An Ancient Computer, Now Recreated in Legos
Posted on January 9th, 2011 by axb
In 1901, a group of deep-sea divers discovered a Roman shipwreck near Antikythera, a small island off the southern coast of Greece. Among the treasures was a small rusted machine that once contained a sophisticated array of cogs and wheels. Now researchers believe they know the purpose of this mysterious device.
Filed under: K-12 Education News, Special Features | Comments Off on An Ancient Computer, Now Recreated in Legos
Tags: Engineering in History, History, LEGOS
Nationwide, the number of students taking AP tests has surged 50 percent in the last five years. For those who hope to attend selective colleges, it’s the norm. But when a Harrisburg, Pa.-area school district sought to introduce an AP course in ninth grade, some parents balked. 
PBS has introduced an online course to strengthen elementary teachers’ STEM strategies. Called Inspire Elementary Students with Engineering, it was developed at Purdue University to provide an early foundation in engineering. 
A new report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation recommends that student assessments be based on skills, such as reading for information, locating information, and applied mathematics, instead of content. In STEM subjects, students’ desired outcome should be improved skills in inquiry, design, and the understanding and use of symbolic language in math. 
A group of Delaware teachers participated in an initiative that pairs each one with a university expert in a particular course the teacher is offering. One teacher described it as “life changing.” Called the Yale National Initiative, the program creates a partnership between universities and high-need schools.
Computer simulations and games offer “great potential” to assist inquiry-based science learning, according to a report by the National Research Council. They may help boost motivation, understanding and skills, and encourage students to identify with science. 
Even unsuccessful contestants in the FIRST Lego League competition come up with imaginative ideas. A case in point is the team from Urbandale, Iowa. Challenged to build robots to tackle a biomedical engineering problem, they decided on cataracts.
Google has partnered with NASA, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), National Geographic, Scientific American, and LEGO to create a science fair that is intended to be open, inclusive, and global.
Shanghai 15-year-olds scored No. 1 in a major international math, science and reading test, beating students in dozens of countries, and did particularly well in math. American students placed “in the middle of the pack,” says an Education Department official. 
