Overall, I have been very impressed with the effort put into this pilot by teacher and students. I continue to be facinated by how committed the classroom is to exploring uses of new media and devices for learning.

Below is an excerpt from the session on Friday, April 3, 2009.

exploring mutations & traits in spore from michael a evans on Vimeo.

Seventh grade student explains how he induces mutations on his simple-cell creature in the iPod version of Spore.

Electric pickup, the ZAP Xebra PK

We showed kids two cool (or should we say “green”) cars owned by Dr. Roper. The first is a hybrid-electric vehicle that he has driven over 36,000 miles since 2005. The second is an electric pickup, the ZAP Xebra PK, which he uses to get around Blacksburg and Christiansburg. He also informed the kids about a new greenhouse being constructed in the Blacksburg area by the YMCA (more about the greenhouse).

As part of the session, the we got to do the following:

• Explore two hybrid electric vehicles that save fuel and reduce carbon emissions
• Identify benefits and costs of buying and maintaining a hybrid electric vehicle
• Decide whether a hybrid electric vehicle can meet your families’ needs

It was interesting to notice the level of knowledge the kids had about hybrid-electric cars and their frank comments on the number of miles the car offered. The kids came to know why it is necessary to still use non-renewable fuel in a hybrid-electric car, while discovering the potential problems with current hybrid configurations, problems that they might be involved in solving some day. Also, they got to see a huge solar panel that Dr. Roper had installed on top of his Xebra!

The session also included the explanation of the working of a solar cell in simple terms by a K4C mentor. Next time we move on to utilizing the power of the wind as a source of energy.

As part of our session, we demonstrated our understanding of green materials by applying them in our 3D models.

Using "green" materials.

To do this, we learned basic techniques in Google SketchUp:

• How to model architectural features, e.g., roof, windows, doors, and much more
• How to place materials into a 3D model

We had a great time thinking about how to incorporate these new material features into our digital designs. In the end, we were able to identify green materials, what they’re made of, and how they’re used; plan and sketch designs using recycled materials to improve green building practices; translate the pencil sketches to digital, 3D models in Google SketchUp.

Next time we’re going to see how passive solar influences how we design a structure. It will be interesting to see how we can harvest the energy of the sun!

Physical scale model of building using green technologies.

We’ve learned that sketching is a powerful way to capture and share design ideas. Any good designer knows that paper and pencil are tools to always have at hand. But, once you’ve got a good idea of your ideas sketched out, it’s time to move to the digital domain. So, in Week 4 we’re covering the use of 3D digital modeling tools to get our designs into the computer.

Architects and engineers use many computer applications to design green buildings. Today, we will take a look at a specific application - Google SketchUp. As part of the design process, we will translate our designs from pencils to pixels using the Google SketchUp 3D modeling software.

We’ll use the Google SketchUp 3D modeling software to create and communicate project ideas. We will also use the software to create and communicate ideas in a collaborative way. As part of this week’s session, we will learn:

1. Basic tools in Google SketchUp
2. Changing views in Google SketchUp
3. Drawing shapes in Google SketchUp
4. Move, cut, and paste objects in Google SketchUp
5. Place materials for shapes

We’ll use the Google SketchUp 3D modeling software to create and communicate project ideas. We will also use the software to create and communicate ideas in a collaborative way.

Green building at Sustainable Living Education Center (Floyd, VA)

The Green Fact being discussed this week is that architects design buildings based on regional climate conditions. By understanding regional climate, architects can choose the right materials and orientation of a building to be most energy-efficient.

Green-related terms and topics being learned this week:

1. Define climatology: the study of characteristics of the seasons (temperature, weather);
2. Understand how the sun path diagram is used: the sun path diagram is used to tell us where (position in the sky and the angle) the sun will be at any time during the year;
3. Understand parts of a sun path diagram: a) base, which tells us different months of the year; b) fin, which tells us the angle of the sun; c) wires, which tell us the path of the sun.

The website is now ready to keep you updated with all the things that have been going on. Over the next few days, all the features of the website will be enabled.