Giving STEM Programs an "A for Art"
Mike Ariel understands all the excitement around STEM programs these days. But that's old news to the Salem High School art teacher; he's been using these principles in his classes for years.
Salem Robotics: More than Fun and Games
In the early hours before school begins, these fourth-grade Soule school students are busy problem-solving. The "board" is laid out in the library and animals, obstacles and robots have been constructed from First Lego League kits. Students eagerly type commands into iPads that direct the robots to interact with the board pieces. Today they are trying to collect the "pink pig." "In a competition, students get points by how well their robot interacts with various elements on the board," says Anna Caron, one of several Salem teachers volunteering time to guide the elementary Lego Robotics Clubs. "We're just getting started. Today's challenge is to collect the pink pig without crashing into other objects." Soule fourth-grade students react as their robot just misses collecting the "pink pig." The students take turns determining a course of action, programming the robots, then running the controls. After collaborating on a...
