Phase 6
Imagine IT Update
Students have been continuously working on their Shark Tank Ideas/Inventions. We have spent time on figuring out a sketch of our design, coming up with business and product name, and really breaking down the functionality of the product they are inventing. Also, students had to think about their project in an investment way. We analyzed the cost of having a business, and decided how much money our business will be profiting. There is a lot of imagination while we are working on our invention. In the next few weeks, students will be creating a logo for their company, and actually building their own prototype. I am planning that the last week in January, we will be hosing an open house for parents to come and check out students’ work and let the students present their inventions.
Final Imagine IT Report
This year, I read Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing by Jane Margolis. I chose this book as it really applies to my area of teaching, STEM. The book focused in depth on Ed Tech policies, and students in the underprivileged areas not having the access to technology. The book touched on the comparison between being Computer Literate vs Computer Engineer, and emphasized how in low-income neighborhoods, kids do not have access to the high end tech education. However, there were many moments in this book, when I would disagree based on my own teaching experience. I am a teacher in a low income school, and students are exposed to the best programs out there. Currently, my students are learning how to program in Swift language, which is a language that Apple created and uses to build apps and programs for their systems. This is way beyond basic computer literacy skill, and more so of actual problem solving and computer programming. However, I do see the point that not all low income schools teach that, and not all students are fortunate enough to have programs like that, even thought there is a huge push of Computer Science in Chicago Public Schools.
During my focus group, I learned that students really need to see real world examples to understand and create their own ideas. Just a simple thing like sharing other’s work, can cause students to think outside of the box and think of problems that they would like to solve. Furthermore, students sharing their own ideas with their peers also motivated them to have a product that is worthy enough of sharing. Peer collaborations were helpful for students to discuss their work and see what else they could do with their inventions, for their Imagine IT project.
Looking back at my Imagine IT, I have been fighting with my worst enemy, which is time. I have noticed that everything takes so much time for my students, since they are only 4th and 5th graders. In the beginning of the year, they were very slow with turning on their computers, logging in to Google Classroom and documenting their work. I have seen much progress with their work, so I am hoping that the next group of kids in the following semester will be able to access this information much faster. Also, in the next round of my Imagine IT project, next semester, I would like to be a little more strict with time and push students to have deadlines to have their work completed by that specific date. I would like to have more time to implement Maker Space and focus on those challenges, as they let students become more creative and better problem solvers. I am excited to use what I have learned this semester, and move forward with these changes for the next group of students.
During my focus group, I learned that students really need to see real world examples to understand and create their own ideas. Just a simple thing like sharing other’s work, can cause students to think outside of the box and think of problems that they would like to solve. Furthermore, students sharing their own ideas with their peers also motivated them to have a product that is worthy enough of sharing. Peer collaborations were helpful for students to discuss their work and see what else they could do with their inventions, for their Imagine IT project.
Looking back at my Imagine IT, I have been fighting with my worst enemy, which is time. I have noticed that everything takes so much time for my students, since they are only 4th and 5th graders. In the beginning of the year, they were very slow with turning on their computers, logging in to Google Classroom and documenting their work. I have seen much progress with their work, so I am hoping that the next group of kids in the following semester will be able to access this information much faster. Also, in the next round of my Imagine IT project, next semester, I would like to be a little more strict with time and push students to have deadlines to have their work completed by that specific date. I would like to have more time to implement Maker Space and focus on those challenges, as they let students become more creative and better problem solvers. I am excited to use what I have learned this semester, and move forward with these changes for the next group of students.