TOWN OF BELOIT
Perhaps the greatest lesson in Garden Prairie Intermediate School鈥檚 new science, technology, engineering and math lab is learning the trial-and-error method. Students run into problems and learn how to solve them. It helps them in life and when dealing with gadgets.
鈥淚t allows students to design and be creative on their own,鈥 library/media specialist and teacher Lisabeth Langer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK to make mistakes. So many kids come to a problem and they give up. Every single job these kiddos have will involve some type of technology, and they can鈥檛 be afraid of it.鈥
In light of February being Career and Technical Education Month in Wisconsin, Langer shared a little bit about the lab at the new school, which opened this fall. While there is no official STEM teacher at Garden Prairie, they make do thanks to Langer.
While she wears a lot of career hats, she has found a way to reach 20 classrooms with the lab. In addition to the library/media specialist title, Langer is also an instructional technology coach, the advanced learning coordinator for all grades in the Turner School District and a high school teacher.
She also makes instructional videos for other teachers so each child in the second- through fifth-grade school can spend at least 30 minutes a week in the lab. The lab features a variety of materials for STEM lessons, including iPads, green screens, 3D printers, Ozobots and a variety of software.
鈥淚 tell the teachers that they do not need to know everything about robotics. The students need to problem solve on their own and come up with solutions to problems they may face,鈥 Langer said.
Starting back in the spring of 2021, planning went into motion to outfit the new STEM lab at Garden Prairie.
Langer and district IT director Mike Sindahl made a yearlong plan for STEM learning for the 2021-22 school year.
In September, Langer introduced the Ozobots, small robots with wheels and sensors. Students use colored markers to code different directions and movements for the bots. After a couple of months, students graduate to working on Ozoblocky, an online programming editor that teaches the robot new tricks such as making sounds and even talking.
鈥淥nce they have designed their program online, they put their Ozobot on the screen and it loads the program through Bluetooth to the robot. Then the robot performs the commands that the student created,鈥 Langer said. 鈥淥zobots have been so much fun for the students. They call me the Ozobot lady. They want to know where to get Ozobots and how much they are. 鈥
Thanks to the Ozobots, Langer said students are learning programming languages and the fundamentals of computer science.
Because Langer designs the lessons, the teachers show it to students and are learning too. The teachers can then use the Ozobots and incorporate them into their curriculum. If teachers still have trouble figuring out their Ozobots, the kids can usually figure it out.
鈥淵ou just give it to the kids and their creativity shines through,鈥 Langer said.
In November and December, staff introduced the students to WeVideo, a video creation tool used with green screens. After a few weeks of basic instructions, students made a video called 鈥淥zobots on Vacation,鈥 placing their robot in different parts of the world.
鈥淭hey have also used WeVideo to tell a personal narrative and to do a newscast on natural disasters,鈥 Langer said.
Bloxels are the January, February and March focus. Bloxels is software that teaches children basic video game design. The ideas are sketched out, a 2D version is created and the design is tested out.
After a few weeks of learning the basics, students will incorporate a topic they are working on in class and transform it into a video game using Bloxels. For example, fourth-graders will be designing a video game that takes a player through a maze while learning about a natural disaster, such as a tornado. Students are using Bloxels to make their characters, terrain, coins, story blocks and more come to life.
鈥淏loxels is a hands-on platform for kids to build, collaborate and tell stories through video game creation,鈥 Langer said.
Langer said school staff are now in the process of creating a STEM lab at Powers Elementary School. Plans already include robotics, gears, simple machine materials and programmable Legos.
鈥淲hat we have planned for that lab will be a natural continuation to Garden Prairie Intermediate,鈥 Langer said.
Langer started as a second-grade teacher in 1993. She taught third and fourth grades and led technology integration in addition to her other roles.
She said she loves the collaboration that can take place with staff and students thanks to the new school, its movable furniture and the added space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so friendly, warm and inviting,鈥 she said.