On Wednesday, families gathered for a night of fun, STEM inspired activities during the annual K-5 Family Technology Night! Teachers from William O. Schaefer Elementary School and Cottage Lane Elementary School, along with students from Tappan Zee High School, hosted a variety of hands-on activities inspired by the technology and engineering curriculum to allow students to problem-solve, design, build and experiment.
Students eagerly rotated between several different stations featuring Dash robots, Snap Circuits, LED name tags, Brushbots, Strawbees and Legos. TZHS Computer Science teacher and Grades 6-12 Math Instructional Coach Karen Connell and members of the TZHS Computer Science Club hosted a “code dance party” using Scratch Live and the FIRST Robotics Team, SO BOTZ, brought a competition robot for students to test drive.
“For K-5 Technology Night, we always want to emphasize that technology doesn’t always have to involve screen time,” explained K-12 Instructional Technology Coach Marc Eckert, who organized the annual event. “We planned activities that are hands-on to get the students involved and they’re completely engaged in what they’re doing— whether they’re building Snap Circuits or designing their own 3-D objects using Strawbees.”