Technology toys make science fun for kids

Photos by Bob Elbert.

by Bridget Bailey, News Service intern
A standing toolbox with numerous drawers sits in the middle of the room. The drawers are filled with LEGOs and robotic components that young students will use to construct computer-controlled, motorized cars.

Tina Tran, a senior at Keokuk High School, and Heidi Rodgers, a sophomore at Newton High School, sit among the roomful of high school girls interested in pursuing science careers. They are participating in Toying with Technology (TWT), an Iowa State program that promotes science and engineering careers to K-12 students.

"I think this program has helped me a lot," said Tran, who is participating in TWT for the third time. "It's helped me decide what kind of engineering I want to do. I want to work with this stuff."

Tran, who plans to study engineering at Iowa State, is having trouble with the batteries in her car. A battery switch does the trick and the multi-colored car moves forward in response to Tran and Rodgers' programming code.


Making science fun
TWT was established in 1996 as a way to introduce students to science, engineering and technology. A hands-on laboratory in Howe Hall is filled with LEGO robots to aid in demonstrating technology and innovation to young students.

Larry Genalo, who has been involved with TWT since its inception, talks about students at Sawyer Elementary School in Ames who work on TWT projects "for a solid two hours and don't seem to lose interest."

But K-12 students aren't the only ones toying with technology. Through the TWT program, Iowa State education majors learn technology and engineering principles, and pass their knowledge on at workshops for K-12 students and teachers.

"The two important goals are engineering literacy and getting students comfortable enough to teach in a classroom," said Genalo, professor of materials science and engineering.

Since its start, enrollment in the technology literacy course for Iowa State education majors (CpE/MatE 370), has more than doubled. On-campus workshops devoted to K-12 students have increased to one per week, and several off-campus workshops are taught during the summer and academic year.

Genalo and his TWT teaching assistants equip those in the class with the basic engineering principles needed to provide one- to two-hour TWT workshops for K-12 students and teachers. The program relies on the education majors to design effective workshops for the K-12 students. Students also leave with complete lesson plans they can use in their future classrooms, Genalo said.


Use your hands
Jenny Golder, a senior in computer engineering and an undergraduate assistant with the program, said the TWT goal is to present engineering to K-12 students in a non-threatening manner. She said hands-on experimentation is key in helping students grasp engineering concepts.

"The teaching experience is an eye opener to some ISU students because they often believe that programming robots is too difficult for the K-12 students," Golder said. But, she added, youngsters can figure out ways to make the robots work in ways the ISU students never thought possible.

The hands-on experience is based on simple systems made from LEGOs controlled by small microcomputers. These experiences are simple enough to describe basic principles of engineering and complex enough to model real-world examples of technology.

The TWT staff use the LEGOs to explain to students how modern-day devices -- an elevator and its controller, a garage door and its opener, a computer-controlled car, and a home-security system -- work.

Duplos (large LEGOs) are used to help younger students understand what an engineer does. Robotic LEGOs help illustrate engineering to those in grades 3-12. The LEGOs are programmed by the students, helping them develop problem-solving skills, Golder said.

One of the best things for Iowa State education students is that they get to see how young students interact with the engineering projects ISU students studied in the technology literacy course, Golder said.

"The kids are very excited about learning," Golder said. "They see the robot move on its own and want to know how to do everything all at once." Through mini problem-solving tasks, the students learn how to make a robot move using basic movements, bump sensors, light sensors and loops.

Older students who can read work through a computer tutorial to learn detailed assembly and programming instructions. Younger students learn with a picture tutorial.


From student to teacher
Golder has added another option to TWT's presentation. She programmed a split-screen function so students can choose one of three options -- words, pictures or a language-sensitive option including American Sign Language and Spanish. The computer programs implement basic mathematical principles such as basic geometry and fractional math. Genalo said Iowa School for the Deaf staff are hoping that the program will help motivate their young students to learn to read.

Last semester, Allison Bauerle, junior in elementary education, was a student in the technology literacy course. This semester, she's a teaching assistant in the TWT program.

Bauerle is leading instruction in a classroom in Des Moines this semester. She accompanies seven Iowa State students to Moore Elementary School, where they incorporate TWT into the classroom for about an hour.

"It is nice to go into a classroom and help students learn and become comfortable and excited about something," Bauerle said. "This really helps me with my major. I understand what professors are responsible for because I am actually seeing it first-hand."

She said she tries to incorporate hands-on activities that relate to students' lives in her lesson plans. The TWT hands-on outreach program response from students has been positive thus far.

"The students respond very well; when we arrive they all have smiles on their faces and are ready to complete the task given to them," Bauerle said.

Dev Kiedaisch, high school math teacher from Keokuk, brought Tran to the TWT presentation in Howe Hall. She said she's glad to see a program that encourages young students to pursue careers in the sciences.

"When I was that age, no one encouraged me," Kiedaisch said. She added that one of her students decided to go into engineering at Iowa State as a result of a TWT experience in middle school.

The early alarm clock buzzer going off during senior year in high school can be scary -- another day closer to graduation and uncertainty. For students like Tina Tran, who participated in TWT, it's another day closer to pursuing her dream of becoming an engineer.