The K12 Engineering Education Podcast

The K12 Engineering Education Podcast

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The K12 Engineering Education Podcast episodes

  • The Startup Reinventing Invention Kits

    What are the trends in educational kids’ toys today? How can programming kits be improved? How does an education business start and succeed? Entrepreneur Joseph Greer in Chicago discusses these issues as he describes his STEM education startup, MakeXchange, and its “Invention Lab” Arduino kit. The kit was designed to be more user-friendly and more organized than other Arduino kits. This is the start of Joseph’s goal to make the number one STEM education consumer product company.  

     • Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/ • Ohm’s Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law • Accenture, consulting corporation: https://www.accenture.com/ • Marc Andreessen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Andreessen • Shawshank Redemption film spoilers: https://youtu.be/5y_O094dGDU • Lego Mindstorms robotics kits: https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms  • mHub Chicago, startup incubator: https://mhubchicago.com/ • Fat Brain Toys: https://www.fatbraintoys.com/ • My Science Shop: https://myscienceshop.com/ • MakeXchange YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC61eOn-djaK8ubdxzaRWfVA • Sparkiverse STEM education company: https://www.sparkiverselabs.com/ • Raspberry Pi computer: https://www.raspberrypi.org/ • Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago: https://polsky.uchicago.edu/   

    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net.  Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible.  The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

    40 min
  • Games and Simulations in Construction Engineering
    Architectural and civil engineers are using rich digital tools to simulate constructed buildings. Similar tools are also being used in digital video games and virtual reality games that might teach future engineers. Dr. Fadi Castronovo speaks about his efforts to advance engineering education using simulations and games like these. Fadi is an engineering professor at California State University, East Bay (or Cal State East Bay), an architectural engineer by training, and an educational game designer. He also talks about his students’ game to teach sustainability practices, his favorite video games, and his background across the world.
    Related to this episode:
    • Dr. Fadi Castronovo: https://www.fadicastronovo.com/
    • Download some of Fadi’s educational games: https://www.fadicastronovo.com/research-groups/stem-educational-gaming-research-group
    • Cal State East Bay engineering: http://www.csueastbay.edu/engineering/
    • Cooper-Union engineering: https://cooper.edu/engineering
    • Penn State University engineering: https://www.engr.psu.edu/
    • Dr. John Messner: https://news.psu.edu/expert/john-messner
    • Dr. Messner's lab: https://www.pennstatecic.org/people.html
    • Virtual Construction Simulator (VCS): https://www.pennstatecic.org/vcs.html
    • SimCity, video game series: https://www.ea.com/games/simcity
    • Rollercoaster Tycoon, video game: http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com/
    • Think aloud methods for usability testing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_aloud_protocol
    • Experiential learning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiential_learning
    • Attack of the Recyclops game background: https://peer.asee.org/board-63-development-of-a-virtual-reality-educational-game-for-waste-management-attack-of-the-recyclops
    • Sketchup 3D modeling software: https://www.sketchup.com/
    • Unity game development engine: https://unity3d.com/
    • Oculus Rift virtual reality platform: https://www.oculus.com/rift/
    • HTC Vive: https://www.vive.com/us/product/vive-virtual-reality-system/
    • City of Austin composting program: https://austintexas.gov/austincomposts
    • City of Austin game development incentives: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/film-digital-media-production-incentives
    • Auti-Sim, Autism simulator game: http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/auti-sim/
    • Civilization, video game: https://civilization.com/
    • Magic Leap, company with augmented reality technology: https://www.magicleap.com/
    • Dr. Steve Ayer, Arizona State University: https://ssebe.engineering.asu.edu/2018/08/steven-ayer/
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    55 min
  • Reaching the High School Girls Who Didn't See Themselves in Tech
    Among the various STEM education organizations that have developed throughout the last several years, there is ChickTech. The local Austin chapter of the nonprofit began just a few years ago, and Dana DeFebbo, its Assistant Director, discusses how ChickTech Austin reaches out to high school girls who might not have had opportunities in tech. Dana talks about the challenges and rewards of running an all-volunteer program like this and her hopes for its future.
    Related to this episode:
    • Chicktech Austin: https://austin.chicktech.org/
    • ChickTech: https://chicktech.org/
    • OSCON, Open Source Convention: https://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon/oscon-or
    • Microbits: https://microbit.org/
    • Girlstart: https://girlstart.org/
    • Previous podcast with GirlStart: http://www.k12engineering.net/transcripts/ep21.html
    • Android development curriculum App Inventor from MIT: http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/
    • ACT-W Conferences: http://www.act-w.org/
    • Lilypad Arduino: https://store.arduino.cc/usa/lilypad-arduino-main-board
    • Article on Apple’s Global Volunteer Program: https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/16/apple-launches-global-volunteer-program/
    • Microsoft employee giving program: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/philanthropies/employee-engagement
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    36 min
  • An Architect in the Classroom
    What skills does a professional architect bring to high school education? Guest Kelly Foster explains, as he shares his experience as both a practicing architect and a STEM teacher. He discusses his methods in teaching creativity and problem-solving in multiple areas of design, including civil and architectural engineering, architecture, and graphic design. He also analyzes the design of the new Central Library, part of the Austin Public Library system. Guest co-host Rachel also joins the discussion.
    Related to this episode:
    • Austin Central Library: https://library.austintexas.gov/central-library
    • Science poster designed by Kelly Foster, “CAUTION! Science Teacher at Work”: http://www.k12engineering.net/downloads/caution-scienceteacher-kwfstudio.pdf
    • Project Lead The Way preK-12 STEM curriculum: https://www.pltw.org/
    • Project Lead The Way curriculum in civil engineering and architecture: https://www.pltw.org/our-programs/pltw-engineering-curriculum#curriculum-4
    • Land surveying on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveying
    • Hogwarts “Grand Staircase” from the Harry Potter Wiki: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Grand_Staircase
    • MC Escher’s “Relativity” lithograph showing staircases: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativity_(M._C._Escher)
    • Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s “Prisons” art: https://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/piranesi-prisons/
    • The old Faulk Central Library of Austin: http://library.austintexas.gov/blog-entry/remembering-faulk-central-library-411004
    • Brutalism in architecture, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture
    • Lake Flato, San Antonio-based designers of the Austin Central Library: https://www.lakeflato.com/
    • Article on the Technology Petting Zoo at the Austin Central Library: https://www.512tech.com/technology/austin-central-library-hands-gadget-time-drives-the-tech-petting-zoo/mBU2Ik9qSJM6D7ATXNhjKO/
    • Weed eater locking mechanism video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpTyp0tXxBA
    • “A&M” is Texas A&M University.
    • Article on the housing bubble and crisis of 2008: https://www.businessinsider.com/impact-of-2008-crash-on-housing-2016-2
    • The cover art for this episode pictures the underside of stairways in the Austin Central Library, photographed during the conversation.
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    49 min
  • A Robot for Developers and Educators
    Engineer Ian Bernstein talks about his startup’s newest consumer robot released by Misty Robotics: Misty II. Based on what he learned developing his previous educational robot Sphero, Ian and his team created Misty II to be widely customizable, programmable, and full of potential functionality. The robot may be on the pricier side, and Ian says that it’s worth it. He also discusses why he thinks robotics can promote education and how he got interested in robotics when he was young.
    Related to this episode:
    • Misty II robot at Misty Robotics: https://www.mistyrobotics.com/
    • Misty II offer for educators: https://www.mistyrobotics.com/educators-and-students/
    • WALL-E: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/
    • Baymax from “Big Hero 6”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/
    • Sphero: https://www.sphero.com/
    • Sphero SPRK: https://www.sphero.com/sprk-plus
    • Lego Mindstorms: https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms
    • Misty Robotics community: http://community.mistyrobotics.com
    • Blockly: https://developers.google.com/blockly/
    • Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
    • JavaScript: https://www.javascript.com/
    • South by Southwest (SXSW): https://www.sxsw.com/
    • Apple IIe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series
    • Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/
    • SLAM algorithms for mapping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_mapping
    • Logo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_(programming_language)
    • BASIC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC
    34 min
  • Truth in Storytelling: The Reality of Teachers' Lives
    Author Roxanna Elden discusses her new satirical novel Adequate Yearly Progress, which tells the story of the teachers’ lives across one year in the fictional Texas high school of Brae Hill Valley. Roxanna’s book draws on her own experience as a K-12 public school teacher and her conversations with other teachers around the country. Roxanna says that past portrayals of teachers in popular media can be very unrealistic, and her book is meant to challenge that.
    Related to this episode:
    • Roxanna Elden, author: https://roxannaelden.com/
    • “Adequate Yearly Progress” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Adequate-Yearly-Progress-Roxanna-Elden/dp/1732098700/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
    • Adequate Yearly Progress as described by the Texas Education Agency: https://tea.texas.gov/ayp/
    • “See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers” on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/See-Me-After-Class-Teachers/dp/1402297068
    • “The Office” TV show, on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/
    • Tom Wolf, author and journalist, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wolfe
    • Zadie Smith, author: http://www.zadiesmith.com/
    • Alisa Valdez Rodriguez, author, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisa_Valdes
    • “Freedom Writers” film, on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463998/
    • National Novel Writing Month: https://nanowrimo.org/
    • Vote for our proposals for SXSW 2019! "Podcasting Meetup: Educator Give & Get" (https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/90770), and "Teachers in Tech: Talking With Career Changers" at SXSW EDU (https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/91608) and SXSW (https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/91091)
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    46 min
  • Leaving Teaching for Tech
    Former teacher and current tech worker Sophia talks about why she left the classroom, how people perceive teachers, how to bring STEM to four-year-olds, and the value of communication skills in software development.
    Related to this episode:
    • AISD (Austin Independent School District): https://www.austinisd.org/
    • General Assembly Web Development courses: https://generalassemb.ly/coding/full-stack-web-development
    • Front-End, Back-End, and Full Stack web development, on Udacity: https://blog.udacity.com/2014/12/front-end-vs-back-end-vs-full-stack-web-developers.html
    • “Stand and Deliver” the movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094027/
    • “Texas at top of list for cuts in K-12 education” article in the Texarkana Gazette: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2018/jul/20/texas-top-list-cuts-k-12-education/735282/
    • Project Based Learning (PBL) at the Buck Institute: https://www.bie.org/about/what_pbl
    • South by Southwest (SXSW) EDU Conference: https://www.sxswedu.com/
    • SEL (Social-emotional learning) at CASEL: https://casel.org/what-is-sel/
    • Slido, digital question and answer tool: https://www.sli.do/
    • Eligibility for Prekindergarten (pre-K) in Texas: https://tea.texas.gov/ece/eligibility.aspx
    • PD (professional development): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_development
    • Life cycle of a snail, at AnimalSake: https://animalsake.com/life-cycle-of-snail
    • “The Benefits and Pitfalls of Pair Programming in the Workplace” by Sam Harris on Medium: https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-benefits-and-pitfalls-of-pair-programming-in-the-workplace-e68c3ed3c81f
    • Slack, common communication tool in tech industry: https://slack.com/
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    35 min
  • Engineers on Eyes
    What’s so great about the human eye? Can we build something just like it? When would we need to design something better? Sadhan joins the podcast again as we give our engineers’ perspectives on these questions and more.
    Related to this episode:
    • Curriculum for Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University: http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/biomedical/undergraduate/bachelor-of-science/curriculum.html
    • Ohm’s Law, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law
    • Anatomy of the eye, at the National Eye Institute: https://nei.nih.gov/photo/anatomy-of-eye
    • The occipital lobe of the brain, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_lobe
    • Focal length, at Nikon: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/understanding-focal-length.html
    • Myopia, at the National Eye Institute: https://nei.nih.gov/health/errors/myopia
    • Macro lenses in photography, at Techradar: https://www.techradar.com/how-to/what-is-a-macro-lens-magnification-and-minimum-focus-explained
    • Algorithms for focusing cameras, at Stanford: https://graphics.stanford.edu/courses/cs178/applets/autofocusPD.html
    • Magic Eye stereogram images: http://www.magiceye.com/
    • Hubble Telescope: http://hubblesite.org/
    • Biological taxonomies, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology)
    • “Uncanny valley: robots so creepy they’ll haunt your dreams” on Science Focus: http://www.sciencefocus.com/article/future/uncanny-valley-creepy-robots-will-haunt-your-dreams
    • “The dawn of social robots” at the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/01/cover-social-robots.aspx
    • Terminator 2: Judgment Day, on Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/terminator_2_judgment_day/
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    20 min
  • The Future of Assessments in Engineering Design
    Now that states have written engineering into K-12 science and technology learning standards, more institutions are thinking about how to run standardized tests in the subject. The educational assessments organization ETS is one institution interested in an in-depth, fair, and large-scale assessment for engineering learning. Deb Brockway, Senior Research Associate at ETS, talks about some of her work in this area, especially in engineering design. She describes a current research project to assess students as they work together designing in a virtual environment.
    Related to this episode:
    • ETS Assessments Development: https://www.ets.org/k12/capabilities/assessment-development/
    • Deb Brockway’s email at ETS: [email protected]
    • Example pyrotechnics products for airbags: http://www.specialdevices.com/automotive.htm
    • Blended Learning on Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/blended-learning
    • Summative vs. formative assessments: http://www.edudemic.com/summative-and-formative-assessments/
    • “Collect Water in a Solar Still”: https://www.desertusa.com/desert-people/water-solar-still.html
    • SXSW Edu Conference: https://www.sxswedu.com/
    • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): http://www.nextgenscience.org/
    • NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) Assessment: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tel/
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    29 min
  • Teaching Science in Prison
    Science education occurs in juvenile detention centers, as part of the schooling available to young people there so that they can receive their high school equivalency certification. Guests Rachel and Kasina talk about their experiences teaching science and other subjects to boys and young men in these institutions. They describe the constraints and opportunities in these classrooms and how they compare to schools on the outside.
    Related to this episode:
    • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): https://behavioraltech.org/resources/faqs/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/
    • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): https://psychcentral.com/lib/in-depth-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/
    • High School Equivalency (HSE): https://hiset.ets.org/what
    • GED high school equivalency test: https://ged.com/
    • Massachusetts educational standards: http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/
    • Common Core: http://www.corestandards.org/
    • “Why is Pluto no longer a planet?” Article from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33462184
    • Tool for calculating solar system scale models from the Exploratorium: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
    • Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
    • AISD stands for Austin Independent School District
    • The cover art for this episode alludes to the activity mentioned where a class forms a scale model of the solar system with the sun as a basketball.
    Our closing music is “Yes And” by Steve Combs, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.
    41 min

About The K12 Engineering Education Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Promoting education in engineering and design for all ages. Learn more and read transcripts at www.k12engineering.net. Produced by Pius Wong, engineer, of Pios Labs (