To bring this knowledge to the classroom, the National Association for Amateur Radio (ARRL) hosted a four-day training event that explained the benefits of radio technology.
Through hands-on activities, educators learned how to incorporate amateur (ham) radio and wireless technology into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
At the event, teachers used radios and antennas to learn how to direction find signals, download weather satellite images, use digital decoding tools, and more.
“I went to the ARRL Teachers Institue looking for new ways to engage my students, and I came back with an exciting new toolbox of knowledge and resources,” said Thomas Smolka, a teacher at Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School. “It’s been one of the most beneficial professional development experiences of my career. A game-changer for your STEM classroom and Telemetry Communications /applications for the new solar car team. I’m very thankful to Staten Island Tech for hosting this opportunity.”
By incorporating this knowledge into classrooms, students will learn and experiment with STEM areas of instruction. They will get to participate in hands-on activities that give meaningful connections to lessons that would normally be abstract in the classroom.
According to StatenIslander.org, Nine teachers from Staten Island and NYC attended the event. They not only learned about radio and how to use it as a platform for STEM learning but also earned their FCC Amateur Radio Licenses and received approximately $1,300 in equipment to use in their classrooms to engage students.
Attendees:
The ARRL Teachers Institute is a donor-funded professional development program that allows teachers to elevate their STEM/STEAM programs nationwide at no cost.
For more information, visit the ARRL website. If a school administrator is interested in hosting a Teachers Institute, they should contact Steve Goodgame (K5ATA).
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