Beginning in the fall of 2019, Makey Makey Kits will arrive at Pierceton Elementary School’s fourth grade classrooms. The kits are an extension of PES commitment to continue to engage their students in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
"This grant will serve to help bolster the commitment that Whitko Community Schools is making to provide the highest level of STEM instruction to our Pre-K through 12 students," stated Ward Lamon, Whitko's Director of Curriculum and Special Services.
The kits will allow students to experiment with alligator clips (often used in electronics to secure a wired connection) by attaching them to conductive items throughout the classroom to bring various outcomes to their computer screens in real time.
According the the website, Makey Makes Kits “turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything inbetween.”
The innovative idea allows for endless imaginative possibilities for students to attach their clips to pizza, tin foil, even water, really anything to affect the outcomes of video games, typing, presentation tools, music and more!
Whitko’s fourth grade teacher Anne Clark was instrumental in helping bring this grant to Pierceton Elementary School. Clark has been an advocate in the classroom through other projects like “Socktober” in the fall of 2018. Her classroom raised funds, and socks, to supply the homeless from Shepherd’s House in Fort Wayne with fresh pairs of socks.
If you’d like to see one of the kits in action, Makey Makes produced a TED Talk and the link is attached here.