Middle Schoolers Deepen Geography Lessons with STEAM
Middle school students used STEAM tools to turn ordinary posters into an interactive electrical engineering project.
Grade 7 geography students researched subjects from ancient Egypt and China, then created posters to share interesting information about subjects including Mt. Everest, the Himalayas, King Tut, papyrus and pyramids. But rather than stopping there, students added a STEAM component to their projects using a tool called Makey Makey.
Makey Makey uses closed loop electrical signals to to turn unexpected items into touchpads and computer keyboards. Working at IDEA Space, students created electrical circuits that turned their already-creative posters into interactive learning models. Viewers can touch buttons to watch video and listen to audio on iPads for added information. They displayed the finished posters in the Middle School Commons this week.
Watch an example of how the projects came together here.
This project is one of many happening in all grade levels that integrate STEAM learning at IDEA Space with subjects across the curriculum.
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Makey Makey uses closed loop electrical signals to to turn unexpected items into touchpads and computer keyboards. Working at IDEA Space, students created electrical circuits that turned their already-creative posters into interactive learning models. Viewers can touch buttons to watch video and listen to audio on iPads for added information. They displayed the finished posters in the Middle School Commons this week.
Watch an example of how the projects came together here.
This project is one of many happening in all grade levels that integrate STEAM learning at IDEA Space with subjects across the curriculum.
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Geography students researched topics and created posters.
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At IDEA Space, they learned to use Makey Makey to design and engineer electrical circuits...
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...and connected those circuits from their posters to their iPads.
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The result is interactive posters that allow users to push buttons and watch videos or listen to audio about the subject matter.
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Connecting history, English, and other core curriculum subjects with technology gives Barstow students a deeper understanding of the material.
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Sharing their work with an authentic audience makes the lesson memorable and meaningful.
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