SF Bay Area Chapter

Salesforce Future Trailblazers Global Maker Challenge '19

SF Bay Area Chapter

SFUSD, OUSD, and Salesforce are working together to support a small number of middle grades teachers to implement the Future Trailblazer challenge. In this project-based challenge, teams of students will use design thinking to prototype a solution to a selected United Nations (UN) sustainable development goal:

Students will explore a selected goal and design and evaluate a number of potential solutions. Projects can range from a new transportation model, to an innovative trash management system or even a connected faucet. The idea is to provide space for the students to identify the issues they see around them and in the world, and find creative ways to solve them via a concrete mock-up.

Additionally, they will build skills in three domains: (1) coding, (2) electronics/circuitry, and (3) 3D printing. As students refine a project design, student teams will deepen and apply these skills to collaboratively develop a prototype. Then, students will learn to pitch and present their solution and showcase their design at a Salesforce developer conference in front of hundreds of thousands of attendees, with a chance to win awesome prizes. Throughout this process, Salesforce volunteers, organized through the schools’ Circle the Schools partners, will support teams in the classroom and materials will be provided to support the making of the projects.

Project Goals:

Learn and deepen skills in 3D printing, coding, and electronics.
Explore how new technologies can influence innovation and help solve real-world challenges.
Discover some of the world’s biggest challenges by researching UN sustainable development goals.
Apply design thinking and technology skills to prototype solutions to a selected issue/challenge.
Practice entrepreneurial skills in working collaboratively, providing and soliciting feedback, and presenting solutions and the development process to others.

Participants

We will select a diverse set of about ten SFUSD & OUSD middle grades sites to participate. Teachers will implement during one elective computer science, STEAM, or related course, over about six weeks in the fourth quarter (after spring break).

Participants will receive:

Full, project-based curriculum (lesson plans, activities, videos, resources) to teach 3D printing, coding, and electronics skills and guide the design process (currently under development)
Materials to support implementation, including 3D printer and filament, micro:bits, and electronics components
Training and support for teachers to deepen their skills and prepare to implement the curriculum and design challenge, including substitute coverage on two days
Field trips and transportation related to the challenge
Extended calendar payment for training outside of the school day
Volunteers to support student teams in the classroom during the challenge, at least once per week

We ask participants to commit to:

Attend two trainings on Tuesday, January 29th and Tuesday, February 26th.
Complete their own project as part of PD between the two training sessions.
Teach a six-week curriculum and guide students in designing and prototyping solutions.
Administer pre- and post- surveys (<5 minutes) to students to collect data on student perceptions of technology and design.
Provide feedback on the curriculum and challenge to improve future iterations.

Timeline

Thursday, December 20: Confirm participation in program. Provide substitute coverage details.
Tuesday, January 29th: First teacher training, covering an introduction to the challenge process, skills in 3D printing and electronics, and early prototyping
January 30th to February 25th: Teacher homework, to work on their own design projects before the second PD session.
Tuesday, February 26th: Second teacher training, covering pitching sessions and feedback, plus how to facilitate the design process
Monday, April 1st: Begin teaching the six-week curriculum.
Tuesday, May 14th: Participate in the first Maker Faire at the Salesforce office, where student teams showcase their prototypes.
Wednesday, May 29th: Invited teams participate in the regional finale at TrailheaDX.

Project Guidelines

Each team is tasked with designing their vision of a Sustainable Future, according to this features:

Projects need to be related to at least 1 Sustainable Development Goal.
Projects should be related to the students interest.
The links with SDGs goals and students interest need to be clearly articulated.
Use of 3D printing and/or electronics (LED, servo-motors...) is required. (Other materials, like cardboard, are also encouraged.)
Projects should be able to be placed on a 36" diameter round table.
Each team must be composed of 3 to 6 students maximum.
Each team has the option to use a computer or tablet for their pitch.
Be creative on how the mock-up is created!

Competition Details

Attendees of each Maker Faire will listen to the teams' projects and vote for their favorite.
Each team will be ranked based on the number of votes they receive from attendees.
Entries will be judged on how they best reflect the SDGs and creative use of technology.
In case of a tie score, every Salesforce.org Program Managers will vote to break the tie.
To ensure you are eligible to receive a prize, winners may be required to provide written ethics certification that they may accept the prize under relevant gifting laws and policies.

Prizes

Six teams will be selected to take part in the regional finale at TrailheaDX, and each will receive a prize.

This is a draft list of prizes and can be changed at any time:

Grand Prize: Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D Printer + Enclosure & Filaments.
2nd Prize: Sphero Education Kit
3rd Prize: Micro:bits Inventors kits x5
4th to 6th Prize: 5x new Raspberry Pi Model A+

Next Steps

SFUSD schools:

To confirm or decline participation, please write to Andrew Rothman by Thursday, December 20th.
Participating teachers should also complete this substitute request form, including a preferred substitute teacher and his/her employee ID. (Including a preferred substitute is important for securing a sub on the training dates.)

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