Welcome Back

Welcome back! There is a lot of learning to be done, so let's get to it! Here is a quick overview for each class that I (Mr. Hron) teach!

5th Grade Design
This is the first year that fifth grade design has moved to the technology side of the school. This class is going to start out by introducing and practicing computer skills, moving from basic to complex. Then, by the end of October, the students will begin designing. They will design all sorts of things, from a tree house, to presentations, to a boat! The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of practice at becoming a responsible citizen of the digital world.

Flight and Space (6th Grade)
Flight and space begins by introducing the concepts and forces of flight. Then, the students get to build. The build kites and hot air balloons. Then they get to design, and build some more. Eventually, the students will be building a rocket to accomplish a specific mission, and launching that rocket in the spring. The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of failure, because failure translates into learning.

Design and Modeling (7th Grade)
Design and modeling begins by examining technologies of our past, and how they've influenced our lives and the environment. Then, our examination turns towards the future, and the students predict how our future will be shaped by an up-and-coming technology. Following that, students begin constructing a Rube Goldberg competition, and the students end the year with 3d model design, and 3d printing of their design. The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of reflection on how technology influences society.

Automation and Robotics (8th Grade)
Automation and robotics begins with the students researching an engineer's role in our world of technology. Shortly after that, the students begin to research and build a website about a new robot that is currently being developed. Following the website construction, the students will begin to learn and create different mechanisms. This will eventually lead into complex machines built to achieve a purpose, and finally robotics. The year is going to be very hands on, with a significant focus on how to find facts and truth among the avalanche of information online.

Overall, I am very excited for another year of school. I teach because it is something I believe is very important, and because it is something that I love doing. I am looking forward to getting to know all of the students in this school, and reaching out to as many families as possible. Enjoy the year!

Ending With A...Flight

Student Designed Logo

The end of the year is upon us, and as of now, the students are away from school for the summer.

There is one message I want to leave with all of you: Don't stop learning!

Having said that, the school year ended in our Flight and Space class with some wonderful student learning. The Fridley Space Program saw the third year of launches, but it was the first year with our wonderful, student-designed logo!

The launches were spectacular, and some students were able to experience failure! It's important to remember, especially on days like Launch Day, that failure is okay, and mistakes should be learned from. Of course, there were also many successes, as students were able to choose a mission for their rockets (such as spiraling their rocket upon launch, landing with a parachute, etc.), and accomplish these missions with varying degrees of success!

In addition to the great launches seen on Launch Day, I had some wonderful student camera-workers, who took some great video of the event. The footage was compiled into a hype video for next year. Feel free to enjoy the video, and enjoy the learning and launches from the 2016 Flight and Space students!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZRy_179Mc

2016 Robot Challenge Update

A student-designed elevator in the middle
of a failed test.

Currently in Automation and Robotics, the students are hard at work for the 2016 Robot Challenge. This year, the challenge is for students to create an elevator that can lift a textbook! To accomplish this task, they will have to use everything they have learned, from programming, to mechanisms, to research, and the understanding of gear ratios. This is not an easy task!

The students have certainly been challenged, but many are persevering. Failure in class is a good thing, and the students have been learning a lot through this process.

With about a week left of design and creation time left, can the students complete the 2016 Robot Challenge? Be sure to follow the classroom twitter feed, and check back to find out!

Fridley Space Program Logo Design Winner

Our sixth grade class (Flight and Space) is currently embarking on their final journey of the year. The students have officially joined the Fridley Space Program, and are currently designing their missions and rockets for launch day in late May.

A week ago, I challenged the 7th and 8th grade students to design a logo for the Fridley Space Program. There were 11 spectacular logos entered into the contest. Today, the results are in! Below, I would like to introduce the winning design of the Fridley Space Program Logo Design Contest!

Design Credit: Donovan L.

Henceforth, this logo will be used as the official logo of the Fridley Space Program. It will be attached to every rocket the students construct. It will be included on the top of every official document the students fill out. It will be the banner under which the Fridley Space Program flies.

Congratulations to Donovan L. on the design of this logo! Stay tuned to twitter for more updates on the Fridley Space Program as we approach launch day!

The First Design

Fridley Middle School's first student-design vehicle in 2016.

In Design and Modeling, students have been working hard to learn and improve their skills using the 3d modeling program Autodesk Inventor.

The final project in Design and Modeling, is to create a car based on their own design. Just yesterday, the first design was printed and the first student in our 7th grade at Fridley Middle School received her plastic, 3d printed car to take home.

Over the next month, the rest of the 7th grade students will be working very hard to research, design, and create their own model cars. The student's hard work will, of course, cause me to begin a printing flurry, in an attempt to print off every 7th grade student's car design by the end of May!

Stay tuned both to here and twitter, for many updates on car designs, and much more from our design classroom at Fridley Middle School!

2016 Robot Challenge

We're back!

I want to apologize for the drought in posts. We're in "testing season" currently, and the change in schedules along with preparing for my one class of testing has eaten up more time than I was hoping. However, I believe we will be back on schedule with this post!

This is the textbook the elevator must lift.

It is time to introduce the 2016 robot challenge! This year, students are challenged to build a freight elevator. This elevator must have enough torque to lift a textbook at least 2 inches off the ground! Students will be limited to their own experience, knowledge, and the resources they find online. They will also be limited to our mechanism pieces we have in class.

This challenge every year serves as a final exam of sorts. It will highlight and assess the culmination of student's knowledge learned throughout the course. It will also, inevitably, lead to difficulty, agitation, and periodic failure, which the students will have to learn to work through to find success.

Stay tuned over the next month, as group updates will be posted on twitter and this blog!

Edit 4/29 10:35 AM: Spelling

Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes: A Student Essay

I believe that we should eradicate mosquitoes because they carry many deadly diseases. Also, they are the deadliest animal on Earth killing more than 750,000 people due to mosquito-borne illnesses. Malaria is one of the most common diseases from mosquitoes, infecting nearly 247 million people every year and killing over 1 million. Other diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, the Zika virus, and many more. Locally, these diseases are not very common in places with all four seasons. Every winter, the mosquitoes there die or hibernate and every summer they get new ones. These diseases are mostly common in poorer nations, but still affects people worldwide.

These insects are not a major predator, or major prey for that matter, so getting rid of them wouldn't make a big difference in the ecosystem locally. It would actually rid us of the diseases that affect so many people. However, in some other places they serve food for bats, birds, frogs, dragonflies, damselflies, turtles, fish, and spiders. Some researchers say that if we got rid of these bloodsuckers, there wouldn’t be much of a difference in our world today. In fact, bats meals are only 1% mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are not a major prey in any region. They are just used for food for a quick snack.

Therefore, eradicating mosquitoes would not make a big difference worldwide or even locally. They don’t serve as a primary food source in the ecosystem, and getting rid of them would actually help our health worldwide. We would stop being bitten by mosquitoes. That is why I think we should get rid of mosquitoes.