Our Shark Tank Presentations were amazing. Grades 4-8 participated. They created prototypes, business cards, websites, and pitches. There are definitely going to be some future entrepreneurs from SJDS.

The deadline for Shark Tank Projects has been extended to allow students to explore the subject matter more deeply. This opportunity aims to enable students to produce high-quality work that reflects their capabilities and contributes to their learning. We are currently prototyping with EV3 robotics parts, Lego, and other materials.

The learning objectives outlined below are subject to modification to suit different classes. Also, the objectives may be differentiated to meet the specific needs of the students.

Objective 1:  Website Design- Google Sites or Canva

Objective 2:  Form Design (Order Forms Created & Embedded in the Website) Google Forms

Objective 3:  QR Code 

Objective 4: Digital Images:  Taking Pictures, Airdropping, Uploading, Sharing, Embedding, & Editing.

Objective 5: Business Cards & Logos 

Objective 6: Prototype of Product

Objective 7: Display Boards (Digital information for presentation designed, printed, and  created in class)

Final Objective:  Presentation of Project

Prototyping is an experimental process that involves creating a mock-up of a product or process before creating a final design. It can include multiple stages or iterations and can be used to visualize how a product will look and feel.

Students have progressed to the next stage of development for their products by using their drafted versions of prototyping designs. This stage allows them to identify potential issues and opportunities in their work and find solutions, troubleshoot, or evaluate their progress. Through their prototypes, students can make appropriate refinements or alterations to their work in the right direction.

Hour of Code

December 4-10, 2023

The eighth-grade class recently learned about the significance of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). PSAs are a powerful tool to inform the public about critical issues, promote public health and safety, and raise awareness of social issues. They play a crucial role in creating positive change in society. As a class exercise, the students confidently developed and produced PSAs that included narration, text, transitions, facts, statistics, music, and credits. We are proud of the results they achieved.

Middle School Public Service Announcements

The instructional curriculum of our 7th grade includes the study of drones. As a means to showcase their knowledge and comprehension, the students were tasked with producing instructional videos on the pre-flight preparation of the DJI Mavic Pro Drone. We are demonstrating the following ISTE Standards:

1.3 Knowledge Constructor

Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

1.6 Creative Communicator

Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Each group utilized iPhones to transfer raw videos via airdrop to Canva, a cloud-based graphic design platform. The groups produced the initial stages of various instructional videos. The process allowed for the seamless integration of multimedia content, facilitating the creation of visually engaging instructional resources.

Students are learning that data storage and organization involves stacks and queues. Stacks can add or remove elements from the top, while queues have a front and a back.

CS Standards

• CSTA 1A-DA-06: Collect and present the same data in various visual formats.

• CSTA 1A-DA-07: Identify and describe patterns in data visualizations, such as charts or graphs, to make predictions.

• CSTA 1B-DA-06: Organize and present collected data visually to highlight relationships and support a claim.  

VEXcode VR provides a web-based solution for coding a virtual robot. The platform supports both block-based coding and a Python interface, offering a versatile programming experience. VEXcode VR is based on VEXcode, the same programming environment used for VEX 123, GO, IQ, and V5 robots.

This platform offers an engaging and interactive way for students to learn computer science. By using VEXcode VR, students can hone their coding skills and test their strategies in a virtual environment. With this hands-on experience, they can develop a solid foundation and gain practical experience in the field of computer science.

Weave Silk is an online tool that facilitates the creation of light patterns via mouse movements. Yuri Vishnevsky developed this experiment in generative art. Silk provides students with the ability to create symmetrical and flowing art. The tool includes controls that allow for the adjustment of brush color, symmetry, mirroring, and spiraling. Students of all ages can produce abstract art, including young children who must develop their mouse skills while creating visually appealing patterns.

Effective use of computer technology, such as operating a mouse, requires good fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. These skills involve precise movements of small muscles in our hands and fingers, and coordinating our visual perception and hand movements. Early childhood is a critical period for developing these skills and providing opportunities for children to engage in activities promoting them. We use This is Sand to practice and improve these skills.

These video games were designed by our students.

They were required to design their own:

• Art-Background, Characters,

• Hero with DNA

• Villian with DNA

• Trigger-Music, Weather, Door

• Warp inside the game or to another

• Door & Key

• Coins

• Power Ups or Exploding Blocks

• Dialog Box

• Check Point

  ALL BLOCKS MUST BE DECORATED–

PUBLISH AFTER ALL REQUIREMENTS ARE MET

Student used Canva to create amazing posters for the 2023 Spring Musical, The Lion King, Jr.

In honor of STEAM Day, our students PK-Kindergarten completed colorful Mandala artworks in technology class. They practiced their mouse skills while choosing colors that would bring their individual artworks to life. Each area of the Mandala had to be carefully clicked by the mouse courser in order to color the specific areas.

Students also practiced saving their Mandala designs to Google Drive and finally choosing a printer to print them in color.

Technology Applications that were covered in this class were:

6)  Technology operations and concepts. The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of technology systems, concepts, and operations. The student is expected to:

1. (A)  use appropriate terminology regarding basic hardware, software applications, programs, networking, virtual environments, and emerging technologies;

2. (B)  use appropriate digital tools and resources for storage, access, file management, collaboration, and designing solutions to problems;

3. (C)  perform basic software application functions, including opening an application and creating, modifying, printing, and saving files;

4. (D)  use a variety of input, output, and storage devices;

Students from 4th grade through 8th grade will create unique inventions or innovations to present at the Spartan Shark Tank. The Spartan Shark Tank is a creative way to demonstrate multiple levels of technology applications, and robotics programming while expanding our learning in problem-solving and troubleshooting in real-world applications. Presentation dates will be posted soon. Please see the details and requirements below for each group's invention or innovation.

First-graders have been working on "fourth-grade" builds for robotics. The collaborative groups have been using visual guides to find and assemble the parts needed to create the final product, Riley Rover. They have been measuring axles by using rounded beams and counting the holes to determine the length of the axles. The collaborative groups have also been practicing social skills by sharing, assisting other groups, and by praising each other's efforts! Their next steps are to assemble and attach frontal grippers and cargo lifters. These first graders will begin coding their robots upon completion of all their hard work.

Pre-Kindergarten students are using their mice to practice left clicks, right clicks, and roller clicks with the online website Thisissand. They are developing fine motor skills and visual perception skills to navigate their mice on the computer screens. By choosing different colors for their sand mountains, the students use their creativity and imaginations tp produce an original work of art.