This from PopTech – If this doesn’t encourage us to build STEM labs for youngsters, I don’t know what will…Dan Nocera’s video on personalized energy is very SMART thinking!
Dan Nocera: Personalized Energy from PopTech on Vimeo.
Arizona State University and Scottsdale Unified School District are leading the way for other schools in the field of energy sustainability. Bonny Bentzin, Director of University Sustainability Practice at the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability and Dr. David Peterson, Asst. Superintendent for Facilities at SUSD are taking advantage of some new Solar Initiatives that are adding up to big savings and a lower carbon footprint for the schools.
The ASU projects are the largest solar installation at a US University and the power generated is the equivalent of that needed to power 275 homes or taking 420 cars off the road! The project cost NO UPFRONT $$ for the University through a Photovoltaic System Services Management Agreement between ASU and Sun Devil Solar, LLC. The systems were supplied by SolEquity under a lease purchase agreement.
At SUSD, Dr. Peterson worked hard to change legislation in AZ to allow school districts to enter into long-term lease purchase agreements in order to fund the installation of solar panels on K-12 Campuses. With the passage of ARS 15-213.01, “a school district may contract for the procurement of a guaranteed energy cost savings contract with a qualified provider through a competitive sealed proposal process as provided by the procurement practices adopted by the state board of education.” By making use of third party owner-operator agreements, the schools are able to take advantage of up to 70% savings on the initial equipment installation through local and federal grant programs, thereby lowering payback time dramatically .
The polyurethane skin of this utility bldg is described as "a public square wrapped around a box"
This project spotted on the Playscapes Blog…. The new city Leidsche Rijn in the Netherlands built this utility bldg to house machinery that will recapture previously discarded waste heat in the form of hot water. The heat transfer station is a zero emmission building and is intended to supply all new buildings with heat and warm water.
The city challenged the architects (NL Architects) to design a skin for the building: the architects took them seriously. The skin is molded to follow the interal machinery, higher on one side than another…giving the building an attractive sculptural quality.
Climbing grips incorporated into the building skin
Then the architects proceeded to add playful features to encourage youth interaction with the building instead of vandalism: climbing grips inserted into the polyurethene skin, a “doorscope” which is a backward peephole inserted into the door allowing a view into the inner workings of the building rather than the traditional view outward…allowing the curious a view of the machinery,
…a sloped “hole” through the skin of the building and other strategically placed holes that create a playful water cistern and downspout action in the wet climate as well as allowing roosts for bats and other birds. Very SMART thinking!!
Great recommendation from the Ed-Tech Blog by Fred Sharpsteen: “The purpose of this course is to provide ”Just in Time” training through an online interface for K-12 educators based on the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). These standards are the basic technology skills every educator should possess. In the process, educators will develop their own skills and discover what students need in order to meet the NETS for Students, as well as the new MMC Online Experience requirement. ”
This awesome website has 21 skills educators can learn in a just-in-time fashion such as blogging, collaboration tools, assessment tools, online surveys, content area tools, digital citizenship, digital images, podcasting, etc. etc. Each link has FREE resources online for you to use and a quick exercise to do. SMART thinking ! Check it out.
www.urinalfly.com
Urinal with Sticker
According to the product developers at UrinalFly, urinals with the “fly” have a whopping 85% less umm “spillage”…other stickers such as targets are available. The stickers last about a year.
This is totally SMART thinking for our boys restrooms!!!
Recycled Bus Parts Make Fun New Bus Stops
Spotted on The Design Blog: designer Christopher Fennell is bringing new life and a creative, fun twist to bus stops by reusing old bus parts. We applaud this SMART (and sustainable) thinking!
Totally flexible projection screen, pin up boards and whiteboards can be moved anywhere in the room on the wall-mounted rails
Diagram illustrates wall system
Teachers spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to maximize wall space while still keeping it flexible to work in small groups, large group, and a variety of other configurations. This wall system allows rooms to be easily changed from one configuration to another.
As the SIS folks demonstrate, each component can be lifted and moved by teachers and even students! No calling maintenance for rearranging the boards. Great idea and definitely SMART thinking!
Elementary Students at Deer Hill study science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interactive, hands-on setting
STEM allows students to learn about the scientific method and science phenomenon in a hands-on setting. Where better to introduce the love of these than elementary school? Students at this Massachusetts school have the opportunity to study complex systems through exploration and experience. The lab, created through a $35,000 grant, serves students in grade three though five (about 350 students) at Deer Hill and covers the areas of earth science, life science, technology/engineering, data gathering and analysis. STEM has been promoted by the White House as a model that American schools should follow; starting in elementary school is SMART thinking!
Active Voting devices have been gaining popularity as interactive teaching tools in the classroom. The instructor uses the devices to get immediate student participation and feedback. The software allows for quick quizzes and polling and gives a real-time response to students. The software can record each student’s responses to let the teacher assess how well the material is being absorbed; allowing her to adjust the lesson plan accordingly.
I recently had the opportunity to utilize student response devices in a presentation at the Council of Educational Facility Planners Intl Annual Conference in Washinton DC. The devices (generously loaned by Classroom Performance System ) added a whole new level of interactivity and discussion to the presentation.
The next generation of classroom response devices will allow students (or anyone) to utilize PDAs, cellphones, laptops or any web enabled device through a web-based system called SoftClick. – Molly Smith
Food Court Designs Add Appeal and a Welcoming Atmosphere to the Cafeteria
Schools around the country are thinking about the old cafeteria dining. Cafeterias are often noisy, drab and unpleasant places to be. Schools that I’ve worked with lately are rethinking the purpose of the dining experience. It’s an important place to socialize and to learn manners. Why shouldn’t students have a nice dining experience? Even elementary schools are separating the dining and PE rooms to create food courts.
I met up with the folks from Interior Systems Inc. at the NSSEA show in Phoenix in November. While they aren’t the only system out there, their brochure gives some pretty nice ideas for making over the cafeteria. The ISI folks also have a pretty nice blog at http://blog.isiamerica.com/search/label/education. – Molly Smith
The 10-inch MSI Wind was one of the first netbooks—low-cost, compact laptops designed for online use that have become popular tools in districts. (from District Administration Magazine)
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