Designing Presentations

Two example student slides so far.

The fifth grade students are in the middle of their presentations! Previously, the students have chosen a topic they are interested in (like dancing, art, stopping bullying, basketball etc.). The students have
finished researching their topic, and are now planning the design of their presentation. Over the next few class periods, the students will be creating a presentation that highlights their research.

After winter break, the students will be completing their presentations, and the presentations will be shared among the class. Students will be able to watch, and learn, from all the hard work each of them has put in to this project.

Be sure to check out our twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Beginning with Mechanisms

With two complex designs complete, the 8^th grade students are moving on to even more difficult, yet exciting opportunities. The 8^th grade students have just started working with mechanisms.

Over the next week, the 8^th grade students will be getting a short introduction to mechanisms, what they are, and how they work. The week before winter break, the students will begin to build simple mechanisms with starter kits, and use their new knowledge to accomplish small tasks in class.

Following winter break, the mechanism doors will be pulled wide open. Students will begin using mechanisms to build a number of different types of mechanisms, each more complex than the last. This will lead the students to building more complex machines and, eventually, robots.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Hot Air Balloons

The sixth grade students have been getting a little bit more skill practice, before beginning to work on their hot air balloons. Similar to the kite projects, the students will be split into groups, where they will begin creating their hot air balloons!

 

Previously, the focus was on collaboration within the group. However, the sixth grade students all have different levels of experience when it comes to group work. For the hot air balloons, the

students will continue working on collaboration, but another focus will be cooperative work. The scope of skills will need to be widened to accommodate the various levels of experience each student has with group work.

So far, the accommodations have been working great. The students are working hard in their groups and the hot air balloons are coming along nicely. One group has already almost completed their hot air balloon, a week ahead of schedule! They will be testing and flying their hot air balloon soon.

Environmental Impact

The seventh grade students are about to begin their second design project of the year! The students will be choosing a current technology. Then, using their research skills, the students will need to determine how this technology will impact the environment in the future. The students will have to predict the future!

Our class 3d printer, one of the technologies chosen for research.

Once the students have come to an understanding of how this technology will impact the future, they will need to create some sort of presentation to share their knowledge. This can be a Google Slides presentation, it can be a website, a poster, a flyer, an essay, or something else the student may want to do. However, the students will need to communicate their information in a clear, yet immersive way.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) and our classroom website (mrhron.blogspot.com) for more updates!

More Design Cycle

The fifth grade students are about to begin their next design. For the first time, this design is going to incorporate all aspects of the design cycle into one project. With the treehouse project, each aspect of design was taught and completed individually. That will change, and class will become a little bit more challenging for the fifth grade students.

Complete Treehouse Designs

The next project is going to give the students an opportunity to create a Google Slides presentation about a topic they are interested in. The students will have to determine what research they want to do, what information to include in their presentation, and what style ideas they like for their presentation. It will be the first time the students use all parts of the design cycle together, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out!

Be sure to check out our twitter (@MrHron) and our classroom website (mrhron.blogspot.com) for more updates!

Creating a Website

The 8^th grade students are currently in the middle of their next project. They were tasked to create a website to inform and advertise the public about an existing robot in development. The students are working hard to research their robot, so that the website they create can be thorough and complete with accurate information.

One aspect of the research is to interview an engineer or the CEO of the robot they are researching. Many students are rising to the challenge, and creating spectacular research questions. Several interview questions have been sent out to CEOs and engineers around the world, and a few have already responded! Many of the 8^th grade websites will now have exclusive research from primary sources that is not widely available elsewhere.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Hoping for Wind

The sixth grade students have completed their kites! Now, we are waiting for a properly windy day to begin flying our kites. During Flight Day, the students will test their kite to see how well it flies, test different string access points, and try different flying techniques in attempt to get their kite as high as possible in the air.

A mega-kite, built by a group that enjoys challenges.

The students were also working on collaboration and group work skills during this time. Many

students showed major improvement with these skills. It was challenging at times, but working in a group (especially a group with kite conflict) teaches life-long, transferable skills that the students will rely on through high school, college, and wherever they end up working.

We are hoping for a windy day (we need at least 10mph wind), that isn't too cold. Our window for finding this day is closing. But, we still have a chance at seeing Flight Day, as November slowly moves towards a colder December.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron)!

Online Voting - Good Idea or Not?

Last week I challenged my 7th grade students to write a persuasive essay convincing the reader that online voting was, or was not, a good idea. This was challenging because I was expecting 3 just one class period. This means students only had about 30 minutes to research the topic, organize their ideas, and complete a full essay. There wasn't time for pre-writing or proofreading.

paragraphs full of persuasive writing, in

The results were spectacular.

Between now and next Tuesday (voting day), I will be highlighting these essays on this blog!

Online Voting - Sophia

Do you think the United States should do online voting? Well my answer is no we should not do online voting because of the fact that there are some talented hackers in our world who can easily change the votes. Like how some hackers how took down a chunk of our internet. Also there could be people who vote more than once using different systems or using a  different email.

Security experts say that there is not enough protection for any of the ballots transmitted over the internet. Lots a people say the this will be a recipe for chaos. Online voting could be good but there is just not enough protection. It will take them a few years before they figure out a good protection plan.

So I don’t want online voting,it will just cause big arguments between people. Again there is just not enough protection for online voting. Come join the fight for no online voting.

Finished Design

The seventh grade Design and Modeling students are finishing up with their old technology research project. The students have shared their project with the class, and reviewed and learned from the presentations created by their peers.

After the students reflect on their process, I will be assessing the presentations. This first assessment will show where the students are in terms of their understanding of design. It will show us all what the students need to be supported in, and where the students need to be challenged. The work the students are accomplishing now is setting the stage for larger, more complex projects in the future!

 Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) for more updates and student content!

Treehouse Pivot

The fifth grade students are beginning to create their treehouses! Unfortunately, because Mr. Hron didn’t think about how to store 100 different model tree-houses around the room, the students will be creating their treehouses digitally.

However, the students will be offered the option to still create their treehouses on their own time, at home or outside of school. If your child asks, please support them in their endeavors. I can even send some supplies home!

As the students begin digitally creating their treehouses, I will be updating the process. Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron)!

Engineering Project Complete

The 8^th grade students are finishing up their very first project! The students have been working on a presentation they will share with the class, researching a specific engineering career. The students have researched their career, and designed, created, and evaluated their presentation. Now, it’s time to share.

A citation page from one student presentation.

Students will share their presentation with other classmates so that we can all learn from one @MrHron) and this website for updates!

another’s research. This is a common theme in our class – the work that we do in class extends beyond school. Students don’t do projects in this class just for a grade. There is always another audience, always another reason to create projects. Be sure to check in on twitter (

Introducing the Fridley Space Program

Here at Fridley Middle School, we have a space program. Yes, that is correct. The Fridley Space Program was founded two years ago. Last year a student in 7^th grade provided the Fridley Space Program with an excellent logo, which the students voted on. In the Fridley Space Program, students research, learn, and create flying vehicles, in an effort to add to the body of knowledge that humanity has accumulated about flight, and space.

This year, we are about to embark on our very first mission. The students have been researching and designing kites. This week, the students will be split into mission groups, and begin to create their very first vehicle for the Fridley Space Program – the kite. It’s an exciting time of the year, and it will be interesting to see how the students react to the challenges that they face. Stay tuned at our twitter (@MrHron) and website (mrhron.blogspot.com).

"Old" Technology Research

The seventh grade Design and Modeling students are beginning to start their very first design project! The students are researching an "old" technology, and determining how it has changed, and how it still affects society today. They will be designing a presentation from the research and knowledge they gain.

"Old" is a relative term. For this project, old means over 50 years ago. So any technology or
invention that was created for the first time before 1966, is fair game for students to choose from. Many students have chosen technologies that were invented in the 1950s and 60s, but a few students are going back, way back. Some students are challenging themselves by researching the very first mechanical watches, or even the very first pool! It will be interesting to see what the students come up with in their research.

Stay tuned for updates on twitter (@MrHron), and this website!

Robot Research and Design

The students in fifth grade now have three different designs under their belt. Their fourth, is going to be their most challenging yet. This time, they must design a Robot!

The focus for students is still on organizing labels and details. The students must design a robot that

can move on its own, make someone's life easier, and recharge its energy somehow. Not only must the students design a robot that can do those things, but the students must also begin to research the robots themselves.

Students will need to learn a little bit about different real-life robots, before they can design their own. They might need to research how robots move, or what their power sources are. This information that the students research will help in their design.

It will be interesting to see what the students come up with! Already, there have been some great designs this week. Stay tuned to the blog and twitter (@MrHron) for updates and pictures of the student work.

Engineer Mini-Project

The 8^th grade students have just started their very first mini-design! Students will be researching a certain engineering career, and designing a presentation for their classmates. The students have been researching a number of different types of engineers like Food Engineers, Sports Engineers,

Mechanical Engineers, Environmental Engineers, Software Engineers, and many more.

Once the students have finished their research, the will plan and create their short presentation in Google Slides. Then, upon finishing next week, the presentations will be shared and evaluated with the rest of class. If I get the student's permission, I am planning on sharing some of the first projects here on the website, so you can get a taste of what is to come from our students this year!

Skills of the Internet

At the beginning of the year, the 6^th grade students are working hard learning different computer skills. Some of the skills they learn are how to use email, Google Drive, and how to create strong passwords. Currently, the students are learning one of the most important skills of all: how to determine if a website is reliable.

The internet is one of the best learning tools we have ever had. However, with this great power of learning, comes some great responsibility. For every website that has excellent, sourced information, there is a website that shows heavy bias, propaganda, or outright falsehoods. The students are learning how to determine if a website is reliable, and some strategies to use when researching to make sure the facts they are reading are, in fact, trustworthy. It’s not always easy work, using the internet. For the 6^th grade students, that journey starts now.

Beginning Design

In fifth grade design, the students are getting their first taste of design this week! Students are being challenged to design a space ship that can launch from Earth, travel safely through space, and land on the moon. While this has already been accomplished by humanity, the students are having a lot of fun with it!

The focus of these beginning designs are the details and labels the students are providing. Adding labels and details is a cornerstone to any professional design, and the students should become used to explaining and organizing their design in an easy to understand way, for anyone who is taking a look.

Keep an eye out on the classroom twitter account (@MrHron) to see updates and media of student work!

Students Getting Challenged

One of the most common questions I get from students is, “What do I do when I’m done?” Of course, I ask students if they’ve checked their work. I try to challenge my students, find mistakes or areas of growth. But often times, students finish with their work, and have extra time in class. So, what do they do when they’re done?

In my class, students have the opportunity to work on challenges. Challenges (as seen on the tab above) are enrichment activities that allow students to explore different avenues of learning. They are not extra credit, and they do not count as a grade. What they offer, is a challenging way to learn something new, with the extra time students have.

Check out this student's animation using Google Slides. This student spent several weeks worth of "finished time" in the classroom (and some time outside of class) working on this animation. It's quite amazing the concentration and focus needed to accomplish something of this caliber. 

Another student was able to complete a challenge at home, that they picked up a week before school even started! This challenge asks students to create and design their own house. Here is the beginning of this student's house, which was worked on and turned in before school even started for the year! 

Challenges allow students to be challenged in an area that traditional school courses might not cover. I am looking forward to see what the students at Fridley Middle School create and learn on their own time, just for the sake of learning.