Engineering and Digital Arts
Engineering is the application of mathematics and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, processes, solutions, and organizations. The discipline of engineering is extremely broad and encompasses a range of more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of applied science, technology and types of application.
Citizens of the future will need to create and invent solutions to human problems using technology. Design thinking (see illustration above) is a variation of the well known engineering design process. A key piece of this is empathy, the ability to deeply understand human needs and to include the intended user in all phases of the design process.
Empathy helps students successfully define the problem to be solved. Students will work in teams, which develops collaboration skills needed in today’s workforce. Students must be creative and flexible to respond successfully to the problem they are solving to ideate possible solutions. They must also persist and adapt when initial concepts and prototypes have issues. Students will understand there are many different possible solutions to any given problem. Students must think critically to successfully test and improve their design prototypes.
Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners are natural engineers and designers. They love sand castles, blocks, fairy houses, and other projects that support their creative, fantasy play. We support this natural engineering instinct in preschool and kindergarten classrooms with blocks, LEGOs, sand and water tables, and other activities. As students reach first grade and beyond, we remove all these activities from school. Yet we still expect them be interested in engineering when they get to high school and college. Our goal is to support students’ natural engineering design interests all through their K-12 education here at the Pioneer Valley Regional School District.
Courses Taught
Engineering Explorations 7
Introduction to Engineering Design 7
Introduction to Engineering Design 8
Digital Arts 9-12
Engineering Design 9-12
Course Descriptions
Engineering Explorations (IED 7, quarter year rotation) - For the first half of the class, students rotate through multiple centers to explore different aspects of technology and engineering (take apart computers, SNAP electronic circuits, 3D printing and 3D glasses, LEGO Education WEDO 2 robots, and LEGO Education Machine and Mechanisms). For the second half of the class, students recreate their own version of Pong and a Pac Man type video game using the Scratch programming language. Next, they create their own video game.
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED 7, quarter year rotation) Students will learn technologies and processes needed to understand and experience the engineering design process focusing on robotics and structures. Students will undertake, document, reflect on, and present solutions to a variety of teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned.
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED 8, quarter year rotation) – Students will learn technologies and processes needed to understand and experience the engineering design process focusing on robotics and structures. Students will undertake, document, reflect on, and present solutions to a variety of teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned. Students will move at a faster pace than IED Grade 7 and students will receive an introduction to design thinking.
Engineering Design (ED - G9-G12, full year) - Students will learn technologies and processes needed to understand and experience the engineering design process. Technologies include robotics, programming, forces, and electronic circuits. Students will undertake, document, reflect on, and present solutions to a variety of teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned. Some basic woodworking will be included some as a way to fabricate parts. Students will receive and introduction to design thinking, and learn additional technologies such as 3D printing and laser cutting. Students will do at least one project of their own choosing for a client.
Digital Art (DA - G9-G12, full year ) – Students will learn digital art technologies such as digital photography, video, stop motion animation, digital message boards, podcasting, and multimedia presentations. There will be a strong emphasis on designing in for a purpose and context and evaluating and documenting designs and their design process. Audience considerations will be explored including effective and appropriate use of social media.
Course Descriptions 2020-2021
Engineering Explorations (IED 7, quarter year rotation) - For the first half of the class, students rotate through multiple centers to explore different aspects of technology and engineering (take apart computers, SNAP electronic circuits, 3D printing and 3D glasses, LEGO Education WEDO 2 robots, and LEGO Education Machine and Mechanisms). For the second half of the class, students recreate their own version of Pong and a Pac Man type video game using the Scratch programming language. Next, they create their own video game.
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED 7, quarter year rotation) Students will learn technologies and processes needed to understand and experience the engineering design process focusing on robotics and structures. Students will undertake, document, reflect on, and present solutions to a variety of teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned.
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED 8, quarter year rotation) – Students build on the technologies and projects from IED 7. Students will undertake, document, reflect on, and present solutions to a variety of new teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned. Students will mix craft materials and LEGO bricks for at least one project. Students will receive an introduction to design thinking by considering the needs of a theoretical client.
Engineering Design (ED - G10-G12, full year) - Students will learn technologies needed to understand and experience the engineering design process. Technologies will include robotics, programming, forces, structures, and electronic circuits. Students will scope, research, plan, prototype, test, document, present, and reflect on their solutions to a variety of teacher assigned challenges using the technologies learned. Some basic woodworking may be included some as a way to fabricate parts. Students will learn additional technologies such as 3D printing, CNC routing, and laser cutting. Students will receive and introduction to design thinking by doing at least one project of their own choosing for a real client.
Digital Art (DA - G10-G12, full year ) – Students will learn digital art technologies such as drawing, digital photography, video, animation, digital message boards, podcasting, and multimedia presentations. There will be a strong emphasis on designing for a purpose and context. Students will also reflect on and evaluate their own and their classmates’ designs and document their own designs and design processes.