(TNS) — Courtney Faith Nelson and Faith Dennis Ariel Chapman, both 9, sat on the floor of the Ficoll Williams Community Center in Homestead Wednesday morning, using electronic tablets. I was scanning it intently.
In front of them was a maze taped up. Primer Micro School students were inputting calculations into their computers to help the baseball-shaped robot navigate every corner of the course laid out in front of it.
Each time the robot moved, students had to enter a new line of code. This exercise was equally about computer understanding and incremental adaptation to new obstacles.
“My favorite part is learning to do calculations. You can learn calculations like where you need to go, where to turn, and how fast to go, so it helps your brain grow.” Courtney explained.
While the task certainly seemed difficult to many of the non-technical adults present, Courtney, Faith, and other children like 10-year-old Abraham Rodriguez certainly understood things. I was there.
“It's difficult for beginners,” Abraham said as the robot scooted along the course, resembling BB-8, the sphere-like droid from the “Star Wars” movies.
The approximately 30 students who showed off their skills not only worked with robots, but also through Fab Lab Miami, which provides hands-on instruction in digital fabrication and science, technology, engineering, and art to students from underserved communities. I was immersed in coding, including 3D printing. and mathematics learning – collectively referred to as STEAM.
First appearance in Liberty City
The Fab Lab opened in 2020 at Liberty City's Belafonte TACOLCY Community Center with funding from nonprofit organizations including The Children's Trust, Key Biscayne Community Foundation, Himan Brown Charitable Trust, Fa Bene Foundation, and Miami Foundation for a Greater Miami. was established in
Liberty City students came to Homestead this week to discover a new Fab Lab at Homestead focused on agriculture and agricultural technology, fields in demand in Florida City's Homestead and Redlands agriculture-driven economies. Because it will be launched.
“Well, technology is clearly the way of the future. Miami-Dade is a beautiful community, but the South is sometimes ignored in terms of funding programs. “Being able to bring a state-of-the-art, state-of-the-art location to South Dade and Homestead is a really good tie-in,” he told the Herald.
The Ficoll Williams Community Center Fab Lab was established with a $225,000 investment from the Children's Trust, Kirk Foundation, Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Key Biscayne Community Foundation, and Ocean Reef Community Foundation.
Most of the students participating will be middle school and high school students, but organizers are hoping elementary school students will also participate, said Ximena Nunez, communications director for the Children's Trust.
Haji said Fab Labs will soon open a third location in northern Miami-Dade County.
Isilda Humes is chief of staff at Gangs Alternative, a homestead nonprofit dedicated to providing educational and economic opportunities to keep children off the streets. She watched the Fab Lab kids demonstrate what they learned through the program and was excited about the possibilities for South Dade students.
“It's going to open up so many opportunities for black and brown kids who don't currently have these opportunities,” Humes said.
Brian Schreiner, dean of Florida International University's College of Communication, Architecture and the Arts, said Fab Lab teachers are trained on how to use technology provided to students by Florida International University staff. .
“Technology will never replace a good teacher, but in the hands of a good teacher, technology can be a real game changer,” Schreiner told attendees at the Homestead Fab Lab launch. I spoke.
Many of the people who teach at the Homestead campus are Gang Alternative staff members, Humes said. Humes said that as more young people focus on careers rather than four-year colleges, programs like Fab Lab can put students on the path to success when they enter the professional world.
After watching students use robots and 3D printers to solve problems, Humes said the lessons provide students with impromptu problem-solving skills needed by employees in offices, labs, job sites, and construction sites. He said that he was encouraged by the idea that he was trying to learn the lesson. site.
“It's really critical thinking. It's trial and error. This makes me even more hopeful for the next generation of the workforce,” Humes said.
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