. “I first noticed that the base needed to be both light-weight but well-built. “I had trouble with that base; I drew four identical sleighs, but I ended up blending two designs together. In the end, I was successful and learned a lot through the process.”
“For me,” states Isaac Dierfield, 11th-grade Computer and Office Technology student from Neshannock, “it was a tricky task to code the Spheros to stop at each house, but our teachers made the lesson fun.”
“I agree with Isaac,” agrees James Graham, Collision Repair student (Shenango). “But it was exciting, too — seeing all of our struggles during the project planning coming together.”
Shenango senior Madison Guntrum studying Oil and Gas, laughs as she states, “I loved the creativity of this task. Designing the sled tied into the approaching holidays and kept the season alive for us. It was a little ‘tongue in cheek’ to do this in my final year of high school, but it felt good to be a kid again. “
Guntrum also considers the lessons learned in the process. “If my team programmed the incorrect number of seconds or entered in the wrong angle, we had to retrace our steps, sometimes going back to the drawing board. We experienced failure after failure but didn’t give up. When we finally finished, it felt like a great sense of accomplishment!”
Perhaps the lesson on perseverance is one of the best gems of learning our students can take with them into their careers, no matter their future!
