Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Scribble Bots Part 1



A variable is an element or feature that changes in an experiment or project. Here is a list of possible variable items of an Scribble Bot:

1. Location of the motor
2. Speed of the motor
3. Vibration of the motor
4. Weight of the motor
5. Type of markers used
6. Quantity (how many) markers are used
7. Weight of the markers used
8. Weight ON the markers or some of the markers
9. Colors of the markers used
10. Height of the markers on the Art Bot
11. Direction of the markers (straight vs. slanted)
12. Type of base used


We began creating our bots today.





Thursday, April 28, 2016

Monday, April 25, 2016

We Made it into the Lewisville Texan Journal!

How COOL is this?!?!?!?  We made it in the Lewisville Texan Journal Newspaper!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

No GG this Thursday

Just a reminder that there is NO Gizmo Girls meeting Thursday, April 21.


Thursday, April 14, 2016

States of Matter with our Peeps

States of Matter Reviewed





Gizmo Girls are LISD famous!

Coyote Ridge Encourages Girls to Explore Interests in STEM Activities

April 14, 2016 
 
The Gizmo Girls at Coyote Ridge Elementary encourages third through fifth grade girls to explore everything STEM.

Coyote Ridge According to The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the number of female engineers, though still very low, has improved since the 80’s, climbing from 5.8% to around 14%. With stereotypes such as linking masculinity to technology still prevalent in today’s society, Coyote Ridge Elementary is doing it’s part in encouraging girls to take a deeper look into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“Research shows that girls perform equally as well as boys in math and science throughout K-12, yet within the math, computer science, and engineering workforce, the percentages of females working in those fields change dramatically,” Coyote Ridge Principal Michele Jacobsen said. "The hope through Gizmo Girls is to reinforce the desire and support the inquiry our female students have in science, technology, engineering, and math and give them an opportunity to investigate, feel confident, and explore the wide range of career opportunities available.”Coyote Ridge

The Gizmo Girls club, made up of eight third, fourth and fifth grade girls and sponsored by four teachers, is in its first year at Coyote Ridge. The club meets on Thursdays after school where the group experiments with different STEM activities, including Google cardboard and constructing support bridges out of newspaper.

“There’s a lot of critical-thinking and problem-solving going on,” Computer Literacy Teacher and Gizmo Girls Club Sponsor Liana Alvarez said. “The activities we are doing are a lot of fun, but really educational at the same time, so the girls love it.”

In order to be a part of Gizmo Girls, each of the students had to go through an application process that entailed each of them receiving permission from their teachers to participate where their grades and how they were performing in class was considered. They also had to write an essay explaining why they thought they were a good fit for the club and create a product, whether it be an iMovie, PicCollage, or a hand drawn picture, that described who Coyote Ridge they were and what their interests were.
 
“We had several students do experiments,” Alvarez said. “But each of them had to upload their product into Google Drive and share them with us. There were a lot of little details they had to sort out in order to apply for the club.”

With the club so new, now only in its fourth week, the girls quickly took a liking to the activities and look forward to their club time each week.

“I really liked the activity when we experimented with augmented reality versus virtual reality,” third grade student Sahasra Reddy said. “You can visit a whole new world without having to physically go anywhere - it’s really cool.”Coyote Ridge

For Reddy, STEM fields run in the family. “My dad’s a computer engineer and he teaches me a lot already, so being in this club gives me a chance to learn even more.”

Alvarez added: “We really want to empower these girls; the club gives them an opportunity to shine and discover and explore everything STEM.”

To see more photos of the Gizmo Girls during their club time, click here. To stay up to date with the Gizmo Girls through their blog, click here.


Thursday, April 7, 2016

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality


  • QuiverVision sheet. We colored an augmented reality scheet and brought it to life.  


  • AR & VR Explained.  Virtual reality is total immersion into the world.  Augmented reality combines/blends and enhancement into our world.  


  •  Using Google Cardboard and a smartphone, we rode a virtual rollercoaster, saw dinosaurs, swam with a whale shark, and so much more! It was a bunch of fun.






Thursday, March 31, 2016

Bridges Continued


  • The Engineering Process

  • Complete Bridges and test them out!



Thursday, March 24, 2016

Bridges


  • Critical Thinking Warm Up
  • What is an engineer video clip
  • Newspaper Bridge: How can we successfully build a bridge that can support at least 4 lbs for a whole minute?

  • Imaginative Solutions (chose one from choices 1-5).  We will share these next meeting date.

Monday, March 21, 2016

We have our Gizmo Girls!

Congratulations to Alona, Srushti, Julia, Khadija, Sahasra, Austin, Bree, and Aesha!

Get ready girls, we are going to have a great time!

Friday, February 19, 2016

What is Gizmo Girls???

Gizmo Girls is a small after-school engineering club run by Mrs. Alvarez, Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Martinez, and Mrs. Wall that will develop leadership and creative thinking and problem-solving skills, to foster sustained interest in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, and empower girls.

We will meet once a week to explore and create. We can't wait to see who will join us!

Download Application