IN South Fayette Fall 2017 | Page 51

students. Aileen Owens, Director of Technology and Innovation, and substitute teacher Stephanie Harris worked with the Teknowledge Team led by Amal Nanavanti from Carnegie Mellon University, and Erik Pintar, a software developer from Google Pittsburgh, to create a simulation based on “The Martian,” to help students learn to code in a fun and powerful way. Einstein’s Workshop from Cambridge, Massachusetts, joined us to teach a workshop on BlocksCAD, the first block-based CAD program where students use block-based code to program and print 3D models. Teachers really flourished with the opportunities to learn together, one expressing, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn more about coding and modeling. Even though my school does not have a 3D printer, I can use the modeling software with my geometry unit and as enrichment for my math club students.”