I teach the Industrial Technology Education class at a middle school. ITE is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) class, with the emphasis in engineering. Students who excelled in the 7th grade ITE class have the opportunity to take the advanced ITE class in 8th grade.
Since students in my advanced ITE class are selected based upon their performance in the 7th grade ITE class, the gender, ethnicity, and financial barriers aren't a factor in determining enrollment for the class.
Students are not required to be in the gifted and talented (GT) core classes either.
In ITE, students work in collaborative groups using the design process to solve real-world problems through activities, projects, and problem-based learning. They define the problem, conduct research, brainstorm, generate concepts, develop a solution, construct and test a prototype, evaluate solution, modify prototype, and present their solution to the class.
My Project
In the "Behind the Adventures" three-hour tour at Universal Studios, students will learn how physics, technology, and engineering are involved in creating one of the world's most technologically advanced theme park. Students will tour "The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man", "The Incredible Hulk Coaster", and "Universal's Islands of Adventure".
The Florida trip also includes the following: Four nights lodging; four buffet breakfast; one day admission to Wet n Wild; hotdog & hamburger BBQ at Wet n Wild; one day admission to SeaWorld; one meal voucher at SeaWorld; one 2-day (park to park) admission to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure; lunch at NBA or NASCAR Grille; Blue Man Group Show; three (3) Universal meal vouchers; tour escort with 24 hour emergency service; all taxes and gratuities; liability insurance coverage.
The ITE students are traveling with the band and chorus students for the Florida trip. They have already raised funds to pay for the tour bus.
Participating in the Universal Studios "Behind the Adventure" will expose students to vast and varied career choices, such as mechanical engineering, nanotechnology engineering, animation engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and software engineering.
I believe it's vital to engage students in STEM education and have them observe engineering careers, as it prepares them for future employment opportunities in STEM-related fields of the 21st century technical workplace.
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