Engineering in Action

technology and engineering
VOLUME 80 ISSUE 8
TEACHER
May/June 2021
ITEEA 2021
PROFESSIONAL
RECOGNITION
AWARDS
KITES BRING LESSONS TO THE T&E CLASSROOM
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Questions? Email iteea@iteea.org. Technology and Engineering bring STEM to Life!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
iteea.org
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy
is here!
What ALL students should know and be able to do in order to be
technologically and engineering literate.
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL)

provides an up-to-date roadmap for classroom teachers,
district supervisors, administrators, states, and curriculum
developers to promote technology and engineering educa-
tion program development and curriculum design from Pre-K
through twelfth grade.
The universals of technology have changed since the original

Standards for Technological Literacy was published in 2000.
The 2006 Rationale and Structure document and relevant
literature published since STL was released were used to
inform the current revision project. This update includes reduc-
ing the number of standards and benchmarks and adding new
content such as crosscutting concepts to mirror the practices
of contemporary standards developed for other disciplines.
The document is now available in print, ePub, and PDF

formats and will soon be part of a dedicated interactive website, including curriculum development
resources.
STEL is available on the following formats at

www.iteea.org/STEL.aspx:
As a viewable PDF (FREE)
As downloadable/printable PDF
(FREE for ITEEA Members/$25 for Nonmembers)
As an EPub
(FREE for ITEEA Members/$25 for Nonmembers)
As a printed publication.
Members: $27/Nonmembers: $38
*Shipping fees apply
For more information, visit the STEL webpage at

www.iteea.org/STEL.aspx.
This work was made possible through grants from the National Science
Foundation and the Technical Foundation of America.
contents
VOLUME 80 ISSUE 8 technology and engineering teacher
features
UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS TAKE FLIGHT IN KENTUCKY
SCHOOLS P.8
As UAS technology is still relatively new and constantly changing, a need exists to
train educators and students on its safe operation and how teachers can integrate
UAS into their classrooms.
Michael Walach and Mark Harrell
KITE BUILDING – WHEN CALCULUS WILL NOT WORK P.16

It is a relatively trivial question – “At what angle do I place my diamond-shaped
kite on the fabric for maximum efficiency?” But, as explained, the answer is not
mathematically trivial.
K. P. Trout, William P. Trout, and Huy Le
ESTIMATING SAMPLE SIZES IN A GLOBALLY CONNECTED

GOOGLE CLASSROOM P.20
Suggests a way to connect classrooms globally using GC to execute a global
collaborative STEM education project and presents a reflective account of teacher
mentorship as this project was executed.
Richard Carlos L. Velasco
departments
ON THE ITEEA WEBSITE P.5 ENGINEERING IN ACTION
P.26
STEM EDUCATION
CALENDAR P.6 TECHNOLOGY AND
ENGINEERING TEACHER
STEM EDUCATION NEWS P.7 INDEX, VOLUME 80, 2020-
ITEEA 2021 PROFESSIONAL 2021 P.33
RECOGNITION AWARDS P.13 CLASSROOM CHALLENGE
LET’S COLLABORATE! P.24 P.36
NOTE: The link to the TETe article, Evolution of Technology Education in Mainland
China Since 1949, was incorrect as printed in the April issue of TET. The correct link
is: www.iteea.org/TETApr21Gu.aspx
On the cover: A student works to build a kite using maximum efficiency.
4 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

on the ITEEA Announces STEL eTool!
ITEEA is proud to announce release of the
Standards for Technological and Engineering
iteea Literacy (STEL) eTool! The new STEL eTool can

be accessed from a computer, tablet, or mobile
device to aid in curriculum development and
website
lesson planning. Searches can be performed by
standard, benchmark, grade level, keyword, or
phrase. Results provide the full text benchmark
and description, along with the appropriate practices and crosswalks to Next Generation Science Stan-
dards and Common Core State Standards for both Mathematics and English Language Arts. The STEL
eTool is available to everyone at https://iteea-stel-etool.github.io/. A brief explanatory presentation is
available for viewing at https://tinyurl.com/STELeTool.
Try Out ITEEA’s New STEL Lesson Plan Tool!

Free for educators in any subject area, ITEEA’s STEL lesson plan tool, if
filled out completely, results in a formal lesson plan. The tool allows the
educator to first select a grade-band, resulting in the STEL standards
and benchmarks for that grade range and how the CCSS and NGSS
have been aligned. It is up to the user to select which benchmarks and
standards, and the context through which the lesson would be taught.
The lesson plan tool also allows the user to input any standards and
benchmarks that may not be listed. This could be due to specific states’
standards or if the user is differentiating lessons and wanting to select
benchmarks not found in the initial selection of grade bands. ITEEA’s STEM CTL™ encourages teachers to adjust their lessons and curric-
ulum to best fit their students. The resulting formatted lesson is a Microsoft Word document, which allows teacher customization to their
school’s theme and addition of notes and reminders, etc.
View a sample formatted lesson here: www.iteea.org/STELLessonPlans.aspx

Try out this free tool here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ITEEASTELLP
technology and International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
engineering
EDITORIAL PUBLISHER
TEACHER KATHLEEN B. DE LA PAZ TYLER LOVE STEVEN A. BARBATO, DTE
Editor-In-Chief Safety Spotlight Executive Director
EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD KATHIE F. CLUFF GREG STRIMEL

ITEEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Editor/Layout Engineering in Action
THOMAS R. LOVELAND, DTE VIRGINIA R. JONES, DTE MARC FINER
Chairperson President Director, Region IV
University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
PHILIP A. REED, DTE TROY BLUNIER
SCOTT BARTHOLOMEW KARA HARRIS TONI MARIE KAUI DENNIS SOBOLESKI Past President Director, ITEEA-CSL
Brigham Young University, UT Indiana State University Hawaii Association of Brevard Public Schools, FL
Independent Schools DEBRA SHAPIRO, DTE CHARLIE McLAUGHLIN, DTE
JARED BITTING, DTE STEPHIE HOLMQUIST ANNA SUMNER President-Elect Director, CTETE
Fleetwood MS, PA Holmquist Educational ANDY KLENKE, DTE ITEEA Past President
Consultants, FL Pittsburg State Univ., KS Omaha, NE GEORGE BISHOP SCOTT R. BARTHOLOMEW
JIM BOE, DTE Director, Region I Director, TEECA
Valley City State University AMANDA HOUGH DOUG LECORCHICK CAROL UNTERREINER
Mashpee Middle/High Berea College, KY Milwee Middle School, FL NATHAN MENTZER, DTE KIMBERLY M. BRADSHAW
CATHI COX-BONIOL School, MA Director, Region II Director, ITEEA-ESC
Integrative STEM Consultant, JOCELYN LONG DAVID WHITE, DTE
Ruston, LA Downingtown STEM Florida A & M University CHARLES HENTGES STEVEN A. BARBATO, DTE
BRANDT HUTZEL Director, Region III Executive Director
Academy, PA
MICHAEL DAUGHERTY Pennsylvania Dept. of KENYATTA LEWIS WHITE
University of Arkansas Education KRIS MARTINI Prince George’s Public
Syphax Education Ctr., VA Schools, MD
TANISHA FLOYD THELMA KASTL
Sweetwater Co. School West Wilkes MS, NC ANGELA QUARLES, DTE RAY WU-RORRER
District #1, WY Pickens High School, GA Mary Ellen Henderson
PETROS J. KATSIOLOUDIS, DTE
MS, VA
Old Dominion University, VA
www.iteea.org
May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 5
stem March 9-12, 2022
education SAVE THE DATE!

calendar for ITEEA’s 84th Annual Conference!
May 1, 2021 For Virtual Instruction; We Just Didn’t Know It June 30, 2021
ITEEA’s STEM CTL™ Micro-Badging www.iteea.org/STEMCenter/EbD-PL/ Deadline for Applications to Present
Session on Safety: Safer Makerspaces STEMinars.aspx at ITEEA’s 84th Annual Conference in
(focus on interdisciplinary considerations) June 2021 Orlando, Florida, March 9-12, 2022
www.iteea.org/microbadge.aspx VIRTUAL 2021 National TSA Conference www.iteea.org/Activities/Conference/
ITEEA2022/188572.aspx
May 1, 2021 Together Towards Tomorrow
ITEEA’s STEM CTL™ Micro-Badging Ses- https://tsaweb.org/events-conferences/ July 19-22, 2021
sion on Digital Literacy: Creative Assess- 2021-national-tsa-conference 62nd Annual VTEEA “Virtual” Summer
ment and Literacy Tools to Enhance Learning June 1, 2021 Conference
www.iteea.org/microbadge.aspx ITEEA’s STEM CTL™ Micro-Badging Session Expanding Technology and Engineering in
STEM
May 5, 2021 at 6:00 PM (EST) on Safety: Accident Reports! A Blessing and
ITEEA Professional Learning STEMinar a Curse www.vteea.org/annual-conference
Teaching STEM in a Pandemic: Hybrid and www.iteea.org/microbadge.aspx
October 1, 2021
Virtual Learning: Adapting Middle Schol June 1, 2021 Deadline for Applications to Present
STEM Education to Hybrid Learning ITEEA’s STEM CTL™ Micro-Badging in the STEM Showcase at ITEEA’s 84th
www.iteea.org/STEMCenter/EbD-PL/ Session on Digital Literacy: Computing Annual Conference in Orlando, FL,
STEMinars.aspx Technology Innovation March 9-12, 2022
May 5 – 8, 2021 www.iteea.org/microbadge.aspx www.iteea.org/Activities/Conference/
COSI Third Annual Science Festival June 23-24, 2021 ITEEA2022/188572.aspx
https://mailchi.mp/mail/csf-announce- 9:00am-12:45pm Pacific Time each day
ment-email?e=47766e4bbc March 9-12, 2022
Pre-College Engineering Educators
ITEEA 84th Annual Confernce
May 19, 2021 at 6:00PM (EST) Virtual Conference for K-12 Educators
Caribe Royale All-Suite Hotel and
ITEEA Professional Learning STEMinar Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Engineering
Convention Center
Teaching STEM in a Pandemic: Hybrid and for All
Orlando, FL
Virtual Learning: STEM Was Always Ready andrea.c.burrows@gmail.com
www.iteea.org/ITEEA2022.aspx
technology and EDITORIAL POLICY

As the only national and international association dedicated
Editorial guidelines and review policies are available at www.
iteea.org/Publications/Journals/TET.aspx.
engineering
solely to the development and improvement of technology and
engineering education, ITEEA seeks to provide an open forum SUBSCRIPTIONS
TEACHER for the free exchange of relevant ideas relating to technology Subscriptions are included in member dues. Nonmember
and engineering education. subscriptions within the U.S. are $110. All other subscriptions
are electronic at $70. Single copies are $10 for members; $11
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All professional articles in Technology and Engineering Teacher the first day of the last month on the cover.
Contents copyright © 2021 by the International Technology and are refereed, with the exception of selected association activ-
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ITEEA is an affiliate of the American Association for the Ad-
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stem Save the Date!
education
news www.iteea.org/ITEEA2022.aspx
Flinn Scientific and ITEEA Form Strategic Alliance to Increase Student Participation in
Engineering Education
Flinn Scientific, a flagship provider of science lab materials and safety and STEM solutions for the K-16 education market, has formed a
strategic alliance with the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) to support increased student partic-
ipation in engineering education. Through the alliance, schools new to using ITEEA’s Engineering byDesign™ (EbD) and Flinn Scientific’s
WhiteBox Learning can purchase the bundled programs at an exclusive rate to be used by students as they learn new engineering and
STEM concepts and compete in regional, state, and national competitions that test their engineering skills.
“Together, Engineering byDesign™ and WhiteBox Learning provide a dynamic way to engage students in the engineering design process,
regardless if they are learning in person or remote,” said Michael Lavelle, CEO of Flinn Scientific. “Through our strategic alliance with
ITEEA, we look forward to providing schools with an engaging and cost-effective way to grow students’ interest in STEM and engineering
and offering educators rich resources and PD to support their instruction.”
WhiteBox Learning also aligns with ITEEA’s new Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL) and EbD™, a comprehensive,
K-12 solution for integrative STEM learning. Using constructivist and standards-based curriculum models, students participating in EbD™
learn concepts and principles in an authentic problem- and project-based environment. The program incorporates all four STEM content
areas, as well as English Language Arts, to help students understand important concepts.
“ITEEA and our STEM Center for Teaching and Learning are proud to be working with Flinn Scientific,” said Steve Barbato, executive di-
rector of ITEEA. “There are tremendous benefits to be gained from the strong correlation and alignment of the WhiteBox Learning system
to STEL, and we respect the high quality of work and integrity that Flinn Scientific and Whitebox Learning bring to our profession and
how they support our Engineering byDesign™ curriculum. WhiteBox Learning’s standards-based STEM learning approach to technology
and engineering, as well as to supporting science education classrooms, will go a long way in enabling teachers to meet the needs of all
students.”
TEECA Announces 2021-2021 National Board Volunteers Needed for ITEEA Committees and
APRIL 01, 2021 Task Forces
If you were unable to attend
the “Town Hall/Governance”
Thank you so much to the 2020-2021 National TEECA Board for
Session at the 2021 Virtual
their exceptional service during the difficulties of the past year!
Conference, you missed a
Congratulations to the new 2021-2022 National TEECA Board for
great overview of ITEEA’s
their nomination and acceptance; we cannot wait to see all the
Strategic Plan and the
great things you accomplish!
efforts currently in place to
reach our goals.
2021-2022 National TEECA Board
President Izzy Fielding
In the PDF of the Town Hall Governance Meeting, viewable at
President-Elect Megan Doyle
https://tinyurl.com/2021ITEEATownHall, each of the current Task
Vice-President Jacob Payne
Forces is explained in detail. We hope you will take the time to
Secretary Veronica Angiuli
review the current Task Forces and consider volunteering some
Reporter Hayley Grisez
of your time by signing up to join a Committee or Task Force at
Advisor Kevin Sutton
https://tinyurl.com/ITEEAVols.

unmanned Designing, building, and flying fixed-wing UAS is
aerial systems
a great way to engage students in “drone” tech-
nology without spending large sums of money.
take flight Introduction
in Kentucky The commercial use of UAS (unmanned aerial systems) more com-
monly known as “drones” is increasing rapidly in a variety of areas
from agriculture to construction (Marshall, 2016). The need for
schools
people who can safely operate UAS, understand the legal restric-
tions and privacy concerns related to UAS use, and build and repair
UAS is increasing at a rapid rate (FAA, 2018). As this technology is
still relatively new and constantly changing, a need exists to train
educators and students on the safe operation of UAS and how
teachers can integrate UAS into their classrooms.
Between now and 2020, research forecasts a $100 billion market

opportunity for drones—helped by growing demand from the
commercial and civil government sectors (Goldman Sachs, 2019).
UAS are currently used in construction and agriculture more than
by Michael Walach and Mark Harrell any other commercial areas, with over $16 million in annual market
opportunity. Drones can survey property slated for development
to assist in planning and surveying; they can be used to determine
the amount of materials on a job site; or they can be used to in-
spect new or existing structures. In agriculture, drones are used to
inspect crops for stress or damage, determine the health of crops,
search for lost livestock, take count of livestock, or assist farmers in
precision agriculture (Marshall, 2016).
Left:
Electronics
and flight
control-
ler being
installed in
the wing.
Right:
Speed
controller
connector
being sol-
dered into
place.

Remote-control aircraft have been around almost as long as
manned aircraft have been in use. The difference between a
remote-control aircraft and a UAS (drone) is the automation and
sophistication they contain (Marshall, 2016). Onboard comput-
ers allow UAS to have the potential to fly without input from an
operation on the ground as well as collect a variety of data. While
many UAS can be flown manually, most incorporate at least some
amount of automation. Multirotor aircraft, even when flown manu-
ally, use a fair amount of automation or pilot assistance. A multi-
rotor aircraft is inherently unstable and needs the use of a digital
gyroscope to stabilize and assist a pilot in flying the aircraft. On a
fixed-wing UAS, a digital gyroscope can assist in auto-leveling the
aircraft and/or preventing a pilot from rolling or pitching the aircraft
outside of safe operating limits.
Flight controllers can further assist the pilot by returning the aircraft
to a takeoff location, assisting with a takeoff or landing, or fully au-
tonomously performing a takeoff or landing. A flight controller and
Above: A participant cuts out the
the number of sensors attached to it can greatly improve the per- parts for his fixed-wing UAS.
formance and ease of operation of the aircraft. The flight controllers
used in this workshop were Pixhawk flight controllers running the Right: Finishing touches being
applied to the electronics bay.
Ardupilot firmware. The Pixhawk contains a built-in gyroscope
(pitch, roll, yaw), compass (direction), barometer (altitude), and
accelerometer (motion) as a basic suite of sensors. A GPS module flight time. Teachers were selected by the Kentucky Department of
with an additional compass was added as an external sensor. Not Education, Office of Career and Technical Education. Any engi-
used in this workshop, but optional, are an airspeed indicator for neering and technology educators in Kentucky were eligible to
determining airspeed (the GPS only supplies ground speed) and participate; however, a limited number of seats were available.
a LIDAR for determining altitude close to the ground. The barom- Participants were selected by the workshop facilitators based on
eter in the Pixhawk will give a rough altitude, but it is not typically their involvement in the Technology Student Association (TSA),
accurate/consistent enough for an autonomous landing. In order enrollment in the remote pilot course at EKU (AVN 170), and other
to prepare engineering and technology teachers to include UAS in factors that reflected excellence in technology education. Six final-
their classrooms, Eastern Kentucky University hosted a workshop ists were selected and spent a total of 30-40 hours participating
for teachers. over the course of one week in the summer of 2019.
Training Teachers to Build and Fly UAS Learning to Fly

In the summer of 2019 faculty and staff at Eastern Kentucky Uni- The week began by taking all participants to the Eastern Kentucky
versity secured grant funding to offer a workshop for engineering University farm to learn to fly a fixed-wing remote-control airplane.
and technology educators in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Over A commercial drone pilot assisted each participant using a “bud-
the course of a one-week (5 days) workshop, attendees fabricated dy-box” and acted as a “flight instructor.” The “flight instructor” was
and test-flew fully autonomous aircraft. While most people think of able to take control of the airplane at any point during the training
drones as quadcopters (multirotor aircraft), the drones used in this flight and regain control of the aircraft from the student. All partic-
workshop were fixed-wing airplanes. While a multirotor aircraft is ipants had time on the controls and gained a basic understanding
good for inspecting structures and performing tasks where loitering of pitch, roll, and yaw flight controls. None of the participants could
in one location is desired, a fixed-wing aircraft is much better suited fly completely independently after this short tutorial; however, they
to inspection of large areas. A fixed-wing aircraft tends to be able to had hands-on time with a real aircraft and gained an understand-
stay aloft longer and cover larger distances than a multirotor UAS. ing of the basic flight controls and the flight environment. Teachers
In 2014 a small fixed-wing UAS flew for 7 hours and 8 minutes also learned to pilot quadcopters to better understand the advan-
(Moglos, 2014)! tages/disadvantages between the two types of UAS.
The purpose of this workshop was to train engineering and tech- Teachers who wish to incorporate UAS into their classrooms need
nology education teachers to build and fly UAS so that they can to make a few important decisions before they purchase any-
incorporate this technology into their classrooms. Most participants thing. Most importantly, the airspace around the school must be
had never flown any type of remote-control aircraft. Only one par- identified to determine if outdoor UAS flight is permitted. Several
ticipant had some quadcopter flight time, but no one had airplane resources exist to determine your airspace, but the B4UFly app,

recommended by the FAA, is a great place to start. B4UFly will aircraft with a CNC laser cutter. The process of building with foam
help you determine if your current location, or any location you board is fast and easy. Construction of the aircraft took a little over
identify in the app, is safe for UAS flight. If it is determined that one full day.
outdoor flight is not permitted, then indoor UAS will be the only
option. If flying outdoors, the teacher should earn his/her FAA Building and designing fixed-wing aircraft can be an activity itself,
remote pilot certificate. The remote pilot certificate can be earned even without any electronics, motors, or automation. Students
by passing the remote pilot exam administered at an official FAA as young as elementary school can build simple gliders using
testing center. To find a testing center, call your local airport, flight Flitetest plans such as the sparrow (http://plans.flitetest.com.
training center, or testing center. Students age 16 or older can also s3.amazonaws.com/FT_Mini_Sparrow_v1.1_Full-Size.pdf ). The
earn their remote pilot certificate. The FAA website www.faa.gov is sparrow can be built without knives; instead, old gift cards or hotel
a great resource for the most current information on UAS regula- room keys are used to make the cuts in the foam board. Middle
tions. Flight simulator software is available and replicates the feel school students can build more advanced airplanes and add basic
of a real airplane very well. Small multirotor UAS are available that remote-control components such as motors, electronic speed con-
can be flown indoors. Multirotor aircraft frames can be designed trollers, servos, and receivers. High school students can choose to
in CAD and 3D printed. Classrooms that are restricted from flying automate their airplanes by including flight controllers. Students at
outdoors still have plenty of options for integrating UAS into their any age can take existing designs and modify them or design their
classrooms. own unique airplane from scratch.
Learning to Build an Airplane Adding Electronics

The next three days were spent building the aircraft, and each par- On day three, electronics such as servos, motors, and a speed
ticipant built their own fixed-winged airplane. A flying-wing design controller were installed. Participants were instructed on the op-
was selected, with foam board and hot glue as the primary building eration of their transmitters and receivers, and all the flight control
materials. There are several sources for free plans for foam-board systems were tested. The rest of day three and all of day four were
aircraft. The design selected for this workshop was the “FT Spear” spent installing and programming the flight control system. The
designed by Josh Bixler of Flitetest (www.flitetest.com/articles/ft- Pixhawk flight controller is an open-source project that consists
spear-build). Flitetest has several free plans available for download of the Pixhawk flight controller (hardware), Ardupilot (firmware)
and YouTube videos showing how to assemble foam-board aircraft on the Pixhawk (or other compatible flight controller), and mission
with simple materials such as hot glue and packaging tape. While planner software on the ground control station (laptop computer).
these aircraft can be cut by hand with a razor knife using paper The hardware, while open-source, is typically purchased from a
plans stuck to the foam-board third party vendor; however, all of the software and firmware can
sheets, the workshop facilita- be downloaded for free from www.ardupilot.org. There are several
tor converted the free plans to brands of flight controllers available that can run the Ardupilot
laser-cutter files and cut each firmware.
Teachers who build UAS with their students will need to determine
the amount of electronics to add to their designs. The minimum
electronic components an airplane needs to fly are: 1. motor (brush-
less preferred); 2. ESC (electronic speed control—this controls the
speed of the motor); 3. Battery (LiPo 3-4 cells); 4. Servos (these
move the flight control surfaces); 5. Transmitter (this is the single
most expensive item), receiver, and battery charger. While not an
electronic item, a supply of propellers is also required. Propellers
tend to break, so the “slow-fly” type of propeller is recommended
for beginners, as they have more flex and tend to last a little longer.
Most of these items can be used over and over. In a hard crash the
airframe and propeller tend to break. The servos, motor, esc, and
receiver usually survive, as they are protected by the foam-board
airframe. The flight controller can always be added at a later point.
Top: Finally flying without as- It is a good idea to learn to fly the airplane manually before adding
sistance on the final day of the in the automation.
workshop.
Right: The workshop facilitator Calibration

“buddy-boxing” with students
teaching them to fly on day one. Each aircraft had to go through a calibration process that teaches
the autopilot which direction is up, down, etc., what straight and
level flight should look like, and which way the flight
controls should move. The programming of the
flight controller was the most challenging part of the
workshop and was the source of the most frustra-
tion. Through the combined efforts of the workshop
facilitators and workshop participants, all
the aircraft were successfully programmed
by the end of the fourth day. The learning
curve is steep, but the documentation on
the Ardupilot Wiki page is very detailed and
helped immensely. Throughout the week
teachers had the opportunity to practice
their flying skills with an RC flight simulator
that linked to the actual radios with which
they would fly their UAS.
The integration of automation is the most

difficult part of the build process. Students
Gluing the wing together, then patiently waiting for the hot glue to cool.
with experience with VEX robotics and other
TSA competitions will likely enjoy the chal-
lenge of automating an aircraft. An important safety rule, however, 1. Only one UAS in the air at a time per adult FAA-certificated
is that no propellers may be installed until the aircraft is outside and remote pilot.
ready for flight. Motors connected to a flight controller could start 2. At least one dedicated visual observer per flight.
at any time, and rotating propellers cause a very serious safety risk. 3. A means of constant communication between visual observer
The Arduplane firmware that runs on the Pixhawk can be replaced and remote pilot.
by Arducopter, Ardurover, or Ardusub for helicopters, land-based 4. A designated safe zone for people not part of the flight crew
vehicles, or underwater vehicles respectively. All arupilot firmware and other spectators.
is free and open source. 5. Defined weather minimums (max wind speed, min/max tem-
peratures, cloud ceiling, visibility etc.).
Test Flights 6. A plan for handling fly-aways.
7. A preflight checklist that includes a safety inspection of the
Day five was a beautifully clear, calm, and warm summer day—per-
aircraft.
fect for maiden flights. The participants again met at the university
8. A check of weather, NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen), and other
farm for test flights of their aircraft. This time, each airplane was
preflight data collection to ensure a safe, legal flight.
armed with an autopilot that could auto-level the airplane and limit
the pitch and roll of the airplane, making them much easier to fly.
Here are a few resources to help become a safe remote Pilot:
All the aircraft flew, some better than others. The most common
www.notams.faa.gov/
problem was related to flight controls that mechanically did not
www.aviationweather.gov/
move freely (excessive hot glue) and caused difficulty in flight.
www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly/
Several aircraft performed flawlessly, however, and the participants
www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot/
were able to launch and recover their aircraft with no assistance.
Only one aircraft suffered an electronics failure and flew uncon-
trolled in large circles for about 20 minutes until the battery died.
Reflections
Even with the systems failure, the aircraft circled harmlessly until Feedback from the participants was very positive, and the uni-
it softly touched down less than 100 yards from where it took off versity facilitators learned a lot from conducting the workshop. It
with no damage to the aircraft or anything on the ground. Post- was amazing to see what could be accomplished in such a short
flight analysis determined that the transmitter and radio were not period of time. The outcomes from the workshop were different
bound together, and the aircraft went into a lost-link procedure. It for each participant, and how they may each use the UAS in their
was a good reminder that UAS flights should be done in a large classrooms varied widely. One of the requirements for the teachers
open space, and a careful preflight test of all controls and systems was that they use the UAS in their schools as either a part of one
should be made prior to launch. of their classes or as part of a club or afterschool activity with their
students. Some teachers found the automation too complex and
Teachers who intend to fly UAS with their students should establish are not likely to build fully autonomous aircraft with their students;
well-disciplined standard operating procedures for UAS flight. A however, the aircraft construction was very appealing to all partici-
few basic components to be considered are: pants. The ability for students to design and build their own aircraft,

References
Table 1. Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy link to UAS. ArduPilot Dev Team. (2019). Arduplane.
Relevance to Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy Retrieved from http://ardupilot.org/
STEL 7Y Optimize a design by addressing desired qualities within criteria plane/index.html
and constraints. FAA. (2018). Fact sheet – Small unmanned
aircraft regulations (Part 107). Retrieved
STEL 7BB Implement the best possible solution to a design.
from www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/
STEL 7CC Apply a broad range of design skills to their design process.
news_story.cfm?newsId=22615
STEL 7DD Apply a broad range of making skills to their design process. Flitetest. (2019) Flitetest Youtube channel.
STEL 8N Use various approaches to communicate processes and proce- Retrieved from www.youtube.com/
dures for using, maintaining, and assessing technological products channel/UC9zTuyWffK9ckEz1216noAw
and systems. Goldman-Sacks. (2019). Drones, report-
STEL 8O Develop a device or system for the marketplace. ing for work. Retrieved from www.
STEL 8P Apply appropriate methods to diagnose, adjust, and repair systems goldmansachs.com/insights/technolo-
to ensure precise, safe, and proper functionality. gy-driving-innovation/drones/
Marshall, D., Barnhart, K., Shappee, E.,
& Most, M., (2016). Introduction to
or at least parts of an aircraft, opened the door to a wide range of engineering design proj- unmanned aircraft Systems (2nd ed.).
ects. Foam board as a building material made aircraft design affordable for many teachers, Boca Raton, FL: CRC.
and the ability to either hand cut or laser cut the foam made the project possible for all Moglos. (2014). Anatomy of a 301 km flight.
teachers regardless of available resources. The workshop organizers became much more Retrieved from https://diydrones.com/
proficient in the programming and operation of the flight controllers after having to trouble- profiles/blogs/anatomy-of-a-301-km-
shoot and resolve multiple issues. Areas of high frustration were identified, and simplified flight
step-by-step instructions were developed to help teachers assist their own students on the
complex task of flight-controller calibration and setup. In future workshops or classroom
applications, more time would be spent with simulator software before flying the actual Michael Walach is
aircraft. A “cheat sheet” of Pixhawk settings for students or teachers should be developed a commercial drone
for the specific aircraft being built. pilot, private pilot, and
assistant professor of
technology education at
UAS Challenges for Students
Montana State University
Designing and building UAS provide for a wide range of challenges for students. Sen- in Bozeman, MT. He can
sors make UAS functional systems for applications in construction, agriculture, and more. be reached at Michael.walach@montana.
Mounting a simple video or still camera to a UAS greatly improves its utility. Students edu.
can design camera mounts, remote trigger systems, and gimbals to position the camera.
Student designs can be 3D printed or laser cut with hobby-grade plywood. Simple maps Mark Harrell is the En-
can be created by stitching images together with trial versions of Pix4d (www.pix4d.com) gineering and Technolo-
or similar software. Noise mitigation systems can be experimented with on the airframe to gy Education consultant
reduce propeller noise (note: 3D printing or modifying existing propellers is very dangerous for the Commonwealth of
and is highly discouraged. RC plane motors spin at very high RPMs and present a serious Kentucky and works for
hazard). Battery, motor, and propeller combinations can be experimented with to determine the Kentucky Depart-
the optimum combination for extended flight times. Design modifications can be made ment of Education and
to existing airframes to increase speed, flight time, glide performance, maneuverability, Eastern Kentucky University. He can be
or other flight characteristics. This work ties in nicely to Standards for Technological and reached at mark.harrell@education.ky.gov.
Engineering Literacy (Table 1).
This is a refereed article.
Conclusion
Designing, building, and flying fixed-wing UAS is a great way to engage students in “drone”
technology without spending large sums of money. Cost and complexity can be adjusted
by varying the amount of automation and sensors included in the aircraft. Introduce stu-
dents to UAS and watch their excitement take off!

2021
professional
recognition
awards
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
Academy of Fellows Lockette/Monroe Humanitarian Award
John G. Wells Brian Lien and David Worley, DTE
William E. Dugger Exemplary Collaboration Award Award of Distinction

William Havice, DTE and Roger Hill Steven Parrott, DTE
Special Recognition Award Prakken Professional Cooperation Award

Karen L. Wosczyna-Birch Trena L. Wilkerson
Wilkinson Meritorious Service Award Public Understanding of Technology and Engineering

Julie Sicks-Panus Education Award
Virginia R. Jones, DTE
PRESIDENTIAL CITATION EMERGING LEADER RECOGNITION

Chuchun Tsai Matthew Swarts Nolan Fahrer Euisuk Sung
Robbie McClellan Molly Miller
DISTINGUISHED TECHNOLOGY AND 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS 2020-21 COHORT
Brandt Hutzel John G. Wells Jana Bonds South Western School District, PA
Emily Loving P. John Williams
Teena Coats NC State University
Scott A. Warner
Tonya Isabell Purdue University
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OUTSTANDING AFFILIATE Abbi Richcreek Warsaw Schools, Indiana

Debra Shapiro Forest Glen Middle School, VA
REPRESENTATIVES
Region I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melvin Gill
Region II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy Blunier
Region III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Behnke and Joel Ellinghuysen

ITEEA 2021 professional recognition awards
GERALD F. DAY EXCELLENCE IN PROGRAM EXCELLENCE AWARDS

AUTHORSHIP AWARDS Alabama Jemison Intermediate School
Technology and Engineering Teacher 2019-2020 Alabama STEM Academy at LeCroy Career Tech
Florida Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
Top Overall Article
Illinois Elmhurst Schools
Thomas Roberts and Jerry Schnepp
Illinois Hoffman Estates High School
Top Peer-Reviewed Article by a University Professional
Indiana McCutcheon High School
Todd R. Kelley, DTE
Maryland Woodlawn High School
Top Peer-Reviewed Article by a Classroom Teacher Minnesota Shakopee West Middle School
Ray Wu-Rorrer
New Jersey Morristown High School
Top Volunteered Article North Carolina McDougle Middle School
Thomas Loveland, DTE, Tyler S. Love, Trena Wilkerson, and
North Carolina Science House, NC State University
Patricia Simmons
North Dakota Ben Franklin Middle School
Pennsylvania Indiana Area Junior High
MALEY OUTSTANDING GRADUATE Pennsylvania Penn Manor High School
STUDENT CITATION South Carolina East Clarendon Middle High School
Jared Keith Baugh Pittsburg State University Virginia John Handley High School
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Phillip W. Kiley Valley City State University Wisconsin Mukwonago High School
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Quebec, Canada Académie Internationale Charles-Lemoyne
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MALEY OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE

TEACHER EXCELLENCE AWARDS
STUDENT CITATION
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HENRICO COUNTY, VA New Jersey Jim Kennedy

John Clarke Robert Thompson New Jersey Kenneth Zushma
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CARROLL COUNTY, MD Utah John Petersen
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Benj Hamilton Wisconsin Jay Abitz

ITEEA 2021 professional recognition awards
TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING
EDUCATION COLLEGIATE ASSOCIATION
THE ELEMENTARY STEM COUNCIL
Outstanding TEECA Student Award
Mary Margaret Scobey Award
Hagen Rhodes
Barbara Adcock
Purdue University
Outstanding TEECA Advisor
COUNCIL FOR SUPERVISION AND
Greg Strimel
LEADERSHIP Purdue University
Burke Supervision and Shared Leadership
Outstanding TEECA Chapter
Joanna Papadopoulos
Fort Hays State University
Outstanding Local Supervisor/Leader
TEECA Competitive Events National Champion
Tim Hermans
Matthew Konowicz Fort Hays State University
Outstanding State/Province Supervisor/Leader Communications Problem Solving

Mark Wallace 1. Purdue University 1. Purdue University
2. Fort Hays State University 2. Fort Hays State University
Supervisor of the Year
3. SUNY Oswego
Edward McNett Educational Display
1. Purdue University Robotics
John Brown Lifetime Achievement Award
2. Fort Hays State University 1. Fort Hays State University 1
Steve Parrott
3. Fort Hays State University 2. SUNY Oswego
Distinguished Service Award 3. Fort Hays State University 2
Kathleen B. de la Paz Graphic Design
1. Fort Hays State University Teaching Lesson
2. The College of New Jersey 1. Purdue University
COUNCIL ON TECHNOLOGY AND
2. Fort Hays State University
ENGINEERING TEACHER EDUCATION Manufacturing
3. Fort Hays State University
1. Purdue University
Gerhard Salinger Award for Enhancing Education Through 2. Fort Hays State University Technology Challenge
Technological/Engineering Design-Based Instruction 1. Pittsburg State University
Douglas Hunt, Alex Moll, Matt Peitzman, Thomas Singer,
Dr. Mark French, and Dr. Debbie French
2021 Outstanding Research Award – Informing Engineering ITEEA REACH Challenge
Design through Adaptive Comparative Judgment
Winner - $1,000
Greg J. Strimel, Scott Bartholomew, Emily Ruesch,
Olathe Northwest High School, Kansas
Senay Purzer, and Liwei Zhang
IEEAT (Independent Eating Ergonomic Assistive Tool)
Technology and Engineering Teacher Educator of the Year
Second Place - $500
Award
Kalani High School, Hawaii
Scott A. Warner
Magnetic C-Clamp
Finalists - STEM Swag Bag
ITEEA STEM SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE • State College Area High School, Pennsylvania
• Cannon Elementary School, Grapevine, TX Talker Board and Foldable Stairs
• Hillsboro Charter Academy, Hillsboro, VA • John F. Kennedy High School, New York
• Kalani High School, Honolulu, HI The Peripheral Partner
• Milwee Middle School Pre-Engineering Magnet, • Northern Burlington County High School, New Jersey
Longwood, FL Multi-Use Handle
• Oxon Hill High School, Oxon Hill, MD • Scotch Plains Fanwood High School, New Jersey
• Palmer Trinity School, Miami, FL
Slanted Platform
• Pattengill Biotechnical Magnet School, Lansing, MI
• Thomas Hunter Middle School, Virginia
• Salamanca High School, Salamanca, NY
The Grabber
• Southside STEM Academy at Campostella K-8 School,
Norfolk, VA Short videos of the 2020 REACH Challenge competi-
• STMA Middle School East, St. Michael, MN tions can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-
• Thomas Johnson Middle School, Lanham, MD BEPC7b4Gk&feature=youtu.be

Kite projects employed in the STEM classroom
can cover over a dozen high school educational
kite building
standards.
Introduction
Kites have a long and varied history that stretches back millennia.
– when calculus One of the most popular kite models of all time is the one made
famous in the late nineteenth century by William Abner Eddy. It
is the prototypical kite shape (Eden, 2002)—a quadrilateral that is
will not work symmetric about a vertical axis and asymmetric about a horizontal
axis. Some may refer to it as a diamond shape. This kite—typically
covered in colorful paper or fabric material—remains a popular
model for home and classroom construction. Since paper and
fabric commonly come in a rectangular shape, a single kite can
be constructed most efficiently by placing it at the correct angle
by K. P. Trout, William P. Trout, and Huy Le on the rectangular material. (Figure 1.) A mathematical function for
determining the most efficient placement of the kite has been de-
rived. It is a piecewise function depending upon the relative length
and width of the kite. While simple in theory, the actual calculation
would be quite laborious for the average kite builder. A computer
program has been developed and placed on a website for kite
builders and STEM teachers so that the best efficiency can easily
be determined for different-shaped kites.

Figure 1. What is the optimum angle of tilt (theta) for given values of x, α, and γ such that the least amount of material is wasted for a given rectangular
shape? Depending on the shape of the kite and the width of the material, the answer will vary. For a given kite shape and material width, what is the right
length (L) of material to use?
History of Kites scientific and taught him to keep records of things he observed,
even during leisure activities like flying kites (White, 1999). Eddy
The earliest written accounts of kite flying are traced to China
wrote about the flight of his kites in journal articles. Interested
about three thousand years ago. Kites have been used in many
readers may find the articles in The Century Illustrated Monthly
ingenious ways throughout the centuries. Kites have been used to
Magazine, Vol. 54; New Series Vol. 32, May-Oct 1897, pp. 66-91 and
calculate distances in military battles. One ancient war story claims
Scientific American, Vol. 71, No. 11, Sept. 15, 1894, pp. 169-170 to be
a kite was lit on fire to mimic a shooting star to help inspire troops
terrific resources.
to fight (Lutter, History of Kites). Ingeniously, letters and newspa-
pers were delivered via kites during the American Civil War (Arnold,
Eddy noted in his writings that bowing the cross spar of the kite
1986). In Japan, kites were flown to help cleanse the world of evil
produced a more stable flight and set upon a series of experiments
spirits or assure a bountiful harvest. We are all probably familiar
investigating the stability as a function of cross-spar bow. It is
with the story of Benjamin Franklin and his famous kite experiment
interesting to note here that the Wright brothers independently
establishing the fact that lightning is a form of electricity.
made a similar type of discovery in airfoil shape that would allow
them to complete their flying machine in approximately a decade
Today, kites are used mostly for entertainment and fun. The number
after Eddy’s discovery. By the mid-1890s, Eddy was making the final
of kites sold in the USA every year exceeds fifty million (Ward,
modifications of his design, and the world was introduced to the
2019). The most familiar kite shape is the diamond-shaped version
popular Eddy Kite.
described earlier. It is sometimes referred to as an Eddy Kite after
the highly successful kite registered with the U.S. Patent Office by
Eddy became famous for being the first person to hoist cameras on
William Abner Eddy.
his kites for aerial photography (Middleton, 1999), and he subse-
quently suggested this aerial photography would be useful for the
The Eddy Kite military. On August 1, 1898, William Abner Eddy of Bayonne, New
William Abner Eddy was born in New York on January 28, 1850 to Jersey applied for a patent on “The Eddy Kite,” and some twenty
H. J. Eddy and his wife Amanda (Doubleday)—the Doubleday family months later, on March 27, 1900, the patent (Patent Number 646,
of baseball fame. He became adept at building kites. His father, a 375) was approved (White, 1999; Eden, 2002), (Figure 2).
reverend (Middleton, 1999), encouraged him at a young age to be

As a financially challenged graduate student at the time, author
K. P. Trout tried to solve the problem for the best efficiency before
buying an expensive piece of colorful, ripstop nylon. He did his best
to write a mathematical equation for the area of the kite as a func-
tion of tilt angle on the rectangular fabric. Then he tried to maxi-
mize the function by taking its first derivative and setting it equal
to zero. He continually found that his answer did not make sense.
In those days, without an easy method for graphing the function,
he eventually just gave up and estimated. The calculus was not
working. Why? As shown in Figure 3, it turns out that the function
is a piecewise function with cusps at the points of best efficiency!
The mathematical solution to this interesting problem requires only
algebra and trigonometry, and the authors are happy to supply the
math upon request. However, because the solution depends upon
the kite dimensions and fabric dimensions, the authors thought
providing a friendly app for STEM teachers to use in the classroom
would be the easiest way for them to find their unique answers.
Eddy Kite-Maker Website

It is a relatively trivial question: “At what angle do I place my
diamond-shaped kite on the fabric for maximum efficiency?” But,
as explained, the answer is not mathematically trivial. Many kite
builders would be challenged to work through the necessary math
to identify the answer for their particular kite.
However, in the age of the internet, a computer program can

be and has been created to solve this problem. The program is
simple and intuitive and can be accessed from any smartphone or
computer at www2.york.psu.edu/~kxt7/Kite/default.htm. Click the
“Calculate” tab on the website to enter your kite dimensions, and
the computer program will find the most efficient way to build your
Figure 2. A drawing from the Eddy Kite U.S. Patent showing its shape.
diamond-shaped kite. It is fun to be efficient. And when considering
Photo Acknowledgment: Eddy, William A. “US646375A - Kite.” Google Pat- the inspired history of kite making, it also seems appropriate.
ents, Google, patents. https://patents.google.com/patent/US646375A/en.
Classroom Applications and Links to

Standards/Benchmarks
Efficiency Confusion
Eddy Kite projects can be used in the classroom in many ways.
Most STEM teachers are familiar with the process of building a By discussing the historical development of kites and the details
simple, homemade Eddy Kite. You need two sticks, a material to of Eddy’s experimental approach to resolving the flight stability
cover them, and some kite string. Many times, wooden dowel rods issues, a high school STEM teacher can cover STEL Benchmarks
or carbon fiber are used for the sticks, and the material is paper or 6F, 6G, and 6J. Covering Eddy’s patent process and his innova-
fabric. At that point, we are faced with the process of deciding how tive use of kites to lift cameras and other scientific apparatus will
much paper or fabric is needed to complete the task. connect STEL Benchmark 3J. STEM teachers who wish to enhance
their classrooms with an Eddy Kite project will no doubt find plenty
Considering that paper and fabric come in rectangular shapes, of historical information available to supplement their project (The
and our kite will be diamond-shaped, the head-scratching begins. Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, 1897; Scientific American,
One could simply buy a length of fabric equal to the kite height, 1894).
but some thinking reveals that there must be a more efficient way
(Figure 1). By angling the kite properly on the rectangular material, Science or engineering teachers may wish to have students per-
we should be able to make the best use of the material we buy. But form experimental investigations into the stability differences of the
at what angle do we tilt the kite? Interestingly, the answer depends Eddy Kite when its dimensions are altered. More advanced stu-
on the shape of your Eddy Kite. dents may be challenged, as Eddy was, to lift scientific equipment
loads with their kites to measure wind speeds or temperatures

Figure 3. A plot of the percent efficiency (PE) as a function of tilt
angle (θ) for three diamond-shaped kites with varying relative
dimensions of alpha (a) and gamma (g). Note that the cusps and
piecewiseness of the function vary depending upon the kite shape.
aloft, or to take aerial photographs. Combining this with the materi- References
al efficiency results of the Eddy Kite-maker website can help teach
Middleton, K. M. (1995). Bayonne passages, 49. Charleston, SC:
students about optimization. For example, a diamond-shaped kite
Arcadia Publishing.
that is perfectly symmetrical along both dimensions (i.e., square)
The Century Company. (1897, May-Oct). The Century Illustrated
may be very efficient in material use but may not properly fly or
Monthly Magazine, 54, 66–91.
meet the load-lifting specifications. These types of activities would
Munn & Company. (1894, September 15). Scientific American, 71(11),
touch on STEL benchmarks 1R, 2T, 2W, 2X, 7T, 7U, 7V and 7Y, as
169–170.
well as NGSS standards HS-PS2-1, HS-PS2-3, HS-ETS1.C, at the
Walt Disney Productions. (1964). Mary Poppins.
high school level.
Geometry or algebra teachers may wish to have students calcu-

K. P. Trout is Lecturer in Physics at The Penn-
late the areas of various triangles or rectangles as the students
sylvania State University – York Campus and is
construct their kites. Students may also be asked to compare
a co-developer of the well-known Tarzan Swing
the ideal percentage efficiency provided by the Eddy Kite-maker
physics laboratories. He can be reached at
website with their own by dividing the area of their kite by the area
kxt7@psu.edu.
of the original piece of covering fabric used and multiplying by one
hundred. Trigonometry teachers may wish to integrate their Eddy
William P. Trout holds a bachelor’s degree in
Kite project into a trigonometry lesson by having students calculate
Computer Science from the University of Pitts-
various sine, cosine, and tangent functions or inverse functions
burgh (1976), is well versed in at least 10 different
based upon the dimensions of their kite. These mathematics class
computer languages, and currently resides in
applications could cover CCSS standards A-CED-1, F-IF-4, F-TF-3,
Phoenix, Arizona where he is the owner of Penn
F-TF-7, G-CO-12, G-SRT-5, G-SRT-8, G-GPE-7, and G-MG-3.
Business Solutions, LLC.
Clearly, there are many ways that Eddy Kite projects can be em-
Huy Le is an undergraduate mechanical engi-
ployed in the STEM classroom or laboratory. STEM teachers at a
neering student at the University Park campus
school may decide to adopt the Eddy Kite as a common theme for
of The Pennsylvania State University where he is
a semester. Why not say to your students, “Let’s go fly a kite” (Walt
carrying a 4.0 grade point average as he enters
Disney Productions, 1964)?
his junior year.
This is a refereed article.

E
ducation is a perpetually evolving field, especially with
the rapid advancement of technology and the upsurge
of the globalization phenomenon (Crawford and Kirby
2008). Lindsay and Davis (2013) suggested that “global
competition for jobs means that today’s students must not only
be well-educated, creative problem solvers, but they must also be
estimating
equipped to collaborate globally” (p. 3). In other words, students
need to become familiar with social interactions that they will
eventually encounter in the future. However, in order for students
to effectively participate in successful global collaborations, their
sample sizes
teachers also need to be adequately prepared. So, how can K-12
teachers be better equipped to engage their students in ways that
would promote global collaboration? One way is for teachers to
leverage existing online technologies—such as the learning man-
in a globally
agement system, Google Classroom (GC)—that now make it pos-
sible to connect students and classrooms around the world. Many
teachers already use GC as a means to manage their classroom
learning locally, assign tasks and objectives to their students, pro-
vide feedback for student work, or communicate with parents and
connected
other teachers within and between local schools. But what if GC
is used in a way that would bridge classrooms divided by political
borders and geographic oceans? In today’s world, this connection
is absolutely possible. This article serves two purposes: (1) it sug-
Google
gests a way to connect classrooms globally using GC to execute a
global collaborative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
math) education project, and (2) it presents a reflective account of
teacher mentorship as this project was executed.
classroom Global collaborative STEM education (GCSE) is an emerging

field in the sphere of education, but, global education is nothing
new (Becker, 1982). In recent years, however, many educational
researchers have promoted the need for teaching students 21st
century skills (Greenhill, 2010). The Partnership for 21st Century
Skills (P21) created a framework that delineated student outcomes
by Richard Carlos L. Velasco necessary for the 21st century—life and career skills; learning and
innovation skills; learning, media, and technology skills; and core
subjects and 21st century themes. These outcomes, along with
In order for students to

effectively participate
in successful global
collaborations, their
teachers also need to
be adequately
prepared.

the necessary teacher professional development, paved the way 1. Find a partner classroom. Perhaps the easiest way to find
for perpetuating the implementation of global collaborative STEM an international partner classroom is to first seek out local
education in current classrooms. The main premise behind this networks. These networks may be fellow teachers in the
particular global collaborative STEM project was to help students current school or faculty within a local university; sometimes
understand how scientists predict the population of organisms resources may simply be found locally in order to get con-
within a specific location by modeling scientific practices of sam- nected globally. If those networks are not possible options,
pling methods. In this case, the particular organisms of study were resources on the internet abound to help connect classrooms.
local flora (See Appendix A for sample lesson worksheet). Many In fact, there are numerous social media networking sites that
teachers—science teachers, in particular—are probably already have groups dedicated to connecting international classrooms
familiar with this lesson, but the new context and main focus really to collaborate globally. Here is one example that provides mul-
was to connect local classrooms with foreign ones such that col- tiple resources for connection: www.digitalhumanlibrary.org/
laboration was done between students and their foreign counter- teachers/global-connections-for-teachers-and-students/.
parts through the sharing of work and ideas. 2. Plan the lesson with the partner teacher(s). It probably goes
without saying, but a global collaboration project certainly
Connections with Standards for Technological involves a lot of preplanning. The collaboration is not just for
the students, as teachers are also engaged in collaboration
Literacy
through the planning of the lesson itself. Before delving into
This lesson also presented a way to integrate various categories of GC, this planning should entail, but not be limited to: discuss-
standards found in Standards for Technological Literacy or STL (In- ing the objectives of the lesson, working out the duration of
ternational Technology Education Association [ITEA/ITEEA], 2007) the lesson and setting deadlines, considering how work will be
which are identified here: collected and shared, seeing how feedback would be commu-
• Standard 3 in the “Nature of Technology” category: “Students nicated, grouping students, etc. Involving the teacher(s) of the
will develop an understanding of the relationships among foreign classroom(s) is absolutely necessary because not only
technologies and the connections between technology and are they familiar with their students, but they provide different
other fields of study.” Given that this lesson integrated the perspectives of the lesson that may be overlooked.
STEM disciplines, involving the use of GC informed students 3. Set Up GC. It is important to note that all teachers and
of the ways in which technology is applied to enhance STEM students involved with this project should have access to
lessons. the internet and have a Google account. These days many
• Standard 5 in the “Technology and Society” category: “Stu- schools, including international schools, have their districts
dents will develop an understanding of the effects of technol- connected with Google. However, if participating classrooms
ogy on the environment.” In this lesson, students learned how do not have existing Google accounts, teachers can also just
scientists use technology as a means to predict population or create a dummy Google email for the purposes of this assign-
organisms. ment. Once all the emails have been set up, it is time to set up
• Standard 10 in the “Design” category: “Students will develop your classroom at: classroom.google.com. Before students log
an understanding of…experimentation in problem solving.” in with their accounts, make sure the lesson is uploaded and
Collecting sample sizes was a form of experimentation that specific instructions are provided in terms of how communica-
allowed students to make predictions and inferences about tion will be conducted and how information will be shared. It is
overall population. also important to check the setting for notifications so that the
• Standard 11 in the “Abilities for a Technological World” cate- teachers on both ends receive notice of assignment submis-
gory: “Students will develop the abilities to apply the design sions or student feedback comments.
process.” Students were able to apply and replicate this lesson 4. Begin the lesson. Once everything has been set (e.g., plan-
for other organism examples, such as fauna. ning and lesson with instructions have been uploaded into
• Finally, and perhaps the most significant for this specific les- GC), it is time to begin the lesson. For this specific lesson
son, Standard 17 in the “Designed World” category: “Students where students are modeling how scientists predict popu-
will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use lations by first studying sample sizes, students draw out of a
information and communication technologies.” The use of GC, bag pieces of paper that represent organism locations found
as both a learning management system and a foreign class- in a grid worksheet (see Appendix B for accompanying grid).
room connection tool, was a digital technology medium that Then, they fill out responses online in GC in the accompanying
promoted communication of ideas and the sharing of informa- worksheet where students would predict population sizes from
tion. these small sample sizes. Putting students in groups of four
would be ideal for this project—two from each end. GC is used
Carrying out the GSC Project as a medium to exchange worksheets with respective partners
The following are the steps needed to carry out the global collabo- to provide feedback on responses. As an extension for the as-
rative STEM project: signment, students can also conduct research regarding local
flora and present it to their foreign counterparts.
Project locations found in a
grid worksheet (see
Context
Students’ Global Collaborative Appendix B for accom-
Following is a vi- STEM Education Model panying grid). Then
gnette of this GCSE Engaged
Collaboration they filled out respons-
project as it was es in an accompany-
executed. The project ing worksheet where
Limited
involved a teacher Collaboration students predicted
mentor (henceforth, population sizes from
mentor) familiar and these small sample
Shared Data
experienced with sizes (see Appendix A
GCSE and teachers for response work-
whose classrooms Parallel Activity sheet). This work-
participated in the sheet was completed
project. The mentor digitally in GC by each
and one of the teach- No Collaboration student, and students
ers (henceforth, men- Figure 1. from each class were
tee) worked in the paired together with
same school in a sub- another student from
urban town in eastern the foreign classroom.
Washington (WA), while the other participating teacher worked in GC was then used as a medium to exchange worksheets with
an international school in Tokyo, Japan. A seventh-grade middle respective partners to provide feedback on responses. Additionally,
school science classroom in WA and a private international school students were also required to conduct research regarding local
classroom in Tokyo participated in this GCSE project. The mentee flora and present it to their foreign counterparts.
taught multi-grade-level science content. She taught one section
of sixth-grade physical science, two sections of seventh-grade life
Mentorship Experience
science, and one section of eighth-grade earth science. One of
the seventh-grade classrooms was the participating class for this Planning of this project between the mentor and mentee occurred
project. The participating teacher from Japan taught eighth-grade one year before the actual execution of the project. Although the
mathematics. initial meeting took place before the execution of the project,
meetings between both individuals became more frequent as the
The U.S. middle school had a population of approximately 650 stu- time frame came closer to the actual project date. Both agreed to
dents and was situated in a fairly well-educated college town with work on a project that was already a part of the mentee’s scope
a local university at its heart. The university draws students, faculty, and sequence of the curriculum, so as to not disrupt the flow of her
and other employees from around the globe, and as such, many lessons. The teacher from Japan came into the project after a call
students in the middle school had parents who were graduate stu-
dents or university faculty themselves. Meanwhile, the participating Appendix A
classroom in Japan was an eighth-grade middle level classroom Estimating Population Size Response Worksheet
Estimating Population Size Name: ____________________
in a private international K-12 school. Located in an urban area Technique 1: Random Sampling Date: ________ Period: ______ Appendix B
in Tokyo, the international school serves a diverse population of Scientists cannot possibly count every organism in a population. One way to estimate the size Grid Worksheet Modeling Plant Organism Locations
of a population is to collect data by taking random samples. In this activity, you will look at how
data obtained from random sampling compare with data obtained by an actual count.
middle to high-income students. Chromebooks—laptops associ- The green grid poster represents a meadow measuring 10 m by 5 m. Each grid segment is 1m x
1m. Each sticker represents one organism.
ated with Google that utilize Google Chrome as their main web Grid segment Idaho Fescue
# number
Dandelion
# number
Snowberry
Bush
# number
browser—were used as a technology tool to access the online ap-

plication, GC. This application was utilized as the virtual classroom Total # of each species
Average (divide total by 5)
that served as the digital medium to post assignments and engage Total # of plants in the
meadow (multiply average
by 50)
in communication. All participating teachers and students had 1. A lazy ecologist collects data from the same field, but he just stops on the side of the road
and counts the five (5) segments near the road. These five (5) segments are located at 1 A-E.
When he submits his report, how many dandelions will he estimate are in the field? Suggest
Google accounts as part of their respective school networks, which a reason why his estimation differs from your estimation.
made it convenient to be part of the virtual classroom. Furthermore, 2. Population Sampling is usually more effective when the population has an even dispersion
pattern. Clumped dispersion patterns are the least effective. Explain why this would be the
case.
every student had access to a Chromebook. 3. Describe how you would use Sampling to determine the population of dandelions in your
yard.
The GCSE project was a week-long lesson that involved students

participating in an assignment in which they would learn how
real-life scientists estimate population sizes of local flora. Students Appendix A (above left ): Response Worksheet.
Appendix B (above right): Grid Worksheet.
in their respective classrooms modeled how scientists do this Full-size Appendix pages are located on the ITEEA website at:
by randomly drawing pieces of paper that represented organism www.iteea.org/TETMay21Velasco.aspx

had been put out by the mentor’s colleague who teaches in the or modifications being made to final work documents. As a group,
same international school in Tokyo. During the mentorship process, respective classrooms also did some research regarding some flora
the mentee agreed to first present the idea to her teacher-partner specifically found in their region. Both participating classrooms
from Japan before carrying out the project. This sense of auton- were able to create PowerPoint presentations of their regional flora
omy given to the mentee aided in the seamless transitions of the and upload them onto the GC platform. Then, teachers were able to
project, as the mentor opted to be more a guide-on-the-side rather showcase these presentations to their respective classes. Initially,
than taking a more authoritative stance. this part of the project was intended to be completed individually
by all students, but both teachers found that idea to be redundant
Communication was also integral in the mentorship process before, and unnecessary, especially since only three types of flora were
during, and after the GCSE project. Email messaging was used being researched.
most frequently, but weekly face-to-face meetings prior to project
execution were also held. In one of the meetings, a global educa- All in all, perceptions in participating in this GCSE project were
tion continuum identified by Nugent et al. (2015) was presented to positive, as both teachers expressed that it was a pleasant depar-
the mentee by the mentor, and both agreed that this project would ture from what they normally did in their classroom. More notably,
fit into the limited collaboration component of the continuum (Fig- the mentee expressed that having the support of a mentor aided
ure 1). Although there was some form of data sharing and indirect in the execution of the project in that she felt supported with her
communication between students, there was not any form of direct ideas. She also mentioned that learning more about GCSE made
real-time communication via video conference or chat sessions. her feel more confident in carrying out a similar project for future
lessons. It is also interesting to note that even though the teacher
Due to the overwhelming obstacle of different time zones, the from Japan was a math teacher, she mentioned that being able to
mentee decided that doing some form of synchronous commu- do a more science-oriented activity motivated her to collaborate
nication over video conference would be impractical. With Japan with her local science teacher counterparts at her school. Even
sixteen hours ahead of WA, she expressed that the idea of doing a though the initial intent of this project was to bridge foreign class-
video conference between students would not be efficient, which rooms, efforts were made to collaborate locally as well.
explains the rationale behind using GC. During the week of the
project, the mentor and mentee met daily to discuss what did or References
did not work for that particular day. And finally, one more face-to-
Becker, J. M. (1982). Goals for global education. Theory into Practice,
face meeting was held to discuss and evaluate the overall out-
21(3), 228-233.
comes of the GCSE project.
Crawford, E. O & Kirby, M. M. (2008). Fostering students’ global
awareness: Technology applications in social studies teaching
Project Outcomes and Evaluation and learning. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 2(1): 56-73.
This GCSE project served two purposes: (1) to provide an opportu- doi:10.3776/joci.2008.v2.
nity for local students to work collaboratively with foreign students Greenhill, V. (2010). 21st century knowledge and skills in educator
in determining how scientists estimate and predict population sizes preparation. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/
of organisms, and (2) to mentor teachers in GCSE. While students ED519336.pdf
found learning about different sampling techniques to be enjoy- International Technology Education Association. (2007). Standards
able, being able to read and provide feedback on their foreign part- for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology
ners’ papers was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the project. (3rd. ed.). Reston, VA: Author.
Teachers of both classrooms additionally reported that students Lindsay, J. & Davis, V. A. (2013). Flattening classrooms, engaging
found it interesting to learn about the different types of flora from a minds: Move to global collaboration one step at a time. Upper
different part of the world. GC made the process of participating in Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
the project more efficient and convenient, as everyone was already Nugent, J., Smith, W., Cook, L., & Bell, M. (2015). 21st-century citizen
familiar with the digital classroom interface and how it worked. science. The Science Teacher, 82(8), 34-38.
Though all students have used GC in the past, this was their first
experience providing feedback on student work from another
country. The mentee commented on how this particular aspect Richard Carlos L. Velasco, PhD, is a Clinical
of the project enticed the students to participate in the project Assistant Professor of STEM Education at the
because they were looking forward to communicating with foreign University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. He can be
students. However, the feature to post on the GC newsfeed had reached at richard-velasco@uiowa.edu.
to be disabled to effectively control the magnitude and content of
messages that were being posted by the students. Thus, students
were only permitted to comment on work submitted as a Google This is a refereed article.
document into the online classroom application. The “edit docu-
ment” feature was disabled for students as well, to avoid deletion

let’s
collaborate!
turn off,
Throughout this year, we have enjoyed introduc-
ing you to some innovative educators and their
ideas. So now, we invite you to…
tune out,
Turn off, Tune Out, and Get Away!
Wow! It has been a year like no other. We learned how to Zoom,
conduct hybrid classes, and try all kinds of new technologies, but
most of all we collaborated! Digitally, online, connected, any word
and get
you want for being plugged in and available to everyone. School-
work, socializing, and shopping all online. Why did I buy that fluffy
thing that I don’t even need? Did I see it on Google? YouTube? That
device seemed to know exactly what I needed to make the day
better. How did it know? How did it get my data? No surprise. You
may, however, be surprised that there is even a day to observe the
away!
protection of our data.
January 28, 2021 was Data Privacy Day. This annual day is an
international effort to raise awareness about the “importance of
respecting privacy, safeguarding data, and enabling trust” (Nation-
al Cyber Alliance, 2020). Businesses are reminded that privacy is
good for business.
by Lisa Ward and Deborah Marshall
This year, the day before Data Privacy Day, Apple shared their “A
Day in the Life of Your Data” report showing how companies track
users’ data and noted that tracking it is an industry valued at $227
billion per year (Bauer & Sainz 2021). App Tracking Transparency,
with Apple’s next beta update, “will require apps to get the user’s
permission before tracking their data across apps or websites
owned by other companies” (Bauer & Sainz 2021).

Google, the Alphabet Inc. company cited privacy concerns when it
said on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 “that it plans next
year to stop using or investing in tracking technol-
ogies” (Schechner & Hagey, 2021). Mobile apps are
not affected by this change, but it could still speed
up the evolution of the digital advertising industry,
as many companies rely on tracking to target ads,
measure effectiveness, and stop fraud.
What does all this mean?

It means that technology users really value their privacy and are
expressing concern about their personal information being shared
For guides, tips, activities, and promotional materials to make your
by the big tech giants, but more importantly, it means that those
Screen-Free Week the best ever, visit: www.screenfree.org/
giants are listening. We will not see an ad for a cat-shaped mouse
resources/.
pad pop up because of our search for a site that delivers Friskies,
or at least there will be fewer. Third-party advertisers will have to
make a change. Resources
Bauer, S. & Sainz, F. (2021, March 02). Data privacy day at Apple:
One way to celebrate this upcoming freedom from advertising with Improving transparency and empowering users. Retrieved from
your family or students, even your whole school, is to take a break www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/01/data-privacy-day-at-ap-
from screen time. Take 15 minutes. No iPad, Chromebook, or even ple-improving-transparency-and-empowering-users/
cell phone. If you can do more, do it. This year we and our students Campaign for a Commercial Childhood. (n.d.). Save the date.
have been bombarded by advertising every time we looked at our Screen-free week 2021. https://commercialfreechildhood.org/
screens, and we looked at our screens a lot. The added benefit of sfw-21-save-the-date/
turning off your screen is that you can do some of the fun things National Cyber Alliance. (2020, December 14). About data privacy
you may not have been able to do during this pandemic. Get day. Retrieved from https://staysafeonline.org/data-priva-
outside if you can in your part of the country; if not, check out the cy-day/about-dpd/
list of activities on the Screen Free Week website. There is also a Schechner, S. & Hagey, K. (2021, March 03). Google to stop selling
Spanish version of the list of suggested activities. This is just one ads based on your specific web browsing. Retrieved from www.
site advocating for a screen-free time. wsj.com/articles/google-to-stop-selling-ads-based-on-your-
specific-web-browsing-11614780021
Screen-Free Week (www.screenfree.org/about/) is celebrated
during the first week of May. You can’t use it to get out of doing
your job or going to virtual school, but if you are a teacher, you can Lisa Ward is a Library/Media Specialist at Gran-
help everyone celebrate by reducing the amount of screen-based by High School, Norfolk, VA. She can be reached
work you assign. If you would like to make your students really look at lward@nps.k12.va.us.
at the amount of advertising they see in one day, make this a class
or school-wide activity. Have your students log in to one of their
favorite sites and count the number of advertisements they see in
three minutes. Do the same with YouTube. Ask your students if the Deborah Marshall is a Career & Technical Ed.
advertisers seem related to a search they have done recently. List Teacher Specialist for Norfolk Public Schools in
one search and one related ad. Norfolk. VA. She can be reached at dmarshall@
nps.k12.va.us.

engineering in action
Students should be able to showcase their
engineering practices as well as how
being
knowledge of their user and communication
technologies informed their design.
social while Introduction

This Engineering in Action article presents a socially relevant
socially
lesson designed to intentionally teach secondary students core en-
gineering concepts related to the practices of Engineering Design
and Quantitative Analysis [presented in the Framework for P-12
Engineering Learning (2020)]. This lesson also situates learning in
the context of computation and automation as described in Stan-
distancing
dards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (ITEEA, 2020) and
addresses the standards focused on human-centered design and
technological innovation/impacts. The lesson example includes (a)
class discussions to engage students in a socially relevant prob-
lem (the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) within the context of
safety in public settings and (b) a design activity to help students
learn and apply core concepts related to Engineering Practice
(i.e., Computational Thinking, Prototyping, and Systems Analytics)
as well as knowledge related to communication technologies. At
by Jackson Otto, Waseem Williams, Samuel the end of this lesson, students are expected to (1) design a social
Moran, Luke Ingram, and Greg J. Strimel distancing lanyard for public events (See Figure 1), (2) explore
methods of measuring distances between people via radio signals,
(3) ideate several designs that meet the needs of their identified
user, and (4) create a working prototype (including both digital and
physical elements) of their chosen design. Additionally, students
should be able to showcase their engineering practices as well as
how knowledge of their user and communication technologies
informed their design.
Figure 1. Social distancing
lanyards for public events.
A “Socially” Relevant Context for
Engineering Learning
The lesson detailed in Tables 1 and 2 has been created
to embed engineering learning within a socially relevant
context to offer the opportunity for students to exercise
informed engineering practices with increased sophis-
tication. Accordingly, the lesson will help students to
develop knowledge of how COVID-19 is impacting the
world and ways in which engineering practices can
be employed to enhance safety during this pandem-
ic—helping people return to some sense of normalcy
with public events. Implementation should occur over
five class periods wherein students work together as
a team to design social distancing lanyards for events such as
college orientation, athletic competitions, concerts, or confer-

ences (Figure 2). The culmination of the lesson is a presentation
where students must demonstrate their prototype and detail their
knowledge and practices for designing and creating the device.
Through this lesson, students will be able to increase
their understanding of how micro:bits (pocket-sized pro-
grammable computers) communicate with one another.
This is important knowledge to develop for any student
interested in communication technology, as it will help
them fully understand a simple process that often
occurs in various industries. The overview of the lesson
can be seen in Table 1.
The complete lesson plan provided in Table 2 includes

a sequence of five sessions. In the first session, teach-
ers engage students by leading them in a discussion
about the impact of COVID-19, followed by an activity
introducing them to computational thinking and logical
thought processing. This provides an opportunity for
students to create and identify key criteria and constraints for
their projects and define ideal steps to create a solution (Core
Engineering Concept: EP-ED-4 Ideation). In the second session,
teachers introduce students to the micro:bit, including an activity
for students to learn the basics of how to program it. Then the Figure 2. Student wearing a social distancing lanyard design for
students will work in pairs to program the micro:bit to show an im- a college orientation event.
age when a certain input is triggered (Core Engineering Concept:
EP-QA-1 Computational Thinking). The next day students are split
into small groups and given their design brief to develop a product ing a physical prototype of that idea (Core Engineering Concept:
that uses a defined system to track the distance between individ- EP-ED-5 Prototyping). Figure 3 shows how a prototype was made
uals for social distancing purposes (Core Engineering Concept: using a micro:bit and 3D printing. The next day is set aside as a
EP-QA-4 System Analytics). Students are to ideate and come up workday, and the final day is meant as a day for presenting about
with several potential solutions before choosing one and creat- the designed products.
Figure 3. Social
lanyard prototype
made using a
micro:bit and 3D
printer.
Table 1
Lesson Overview
Lesson Purpose
In this lesson, students are asked to build upon their prior knowledge of the current pandemic, COVID-19, and identify ways to develop
a technological innovation to benefit the safety of a targeted user group. Using the knowledge gained from that activity, students then
construct a physical prototype of an innovative distance tracker to be worn at public events. This lesson could be adapted for either a
middle or high school engineering class.

Engineering Concepts from the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning (2020):
• EP-QA-1 Computational Thinking: Students should be able to dissect complex problems in a manner to generate solutions that
are expressed as a series of computational steps that a computer can perform.
• EP-ED-4 Ideation: Students should be able to generate multiple innovative ideas through both divergent and convergent thinking
processes while communicating and recording ideas in two- and three-dimensional sketches using visual-spatial techniques. This
includes knowledge related to (a) divergent thinking and brainstorming techniques, (b) convergent thinking methods (including
functional decomposition, which is the process of breaking down the overall function of a device, system, or process into its smaller
parts), and (c) employing visual-spatial abilities to convey ideas through sketching.
• EP-QA-4 System Analytics: Students should be able to investigate systems and calculate the way in which a system’s compo-
nents interact with each other, how they function over time, and the way in which they operate within the context of larger techno-
logical and natural systems.
• EK-ETA-10 Communication Technology: Draw upon the knowledge of Communication Technologies content, such as (a) digital
communication, (b) telecommunication, (c) graphic communication, (d) photonics, and (e) network systems, to visually represent,
analyze, and propose the procedures and products necessary to effectively, efficiently, and appropriately communicate data and/or
information.
Relevant STEM Standards
• Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (2020) – STEL-7Z: Apply principles of human-centered design; STEL-4P:
Evaluate ways that technology can impact individuals, society, and the environment; STEL-5H: Evaluate a technological innovation
that arose from a specific society’s unique need or want; TEC-1 Computation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics.
• Next Generation Science Standards (2013) – HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down
into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering; HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex re-
al-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability,
and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Learning Objectives
• Students will evaluate the performance of a given telecommunication system, analyzing the parameters and determining its perfor-
mance.
• Students will explain what elements constitute a telecommunication system (e.g., transmitter, channel, receiver, modulation, etc.)
and then draw a block diagram to illustrate the process.
• Students will implement a given micro computing device in a system of their own design and conduct prototype testing to identify
areas for improvement.
• Students will develop programs using advanced programming techniques, such as loops, conditional structures, and variables.
Enduring Understandings
• Prototyping is the process of transforming an idea into a form (physical or digital) that communicates the idea with others with the
intention to improve the idea, over time, through testing and the collection of feedback. Prototyping is important to the practice of
Engineering Design, as it allows engineering professionals to communicate, test, and optimize their design solutions.
• Computational Thinking is the process of dissecting complex problems in a manner to generate solutions that are expressed as a
series of computational steps that a computer can perform. Computational thinking is necessary to develop efficient and automat-
ed physical systems as well as visualizations of design concepts and computational scientific models.
• System Analytics is the process of investigating systems and calculating the way in which a system’s components interact with
each other, how they function over time, and the way in which they operate within the context of larger technological and natural
systems. A system can be described as any entity or object that consists of parts, each of which has a relationship with all other
parts and to the entity as a whole. This is important to the practice of Quantitative Analysis, as every physical and digital system
is intertwined with a variety of natural, social, and technological systems, and is a system itself as well as developed through a
system.
• Communication Technologies are the systems and products that extend the ability to collect, analyze, store, manipulate, receive,
and transmit information or data, which can include anything from graphic media to computers, cellular devices, and fiber optics.
Communication Technologies are important to Engineering Literacy, as these systems have become intertwined with our daily lives
and, in many ways, society has become increasingly dependent on them.
Driving Questions
• How can I successfully build a prototype of an idea using the appropriate tools and materials for the desired prototype fidelity level
while establishing the appropriate testing/data collection procedures to improve my design?
• How can I successfully design, develop, implement, and evaluate algorithms/programs that are used to visualize/control physical
systems that address an engineering problem/task (Computational Thinking)?
• How can I successfully analyze an engineering system through identifying its inputs, outputs, processes, and feedback loops to
implement controls to predict and optimize system performance?
Socially Relevant Context
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are
in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and
droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. Since people can spread
the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay at least 6 feet away from others when possible, even if you—or they—do
not have any symptoms. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19”
(2020, para. 2).

Required Prior Knowledge and Skills
Students participating in this activity are expected to have prior knowledge related to:
• Feedback loops
• General knowledge of programming (beneficial but not required)
• Prototyping skills
Career Connections
Biomedical and research and development engineers work through problems such as how new technology can be used to heed pre-
cautions during a pandemic. This lesson serves as a glimpse into the world of creating and augmenting technology, in the context of
situated knowing and social relevance.
Table 2
Engineering Design-Based Lesson Plan
Engage: Sets the context for what the students will be learning in the lesson, as well as captures their interest in the topic by making
learning relevant to their lives and community.
• First, lead the class in a discussion defining what they know concerning COVID-19.
• Then, ask students who are willing to share, how COVID-19 may have affected them or someone they know personally. After this
small discussion, have students look at the distribution of COVID-19 across the world by continent (see www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/
geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases). The purpose of looking at this data is to illustrate the impact that COVID-19 has on a
global scale as well as introduce how to interpret health data.
• Ask students what solutions they have heard about to combat the spread of COVID-19. Create a running list together and have a
discussion about what each of these strategies entails (STEL-5H).
• Follow up from the list you create with a discussion on ways to improve these current strategies. Ideas could be focused on:
making masks that are more effective and comfortable to wear, restaurants/businesses enacting effective COVID plans, and most
importantly, creating a system that assists with people trying to social distance from each other (STEL-4P).
• Introduce the activity: Today students will be designing and prototyping a new way to communicate using social distancing lan-
yards. They will program their own micro:bit, a micro-computer, to alert the user when they are within six feet of another person
with a lanyard, as well as design a case to clip their micro:bit to a lanyard that fits the need of the targeted public event (STEL-7Z).
Explore: Enables students to build upon their prior knowledge while developing new understandings related to the topic through
student-centered explorations.
• Next, students will look at logical thought processing (how do we logically think, what steps are taken to solve a simple problem,
etc.) using flowcharts in the exploration activity provided in Figure 4.
• The exploration activity will explore how an automated system (STEL-TEC-1) processes a set of instructions to complete a simple
task.
• The exploration activity asks students to create a flowchart to complete a simple task to get an introduction to computational
thinking.
Explain: Summarizes new and prior knowledge while addressing any misconceptions the students may hold.
• The students will now discuss with the class their flowchart models and compare noticeable similarities and differences. Addition-
ally, ask the class how the creation of flowcharts to represent programming of a system can be useful in engineering and technolo-
gy applications.
• Then the class will work to explain several topics regarding their case study analysis (answers provided below the questions) (See
System Analytics and Computational Thinking):
• Computational Thinking – What is computational thinking? Why should engineers have a good understanding of this concept?
o Computational thinking refers to the thought processes involved in expressing solutions as computational steps or
algorithms that can be carried out by a computer. Engineers need to understand this concept not only to be able to relay
instructions to machines and systems, but to support confidence in dealing with complexity, tolerance for ambiguity, and
the ability to deal with open-ended problems.
• Functions of COVID-19 – How is COVID-19 spread between people? What are the symptoms?
o “The virus that causes COVID-19 most commonly spreads between people who are in close contact with one another
(within about 6 feet, or 2 arm lengths). It spreads through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols,
produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after ex-
posure to the virus. People with COVID-19 may experience: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breath-
ing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or
vomiting, or diarrhea” (CDC, 2020, para. 2).
• Logical Thought Processing – What is a flowchart? What are the benefits or using a flowchart? What are the drawbacks? (See
Computational Thinking and System Analytics)
o “A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents how the algorithm will function, workflow, or process; furthermore, a
flowchart represents a solution model to a given problem” (K-12 Computer Science Framework Steering Committee,
2016). Flowcharts are great for documenting and debugging a program, analyzing a program or system, and communicat-
ing the logic of a system. The more complex the system becomes, the larger and more confusing the flowchart becomes;
any modifications that need to be made to a flowchart will require a new flowchart to be created (K-12 Computer Science
Framework Steering Committee, 2016).

• Communication Technology and Electronics – What are micro:bits? How do they work? How do you program them?
o The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that lets you get creative with digital technology. You can code, customize,
and control your micro:bit from anywhere. It features an embedded compass, accelerometer, and mobile- and web-based
program capabilities (Sparkfun, 2017, para. 1).
o A key feature for the following engineering challenge is the ability for multiple micro:bits to communicate with each other
via their internal “radio.”
■ “Micro:bit radio signals are used to communicate with one another. This provides the ability to send data packets
from one micro:bit to another and to extend a message bus to span multiple micro:bits. So if we raise an event on
one micro:bit, then another micro:bit can receive it. This component provides a very easy to use, flexible, broadcast
radio channel. Anything we can send from one micro:bit can be received by another micro:bit nearby” (Ansari, 2018,
para. 2).
o The micro:bit website has numerous pre-developed lessons to teach the basics of how to program using their own web-
based, block programming, MakeCode. https://microbit.org/lessons/
o Getting started with your micro:bit resource: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-the-microbit/
all#hello-world
• Human-Centered Design and Prototyping (3D Printing) – What is human-centered design? Why does human-centered design
matter when related to product development? What are some ways we can prototype?
o “Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem solving. It’s a process that starts with the people you’re
designing for and ends with a solution tailor-made to suit their needs. The goal is to empathize with the people you’re de-
signing for, and thus, a solution that addresses specific needs defined by your target market” (DesignKit, 2020, para. 1-2).
o “Prototyping is an experimental process where design teams implement ideas into tangible forms. Teams build prototypes
of varying degrees of fidelity (how well does it work/how close is it to the final product) to capture design concepts and
test on users. You can evaluate and test your designs to confirm results and adjust design flaws as needed” (Interactive
Design Foundation, 2021, para. 1).
o “3D Printing is a form of additive manufacturing that takes spools of plastic, heats them up, and precisely builds three-di-
mensional objects layer by layer. 3D printing appears on many scales, from small classroom-based projects, to car manu-
facturers, and can consistently be used to quickly and cleanly create prototypes” (3DPrinting.com, 2021).
Engineer: Requires students to apply their knowledge and skills using the engineering design process to identify a problem and to
develop/make/evaluate/refine a viable solution.
• The students are now tasked to leverage their new knowledge and insights gained to develop a
product to assist in social distancing during the pandemic.
• Students receive a design brief (Figure 5, page 31) on which they must work in small groups to cre-
ate a solution for maintaining proper social distancing.
• Students will need to create multiple sketches of their micro:bit case, select the best one, then
create it in CAD. They will then take their model, print it on a 3D printer, and test their prototype,
documenting their findings and proposed changes to be made (a sample design is provided here
and can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3qlNPye).
• A sample program for this activity is provided in Figure 6. Social Lanyard Design
Evaluate: Allows students to evaluate their own learning and skill development in a manner that enables them to take the necessary
steps to master the lesson content and concepts.
• After students have devised a solution, they will propose their idea to the class in a 5 to 10-minute presentation.
• They will guide the class through their process, describe the process to reach their solution, and explain the functionality of their
product.
• Students will be evaluated based on their performance on the case study and the engineering design challenge. Rubrics for both
are linked in Figures 4 and 5.
• There is potential to extend the activity by having students present their final designs as a product pitch. Here is a link to an exam-
ple social lanyard pitch: https://bit.ly/3smCWOx
Note. Lesson format adapted from Grubbs & Strimel (2015).
Logical Thought and Computational Thinking Exploration Activity

Your company, Robots R Us, has developed a robot made to assist people in their average, day-to-day lives. The marketing for this robot
centers on its ability to make a sandwich from scratch, but your company is struggling to finalize the programming for this task. You
have been charged with creating a flowchart describing each step that the robot must take to create a sandwich.
1. Draw a flowchart describing each step required to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
2. What were some challenges with creating a flowchart for this task?
3. What are some limits when it comes to what a robot is capable of doing? Consider your flowchart and how well a robot could
follow it.
Answer Key: https://tinyurl.com/SDCSKey
Figure 4. Exploration activity.

Social Distancing Design Brief
You and your group mates are a team of research and development engineers, working to develop a product to support social distanc-
ing during this pandemic. There is a large market for individuals who want to attend public events (concerts, conferences, sporting
events, college orientation, etc.) while following proper social distancing guidelines. Your group has been tasked with creating a system
that alerts the individual when they are within 6 feet of another person. You will create a proof of concept of your solution and present the
new product idea to the product development committee in hopes of eventually having your design widely manufactured.
Criteria:
• Must display a Check Mark when the lanyard is 6’, or more, apart from others
• Must display an X when the lanyard is within 6’ of others
• Must emit a warning sound when the lanyard is within 6’ of others
• Must turn warning sound off when the lanyard is 6’, or more, apart from others
• Must meet client’s specific needs (concerts, conferences, sporting events,
college orientation, etc.)
Equipment provided:
• Micro:Bit and the associated cable (Version 2 with speaker)
• Kitronik’s Micro:Bit MI:Power board (https://kitronik.co.uk/products/5610-
mipower-board-for-the-bbc-microbit)
Mackey Arena, Purdue University. Image credit: Wi-
Requirements: kimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/
• Documentation of ideation and prototype design wiki/File:Mackey_Arena-Purdue_vs_ISU_2007.jpg
• Documentation of programming
• Sketches of the final product (hand-drawn or computer-generated)
o The sketches must show all features and explain all views
• A rapid prototype model of the innovation
o The prototype must be 3D-printed
Rubric: https://tinyurl.com/SDTETRubric
Figure 5. Lesson design brief.
Conclusion
Overall, this lesson is meant to provide
a learning experience that highlights
engineering practices and gives students
an introductory experience to program-
ming and computational thinking. Such
an experience has various real-life ca-
reer applications and serves as an inside
look into a field that is not often directly
referenced in high school curriculum. As
described, the lesson provides a founda-
tion for introducing conversations about
assistive technology and social awareness.
Further topics to explore after teaching this
lesson could be Center for Disease Control
recommendations for maintaining safe
behavior during a pandemic, a deeper look
into computer science and the application
of computational thinking, the analysis of
systems at a larger scale (i.e., investigating Figure 6. Example code for how to program micro:bits to detect distance between each
the components of a manufacturing facility, other.

a specific machine or vehicle, and many other potential systems to International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
explore), and potentially the commercialization of solutions to these (2020). Standards for technological and engineering literacy:
problems through entrepreneurial-related activities. The role of technology and engineering in STEM education.
Reston, VA: Author. www.iteea.org/STEL.aspx
This lesson can be adapted to be taught in a COVID-safe envi- K–12 Computer Science Framework Steering Committee. (2016).
ronment by adjusting the physical prototype requirements. For K–12 computer science framework. www.k12cs.org
example, students could use a collaborative 3D modeling software NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next generation science standards: For
such as Autodesk Fusion360 or TinkerCad to create their prototype states, by states. Washington, DC: National Academies Press
online. If students did not have access to computers that could Sparkfun. (2017). Getting started with the micro:bit. https://learn.
use 3D modeling software, they could also use Google Drawings sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-the-microbit/
or Google Jamboard to collaboratively work together to brainstorm all#hello-world
and display design ideas. Depending on the access to equipment,
micro:bits could be sent to students for their use in developing
their products, as the web-based MakeCode is accessible through Jackson Otto is a graduate student at Purdue
numerous mediums of technology. The lecture, class activity, and University studying Engineering Technology
presentation aspects of the lesson could be facilitated over a video Teacher Education. He can be reached at ottoj@
call of any kind or through a socially distant classroom. purdue.edu.
References Waseem Williams is an undergraduate student

3DPrinting.com. (2021). What is 3D printing? https://3dprinting. at Purdue University majoring in Organizational
com/what-is-3d-printing Leadership with minors in Design and Innovation
Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education & American and Human Resource Development.
Society of Engineering Education. (2020). A Framework for P-12
engineering learning: A defined and cohesive educational foun-
Samuel Moran is an undergraduate student at
dation for P-12 engineering. American Society of Engineering
Purdue University majoring in Industrial Engi-
Education. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-100-1153-1
neering Technology with a minor in Design and
Ansari, A. (2018). Communication of micro:bit using radio signal.
Innovation.
www.hackster.io/anish78/communication-of-micro-bit-us-
ing-radio-signal-7b28ce
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Covid-19 Luke Ingram is an undergraduate student at
(Coronavirus Disease): Frequently Asked Questions. www. Purdue University majoring in Organizational
cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#:~:text=The%20 Leadership with a minor in Design and Innova-
virus%20that%20causes% 20COVID,talks%2C%20or%20 tion.
breathes
DesignKit. (2020). What is human-centered design? www.designkit. Greg J. Strimel, Ph.D., is an assistant profes-
org/human-centered-design sor of Technology Leadership and Innovation at
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (2020). Purdue University and serves as the Director of
Covid-19 situation update worldwide, as of week 50 2020. Transformative Research for the AE3 Research
Author. www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribu- Collaborative. He can be reached at gstrimel@
tion-2019-ncov-cases purdue.edu.
Grubbs, M. E., & Strimel, G. (2015). Engineering design: The great
integrator. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 50(1), 77-90.
Interaction Design Foundation. (2021). What is prototyping?
www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/prototyping

technology and engineering TEACHER
2020-2021 index,
Volume 80
ARTICLES Laser Machining 3D Challenge, September 2020, pp. 8-15.
Legacy Project, The: Gerhard L. Salinger, December/January 2021,
2020-2021 Technology and Engineering Teacher Index, Volume 80,
pp. 34-37.
May/June 2021, pp. 33-35.
Legacy Project, The: William David Greer, Jr., DTE, October 2020,
2021 Leaders to Watch, March 2021, pp. 21-25.
pp. 22-25.
2021 President’s Message, March 2021, pp. 19-20.
Method of Joints: Theory and Practice of Designing, Building, and
Addressing Manufacturing Skills through Online and Hybrid Cur-
Testing Trusses, October 2020, pp. 28-35.
riculums in a Rural Region, September 2020, TETe. www.iteea.
REACH Challenge: An Online-Ready STEM Project for Social
org/TETSept20Dixon.aspx
Good, September 2020, pp. 32-36.
Building Computational Skills via Exergames, February 2021, pp.
Sharpening STEL with Integrated STEM, November 2020, pp. 24-
8-14.
29.
Combining Science Fiction and Science Fact: Race for the Red
Solving Concurrent and Nonconcurrent Coplanar Force Systems:
Planet, March 2021, pp. 14-18.
Balancing Theory and Practice in the T&EE Classroom,
Defining Technological and Engineering Literacy, November 2020,
September 2020, pp. 16-22.
TETe. www.iteea.org/TETNov20Hoepfl.aspx
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: Addressing
Design Assessment Matrix, The, March 2021, pp. 8-13.
Trends and Issues Facing Technology and Engineering Educa-
Designerly Thinking: A Tool for Citizenship in a Democratic Society,
tion, November 2020, pp. 9-13.
December/January 2021, pp. 8-14.
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy and STEM
Editorial: Implementing STEL, November 2020, p. 8.
Education, February 2021, pp. 32-37.
Eighth Graders Empowering Others with Engineering, December/
Teaching Digital Understanding and Citizenship: Modern Skills for
January 2021, pp. 26-31.
the Classroom and Beyond, October 2020, pp. 8-12.
Electro-Hydraulic Excavator 2.2: Teaching Fundamental Concepts
Teaching STEM Through Technology: Serving Marginalized Stu-
in Fluid Power, February 2021, TETe
dents With The Digital Curriculum, April 2021, pp. 8-11.
www.iteea.org/TETFeb20Bravo.aspx
Technology and Engineering Teacher Statement of Ownership,
Estimating Sample Sizes in a Globally Connected Google Class-
February 2021, p. 20.
room, May/June 2021, pp. 20-23.
Thinking in 3D: Using the Global Mystery 3D Print Project to
Evolution of Technology Education in Mainland China Since 1949:
Integrate Global Collaboration and Inductive Thinking in De-
With Labor Education Coming, Going, and Returning, April
sign-Based Classes, April 2021, pp. 12-15.
2021, TETe, www.iteea.org/TETApr21Gu.aspx
Unmanned Aerial Systems Take Flight in Kentucky Schools, May/
Implementing the Method of Sections to Design, Build, and Test
June 2021, pp. 8-12.
Trusses: Combining Theory With Practice, February 2021, pp.
Using UAV in a Culturally Responsive STEM Curriculum, October
15-20.
2020, TETe. www.iteea.org/TETOct20Dixon.aspx
ITEEA 2021 Professional Recognition Awards, May/June 2021, pp.
Waste to Energy—Think Sustainably! December/January 2021,
13-15. ITEEA and FTEE Financial Report, February 2021, p. 27.
TETe www.iteea.org/TETDec20Stockert.aspx
ITEEA and FTEE Financial Report, February 2021, p. 27.
What It Takes to Create a Vaccine and Biomedical Engineering,
It’s a Small/Interconnected World After All: The Role of Transpor-
April 2021, pp. 20-23.
tation Technologies in Epidemics and Pandemics, December/
Writing Standards-Based Lesson Plans to Standards for Technolog-
January 2021, pp. 15-17.
ical and Engineering Literacy, November 2020, pp. 14-23.
Kite Building – When Calculus Will Not Work, May/June 2021, pp.
16-19.
CLASSROOM CHALLENGE Candice Lawrence, Wylie East High School, Texas, December/Jan-
uary 2021, pp. 38-39.
Double-Hung Window Challenge, October 2020, pp. 36-37. Chelsey Turner, Washington Middle School, Arkansas, March 2021,
Entrepreneur Course Challenge, The, March 2021, pp. 37-38. pp. 26-27.
Hyperloop Challenge, The, April 2021, pp. 26-27. Emily Ruesch, Weber Innovation High School, Utah, April 2021, pp.
Park Design Challenge, November 2020, pp. 32-33. 24-25.
Plastic Greenhouse Challenge, December/January 2021, pp. 32-33. Laura Barnas, Postlethwait Middle School, Delaware, October 2020,
Remote Weather Station Design Challenge, February 2021, pp. pp. 26-27.
30-31. William Holler, Apex Friendship High School, Apex, North Carolina,
Work-at-Home Challenge, The, September 2020, pp. 26-27. February 2021, pp. 28-29.
Writing and Speaking Challenge, The, May/June 2021, pp. 36-37. William “Tracy” Dodson, Columbus High School, Nebraska, No-
vember 2020, pp. 30-31.
ENGINEERING IN ACTION
AUTHORS
Being Social While Socially Distancing, May/June 2021, pp. 26-32.
Engineering the Insulin Pump: Teaching Intentional Engineering
Baird, M.; Tiny Science and Technology: Incorporating iPad apps
Concepts through Socially Relevant Contexts, March 2021, pp.
into your science classroom on a microlevel! March 2021.
30-36.
Barnas, L.; Laura Barnas, Postlethwait Middle School, Delaware,
#FIRST in Family Initiative, The: Supporting Communities and En-
October 2020.
gaging Children in STEM Learning, October 2020, pp. 14-19.
Bartholomew, S., Loveland, T., DTE, & Santana, V.; Writing Stan-
Hands-On Approaches to Education During a Pandemic, Decem-
dards-Based Lesson Plans to Standards for Technological and
ber/January 2021, pp. 18-23.
Engineering Literacy, November 2020.
Crespo, M.; Cyber Security, October 2020.
LET’S COLLABORATE!
Daugherty, M., Carter, V., & Sumner, A.; Standards for Technological
and Engineering Literacy and STEM Education, February 2021.
Collaborate with a Librarian on the New STEL, April 2021, pp. 28-31.
Dixon, R. A., Wheeler, A., Eitel, K., Davis, M., & Eitel, J. U.H.; Using
Cyber Security, October 2020, pp. 20-21.
UAV in a Culturally Responsive STEM Curriculum, October
Inspiring Students, One Robot at a Time, December/January 2021,
2020, TETe. www.iteea.org/TETOct20Dixon.aspx
pp. 24-25.
Dixon, R., Zhu, Y., Ober, J., & Davis, M.; Addressing Manufacturing
Librarian During COVID and Making Makerspaces Digital, A, Feb-
Skills through Online and Hybrid Curriculums in a Rural Re-
ruary 2021, pp. 25-26.
gion, September 2020, TETe. www.iteea.org/TETSept20Dixon.
Technology Education in the World of COVID-19, February 2021, pp.
aspx
24-25.
Dodson, W.; William “Tracy” Dodson, Columbus High School,
Technology, Literacy, and Teaching During a Pandemic, September
Columbus, Nebraska, November 2020.
2020, pp. 30-31.
Egresitz, J.; Teaching Digital Understanding and Citizenship:
Tiny Science and Technology: Incorporating iPad apps into your
Modern Skills for the Classroom and Beyond, October 2020.
science classroom on a microlevel! March 2021, pp. 28-29.
Fauber, D. & Becker-Blau, R.; The #FIRST in Family Initiative:
Turn Off, Tune Out, and Get Away! May/June 2021, pp. 24-25.
Supporting Communities and Engaging Children in STEM
Learning, October 2020.
SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
Fauber, D, & Caldwell, B,; Combining Science Fiction and Science
Fact: Race for the Red Planet, March 2021.
Clearer View of Emergency Shower and Eyewash Station Require-
Fauber, D., Sasser, L., & Strimel, G. J.; Engineering the Insulin Pump:
ments, A, September 2020, pp. 23-25.
Teaching Intentional Engineering Concepts Through Socially
Laser Focused on Laser Engraver/Cutter Safety, February 2021, pp.
Relevant Contexts, March 2021.
21-23.
Flowers, J., Wierzbicki, A., & Weldy, A.; Laser Machining 3D
Safety in STEM Education Standards and Frameworks: A Compar-
Challenge, September 2020.
ative Content Analysis, November 2020, pp. 34-39.
Gill, M. & Love, T. S.; Laser Focused on Laser Engraver/Cutter
Safety Training for Career and Content Switchers, April 2021, pp.
Safety, February 2021.
16-19.
Grannetino, J.; Eighth Graders Empowering Others with Engineer-
ing, December/January 2021.
TEACHER HIGHLIGHT
Greer, W. D., Jr., DTE & Moye, J. J, DTE; The Legacy Project: William
David Greer, Jr., DTE, October 2020.
Amanda Hough, Mashpee Middle School, Massachusetts, Septem-
Han, J., Kelley, T., DTE, Bartholomew, S., & Knowles, J. G.; Sharpen-
ber 2020, pp. 28-29.
ing STEL with Integrated STEM, November 2020.

Harriger, A., Harriger, B., & Flynn, S.; Building Computational Skills Roman, H. T.; The Writing and Speaking Challenge, May/June 2021.
via Exergames, February 2021. Roy, K. R. & Love, T. L.; A Clearer View of Emergency Shower and
Hobbs, E., Schisler, L., Pressley, H., & Smith, W.; Thinking in 3D: Eyewash Station Requirements, September 2020.
Using the Global Mystery 3D Print Project to Integrate Global Ruesch, E,; Emily Ruesch, Weber Innovation High School, Utah,
Collaboration and Inductive Thinking in Design-Based Class- April 2021.
es, April 2021. Salinger, G. L. & Moye, J. J, DTE; The Legacy Project: Gerhard L.
Hoepfl, M.; Defining Technological and Engineering Literacy, No- Salinger, December/January 2021.
vember 2020, TETe. www.iteea.org/TETNov20Hoepfl.aspx Stöckert, A. & Bogner, F. X.; Waste to Energy—Think Sustainably!
Hoepfl, M., Loveland, T., DTE, & Reed, P. A., DTE; Editorial: December/January 2021, TETe. www.iteea.org/TETDec-
Implementing STEL, November 2020. 20Stockert.aspx
Holler, W.; William Holler, Apex Friendship High School, North Townsend, E. M.; Collaborate with a Librarian on the New STEL,
Carolina, February 2021. April 2021.
Hough, A.; Amanda Hough, Mashpee Middle School, Massachu- Trout, K. P., Trout, W. P., & Le, H.; Kite Building – When Calculus Will
setts, September 2020. Not Work, May/June 2021.
Hughes, A. J. & Merrill, C., DTE; Implementing the Method of Turner, C.; Chelsey Turner, Washington Middle School, Arkansas,
Sections to Design, Build, and Test Trusses: Combining Theory March 2021.
With Practice, February 2021. Velasco, R. C. L.; Estimating Sample Sizes in a Globally Connected
Hughes, A. J. & Merrill, C., DTE; Method of Joints: Theory and Prac- Google Classroom, May/June 2021.
tice of Designing, Building, and Testing Trusses, October 2020. Walach, M. & Harrell, M.; Unmanned Aerial Systems Take Flight in
Hughes, A. J. & Merrill, C., DTE; Solving Concurrent and Non- Kentucky Schools, May/June 2021.
concurrent Coplanar Force Systems: Balancing Theory and Walls, W. & Mentzer, N.; The Design Assessment Matrix, March
Practice in the T&EE Classroom, September 2020. 2021.
Jones, V. R., DTE; 2021 President’s Message, March 2021. Wang, J., Gu, J., & Zhang, Y.; Evolution of Technology Education in
Lawrence, C.; Candice Lawrence, Wylie East High School, Texas, Mainland China Since 1949, April 2021, TETe. www.iteea.org/
December/January 2021. TETApr21Gu.aspx
Love, T. S., Duffy, B. C., Loesing, M. L., Roy, K. R., & West, S. S.; Ward, L. & Marshall, D.; Turn Off, Tune Out, and Get Away! May/
Safety in STEM Education Standards and Frameworks: A June 2021.
Comparative Content Analysis, November 2020. Warner, S. A., Shearer, K. L., Heidt, G., & Shoemaker, K.; Design-
Marshall. D. & Ward, L.; Technology, Literacy, and Teaching During erly Thinking: A Tool for Citizenship in a Democratic Society,
a Pandemic, September 2020. December/January 2021.
McIntyre, N,; Inspiring Students, One Robot at a Time, December/ Wood, A.; REACH Challenge: An Online-Ready STEM Project for
January 2021. Social Good, September 2020.
Moye, J. J, DTE & Reed, P. A., DTE; Standards for Technological and Wood, D.; Technology Education in the World of COVID-19, Febru-
Engineering Literacy: Addressing Trends and Issues Facing ary 2021.
Technology and Engineering Education, November 2020. Wright G. A., DTE & Bartholomew, S. R.; Engineering in Action:
Otto, J., Williams, W., Moran, S., Ingram, L. & Strimel, G. J.; Being Hands-On Approaches to Education During a Pandemic,
Social While Socially Distancing, May/June 2021. December/January 2021.
Preble, B. C.; It’s a Small/Interconnected World After All: The Role Wright, G. A., DTE & Bartholomew, S. R.; What It Takes to Create a
of Transportation Technologies in Epidemics and Pandemics, Vaccine and Biomedical Engineering, April 2021.
December/January 2021. Zorro-Mendoza, C. A., Leon-Quiroga, J. A., Newell, B. A., & Gar-
Pressley, H.; Teaching STEM Through Technology: Serving Margin- cia-Bravo, J. M.; Electro-Hydraulic Excavator 2.2: Teaching
alized Students With The Digital Curriculum, April 2021. Fundamental Concepts in Fluid Power, February 2021, TETe.
Reed, P. A., DTE & Ferguson, M. K.; Safety Training for Career and www.iteea.org/TETFeb20Bravo.aspx
Content Switchers, April 2021.
Rienzi-Soccio, T.; A Librarian During COVID and Making Maker-
spaces Digital, February 2021.
Roman, H. T.; Double-Hung Window Challenge, October 2020.
Roman, H. T.; Park Design Challenge, November 2020.
Roman, H, T.: Plastic Greenhouse Challenge, December/January
2021.
Roman, H. T.; Remote Weather Station Design Challenge, February
2021.
Roman, H. T.; The Entrepreneur Course Challenge, March 2021.
Roman, H. T.; The Hyperloop Challenge, April 2021.
Roman, H. T.; The Work-at-Home Challenge, September 2020.
classroom challenge Introduction
After almost 50 years as an engineer and inventor, I can say with
certainty I have never seen a technology professional fired for
incompetence; but I have seen careers blunted because of poor
writing and speaking skills. This is serious. Technologists of every
stripe must be able to communicate effectively to both sell new
ideas and to manage and lead project teams.
the Good writing and speaking skills should be inculcated at an early
writing
age. This must be reinforced throughout technology and engineer-
ing education and STEM/STEAM activities. Let’s discuss ways to
challenge students to write and speak well.
Background
and
Have student teams keep project notebooks or invention note-
books that track their progress. Such portfolio types of activities
allow the teacher a window into a team’s progress and how they
speaking
express their activities and thoughts about the project. Back in the
1960s, I had an inspirational high school teacher who was essen-
tially teaching STEAM. On our reports, he gave us two grades—
one for the technical aspects of our work and its relation to other
aspects of society, and one for our ability to express ourselves
grammatically and correctly from a literary standpoint. I remember
challenge
getting lots of As and Cs, which angered all of us to no end, but it
motivated me to write well.
My first years of professional work put me in contact with a vice

president who valued brevity in writing. From him I learned to
summarize large reports and studies onto a single sheet of paper.
by Harry T. Roman
He would ask junior staff to report to the uppermost levels of the
company on projects, budget needs, and new technologies the
company should evaluate. The gist is that you improve writing and
speaking by writing and speaking. It’s a process, not something
you study and test for.

Making it Happen entire school
subject suite
Think about these following activities and how they might help
experi-
your students become better writers and speakers, which will be
ence.
imperative at both collegiate and professional levels. Don’t be
6. Extem-
afraid to develop some activities of your own. Ensure that students
pora-
understand the elements of good written expression and what
neous
makes for a good oral presentation. There is plenty of information
Presen-
to draw from here, so get the students searching and summarizing.
tations. I
Build a solid base. Now let’s practice some “edu-tainment” to drive
am a big
the point home.
believer in this
1. Write to Companies. The most important aspects of this
form of “oral
exercise are to:
presentation hell.” It promotes on-the-feet-thinking and helps
a. Challenge the students to write a concise letter request-
build oral skills. Here you can work in conjunction with history,
ing the necessary information. This will require practice
science, geography, and social studies teachers to challenge
and a review of what constitutes a good business letter.
the students to speak off-the-cuff on various aspects of home-
b. Plan and organize what will be asked of the companies.
work assignments. Each student will be called at random to
c. Summarize what comes back in the form of written mate-
speak for three minutes. The students have no idea what their
rials and glean the key aspects into a written report of two
topic will be until the teacher hands them a slip of paper with
pages, which emphasizes the company’s main activities
the subject on it; and then they must begin speaking.
and products.
d. Prepare for an oral presentation by itemizing key aspects
of the report into meaningful concepts that can be pre-
Outrageous Topics
sented in logical order. Have fun in class with the assignment of outrageous writing sub-
2. Explore Science Fiction. Science fiction is an excellent topic jects such as the ones listed below, in the form of 200-500-word
to excite and stimulate creativity. It is the only genre that ex- themes:
plores the ramifications of a technological advance as it bursts • The contents of a ping-pong ball.
upon the scene and rumbles through time. Science fiction is • Do fish have lips?
a terrific way to subject-integrate science, technology edu- • Everyday uses for large volumes of whipped cream.
cation, history, and English. Individually, or working in teams,
students can construct short science fiction stories based on You get the picture I am sure. Let the class loose to enjoy some
a given premise. The premise should be far-reaching to ensure fantastical thinking, unconstrained storytelling, and loads of cre-
there will be plenty of room for students to speculate about ative thought. Create more!
inter-subject impacts and influences.
3. A Public-Speaking Guide. Students should summarize and Advertising and Marketing
neatly package information about how to give an oral pre-
With the assistance of a local business, engage the students in
sentation—from its original development to the formats in
exercises to write ads and marketing text for the company and
which to present it. The audience for this guide is comprised of
its products. Perhaps your class can perform a useful task for the
students one to two grades below them.
company while learning from some of their writers. What is the
4. Pro and Con Debates. Organize some good-old-fashioned
difference between advertising and marketing? How is this em-
classroom debates about subject matter of relevance to the
phasized in such respective texts? How did your students enjoy (or
TEE/STEM/STEAM classroom. Such debates build organiza-
not enjoy) this activity? Did they feel comfortable or uncomfortable
tional and planning skills, as well as the ability to speak and
with it?
think on one’s feet. Here are three timely topics for debate
(you can add more of your own):
This is the kind of challenge where students should be free to sug-
a. Nuclear power versus solar power
gest even more kinds of activities. Strive to make oral and written
b. Electric vehicles versus improved gasoline vehicles
communication skill practice both fun and educational!
c. Ban the use of coal for generating electricity
5. A School Newsletter or Website. Why not consider a school
newsletter or website where students can learn and write
about important technology issues? Students could man the Harry T. Roman is a retired engineer/
newsletter/website and provide stories, articles, discussions, inventor and author of technology education/
and day-to-day news reporting. Students in all subject areas STEM books, math card games, and teacher
would contribute their written materials so they realize how resource materials. He can be reached at
fundamentally integrated writing and English are with their htroman49@aol.com.

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Engineering in Action

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technology and engineering

KITES BRING LESSONS TO THE T&E CLASSROOM

View sessions, STEM Showcases, Action Labs, Awards Ceremonies,

Full Conference Recording Access:

Note: Attendees who registered on

While the world continues to deal

Questions? Email iteea@iteea.org. Technology and Engineering bring STEM to Life!

Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL)

The universals of technology have changed since the original

The document is now available in print, ePub, and PDF

STEL is available on the following formats at

As a viewable PDF (FREE)

For more information, visit the STEL webpage at

KITE BUILDING – WHEN CALCULUS WILL NOT WORK P.16

ESTIMATING SAMPLE SIZES IN A GLOBALLY CONNECTED

On the cover: A student works to build a kite using maximum efficiency.

4 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

iteea Literacy (STEL) eTool! The new STEL eTool can

Try Out ITEEA’s New STEL Lesson Plan Tool!

View a sample formatted lesson here: www.iteea.org/STELLessonPlans.aspx

technology and International Technology and Engineering Educators Association

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD KATHIE F. CLUFF GREG STRIMEL

education SAVE THE DATE!

technology and EDITORIAL POLICY

6 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 7

take flight Introduction

Between now and 2020, research forecasts a $100 billion market

8 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

Training Teachers to Build and Fly UAS Learning to Fly

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 9

Learning to Build an Airplane Adding Electronics

Right: The workshop facilitator Calibration

The integration of automation is the most

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 11

12 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

William E. Dugger Exemplary Collaboration Award Award of Distinction

Special Recognition Award Prakken Professional Cooperation Award

Wilkinson Meritorious Service Award Public Understanding of Technology and Engineering

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION EMERGING LEADER RECOGNITION

DISTINGUISHED TECHNOLOGY AND 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

OUTSTANDING AFFILIATE Abbi Richcreek Warsaw Schools, Indiana

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 13

GERALD F. DAY EXCELLENCE IN PROGRAM EXCELLENCE AWARDS

MALEY OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE

HENRICO COUNTY, VA New Jersey Jim Kennedy

14 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

Outstanding State/Province Supervisor/Leader Communications Problem Solving

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 15

16 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 17

Eddy Kite-Maker Website

However, in the age of the internet, a computer program can

Classroom Applications and Links to

18 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

Geometry or algebra teachers may wish to have students calcu-

This is a refereed article.

May/June 2021 technology and engineering teacher 19

classroom Global collaborative STEM education (GCSE) is an emerging

In order for students to

20 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2021

Estimating Population Size Name: ____________________

browser—were used as a technology tool to access the online ap-