Technology, Badging, and real-world-hands-on learning!
Hi all,
Hope your week is off to a great start! It's an awesome week to kick in gear any energy savings practices at your school. There are only 10 more days with students in our buildings and it's a perfect time to make an impact on energy use at your school!
I got the opportunity to meet with students at Columbia Middle School and Altura Elementary last week to pose some questions and hear their ideas about energy and resource use at their schools.
- What can happen when our "guiding questions" create an opportunity for our students to positively impact our communities?
- What can happen when we include students in the decision making process?
- How can the Green Star Schools Program provide connections to local experts with your students?
I'll give you a hint... Students are more engaged and interested in learning where they can take their new-found skills and experiences and seek out to find ways they can impact their school communities!
Columbia Middle School's goals align well with environmental stewardship and life-long learning
Achievement Goal
Columbia's academic environment includes the:
systematic collection, analysis and use of data,
development of capacity using goal setting, collaboration and continuous learning,
use of questioning to promote critical and creative thinking, and
to improve academic achievement for everyone.
solves questions to promote critical and creative thinking,
solves problems collaboratively and respectfully and
interacts in a courteous, welcoming and respectful manner
Back in the 1980's...
More than thirty years later, the school has some energy efficiency challenges that the 8th grade PBL students have taken on.
Systems thinking using real systems
How do I become a Master Electrician?
Exploring their learning
Would you put _____ in the recycling or the trash?
Trash couldn't get more fun!
At the end of the activity, we went back through the items to learn
- How many times it was used?
- Whether or not it could be used again and again.
- Alternative ways of disposal (donation or repurposing)
- What it is made of?
- What can we do about electronic waste?
The Plastic Fork Challenge
Students used their sharpened math skills to conduct research around plastic forks at Altura.
Hint: One 5th grade class generates 140 plastic forks in one week! That's 560 plastic forks going to the landfill every month!
Altura's Building Dashboard & Real time Energy Exploration
Students at Altura have begun to explore energy use at their school through tracking cost associated with use.
For more information and to view your school, please visit: www.buildingdashboard.com/clients/aps
Altura's 4th grade Energy Detectives
Aside from the lights and Promethean boards, students also observed the use of cars in the school's parking lots and the amount of kitchen equipment in the school's cafeteria as big users of energy!
New for 2017! School Garden Forum & Teacher Workshop - To Be Announced!
I think it's time we have a school garden workshop to share best practices, strengthen our community connections, and cultivate a sense of environmental education with gardens in our district.
Denver Urban Gardens and other local resources have agreed to provide a series of training for Spring 2017. Teachers and garden sponsors who are interested could earn PD credit and get valuable hands-on training to ensure a healthy, safe, and fun school garden program for your school!
Please stay tuned or for more information please connect with Julie (contact info below)
