A2 STEAM Lab

Is there a word that describes that intuitively good feeling one feels when walking into a joyful classroom? More examples this week of the kind of #makercentered learning that just can't happen through a screen - @A2STEAMLab with @SarahEVanLoo. It's great to be back @A2STEAM!

My office hours are in the pinned tweet but I am happy to meet virtually with any student or family any day, just email me. Additionally, I have started hosting other informal meetups for students on Google Meet. I will send those out over SeeSaw. Those have been fun!

Test Stream from Mr. Van Loo pscp.tv/w/cTw_wTFlUkV4…

Lots of fun sounds in the Lab this afternoon as the first Electronic Music Workshop session kicked off @A2STEAM!

Huge thanks to today’s special guest @xinniw, who demonstrated live coding in Hydra for our computer science class! He played some of his original music and stayed through the class helping students. @menloinnovation thank you for supporting David and his music!

The first pick-and-place automated system from 7th grade Automation & Robotics class is working!

The final project for 7th/8th grade Computer Science for Innovators & Makers includes a digital fabrication component. This student design used the Cricut Maker to cut this shape out of felt; it will now get RGB LEDs added to the front.

6th graders are working on building their puzzle toy parts and packaging this week. Exciting to see these coming together!

5th grade iPad stand prototypes are taking shape! This is an exciting new engineering project that 5th graders have enthusiastically jumped into, exploring new tools, new ways of prototyping, and using design thinking to consider human needs.

Excitement is building for the upcoming Electronic Music Workshop! This is an afterschool club for students grades 6-8. Thursdays, 3:30-4:30pm in the Lab.

What do we do in the Lab when a planned power outage takes effect? Use Ozobots, explore music software on the iPads, build origami by flashlight, and read in the window seat.

Check out the awesome learning happening in our sister lab @a2steam!

Students in Computer Science for Innovators & Makers are building their own digital inputs. This ambitious team built two inputs, each of which triggers a different program on the @microbit_edu

4th graders are investigating the @Ozobot and its capabilities as they work towards designing roller coasters for it! A huge thanks to @boschusa Foundation for supporting this project!

8th graders in Energy & the Environment are testing the efficiency of the wind turbine blades they designed and made. @PLTWorg

7th graders in Automation & Robotics are getting their Pull Toy mechanisms projects ready to record - some amazing creativity on display as students use green/blue screens, video lights, and creative storytelling to show their work.

7th grade Automation & Robotics are working on their Pull Toy mechanisms projects - they’re starting to shape up! @PLTWorg

This 4th grade littleBits project features a soccer game with independent scoreboards as well as lots of cheering fan noise, provided by the buzzer bits.

4th graders are working hard to problem solve as the start using the Ozobot robots.

6th graders in Design & Modeling love using the NCTM Isometric Drawing tool as we start learning isometric drawing techniques. tinyurl.com/isodrawing2