Congratulations to Jessica Lay for receiving a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. Jessica is a Technology teacher at Jane Chance and Kinder Elementary Schools. The grant will be used for STEM labs in those buildings. 

With STEM related careers on the rise, the use of more robotic products are evolving everyday. Teachers need to discover the next generation of students that will work on, program, and create these next generation devices. Robots can provide hands-on learning for students of all learning backgrounds and styles. Students will work collaboratively with classmates to use science, technology, engineering, and math while also making strong language arts connections when coding Dash and Dot for problem based tasks. The use of robots will inspire students to think critically using many different types of technology such as: chromebooks, websites, robots, and online programs. Dash and Dot have interactive puzzles to solve, 3D neighborhoods to create, and are aligned with math/science standards. Research suggests that students engaging with programming robots have the opportunity to explore spatial concepts, problem-solving, measurement, geometry, and will enhance meta-cognitive processes. Coding a robot is an exciting way for students to learn abstract concepts in math along with the STEM curriculum. The overall skills and higher level thinking will ultimately lead to higher state test scores and district assessments. Students learn from mistakes when the robots do not move the way they are coded to complete a task and can immediately find creative ways to troubleshoot errors. When the code is written correctly, students are provided with a valuable tool for reflection and self assessment. Miamisburg City Schools would like to provide our elementary schools with the tools to learn more about STEM related careers using the STEM Education Quality Framework rubric as the guideline to successful learning. Funding is being requested to assist in the initiative to start our robotics units with our robotic friends, Dash and Dot at Jane Chance and Kinder Elementary in Miamisburg, Ohio.

Our district goals are to educate, innovate, collaborate, and inspire the young students that come into our lives. We are making the transition as a district from a technology special to a STEM lab giving the students rich, engaging experiences across our elementary schools. At Kinder Elementary, we implemented projects in the STEM related field this 21-22 school year and Jane Chance, Mark Twain, and Mound will transition during the 22-23 year.