Project Summary

STEAM: 21st Century Learning Meets FIRST Robotics is an innovative demonstration of project-based learning led by Cooperative Educational Service Agency #1 (CESA #1). Through the creation of a "classroom without walls," 16 students from five Southeastern Wisconsin school districts collaborated to produce a documentary called Purgolder Robotics: The 2009 Season, which tells the story of FIRST Robotics Competition team #1268 at Washington High School in Milwaukee.
 
Steam Team Students had access to the technology necessary to complete project activities, including the use of notebook computers pre-loaded with photo and video editing software. They also received webcams, headsets, flash drives, and one video camera per high school site. Students without Internet access at home were provided with wireless Internet access cards.

The students met face-to-face only three times throughout the spring 2009 semester. They primarily communicated via WebEx Connect, a collaborative online workspace provided by Cisco that enabled them to send instant messages, post messages on a discussion board, track events on a group calendar, store and share documents, and initiate PC-to-PC calls.
 
Students’ academic progress was guided and monitored by two certified teachers who are employed by CESA #1 and trained to serve as “learning specialists.” All students worked to achieve standards in 21st Century Skills and Life Skills. Some students also worked toward meeting standards in English language arts, business/marketing and informational communication technology. Student skills were measured at three levels: 1) emerging; 2) developing; or 3) proficient.

Districts designated an on-site advisor at each high school to facilitate communication and act as a point of contact for students, parents, and grant project staff. Volunteer mentors with filmmaking, editing and marketing expertise provided guidance and direction to students. Technical assistance was provided by the education department at MATA Community Media, Milwaukee’s public access cable channel. 		progress
 
Steam Team A second documentary entitled Making STEAM was produced by CESA #1 in collaboration with GriffinsRealm Productions and other project partners. This video highlights the activities and reflections of students and other participants as they engaged in this unique educational experience. This multi-layered project supports the WIRED initiative’s strategy to promote education innovation to equip students age 16 and over with the skills and competencies necessary for today’s workforce, as well as its strategy to act as a catalyst and mechanism for regional workforce collaboration among education, business, and community leaders through coordination with other organizations and government entities.
 
The STEAM project is just one recipe for education innovation and it produced its own unique results. Future attempts to replicate the project may contain some of the same ingredients and processes, but they will ultimately be new experiments with different outcomes.