students

9th Grade STEM Students Design and 3D Print Propellers

Jessa Henderson

John Hammons‘ 9th grade Engineering Exploration I students digitally designed propellers using Autodesk Inventor software. Students printed their designs with a 3D printer and then added the printed propellers to cars the class had previously built. Through trial and error, students were able to experience first-hand how each propeller’s design impacted the movement of the car. Suggestions for propeller improvement could then be made based on observations during the trial runs.

This hands-on exploration with digital design and 3D printing is a great example of real world application in the classroom. Students are not only creating objects that they’ve imagined, they are developing problem solving skills that will be useful well beyond TC Williams High School. Keep it up Engineering Exploration I students! Great job!

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ACPS Students Participate in #STUTECH2015

Kyle Dunbar

On Saturday, January 31st, two George Washington Middle School students presented at an international, student-led virtual conference about technology in education. The STCLogoStudent Technology Conference 2015 included presentations and participants from around the world. GW students Jenny Martinez and Mikaela Pozo authored and presented a session called “Is Google Drive For You?” These seventh-grade students gave their presentation in both English and Spanish. Attendees from the Philippines, Ukraine, the Bahamas and many cities in the United States were very impressed with the girls’ knowledge about Google Drive. Watch a recording of their presentation.

Students met during their lunch to select a topic for the conference, propose a session and finally, to prepare their presentation. They wanted to present about Google Drive because they feel that this technology has had the biggest impact on their learning in school. All secondary ACPS students have access to an ACPS Google Drive account. Jenny and Mikaela created their presentation in Google Drive using the Google Slide feature. This allowed them to revise and edit in real time. It also gave them an example of the usefulness of Google Drive for their presentation!

0131151051aNot many kids are willing to come to school on a cold, wintry Saturday morning, but these girls were excited to share what they know with the world. Jenny and Mikaela used a product called Blackboard Collaborate to web conference with attendees from around the world. The girls logged in, tested their video feed and microphone, uploaded their slides and began their presentation. It was exciting to watch students and teachers log in from around the world. Jenny and Mikaela were able to explain how Google Drive has impacted them as well as answer questions from participants about how Google Drive works. The session was very well received and and the girls are planning on presenting at the conference again next year!