K-5 STEM Grant Puts Technology in the Classroom
At Riverview Elementary School in Dayton, teachers are innovating the way they teach using technology provided by OSIT’s K-5 classroom grants. And they’re seeing results when it comes to student engagement, problem solving, and collaboration skills.
In Nicole Pluta’s 3rd grade class, students are learning to read and write code using iPads to tell robots to perform a variety of tasks, from playing a xylophone to drawing shapes on poster board. “The use of Dash and the iPads brings coding and STEM to life in my classroom,” Miss Pluta says. “Having access to the iPads provides opportunities for my students to develop and apply their coding skills through hands on experiences.”
In Deby Ranft’s 6th grade class, students are learning teamwork skills and using technology as a tool to apply ideas from books they read in creative ways. Teams are using iPads to create video yearbook entries like the main character in the book Restart. “This use of technology is more STEM focused because we used the iPads as a tool for the experience, as opposed to publication.”
Riverview Elementary has been focusing on integrating STEM across all core content areas. Miss Pluta likes the change: “Before we had access to the iPads I had to teach computer science standards primarily with unplugged lessons. Now I am able to integrate my math, science, and computer science standards into lessons using the iPads, which provide instant feedback and increase student engagement.”
Research finds that early exposure to STEM, especially for girls, makes children more likely to succeed in science and pursue STEM fields in college. OSIT awarded K-5 STEM Grants to innovative applications that increase the use of evidence-based, hands-on, experiential STEM learning in grades K-5.
Images to right: Students learn coding by programming the robots to do sequential tasks. Coding also encourages students to keep trying if their first attempt is not successful.
Images below: Students learn coding by programming the robots to do sequential tasks. Coding also encourages students to keep trying if their first attempt is not successful.
