At Montana State University, the Science and Math Resource Center (SMRC) and the EDU 370 (Integrating Technology into Education) partnered to build the capacity of 45 undergraduate, pre-service teachers in their thinking about integrating sensors into diverse classrooms. SMRC bought microcontrollers (Circuit Playground Express) as well as any additional accessories for each member of the EDU 370 class. 

Over the course of two semesters (Spring ‘22 and Fall ‘23), the instructor of EDU 370 (Dr. Jake Chipps) provided instruction on the features and capabilities of the Circuit Playground Express. Students were then assigned the following assignment: develop a Do It Yourself (DIY) style lesson plan for teachers across Montana that integrates physical sensors to standards aligned to their respective learning domains. Students had the freedom to determine what a DIY lesson plan should look like, given the needs of Montana teachers who might not have any background in physical computing. The only requirements were that lessons should: include some physical computing artifact that supports K-12 students in learning content within some domain; provide an overview; materials required; rationale, and; a step-by-step process for developing the physical artifact. 

Pre-service teachers developed a single webpage in a collaborative Google Sites project, where they uploaded their lesson so that the site can be pushed to all teachers across Montana. On the collaborative Google Site, content was organized by grade band: K-5; 6-8, and; 9-12. Students developed a variety of lessons, ranging from content-specific projects to behavior management interventions. In an anonymous poll, 90% of students reported that they would use some form of microcontroller in their future classes. 

Moving forward, the Science Math Resource Center will create kits from the most successful lesson plans so that future EDU 370 students and educators engaging with Montana K-12 students, can implement the lesson plans and expand the use of physical computing using sensors across Montana classrooms. 

Disclaimer:

This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.