Laurie Karolek
4th Grade
Meet the Maker
Meet the Maker
My name is Laurie Karolek. I am a Fourth Grade teacher at Elmwood Elementary. Maker culture is important because it emphasizes the importance of real world problem solving and gives students opportunities to ideate, prototype, and create innovative solutions.
My name is Laurie Karolek. I am a Fourth Grade teacher at Elmwood Elementary. Maker culture is important because it emphasizes the importance of real world problem solving and gives students opportunities to ideate, prototype, and create innovative solutions.
Provocation:
Provocation:
A lot of people get a new tech tool and don’t understand how to use it effectively. How could incoming fourth graders and their families gain a better understanding of how iPads and apps can be used to increase learning in productive, safe, responsible, and respectful ways?
A lot of people get a new tech tool and don’t understand how to use it effectively. How could incoming fourth graders and their families gain a better understanding of how iPads and apps can be used to increase learning in productive, safe, responsible, and respectful ways?
Maker Plan: Introduce 1:1 iPads
Maker Plan: Introduce 1:1 iPads
This project was designed to ease the implementation of 1:1 iPads for fourth grade students and other new users. Current fourth grade students, after using their school-provided iPads for nearly a complete school year, determined key issues facing new users and then designed lessons to help the new users best utilize iPads for school.
This project was designed to ease the implementation of 1:1 iPads for fourth grade students and other new users. Current fourth grade students, after using their school-provided iPads for nearly a complete school year, determined key issues facing new users and then designed lessons to help the new users best utilize iPads for school.
What we are making, Why we are Making, Who we are Making for:
What we are making, Why we are Making, Who we are Making for:
We are designing lessons to teach incoming fourth graders and students new to fifth or sixth grade in New Berlin about the benefits and responsibilities of managing a school-owned iPad.
We are designing lessons to teach incoming fourth graders and students new to fifth or sixth grade in New Berlin about the benefits and responsibilities of managing a school-owned iPad.
Maker Skill Builders:
Maker Skill Builders:
Redesign Rosie Revere's Helicopter
Redesign Rosie Revere's Helicopter
After reading the book, students redesigned and tested paper helicopters.
See video below.
Coding with Sphero
Coding with Sphero
Use block coding to program Sphero robots.
Tip: Use with Math Topic 16
Students coded straight, obtuse, right, and acute angles.
Ready, Set, Design!
Ready, Set, Design!
The Challenge: Design a device to carry packages.
More photos below.
Engineering paper helicopters.MOV
Fourth Graders teaching Third Graders about having a school iPad
Fourth Graders teaching Third Graders about having a school iPad
Must know tips for Teachers:
Must know tips for Teachers:
Students gathered data from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students (one class of each) prior to determining which lessons would be most important to teach.