Block Based Coding for All Ages

Learn ways to integrate coding into your curriculum using block based coding.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

CS First: Google’s Coding Curriculum

Coding is quickly becoming one of the biggest buzz words in education. However, teaching students to code can be intimidating. Join us as we discuss techniques for teaching coding concepts such as cause and effect, logic, and problem solving. Then we’ll dive into the CS First Curriculum to explore activities, lesson plans, and more.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Get Caught Up in Code

You mean coding can be taught by ANYONE, and in ALL SUBJECTS?! WHAT?! Get ready to discover how Code.org can support you in integrating computer science into the curriculum with your students. Code.org offers a free online curriculum for K-5 students called CS Fundamentals. This curriculum provides teachers and students a glimpse at what computer programming looks like. Join me to learn about Code.org's curriculum and to see how to integrate logic, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and so much more into your every day lessons! Empower your students to create and see what they can do! Live Q & A Doc:

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Digital Wellness

Technology is all around us. Devices like smartphones, computers, and tablets have vastly improved the way we learn, solve problems, and work in our daily lives. In our increasingly technology-rich world, it is essential that students are equipped to lead a balanced and healthy digital lifestyle for success in school, at home, and in their future careers. That’s where the Digital Wellness Project comes in. We’ve been collaborating with school districts across Central Ohio to develop a rigorous digital wellness curriculum that can be easily implemented by any teacher at every grade level to ensure that students have the tools, resources, and skills to interact personally, socially, and educationally in the real world and in digital spaces. Links from this video:

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Digital Citizenship

Presentation with Steve Garton from Common Sense that highlights the tools, resources, and lessons available to parents and teachers about digital citizenship on commonsensemedia.org.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Helping Kids Become Digital Citizens

A review of parent resources to help teach and support digital citizenship.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Common Sense Education

Digital Citizenship curriculum — lessons, videos, activities

Material Type: Game, Interactive, Lesson Plan

Author: Common Sense Media

Be Internet Awesome With Google

In today's world, where we live so much of our lives on the Internet, it's critical that we teach students how to stay safe and make smart choices online. Google’s Be Internet Awesome curriculum makes it simple for educators to impart important lessons on how to be Smart, Alert,

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Online Etiquette

If you're a parent or guardian, you can teach your kids how to use the Internet by talking to them on how to use proper etiquette online. It is important to teach your children online etiquette. Online etiquette are rules for behaving properly online. These are the rules of etiquette, they should follow when they go online. Children need to be given direction, guidance, and boundaries so they are safe online. Learn the dos and don'ts of online communication "netiquette or Internet Etiquette".

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Aggie LIFE

This game teaches students about cyber security issues by asking questions after spinning a wheel and moving your game piece around the board. Created as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, “Aggie LIFE” was created by the Division of Information Technology to test your cyber smarts.

Material Type: Game

Author: Information Technology Division of Texas A&M

Online Predators: Invading My Space

Summary: This guide to Online Safety will empower young people with the information they need to stay safe from Online Predators. Law enforcement professionals provide specific information about what to do and what not to do online. A diverse cast of teenagers reinforces the safety lessons through real life testimonials. A narrative track combines with clear visual examples to make the teaching objectives clear for any viewer.

Material Type: Interactive

Author: Film Ideas

Naming in a Digital World: Creating a Safe Persona on the Internet

Students explore naming conventions in digital and non-digital settings then choose and explain specific names and profiles to represent themselves online.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Digital Safety and Citizenship Modules

This is a google slides presentation that requires students to complete various tasks related to the following topics: a) web safety b) website evaluation c) copyright d) plagiarism e) citations Students then choose one of those topics and produce an artifact that reviews what was learned within the modules. Project choices include a video, podcast or infographic.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment

Introduction to Arduino: Getting Connected and Blinking LEDs

Microcontrollers are the brains of the electronic world, but in order to play with one, you must first get it connected! For this maker challenge, students learn how to connect their Arduino microcontroller circuit boards to computers. First, students are walked through the connection process, helped to troubleshoot common pitfalls, and write their first Arduino programs (setup and loop functions, semicolons, camel case, pin 13 LED). Then they are given the open-ended challenge to create their own blinking LED code—such as writing Morse code messages and mimicking the rhythm of a heartbeat. This practice helps students become comfortable with the fundamental commands before progressing to more difficult programs.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Daniel Godrick

Build Your Own Night-Light with Arduino

Whether you want to light up a front step or a bathroom, it helps to have a light come on automatically when darkness falls. For this maker challenge, students create their own night-lights using Arduino microcontrollers, photocells and (supplied) code to sense light levels and turn on/off LEDs as they specify. As they build, test, and control these night-lights, they learn about voltage divider circuits and then experience the fundamental power of microcontrollers—controlling outputs (LEDs) based on sensor (photocell) input readings and if/then/else commands. Then they are challenged to personalize (and complicate) their night-lights—such as by using delays to change the LED blinking rate to reflect the amount of ambient light, or use many LEDs and several if/else statements with ranges to create a light meter. The possibilities are unlimited!

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Daniel Godrick

Making Sense of Sensors: Visualizing Sensor Data

The goal of this maker challenge is to demystify sensors, in particular the ambient light sensor, and to map its readings visually. In today’s world, we make sense of the environment around us by filling it with sensors, and we use output devices to display real-time data in a meaningful way. Take any smartphone as an example. Aside from the embedded camera and microphone, a number of other sensors collect a wide range of data. Depending upon the model, these sensors may collect data on proximity, motion, ambient light, moisture, compass, and touch. Some of these data are directly visualized through an app, while many operate internally and without a user interface, just below the surface of the screen. In order to become more familiar with the technology that we use (and often take for granted) on a daily basis, your challenge is to assemble a light sensor circuit, observe its readings using the Arduino Serial Monitor, and then create your own unique visualization by interfacing with the Processing software. Students learn how to use calibration and smoothing to capture a better picture of the data. Afterwards, they share their visualizations with the entire class. The time required for this challenge depends on students’ prior knowledge of Arduino and Processing software. Background resources for beginners help students get up to speed on microcontroller hardware and offer additional challenges for intermediate and advanced users.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Andrew Rose

Cool Puppy! A Doghouse Design Project

Students are given the engineering challenge to design and build doghouses that shelter a (toy) puppy from the heat—and to create them within material, size and cost constraints. This requires them to apply what they know (or research) about light energy and how it does (or does not) travel through various materials, as well as how a material’s color affects its light absorption and reflection properties. They build their doghouse designs and test them by taking thermometer readings under hot lamps, and then think of ways to improve their designs. This is a great project for learning about light and heat: energy transfer, absorption, insulation and material properties, and easily scales up/down for size and materials.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Brett Doudican, Cynthia Dickman, Linda Gillum, Raseena Jacob

Oil: Clean It Up!

Student teams create, test and improve oil spill cleanup kits, designing them to be inexpensive and accessible for homeowners to use or for big companies to give to individual workers to aid in personal home, community or corporate environmental oil cleanup. After deciding on a target user and scenario, teams conduct research and draw from an assortment of ordinary materials and supplies made available by the teacher. As a concluding gallery walk, each group presents its final prototype and summary poster to the rest of the class.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Norma Carmona

The Glow Show Slime Engineering Challenge

Students learn about the engineering design process and how products may be reinvented to serve new purposes. Working in groups, students design a type of slime. After creating their slime, the teacher turns out the lights and the students see that the slime they made actually glows in the dark! The groups investigate how to take their new discoveries and apply them to industrial applications. Once they have determined a use for their glowing slime, each group must build/design and test their product outside of class. The groups then create advertisements (videos, brochures, performances, etc.) for their new product(s) or application(s), and present to the judges for review similar to a “Shark Tank” environment.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Dr. Naomi Halas, Dr. Oara Neumann, Leander Taylor III

Bouncy Ball Factory

Students become product engineers in a bouncy ball factory as they design and prototype a polymer bouncy ball that meets specific requirements: must be spherical in shape, cannot disintegrate when thrown on the ground, and, of course, must bounce. Along with these design elements, students can build (with teacher assistance) a “shadow box” that helps measure the contact angle of the polymer that provides data on how to iterate. In addition, students must consider the aesthetics of their bouncy balls for customer approval and marketing purposes. Using the engineering design process, students design and create bouncy balls from polymers to create a fun, exciting toy for children.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Zachary A. Hilburn