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Wednesday, 17 November 2010 15:33

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Robotics Lab Funded at Maryville Middle School

Thursday, 02 June 2011 07:14

Maryville City Schools Foundation (MCSF) funded a request from Maryville Middle School to incorporate a Robotics Lab experience into the middle school curriculum in 1993.  Since then, the advancement of technology and increased rigor of state standards prompted Maryville Middle School to update this lab experience.  Last school year, Maryville City Schools purchased updated Fischertechnik Robotics modules for use in the Robotics Lab at Maryville Middle School.  As participants in the Robotics lab, students take on the roll of investigators.  Students are charged with building, programming, and ultimately designing robotic machines that can be used to solve situational problems.

To support this lab experience and take it to a new level, MCSF granted Maryville Middle School’s request of $4,000 in 2010 for the purchase of six netbook computers to utilize with the Fischertechnik modules and install a wireless access point.  Incorporating wireless netbook computers into the science lab at Maryville Middle School allowed for full implementation of the robotics modules.  Students have the ability to manipulate time, resistors, and wiring to improve the performance of the robot and investigate certain relationships between different variables.

As part of the Robotics Lab, students use the Fischertechnik modules and netbook computers to:

• build simple machines
• build more complex, multifunction machines
• design and program more complex, multifunction machines
• allow the machines to move around the room with the netbook computer tethered to the machine

The design of the lab experience progresses students from lower level basic skills (simple machines) to more complex skills (designing and programming).  This flexibility provides a lab experience that can be tailored to all ability levels and creates a continuum of instruction that pushes students to higher levels of understanding and achievement. In addition, the Robotics lab is an instructionally appropriate introduction to more complex activities that occur at Maryville High School and local industries.

MCSF Board Member Candy Morgan and Executive Director Barbara Jenkins visited the lab in May and were pleased to see the program in action.  When students asked a question, they were typically answered with a question that allowed them to think through the problem and discover the answer themselves.

Kudos to Lee Huffaker for the implementation of this great lab experience, and thanks to Andy Hebert for helping demonstrate the lab with his students.

2010-2011 Grants

Monday, 13 June 2011 11:24

The Maryville City Schools Foundation (MCSF) awarded 31 grants totaling $119,586 to Maryville City Schools during the 2010-2011 school year.

“Every school in our system received grant funding.” said Barbara Jenkins, MCSF executive director.  “MCSF has four grant levels of funding: Teacher Grants, Team Grants, School Grants and System-Wide Grants.”

Teacher Grants

MCSF awarded 13 Teacher Grants with at least one teacher in every school receiving a grant.  These grants, ranging from $100 to $1,161, were awarded for programs or projects within a classroom to enhance student learning in specific subjects.

Team Grants

Twelve Team Grants were awarded totaling more than $24,000 with all seven schools receiving grants in this category. A Team Grant is written by a teaching team or grade level to provide value-added resources for the classroom or further enhancing the technology within classrooms.

One of the team grants requested an iPad and software to pilot the device with 12 autistic students. Results on the effectiveness have been shared with other educators of special-needs students in the school system.  The pilot was successful in teaching writing skills to students who, prior to learning how to use the iPad, could not hold a writing instrument.

Instruction began with touch writing on the iPad and transitioned to marker and paper tasks within three weeks. Other important milestones were reached throughout the pilot.

The pilot was a collaboration with Melanie Davidson, speech-language pathologist; John LaCava, CDC special education teacher; Andrew Raulston, MCS computer and network support staff; and Dr. Sandra Earnest, MCS coordinator of special education and Section 504.

School Grants

Seven school grants were also awarded, ranging from $399 for a one-year subscription to Tumblebooks for the John Sevier Elementary Library to $9,907 in support of Maryville Intermediate School’s Environmental Camp at Wesley Woods.

MCSF also funded a system-wide grant to pay registration costs for 32 MCS teachers to attend the 2011 Model Schools Conference in Nashville on June 26-29.  The conference will enable teachers to learn the nation’s best practices for improving student achievement and creating growth.  Relevant data, current research, efficient and effective models and practical solutions for rigor, relevance, and relationships for all students will be shared.  Dr. Willard R. Daggett, CEO, International Center for Leadership in Education, is a Senior Advisor for the conference and a keynote speaker.

System-Wide Grants

In addition to funding grant requests, more than $15,000 in contributions were received restricted to a variety of programs or projects within the Maryville City Schools System.  Those funds were distributed to designated programs that donors wished to support directly throughout the year.

In addition to the 31 grant requests funded by the Maryville City Schools Foundation, funding continued for the 21^st Century Classroom Partnership. Over the past 3 years, MCSF has invested $237,429 for classroom technology upgrades to help students conceptualize subject matter and engage in the learning process more fully.  Overall the 21^st Century Classroom Partnership stakeholders have invested nearly $1 million into interactive technology for the students of Maryville City Schools.

Lamar Alexander Scholarships totaling $43,000 from the MCSF Endowment Fund were awarded to 5 Maryville High School seniors during the Maryville Scholars Banquet held in May.