TECHNO GREEN SCHOOL

Projenin adı: Techno Green School

Sınıf: 3rd Class

SUMMARY

The methods that will enable our students to develop their basic skills are developing and changing day by day. Solution-oriented approaches to problems come to the fore. With our project, our students will establish a new sustainable school. They will be able to examine the ecosystem of the place where they live and select compatible plants. They will redesign the sections where there are animals that can be found in the school and will not harm the students, and they will create different study areas that are compatible with nature. They will create the school of their dreams by creating the school garden, building and ecological section.

TARGETS

The aim of our project is to enable students to find basic skills and solutions themselves by providing them with the skills to solve real-world problems in the environment they live in. Offering different solutions to problems is being a part of the solution. With the school they will re-establish, they will contribute to the creation of a more environmentally friendly and more livable environment. They will design the living spaces of both humans and animals by using the sun, water, soil and technology. A nature-friendly school will be created with designs that will reduce carbon and water footprints. With the web 2.0 tools to be used throughout the project, students will develop their digital competencies, take the responsibility of being a digital citizen, and move from being a consumer to a producer.

PARTİCİPANTS IN THE PROJECT

The project, which has 10 Turkish and 6 foreign partners, is a project that we carry out jointly with the countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Italy, Greece, Romania and Ukraine.

Project Plan

In the project, students determined what their dream school was and realized it in their schools.

In the first stage, the students visited the school and searched the area.

In the second stage, using the web2 tool mentimeter, brainstorming was done and the students were allowed to think and write about what their dream school was.

As a result of the Mentimeter, we concluded that the students wanted to create a hobby garden in our school.

Officials from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture explained the life cycle of the plant to the students and planted applied flowers in the school garden.

We made the drawings of our hobby garden that we plan to realize in our school.

We made a model of our hobby garden that we plan to realize in our school.

They made a school exhibition and explained the models designed by our students.

We have integrated the technology into our project, and we have made a drip system and we have both saved water and provided the water required for our plants.

Our students planted the flowers of our application garden and thus we added our hobby garden to our learning process.

Project Results

Thanks to the project, students’ 21st century skills have improved. Students who are confused with a problem situation have produced solutions to the problem, analyzed the solutions and come up with a product. Thanks to the work they have done in groups, their collaborative working skills have improved. The students who designed the school of their dreams are now coming to school more happily and in the learning process. They were very happy to be active.

Hydroponic System

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by Özlem Saygın, Ph. D. (#Integrated STEM Teaching for Secondary Schools Rerun)

(2022 STEM Discovery Campaign-Scientix Competition 1: STEM Activities)

The activities of the Hydroponic System were implemented in 10th grade (age 16) in Antalya Erünal Sosyal Bilimler Lisesi, Turkey. We implemented the learning scenario between 08 March and 26 April 2022.

Global warming in the world, the inefficiency of agricultural lands, unbalanced increase in the world population, increase in food prices, and similar problems cause great problems in healthy and adequate nutrition. Landless farming methods which are applied to limited areas seek solutions to these problems. The aim of our activities was to learn about growing plants in the hydroponic system. So, students can grow plants in soilless conditions inside the buildings. Students researched necessary conditions for plant growth, the quality of water, essential minerals, and the importance of the wavelength of light. They tried to find solutions to the problems they faced.

Firstly, we prepared this learning scenario for Integrated STEM Teaching for Secondary Schools Rerun MOOC as a team. Then we improved and implemented it.

Our activities

Engage

Students were asked the following questions as real-world problems, respectively:

  • How can we meet our food needs if we face food shortages due to climate change?
  • How can we grow our vegetables in a drought?
  • Is soilless agriculture possible?
  • Which methods can be applied for the use of inorganic substances by producer organisms?

After the students’ preliminary information was revealed and their ideas were taken, the following videos were watched on the subject.

Explore

Students were divided into groups. By examining this website, they decided to do deep water culture.

The groups did internet research and watched videos both in English and Turkish about the hydroponic system setup they have chosen. They tried to find answers to these questions:

– Which plant species can be grown in hydroponic water culture?

– What nutrients do plants need? Do the nutrients need to change according to the plant species?

-What should be pH, EC, and temperature of water for their plants?

Students wrote the list of materials they would need. We bought A and B nutrients, pH meter, EC meter, pH reducer, perforated pots, air stones, air motor, air pipe, storage containers, perlite, LED, and Arduio set.

Explain

Students discussed the causes and consequences of global climate change. They brought their bills of electricity, water, and natural gas. They asked their parents how many kilometers a month they traveled by car and motorbike. They measured the carbon footprint of their family at this link.

They researched what they can do to reduce their carbon footprints and made a list.

  • The distances that can be traveled on foot should be covered by walking, if there are suitable conditions, by using a bicycle.
  • Reducing waste, consuming products that can be consumed without packaging, and paying attention to recycling.
  • Using solar energy instead of natural gas and electricity.
  • To use renewable energy for electricity, to prefer energy-saving light bulbs, refrigerators, and air conditioners.
  • To travel by public transport as much as possible.
  • Hang dry the laundry instead of using a dryer.
  • Do not run your dishwasher before it is full.
  • You can water your plants in the garden with the water you use for washing fruits and vegetables.
  • When you are not using your electronic devices such as computers and televisions, be sure to turn them off and unplug them.
  • Buy as much food as you need and put as much food on your plate as you can eat. Try not to create food waste.
  • Instead of buying bottled water, carry flasks.
  • Use a water-saving showerhead.

Elaborate

Students set up their hydroponic system as groups.

Materials:

  • Lettuce etc. seedlings
  • Perforated pots for seedlings
  • Styrofoam (3 mm thick)
  • Deep, opaque storage container (10-25 L)
  • Airstone
  • Aquarium air motor
  • Water pipe
  • Aquarium check valve
  • A and B nutrients
  • pH meter
  • pH reducer
  • Conductivity (EC) meter
  • Thermometer
  • Injector
  • Utility knife
  • LED
  • Arduino set
  • Perlite

Students cut styrofoam suitable for the storage container. They drilled round holes for the perforated pots on the styrofoam. They cut the corner of the Styrofoam, so the water hose could pass. They measured the liter of water while they were putting it in the storage container, then placed the air motor and airstone. They used a check valve to prevent water from entering the air motor. They mounted the air motor high above the system. They put 2 ml of each A and B nutrient per liter. Then, we adjusted the EC=0.8 mS/cm and pH=6.0, these values are for lettuce. Values of water should be adjusted according to the plant species. Students put seedlings in the perforated pots and filled them with perlite. They sat the pots on styrofoam.

In the chemistry lesson, students learned which minerals plants need and how to calculate the ratios of chemicals in a mixture.

In the physic lesson, students investigated the effect of the wavelength of light on plant growth. They used LED lighting with an intense red light so that the plants can grow faster in a low light environment. Then, they programmed its timing to be ON for 16 hours (lighting) and to be OFF for 8 hours (dark) via the Arduino.

Students measured and recorded EC, pH, and temperature of the water every day.  We made the necessary adjustments. The problem we faced was that the pH was rising every day. We added 20% nitric acid for reducing it. Then we used purified water instead of tap water because the EC of tap water was high. Using purified water slowed pH to rise. After 5 weeks, our lettuces grew enough, we harvested and ate them.

In the mathematics lesson, students drew graphics of daily pH increases and the temperature of the water.

The video of the project presentation can be seen here.

We used a self-assessment form for evaluation. In addition, students replied to these questions in the form:

  • What problems did you encounter while installing the hydroponic system and growing your plants?
  • How did you find solutions to these problems?
  • What can you do to improve your design?
  • Are you considering using the hydroponic system in your home?

Students exhibited their projects at the Science Fair of our school on 27th April 2022.

Teachers used the teacher assessment form for evaluating the performance of students.

Connection to STEM Careers

Our activities are associated with professional areas such as environmental engineering, biochemistry, biotechnology, management of biological resources, agricultural engineering, and computer engineering. Students watched a video of the plant factory in our city.

21st Century Skills

Collaboration, communication, productivity, critical thinking, problem-solving, information and technology literacy, initiative, and social skills.

Conclusion

This project is an effective STEM project. It promotes entrepreneurship. Students enjoyed trying something new and they realized that growing plants takes effort. They had to devote time to their projects every day, but some students found it difficult. They learned the importance of recording data while doing a scientific study. They presented their projects with pride and enthusiasm at the science fair. Growing plants in hydroponics are not very common, so it attracted a lot of attention. This project needs a budget. The project can be continuously developed, and new applications can be tried in time.

Our Team

Biology: Özlem Saygın, PhD.

Chemistry: Ayşegül Gençer, PhD.

Mathematics and Information Technologies: D. Aslı Kaplan Yaşkaya

Physic: Şerife Demirel

Leonardo da Vinci Bridge – “Self Supporting Bridge”

Our Self Supporting Bridge event; We planned to get to know the world-famous painter and engineer Leonardo Da Vinci, who lived in the fifteenth century, and one of his works, to see how to build a bridge without using nails or any other clamps.
By watching a video about Leonardo Da Vinci’s life, students learned about Leonardo da Vinci, one of the engineers with the most surprising intelligence. They also had the opportunity to examine the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, a famous painter.

They examined some of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions that shed light on the Helicopter, Tank design and anatomy studies. Developed by Leonardo Da Vinci; they learned about bridge design that we could build using only long boards and wooden sticks, without the need for hammers and nails. The working logic of the bridge lies in the fact that the materials used can be clamped together without slipping. The parts that lean against each other never slide so that there is no collapse. The reason why the parts do not slide is that the system transfers the weight on the wooden bars exactly in the middle. Each plank, placed parallel to the bridge, presses the wooden bars on which they rest against each other. This ensures that the bridge parts are clamped together as the weight on the bridge increases.

The students, who discovered how to build the da Vinci bridge, completed the bridge design with great excitement. Students developed their problem solving, cooperation, responsibility, and creative thinking skills. Thus, it positively affected the students’ perspectives on science and engineering.

Traveling to space through the virtual reality glasses application prepared with STEM

Digital education materials are very important. Students cannot see space and planets up close in real life.However, it is possible to travel to space with virtual reality glasses. Student can study planets as if they are in space thanks to virtual reaility glasses. For this reason, I designed a digital game for my students that can be played on smartphones and computers. Game editing and voice-overs belong to me and my students.

Project purpose: To give students a realistic experience with STEM.
To create an original digital material.

Application stages: Unity Game Engine is used for this application. Unity is a three-dimensional game engine, especially suitable for digital games and simulations. Textures similar to the images of space and planets were determined.Original sound recordings in which the planets introduced themselves were created and converted into a suitable form with the ‘audio-converter’ program. The spaceship was designed with the Blender three-dimensional modeling program.With mathematical calculations, the size of the planets and the distances between them were determined. Joystick control provided. By making a selection from the selection screen prepared to go to the desired planet, movement to that planet was provided with the spaceship. Added pre-made audio recordings to planets. The application was tested by different people and corrections were made according to the feedback. Between April 25 and April 30, 6th grade students practiced. They took turns wearing virtual reality glasses. They also practiced on the digital board in the classroom.

Conclusion and evaluation: The ‘Solar System and Planets’ unit was taught to the students in a shorter time than in the lesson plan. Students learn permanently by concretizing knowledge. It’s fun because it’s game-based material. The subject of Science was discussed. Mathematical calculations have been made. Software programs are used in the field of technology. Designs were created in the field of engineering. An original STEM project has been created. This project has been used in the classroom activity.

Students’ average success before the event is 64 percent. After the event, the students’ average success is 92 percent.

Activity execution time in class: 40+ 40 minutes

Grade level: Secondary school 6th grade

Materials: Smart board in the classroom, virtual reality glasses, joystick, smartphone

“Everybody should have a tree that has wings” A Learning Scenario based on Terra Mission MOOC

Abstract

Trees and forests play an important role on climate change and climate change threatens the human life but at the same time it has devastating consequences on biodiversity. “Everybody should have a tree that has wings” is a learning scenario about teaching sustainability through the Terra Mission Educational Pack after the Life Terra Mission MOOC. Inspired by a book called “The tree that had wings”, our learning scenario tries to emphasize the results of climate change, focuses especially on its consequences for biodiversity, underlines the importance of trees and helps to increase students’ awareness on the topic.

Objectives

Introduction (1st and 2nd lessons)

Students will:

– read a short story and try to analyse the main theme of the story                                    -learn the names of a few trees and birds and try to recognize them

 The  3rd and 4th lessons

Students will :

  • observe the nature outside
    • learn what the climate change is, the causes and the results of it
    • understand what they can do to help the climate change
    • create short informative videos using web 2.0 tools like chatterpix and plotagon in order to increase awareness about the climate change.

The 5th lessons

Students will:

-understand the difference between trees and a forest and how trees “work”
– know why trees and forests are important and  which problems deforestation causes    -understand the importance of planting trees

The final lessons (The 6th and 7th lessons)

Students will:

-know what biodiversity is                                                                                                     -understand the effects of the climate chance on biodiversity
-understand the importance of planting trees and  protecting biodiversity
– know and discuss what they can do to help the climate                                                      -create posters using web 2.0 tools like canva to raise awareness about the trees and biodiversity of birds (In relation with the story they read in the introductory lesson)

Activities

In the first lesson, students read a short story called “The tree that had wings” by Angeliki Darlasi.They asked each other questions about the characters of the book, discussed the ending of the story and main theme of it.  They talked about trees and birds because the story was about a tree and a bird’s friendship and their self-sacrifices for each other.

Reading activity

We talked about the importance of all the trees and birds for our planet and the importance of protecting them.

In the second lesson, the students learned about ten different types of trees and birds.

Playing cards

The students were given play cards about birds and trees. They looked at the pictures and the information on the play cards and tried to recognize each different type of a bird or a tree.

Outdoor observations

At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to observe nature for a whole week.  They were expected to recognize some of the tree and bird species they learned before and take notes about them.

In the third lesson, students talked about the birds and trees they observed outside. We went to the school garden together. They tried to make some observations. They talked about the kinds of trees and birds they saw in the garden. They explored the tree leaves and the other plants in the garden. They also learned to use “Leafsnap and Doga kasifi” applications to recognize the plants around them. They shared their observations with each other.

Climate change activity
Climate change activity video