Last Post Before Winter Break

8th Grade: 

We have been exploring the world of electronics the past few weeks in 8th grade Gateway to Technology. Resistors, capacitors, transistors and more have been the topics the past few weeks. Students have learned how to use a digital multimeter to measure current, voltage, and resistance. We even explored Ohm's law and the mathematical relationship between voltage, current and resistance. The next two weeks before winter break students will learn how to use a transistor to create a simple night light. After prototyping the nightlight using Snap Circuits students will then learn how to solder real electrical components to a circuit board to create a night light they can take home. Soldering irons can be dangerous if used improperly which means we will have to go over safety precautions in detail. It would also be helpful if parents talked about safety with their student as well. After we come back from winter break students will utilize their design and electrical knowledge to create an underwater robot. I am really excited about this project. To kick this underwater robotics project off we will watch a movie called Spare Parts. This movie is rated PG-13 which means your son or daughter will come home with a permission form for this movie some time in the future. I hope your son or daughter has learned a lot through the Magic of Electrons unit. Below you will find some pictures of the different things we have completed in class.


7th Grade: 

We have explored Autodesk Inventor and went over shop safety the past few weeks. Starting today 11/9/16 students are working in the shop using various types of drills, saws and other woodworking equipment to create their creature amps. We have many great designs that I am excited to see come to life. Safety is my number one priority and I expect students to always act appropriately in the shop while tools are being used. I know at the middle school level students can be a bit goofy at times but I let them  know that being goofy in the shop can lead to injuries.
I really love to see students so excited about coming to class during our time in the shop. It is a change of pace from the "normal" type class. It is really rewarding to see students create something with their own two hands.

6th Grade: 

Students have just finished designing their mini dragsters on Autodesk Inventor. We are now getting ready to go into the shop to create the dragster that they designed. It is really fun to see students design the car in 3D computer aided design software. Some students really take an interest in this software. If you know your son or daughter is interested in 3D design their are multiple free software that can be downloaded to your home computer. One of those is called 123D design. You can find the free download at http://www.123dapp.com/design

Students learning to use a multimeter

Shop safety. Today's topic
bandsaw. 

Using Snap Circuits to discover how resistors work. 

What do all of those color bands on resistors mean? 

Notes.
Yes. We take them in Technology and Engineering. 

Winter is Coming...I Think??

What great weather we have been having lately. I know December is almost here but it sure does not feel like it today. School between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break can be interesting. Students are excited about the long Christmas break that is on the horizons. Here is just an update on the course content we will be covering in December.

6th Grade:

Students will be working with autodesk inventor to design their dragster these next few weeks. This is always a really fun project because not only do students get to learn a new software but they get to go into the shop and actually create their project. Be on the look out for a safety permission form coming home in the next few weeks right before we start using the drill press in the shop.

7th Grade:

We will be going into depth regarding shop safety in the next few weeks. Students should already have their safety permission form turned at this time. Students will be using power drills, bandsaws, the drill press, and other power tools to complete their creature amp project. The creature amp, if created correctly,  will passively amplify the speaker on a students cell phone. What is so great about this project is the ability for students to design, create and truly make something unique. I can't wait to see what types of designs the students come up with.

8th Grade:

We will continue working with electronics through the month of December. First we will explore many different types of circuits using SnapCircuit kits. This is a very hands on unit that allows students to explore the world of electronics by completing many projects. After students have mastered different types of circuits students will explore the world of soldering. Students will learn how to use circuit boards and fix small electronics by soldering. I am really excited about this unit.

New Trimester and New Students

First of all I would like to welcome all of my new students and parents to PCMS Technology and Engineering. I try to post a blog entry every other week to help keep parents informed of all the activities we are completing in class and to open a line of communication between parent, student and teacher. If any new parents have questions please feel free to e-mail me anytime.

6th Grade: 

2nd trimester students raced the dragsters they designed last week. If you haven't seen them ask your 6th grade student about the dragster races. This is always the day my 6th grade students look forward to all term. As for my new 6th grade students we are going to cover what an engineer does and measurement before students start designing their dragster on a 3D modeling software called Autodesk Inventor.

7th Grade: 

Students are doing research on types of
engineering careers. 

My 1st Trimester students did a great job on their furniture design project. Students were given a client and had to design a piece of furniture based on the clients needs and wants. I always think it is important for students to understand that when you are a designer or any type of engineer you have to meet the needs and wants of your client. I use the TV show Fixer Upper as an example. Chip and Joanna Gaines always take their clients needs into account when they design and fix the houses.

To all of my new students we will be covering the various types of engineering career possibilities the first 5 days of class. It always amazes students at the many different types of engineering careers. From biomedical to mechanical all these engineers may do different things but they all solve practical problems.

8th Grade: 

We have started a new unit called Magic of Electrons. This is the first time I am teaching this unit and I am very excited. Student interest in the subject is huge. First students learned how electricity worked and now they are creating an electromagnetic and a DC motor. Students will be taking these two projects home in the next week or so. After learning about motors and generators students will end up learning how simple circuits work using snap circuits.

Electromagnet is working!! And it is hat day. 

Another electromagnet

It's hammer time! 

Trimester is Ending Soon

8th Grade:

We are now finished with our design and modeling unit. Our final project for this unit was the Therapeutic Toy Design Challenge. All students were to document all of their work in their engineers notebook then present their product to the class. I had some great notebooks and very unique Therapeutic toys that were designed. However documentation still seems to be a struggle for many students. I try to add in real world reasoning behind keeping all of our design ideas and improvement document by explaining that a real inventor would need to prove that his/her ideas were original. Beyond proving originality inventors and engineers would also have detailed designs and  technical drawings with information for manufactures to create the designs. Many students did much of the work correctly and came up with excellent products but did not receive a good grade because very little was documented in their notebooks. I hope that in future projects students will realize the importance of documentation. 

Finished Student Prototype

Students working on design prototype

Detailed page in student design notebook

7th Grade: 

We are starting on a new design challenge in the last week and a half before the trimester ends. Students are to design a room for given client. I am really excited about this challenge because it is an interdisciplinary lesson. The tech explo students will work on part of this project in each of their tech explo classes (technology and engineering, FACS, Business) ending in a large presentation at the end of the school year. For my part students will design a unique piece of furniture (in Autodesk Inventor) that meets their clients needs and wants. If you have ever seen the HGTV show Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna you have seen them take their client's needs and wants into account when they design a house or even a piece of furniture to put into the house. My goal is to have students think like a designer/engineer and work to solve a problem based on a client's needs. I really think this will be a fun project. 

Example Client Profile 

Creating a room for the client

6th Grade: 

Students are in the middle of designing and fabricating their dragsters for the upcoming races that will take place during the last week of the trimester. I love how students are able to learn how to manipulate objects in 3D, create their own unique dragster design, and use some simple power tools to make their design become a reality. It really seems like the students are excited for this really unique opportunity. If your son or daughter really enjoys the technology and engineering section of their future pathways elective wheel they can learn more by taking the Tech Explo block of classes during 7th grade.

Projects and More Projects

8th Grade:

 In groups of three students are working on designing then creating a therapeutic toy for someone with Cerebral Palsy. This toy is supposed to help increase motor functions in a child's hand through play. Most students are in the process of 3D modeling their design. They are creating multi-view technical drawings of their toy as well. Next week students will be creating their prototypes using various supplies. I have told the students if they wish to bring in items from home to help create the prototype them may do so.
Additionally I have told students every day about double checking their scoring rubric to make sure they are fulfilling all the requirements for the project. This project is basically the final for the Design and Modeling Unit. In about a week or so we will move on to our Magic of Electrons Unit.

7th Grade:

Students were hard at work finishing their projects this week. We 3D printed their speaker covers for the creature amps. Students also finished painting and applying a top coat of spray lacquer to their projects. This allowed for some time to enjoy the weather outside while we spray lacquered the projects. I do not think we could have picked a better day than this past Thursday and Friday.  I have attached many pictures to this blog of these projects being finished. I am very proud of these students.

6th Grade: 

This week students had to use their measuring skills to follow a set of plans in order to create an air skimmer out of cardboard. They had to measure and draw out all of the pieces on their paper and they had to hot glue all of the pieces correctly in place based on an already completed model. This is a chance for students to both utilize their measurement skills and critical thinking skills. Students should be bringing home their air skimmer this this Friday 10/14. Next week will will be diving into a new computer program called Autodesk Inventor. Students will learn how to use this Computer Aided Design software to create 3D models.

8th grade student working on the 3D model of their their therapeutic toy.

7th grade creature amp in the shape of a Pokemon. 

7th grade creature amp shaped as a red panda. 

7th Grade student with a panda creature amp.

The Flash being painted. 

Projects drying after students applied a final coat of spray lacquer. 

Engineering Design...It's Not Just Building Things...It's a Process

8th Grade

Students are now finished with the puzzle cube project. Students created a 3D model of their project in a CAD program called autodesk Inventor. If students took my 7th grade course this was a review and was a relatively easy assignment. If students did not have my course during 7th grade learning how to manipulate this computer program was a challenge. For those students who may not have finished the puzzle cube assembly on Inventor I am going to stay after school next Thursday for a Technology and Engineering after school tutoring session. I will be able to provide more one on one help during this time. 

We have also started our new engineering design challenge. Students in groups of 3 are to design a therapeutic toy for a child with cerebral palsy. This project is basically our final for the design and modeling unit. Students have a grading rubric on their google classroom that has clear expectations however I have already seen students on day one wanting to go directly to building a prototype and still not understanding that the emphasis of the project is documenting the engineering design process.

7th Grade

I am really proud at how the creature amps are turning out. Students are in the middle of painting their projects and should be able to take them home by the end of next week. It is really fun to see student become more comfortable with tools. We are also in the middle of printing off a part of their project that is 3D printed! 

6th Grade

For second term I have a brand new group of 6th graders. We are currently in our measurement unit and students are learning to use a ruler and measure accurately accurately.  Students demonstrated their knowledge of the ruler by playing a on rulergame.net. Now my 6th grade students are measuring out parts of an air skimmer that they will create using cardboard and hot glue. 

End of First Term

8th Grade:

First trimester is over. We have covered in the past month and a half a lot of ground. First students learned about the various types of engineers. We then started learning about the different sketching and drawing techniques that engineers use. We ended the first term by completing a puzzle cube project where students had to design, create correct engineering drawing, generate a 3D model, and create the finished product. Many students who struggled with this assignment failed to review the scoring rubric. I find that part of teaching 8th grade is getting students prepared for high school. My 8th grade class is more difficult and rigorous than 6th or 7th and some students are realizing that after completing the puzzle cube project. My bit of advice for all of my 8th grade students is to always read directions and review scoring rubrics for all their assignments.

7th Grade: 

What an amazing 6 weeks it has been. Students have accomplished a lot of work on there creature amps in a very little time. We have not only used 3D modeling software to see how our wood working  project will be put together but we started working on the creature amps. All students had to pass safety tests over various tools. Students are now using all of these tools to construct their creature amp. I am really happy with the progress students have been making. By the end of September the student projects should be complete.

6th Grade: 

It is always sad after only 6 weeks to see my 6th grade students leave. Students learned about engineering, measurement, 3D design, shop safety and how to create their very own wooden dragster. If your son or daughter was on 6-2 camp and had my technology and engineering class 1st term I still have their projects. Please have them pick up their projects as soon as possible.
For my new 2nd term students please turn in your $5 shop fee as soon as possible to the school store.

Students solving their puzzle cube projects.

Creature amps are starting to take shape. 

 

Projects and More Projects

Documenting various puzzle cube combinations. 

All documentation is going into our engineers notebooks

Brainstorming possible combinations. 

A few happy students. Missouri University of Science and Technology
 sent them back information. 

8th Grade: 

All the pictures above are from our 8th grade class last week. We started and are almost complete with our puzzle cube project. Students had to brainstorm, design, and document the parts of a puzzle cube that they created. Students had criteria and constraints that they had to design around. Though challenging students were required to document all of their work in an engineering notebook as well. I am excited to see the finished product later on this week. 

7th Grade: 

We are in the shop now. All students are working on their creature amps this past week. Students are getting a chance to use many power tools that they have never touched before including power drills, band saws, and drill presses. I will post pictures of the construction process in my next blog. 

6th Grade: 

Students worked on their cars last week and now are seeing the fruits of their labor. Their mini dragsters are complete. We will have a double elimination tournament this week before all 6th grade future pathways students will change to their next elective on the rotation. It is always sad to see the students go.

The finished product. Time to race now. 

Engineering...being creative with a plan.

This week in all of my classes students are learning how to create and design with set goals in mind. I love when students are able to be creative and in my classes students get to learn how to be creative but follow certain design rules and constraints. It is really important that students know how to plan, develop, and prototype a design before they begin building.

8th Grade

Students are still working on the different types of drawings engineers use. Students also began documenting in their Gateway Engineering Notebooks their progress. We started the week learning about Isometric and Multi-view/Orthographic drawings. Now students should be familiar with dimensioning  multi-view drawings as well as following a multi-view drawing to create the actual 3D object. I always tell the students it is kind of like a puzzle.

A few weeks ago 8th grade students sent letters to various universities that have engineering degree programs. A few student received a reply form MS&T. It is amazing to see student work turn into something more than just a grade but have real world implications like the college letter assignment. 

7th Grade

We are almost done with our safety tests. Students took a safety test this Friday over the tools they may be using in class. If students missed 3 or more questions I am wanting them to retake the safety test online this weekend. The test can be found on their google classroom. Students also started designing their creature amps. I see a lot of good designs. Next week we should be in the shop working on the projects.

6th Grade

Students leaned how to use a 3D modeling software this week to prototype their dragsters that they will make in class next week. From learning a new program to creating their own plans students are being very creative but also get to think critically about what will make a fast dragster.

Engineering Before a 3 Day Weekend

8th Grade: 

I am very proud of these 8th graders this week. We completed a lot of work in class. Students presented their final prototype they created for the foot orthosis design challenge. We had some amazing designs. One thing that students can work on for the future is documenting design changes in their notes. Most notes were lacking detail and sketches.
Students also started learning how sketching can be an effective communication tool. Students worked on thumbnail sketches, isometric drawings, and multi view/orthographic drawings. It seemed like the students had a lot of fun playing around with the isometric grid paper.

Student Foot Orthosis Prototype 

Learning to use Isometric Grid Paper

Multiview/Orthographic Drawing

7th Grade: 

After a few days using Autodesk Inventor to design their Creature Amps students are now learning about shop safety. We already took a very simple general safety test and next week students will be taking a safety test over the band saw, drill press, power sanders, and the scroll saw. Students will be using all of these tools to create the Creature Amp that they are designing. I really like how this project shows that  we can actually create the objects that we design using tools and power equipment.

Drill Press Safety

6th Grade: 

Students have been working hard on their Air Skimmers. They had to measure and create these skimmers based on particular measurements. By this time students should be able to measure accurately. We are not introducing the 3D modeling software students will be using to design their next project which is a dragster that will be propelled by compressed air.

What does an Engineer really do?

What does an Engineer really do? 

Congratulations! We have made it through our first full week of the 2016 - 2017 school year! This past week in all classes students have been learning what engineers do for a living.

8th Grade: 

Students started off the week with an engineering scavenger hunt to see how many types of engineers they could find. They then narrowed this list down to three types of engineers that they had an interest in and made a very simple poster with some more detailed information regarding the specific engineer. The next part of this small mini unit on engineering is my favorite. After looking at so many types of engineers I had the students pick one type that they really liked. They then had to find a college or university they could attend in the future to obtain a degree in their chosen field of study. I always enjoy bring project into the real world which is why I am having students write a letter to their chosen university requesting more general information about the school. I will mail these letters out later next week and we will see if anything gets sent back to the school. In the past I have students have received information back from many different schools. They have not printed their letters out yet. If you would like to read the letter they wrote ask your student about the assignment. The letter should be saved to their google docs which they can access from home.

8th grade students also had their interview with an engineer homework assessment due this Friday 8/19. There were a lot of really neat responses to the interview and I hope all of my students learned a thing or two about what an engineer really does by interviewing an real engineer.

7th Grade: 

Though not in as much detail the 7th grade course mirrored  8th grade quite a bit. Students researched types of engineers and created a brochure that explained in detail one particular engineering career field. We mainly used www.bls.gov to do the career research. We also started on a review of Autodesk Inventor. This was the program they used last year in my course.

6th Grade: 

Only having 6 weeks with 6th grade students is always a struggle for me personally. I always want to go into more detail in lessons but am not able to because of time. This week we briefly covered what is engineering and how engineers use a design process. We also started into our measurement unit. My objective for students is that they should be able to measure in both customary(English) and metric by the time our course is over.

The first week

The First Week

We had a great first few days of class this week. During our first two days this week we talked about classroom expectations and how our core values (Kindness, Integrity, Perseverance, Acceptance, and Accountability) can make this school an amazing place. I always talk to students about the GOLDEN RULE “Treat others the way you would like to be treated”. I really believe that if all students try to follow that golden rule Parkway Central Middle will be a place students want to go not because of the teachers or the subjects in school but because their peers are accepting and kind.

Students also were introduced to google classroom this week. I put many of my assignments on google classroom. One of the benefits of google classroom is that students can access these assignments anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. If you are curious as to what google classroom looks like ask you son or daughter to show you.

In a few of my classes we were even able to start talking about STEM and how all the STEM subjects are related.

New Beginning New School Year

Summer Fun

I hope everyone had an amazing summer break! Personally I had a blast this summer I was able to see family, camp, and travel some. I was also able to attend a week long Project Lead the Way training at Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T) Rolla. I trained in a unit that specifically focuses on electronics and another unit of instruction which focuses on architecture. Both of these units will be implemented in the 8th grade Gateway to Technology course. 

You can also follow my classroom on Instagram and Twitter @b_mrfranck

                                                 

                   

8th Grade Information 

It is going to be a fun year for my 8th grade Gateway to Technology students. We will be able to dive deeper into topics and learn how to think like an engineer this whole year. We will focus on five units through out the course: Design and Modeling, Magic of Electrons, Automation and Robotics, Green Architecture, and Flight and Space. 

Students in my 8th grade course will also have a design project they will work on throughout the school year. This project will focus on a problem that the students will need to solve. 

In addition to the classroom curriculum students will have the opportunity to work on some after school projects. One such activity that students may participate in is the robotics team. I will have more information regarding the Robotics Team and Technology Student Association soon. 

7th Grade Information

If your student likes to design and build things this is the class for them. We will focus on both design and turning a design into reality using real world woodworking tools. Students will learn how to utilize tools safely and will have a chance to 3D print part of their project. I can't wait to start working with the students. 

6th Grade Information

During 6th grade your student will be rotating every 6 weeks to a different elective course. My class will focus on engineering and the other STEM subjects. Our main project that students work on is a mini dragster. They will get to race these at the end of our 6 weeks together.  If your student enjoys this class they can sign up in 7th grade to take Tech Exploration.