are comfortable using the device and provides valuable
insights into curricular planning for various age levels.
“They don’t have to feel so alone when figuring out what
works for their needs,” says Alissa Devito, Associate
Director of Educational Technology at the Office of Catholic
Education (OCE). “Our team maintains communication,
so borrowers know that they can reach out to us, even
mid-process, if they have any questions or if something
goes wrong.”
By working with the support team, teachers can even
discover different devices that may accomplish similar
curricular goals. When the lending library opened, Bishop
Shanahan High School teacher Janet Moore was searching
for a way to bring the theory behind quadratic equations
and parabolas out of the textbook and into the real world.
checked out the Sphero Bolt robotics kit, programming
each unit with quadratic equations to plot movement on
taped-out coordinate planes in the classroom. Students
then collected parabolic data points to calculate the original
equations used.
“The difference between students’ results gave us an
opportunity to discuss what influences data and how
much it varies,” Moore remembers. “There’s human error in
placing the robot in the exact same place each time, the size
of the robot versus the size of the units on my coordinate
planes, etc. Had I just provided them with graphs drawn on
paper, we would not have had the opportunity to discuss
these real-world variables.”
With support team insight, teachers like Bishop Shanahan
High School teacher Janet Moore are discovering how these
kits can help them accomplish their curricular goals. Moore
WHAT’S IN THE STEM LENDING
LIBRARY? HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES.
B E GINNERS: INTERMEDIATE: ADVANCED:
Kid K’nex Transportation
Includes: set of 2 kits
Skill: engineering
Grades: preK-2 K’nex Education: Intro to
Simple Machines
Includes: set of 2 kits
Skill: engineering
Grades: 3-6 Parrot Mambo Drones
Includes: set of 6
Skill: engineering
Grades: 6-12
Ozobots EVO
Includes: set of 12 bots
and accessories
Skill: coding, robotics
Grades: K-6
Green Screen Kit
Includes: backdrop,
lights, and stands
Skill: digital creations
Grades: K-12
Sphero Bolt
Includes: set of 6
Skill: coding, robotics
Grades: 2-8
Google Expeditions
Includes: set of 10 viewers
Skill: virtual reality
Grades: 3-12 CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Ultimate
Starter Kit
Includes: set of 2 kits
Skill: coding
Grades: 8-12
Lego Mindstorm EV3
Includes: set of 3 kits
Skill: robotics, engineering
Grades: 5-8 Arduino Starter Kit
Includes: set of 2 kits
Skill: coding
Grades: 8-12
K’nex Education: Investigating
Wind and Water Energy
Includes: set of 2 kits
Skill: engineering
Grades: 6-9 Robot C2 3D Printer
Skill: coding
Grades: 5-12
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