Teacher STEAM Contest to Award Classroom Kits
Educators have until Nov. 6 to apply for the Teachers Contest sponsored by Instructibles.com, with prizes by KitHub.
To enter, teachers are asked to create and publish a STEAM teaching project that could be used by other teachers, using Instructibles tools. Those unfamiliar with the Instructibles process can get the basics here.
Prizes include access to afterschool maker programs and classroom kits kids can use to design motorized "artbots" and paper circuits.
Some entries already published to the site include a derby racer, a cereal box robot and a simple voice recognition device. Instructibles members can vote on entries, while a panel of judges will rate the finalists.
Instructibles grew of out of MIT Labs, where the future founders of Squid Labs collaborated on early projects. It spun out of Squid Labs in 2006 and now claims a range of participants from around the world. "From cooking to 3D printing, to making just about anything fly, Instructables became the recipient of countless hours of tinkering, soldering, stitching, frying, and fun, making just about anything," according to the web site.
Membership is free to students and teachers.
The site has run over 700 contests in the past, including recent competitions to design fiber art and wireless tools. There have been baking contests, competitions to devise creations with moving parts, and contests using plastics — all encouraging students and teachers to explore at the intersection of art and science.
The present teacher-only contest seeks projects created specifically by educators, incorporating at least two of the five STEAM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Organizers say they are especially eager to see how teachers are able to combine multiple subjects into a single lesson plan.
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Based in Annapolis, MD, Adam Stone writes on education technology, government and military topics.