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Making Waves with Radio: Empowering Informal STEM Educators
Wireless radio communications, such as Wi-Fi, transmit public and private data from one device to another, including cell phones, computers, medical equipment, satellites, space rockets, and air traffic control. Despite their critical role and prevalence, many people are unfamiliar with radio waves, how they are generated and interact with their surroundings, and why they are the basis of modern communication and navigation. Making Waves with Radio has created a series of hands-on activities and professional resources to assist educators in presenting these topics to diverse audiences.
Pillar 1: Innovative Use of Technologies in Learning and Teaching
Hands-on activities include a training video and materials in Spanish. Two of the activities also use a mobile app to assist learners. This downloadable kit of hands-on activities help learners explore the phenomena, uses, and societal impact of radio technologies using everyday materials to engage in hands-on experimentation with radio waves. Youth use the BBC micro:bit and the Teknikio Bluebird to design a solution to a community-based problem. A mobile app story shares about radio communications during a hurricane.
Pillar 2: Partnerships for Career and Workforce Preparation.
To support informal STEM educators, we partner with science centers, museums, & community-based organizations: the Children’s Creativity Museum, Museum of Life and Science, Explora, Sciencenter, El Centro Hispano, El Futuro, and the Global Alliance for Community Science Workshops. A community of practice (CoP) serving Latiné families was also convened for professional learning: Arecibo Observatory, Brownsville Museum, Columbia Memorial Space Center, Corpus Christi Museum, Explora, and Children's Museum of Brownsville.
Pillar 3: Strategies for Equity in STEM Education
Our team has used the following strategies to support equity in design: Codesign with educators, youth and radio engineering experts to ensure inclusive and culturally responsive materials; Design for a range of modalities to demystify radio communications, and the systems and values involved; Support a CoP and in partnership with Latiné-serving organizations who work closely with youth and families; Leverage long-standing national dissemination networks to reach a diverse set of learners, educators, and communities.
Discipline(s)
Physics and astronomy
Target Gradespan(s)
Other
Target Participant(s)
Educators
Project Setting(s)
Informal Education
Category
Developing and Testing Innovations (DTI)