Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC

Middle Schoolers Deepen Geography Lessons with STEAM

Middle school students used STEAM tools to turn ordinary posters into an interactive electrical engineering project.
Geography students researched subjects from ancient Egypt and China, then created posters to share interesting information about subjects including Mt. Everest, the Himalayas, King Tut, papyrus and pyramids. But rather than stopping there, students added a STEAM component to their projects using a tool called Makey Makey.

Makey Makey uses closed loop electrical signals to to turn unexpected items into touchpads and computer keyboards. Working at IDEA Space, students created electrical circuits that turned their already-creative posters into interactive learning models. Viewers can touch buttons to watch video and listen to audio on iPads for added information. 

Watch an example of how the projects came together here. 

This project is one of many designed to integrate STEAM learning at IDEA Space with core curriculum subjects for students of all ages. To learn more about how students across the metro can take advantage of cross-curricular learning at IDEA Space, join our mailing list.
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    • Connecting history, English, and other core curriculum subjects with technology gives Barstow students a deeper understanding of the material.

    • Geography students researched topics and created posters.

    • At IDEA Space, they learned to use Makey Makey to design and engineer electrical circuits...

    • ...and connected those circuits from their posters to their iPads.

    • The result is interactive posters that allow users to push buttons and watch videos or listen to audio about the subject matter.

    • Sharing their work with an authentic audience makes the lesson memorable and meaningful.

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