Building Engineers in K-5 Classrooms- May 4th DTL Showcase Grant

Time-Lapse of May 4th - Main Gym at Pinecrest HS

PHEW!  What a day!  On May 4th, 2018, Moore County Schools was able to convert our 4th annual Elementary Robotics Competition into a statewide showcase event/PD entitled "Building Engineers in K-5 Classrooms".  In addition to our 300 students (and their coaches, admin, and many parents!) we invited 200 educators from across North Carolina to a) see our students in action, and b) learn how to take some of the ideas around engineering/robotics we've been successful with back to their home districts.

Who attended?
We were pleased to welcome educators (teachers, admin, instructional staff), university professors, preservice teachers, and representatives from NCDPI and the Friday Institute.

What did participants do?
Our full agenda (and all resources/materials from the day) is available here:  moorerobotics.com/may4.  While 100 participants observed our students in action, the other 100 received an introduction to the engineering/design process using Keva planks to build an 8-inch bridge.  We then flip flopped the two groups so they could experience the piece of the morning they hadn't yet seen.



In the afternoon, after students left and participants were able to take a full lunch break, we broke into small groups for PD.  In these sessions, participants were able to be introduced to the various types of robotics we had on display for the morning- Lego EV3s, Dash, Drones, and Spheros.  They were able to get their hands directly on the robotics and programming skills that our kids experience throughout our schools.  In the Sphero session, they furthered their understanding of the engineering process through the creation of predators (of which they got to battle with!):

Finally, we wrapped the day up with an enthusiastic promise to remain partners in learning/growing these ideas throughout the state!  

We would like to publicly thank NCDPI for providing us the opportunity to share these ideas with others.  We'd also like to thank all of our hard-working teachers, coaches, admin, and STUDENTS for the wonderful work they have put into this over these past 4 years.  We look forward to continuing to provide these opportunities for our students as well as cementing these new partnerships across the state in order to spread the impact of engineering/design on K-5 students all across North Carolina!

Thanks again,

-MCS Digital Learning Team

P.S. Don't forget to tag your work with #NCRobotics so we can all keep track of each other's progress!