The camp is now in its 20th year at PSU, directed by Electronics Engineering Technology Professor Randy Winzer.
The grant also will help Winzer upgrade the robotics kits used by students who attend the summer camp to LEGO Spike Prime kits — a STEAM learning tool designed for grades 6-8 which combines LEGO with easy-to-use hardware and a drag-and-drop programming language based on Scratch.
The first session of the camp is planned for July 11-15 at the Kansas Technology Center and the second session is planned for July 18-22. Children must be 9 years old by July 1 to enroll, with a recommended upper limit of 13. Enrollment is capped at 25.
The teacher workshop, taught by Winzer and Associate Professor Norm Philips, is open to 10 teachers; those who enroll in the program will attend the two five-day sessions and a teacher in-service on July 10. As of April 12, eight slots remain.
“We are planting a seed,” Winzer explained. “Their workshop will run concurrently with the robotics camp, so they’ll get to be hands-on with the technology and the kids in a simulated classroom setting to see how it works. They’ll be able to return to their schools with the tools, techniques, and experience necessary to implement this in their own communities.”
Teachers may register and find more information at www.pittstate.edu/air