SOUTH PORTLAND — When the South Portland School Department
bought iPads for middle schoolers earlier this year, some taxpayers derided the
plan, saying it provided students with “nothing but toys.” But sixth-graders at
Mahoney Middle School have shown how much more than can do with the new
technology.
For the past month, students in STEM classes –
project-based curriculums that focus on science, technology, engineering and
math – have worked to create styluses for their classmates and teachers to use
on the new iPads.
“Students have learned about the technology
inside their iPads, the science of conductivity, and how to create tools that
are both attractive and accurate,” said the district’s technology director,
Andrew Wallace.
“Using nearly 100 percent recycled materials
from Ruth's Reusable Resources, each class came up with their best design. The
students then formed production, advertising and marketing teams to prepare for
their pitch to a wider audience,” said Wallace.
On Friday, judges, including Mayor Patti Smith
and Board of Education Chairman Tappan Fitzgerald, met to hear presentations
from each student team, and to test the product.
“It was an honor to be a judge,” said Smith.
“There were some very great products put together.
“It just goes to show you how amazing young
folks are,” she said, “and how they understand the whole process of
engineering, of not only solving a problem and making something people want and
need, but also selling it by describing the features and benefits. I was
really, really surprised and blown away by their efforts.
“They really went all out,” continued Smith.
“It’s always hard to pick a winner, but I think they all showed they really
learned and understood the whole engineering cycle – how to take a thought all
the way through manufacture and cost analysis to marketing and convincing
people to buy that product.
“What I learned is that the next generation is
very design orientated,” said Smith. “They have a desire to solve problems, but
to do it in kind of a neat, stylish way.”
The winning team included Cameron Andrews, Josef Conti,
Nikole Herring, Rebecca Hooker, Spencer Houlette, Michael Ingham, Khem
Johnston, Ephraim Keese, Chance Lamour, Emma Mackie,
Molly Malczynski,
Jack Napolitano, Erin Sawyer and Matt Silvius-I'Aboni.
Asked what set the winning entry apart, Smith said the
decision was a “group consensus” among the judges and “very hard.”
“We talked about functionality, we talked about how they
proposed their features and benefits, if they had added value, and were the
pieces uses consistent in terms of manufacturing. So, there was a lot of
criteria involved.”
According to Wallace, the “Pad Pen stylus”
developed by the winning team will now go into production for use by the entire
South Portland School community.
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