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.

FMI: www.careersinaviation.org, www.airventure.org