PROJECT PLAN

INQUIRY MODULE
BRIAN ASKINS SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

DESCRIPTION
In this project I will be exploring how these new technologies can be used
in the elementary education setting to inspire students to be creative
through STEAM. STEAM is a term used for the academic topics of Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Creativity is vital in a
child’s development, and it allows students to be adventurous and explore
new potentials and the STEAM system allows students to be creative while
still learning important information. With the advancement of technology in
the past few years, we have access to so much high end machinery that
can be used to help young students engage in what they are learning, and
still keeping their creative minds at work. I would like to explore tech in the
IgnitED labs like 3D printers, Virtual Reality headsets, and the AIY kits. I
believe that all of these technologies can be used in the classroom to
inspire creativity in the future generation of children.

SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST

My subject area of interest is STEAM in the elementary setting. I am
studying elementary education to later become an Elementary school
teacher and would love to learn how I can possibly implement these new
technologies into the classroom to inspire kids using skills that they like.
IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (AI)
In the IgnitED labs I chose to explore the DIY AI kits that are available.
These kits allow you to experiment with Artificial Intelligence and tinker
with the product until you get something that you like. I chose this because
I believe it allows students to use their creativity to learn how Artificial
Intelligence works.

1. I believe the future of education will focus heavily on technology, and

teaching children how to write codes for these new technologies to
understand what makes them run. Using the AIY kits, it is easier for
students to understand the basics of AI. The AI Vision kit shows how
computers can track and understand facial expressions, which then
leaves the creativity up to the student to decide what they can do
with it.
2. Right now there are not a lot of people who know how to code these
or how to use them. When I was in the IgnitED labs it was hard for
me to understand how the AI Kits worked with the limited time I had
with them. However they did not look super difficult to learn and if
taught properly I would be able to use them efficiently. Because of
the lack of knowledge, this technology is not being used to its full
capability. It is important to teach this in the classroom so it is
introduced at a young age and many more people can develop the
technology even further.
3. Artificial Intelligence can be used for both good and bad outside of
the original intended purpose. AI can be used to help solve math
equations that would take humans an unreasonable amount of time
to complete, as the computer can continually run tests to find the
exact answer. AI can be used for bad as it can detect facial
identification and possibly in the future be used to steal a person’s
identity.
IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (XR)
In the Extended Reality area I plan to use the virtual reality headsets to
see how they can inspire creativity. I chose this technology because there
are so many opportunities that fulfill most of the sections of STEAM. Using
the VR headset you can experience things you normally would not be able
to go visit in person, like artwork paintings, or even learn how to design in
a 3D plane, something that was almost impossible to do before now.

1. I believe the Extended Reality area will change the way that students
learn by immersing them into a world they would not be able to visit
in the real world, and letting their creativity run wild while still
teaching them new things. I was able to explore the drawing
applications and viewing applications in my visit to the IgnitED labs. I
believe these will allow students to have fun while they are learning
how to work in 3D space.
2. The technology is expensive and not accessible to everyone
currently, so only a few people are actually able to experience it. In
the future I believe the technology will become less expensive and
really allow anyone the power to explore the virtual world and
challenge their creativity to make the world a better place. The
technology has already come so far in recent years and prices have
already dropped significantly that I can say eventually it will be in the
hands of the common student.
3. This technology will be used to help create a virtual world to engage
children and students and help them visualize what they are learning
about. However, I can also see this becoming a very distracting piece
of technology as it can distract a student with all the available video
games attached to it. If used correctly it can enhance the learning
experience while not completely replacing it.
IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (IOT)
The Internet of Things contains so many different technologies. Research
by professors from Indiana University-Purdue University shows that 3D
printers can also use the IoT to communicate what they are printing to the
printer and the cloud. The IoT allows remote control and monitoring of the
printer which would allow 3D printing to become more widespread. I chose
to explore 3D printers because it allows students to be creative and learn
how to create prototypes and refine their work.

1. Using 3D printing in the classroom will highly affect the way people
learn in the future. I already have seen it in effect in one of my
middle school classrooms when I went back to visit my previous
teachers. Students can learn how to use CAD software to design
something and print it to see how it turns out. If it does not turn out
the way they had expected, they can go back to the file and edit it
until it is exactly what they are looking for. This really encourages the
idea of testing until something works, which is used in many areas
like science and math.
2. 3D printing is a very difficult subject to learn, as there are many
small tasks happening at once, and if anything goes wrong, it can
take quite a bit to figure the issue out. I know this from personal
experience as I have spent a lot of time trying to fix issues that have
popped up with my own 3D printer. Then adding the Internet of
Things aspect to 3D printing also makes everything just a little more
complicated. Education is necessary in order to get 3D printing
widespread, as it will take many engineers to create and fix issues
with them.
3. This technology can be used for good as it allows students around
the world to get a hands on feel of something that would otherwise
only be in their imagination. Encouraging this will allow students to
think about things that will help change the world, and improve the
way in which we live as humans. It introduces them into the world of
 technology in a fun way. There has always been the argument that
3D printing can be bad because it can be used to create plastic guns
or weapons that will get past metal detectors, but there are already
measures in place to make sure that these specific files and products
cannot get into the hands of the general public.

RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
Exploring the IgnitED Labs was a great experience to see what the
newest technologies in our world are right now. I believe that many of
these things can be used in the classroom to positively encourage creativity
and learning. With the introduction of STEAM in the past few years, it really
allows students to explore these pieces of tech while working towards a
future goal to improve the way in which we live. Interacting with
technology will not completely replace face to face interaction, but it will
enrich it.

It is important for kids to understand that what they are learning will
eventually help them in the real world. These technologies let them explore
how they might use their creativity in the areas of Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. While it may be a little difficult for
young elementary school students to learn, once you get to around 5th
grade level and higher you can introduce these lessons. If used for good,
our world will become more advanced and allow everyone to live an easier
and safer life.

PERSONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

In my experience the AI DIY kits were the most difficult to
understand since I have never worked with them before, but they did not
seem super hard to get a grasp on if I spent more time with them. I felt it
was a good way to understand how Artificial Intelligence works at a very
basic level. In the Extended Reality I was actually able to grasp the
technology pretty quickly even though it was the first time I had
experienced it. I believe this helps people think more dimensionally and
understand the world in a way we usually don’t think about. In the Internet
of Things I explored the 3D printers and how they can be controlled
remotely through the IoT. While I was not able to use the IoT feature, it
was still interesting to see the 3D printers and what they can be used for to
help students create a physical object of what they are imagining.
 Works Cited

Li, S., Freije, E., Yerling P. (2017). Monitoring 3d printer performance using
internet of things (IoT) application. ​American Society for Engineering
Education. ​Retrieved from
https://peer.asee.org/monitoring-3d-printer-performance-using-intern
et-of-things-iot-application.pdf