Teacher's Day At AirVenture 2007, Part Two
by ANN Correspondent Maxine Scheer
On Friday, July 27, 2007, at the Experimental Aircraft
Association's (EAA) Eagle Hangar, teachers gathered to learn and share
activities that educate through aviation. As a
service to those who could not attend, Aero-News has summarized, by
grade levels, a brief description of the workshop topics and links
to the programs.
For High School:
- AeroScholars, an Aviation Web Course developed
by EAA for High School students. www.aeroscholars.org
- Build a Plane, exposing young people to
aviation and aerospace by giving them the opportunity to work
directly on an airplane. www.buildaplane.org
For 4th through 12th Grade:
-
FAA and Space Education
Programs - An overview of FAA materials and classroom
resources, including a recently developed math program with NASA
called "Smart Skies". www.faa.gov/education_research/education
- Project Lead the Way - In partnership with
NASA, PLTW has developed an aerospace curriculum for middle school
and high school students. www.pltw.org
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X - The 10th
version of the popular software that brings the thrill of flight
into the classroom. www.microsoft.com/games/pc/flightsimulatorx.aspx
- Midwest Products Hands-On Classroom - build a
rubber-powered model and learn a FUN way to teach Math, Science and
Literature to your students. www.midwestproducts.com
For K-12th Grade:
- Internet2: Connecting Classrooms - A
hands on journey of classroom technology with demonstrations of
videoconferencing, three-dimensional GIS modeling software like
Google Earth, and real time video streaming services. www.internet2.edu
- EAA Chapter Activities for Youth - EAA
members, educators, foundations and fly-in directors share
activities and methods for involving youth in chapter activities or
events. www.eaa.org/education.html
-
Dick Rutan, Voyager
Pilot/SpaceShipOne - Dick Rutan recounted his record
flight around the globe and expounded on the recent flight of
SpaceShipOne. www.dickrutan.com
For 5th through 8th Grade:
- Space Explorers - see some of the challenges
aerospace experts faced while developing a suborbital space
plane. Learn firsthand about science concepts that go into
creating the space experience of a lifetime. www.space-explorers.com
For 3rd through 6th Grade:
- Project Flight - an aviation kit designed for
the Einstein Science Project in Green Bay. Wisconsin. Learn
how to bring the fun of aviation into the classroom, while also
teaching your students needed History, Science and Math. www.einsteinproject.org
For K through 8th Grade:
- Catavia - Trick your students into thinking
that they're playing a game while they are actually learning about
mathematics, technology, earth science and scientific method
through the exciting work of aerospace. www.cataviakids.com
Teacher Feedback
ANN was curious to find
out what teachers thought about the Teacher's Day event at
AirVenture 2007, so we talked with a few of the attendees.
Cheryl Marek is an elementary school teacher in Oshawa, Canada.
She enjoys the workshops at Teachers Day and incorporates aviation
into her life and into her classroom. She has a Private Pilot
Certificate and is Instrument Rated. Cheryl is very active with the
Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) and utilizes the
resources of the EAA's Young Eagles program. As of June 2007, over
5,600 young people in Oshawa have participated.
Dick Diener is both a classroom teacher and an administrator and
works for the Mequon-Thiemsville School District, north of
Milwaukee. His classroom focus is a program that explores how
technology has been used to overcome obstacles. This is his second
visit to Teacher's Day and has found the workshops to be extremely
useful in helping him find ways to integrate aviation with a
program that teaches six-graders to use PowerPoint and Desktop
Publishing Software. Personally, he supported his son's interest in
aviation and involvement in Civil Air Patrol programs. Dick had
very positive comments about the AeroScholars workshop and said
that "the materials provided were excellent ".
Newcomers to AirVenture were Erin Schell and Melinda Menting,
with the Wrightstown School District in Wisconsin. Erin teaches 6th
grade science and attended a demonstration by "Catavia" that
depicted four real-life, critical situations that air traffic
controllers might encounter. The students, with facilitation and
guidance by the teacher, discuss the logic behind the order that
aircraft are sequenced to land. Erin thought it was an excellent
tool for application to her classroom to expose students to
aviation and to develop critical thinking skills.
Melinda teaches 7th grade language arts and attended the
workshop on MicrosoftX. She had similar feelings to her colleague
and thought it would be very useful in the classroom. "Children
these days love video games, so they would be interested in seeing
this in the classroom." She was also interested in a CAP program
she learned about called "Fly a Teacher".
Melinda and Erin both commented that they were never exposed to
the aviation industry. When asked about what the industry could do
to help, they suggested that there be more proactive outreach on
the industry's part in sending information directly to teachers and
promoting the availability of field trips and speakers who could
come to the classroom.
Next Year at AirVenture
If you missed this year's event, EAA sponsors the free event
each year and extends a warm welcome to any school official,
teacher, administrator, Board Member or certified staff. EAA offers
an option for earning graduate college credit for a small fee.
Attending the workshop also includes free parking and free
admission into AirVenture. In addition, tickets to AirVenture for
family members and friends can be purchased at a reduced rate.