So, the day in which I have finished coloring my drawing has finally arrived. I really love the final product and I think it is going to fit nicely as my cover for my magazine! I proudly present to you, Johnny Depp:
Not only have I completed my cover image, but I have also finished most of my write-up for my article that I will be using for my two-page spread. Because I am still waiting for two of my resources to get back to me with their responses to the questions I asked them, I am not able to finish writing just yet, however, I have included what I have written so far just to provide a general idea of how the article will sound. These were the questions I had asked them (so that when you read the article I created, you can get a better sense as to how the information will flow):
Colton (engineer
who works at Modern Robotics)
1. Why did you want
to pursue a career in robotics?
2. What do you do
at Modern Robotics?
3. What is the
mission of Modern Robotics?
4. Why should kids,
or even people of all ages, participate in robotics?
5. How does the
world benefit by the field of robotics?
Alyssa (student)
1. Why did you join
robotics?
2. What
opportunities do you think robotics and STEM education have provided you?
3. What have you
done to encourage other to participate in STEM?
From the invention of the wheel to
today's 3D printers, revolutions of thought and engineering drive the progress
of our lives and of humanity as a whole. It seems that students with passions
for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are able to become
the innovative voice of their generation now more than ever.
In many high schools globally, students
are able to obtain a STEM-oriented education and embark on projects that
interest them and spark their enthusiasm for STEM fields through classes or
extracurricular activities at their school. One example of an extracurricular
activity offered by many high schools that stresses the importance of STEM is
the robotics club. Clubs such as this provide early access to an environment with
workplace-style teamwork and creative thinking helps prepare students for their
future years before they enter the workforce. Furthermore, students are able to
obtain real-world experience as they encounter prevalent challenges, such as
managing funds and ensuring that all components of a project are completed,
despite being in a classroom environment. Most importantly, the variety of
skills that students can derive from this experience are not solely applicable
in STEM fields, but can be applied in any job that a student may hold in the
future.
Today, the robotics community is growing
throughout the world, and more schools are integrating classes that incorporate
this STEM field. As this process occurs, however, it is becoming more and more
important to devise new methods of increasing outreach and inclusion in STEM
activities. Students and adults alike are often intimidated by the complex or
technical aspects inherent to such forms of education. Because of this,
educators such as Angela Ashley, Robotics teacher at Cypress Bay High School in
Weston, Florida, are making the most out of extracurricular activities such as
robotics by encouraging students to actively contribute to their community and
make STEM exciting and engaging. She explains, “STEM education needs to be fun
and hands on. We need to not ‘teach’ STEM in a traditional manner.
Instead, we need to let students explore with their minds, and learn to
create and build with their hands. Most importantly, we need to encourage
them to build what they can imagine. Traditional classroom settings tend
to stifle imagination and creativity - the exact opposite of what we should be
teaching them.” Students at Cypress Bay have done exactly that. Each year, they
participate in robotics competitions and apply their knowledge and
understanding of programming and engineering to plan, design, and build a
robot. This year’s challenge, entitled FIRST RES-Q, is modeled after rescue
situations faced by mountain explorers all over the globe. The team’s robot can
score points by “resetting” Rescue beacons, delivering Rescue Climbers to
a shelter, parking in the Rescue beacon repair zone or floor goal, and parking
on the “mountain.”
Not only do these students apply their
knowledge and abilities towards competitions, but they also work towards
expanding the impact of a STEM education. For example, at Cypress Bay High
School, the department head of the special-needs program reached out to the
robotics class and asked if they could construct inventions that assist
special-needs students with daily tasks, ranging from putting papers into a
paper shredder to watering a garden. As a result, the class is currently
creating an apparatus for wheelchair-bound students to be able to bowl as well
as a blender that can be safely used by students with poor dexterity. In order
to fully derive use out of STEM fields and STEM-oriented education, it is
essential that everyone is included and accounted for. As Ms. Ashley states,
“With each passing year this world gets more and more high-tech. It affects
everyone in every aspect of life. Young or old, we are surrounded by
technology.”
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