STEAM Tuesdays: Let’s Explore Technology

We’re talking all about Technology this week for STEAM Tuesday! It’s the “T” you see in STEAM—but what exactly is technology and why is it an important part of our 21st century curriculum?

At Everbrook Academy, technology is all about the tools we use and how we use them. Technology can be something as advanced as the internet, or as simple as stone tools used by our ancestors thousands of years ago!

Many of our early education activities here at Everbrook Academy implement elements of technology to not only show children how technology affects our daily lives, but also to inspire them to think about new technologies that can help simplify tasks.

While exploring our school, you may also meet Taylor the Technologist! She’s the second member of our STEAM Team and loves to encourage children to think critically about each hands-on experience. It’s an essential skill in their learning journey and one of the 4 Cs we teach.

Creativity | Collaboration | Critical Thinking | Communication

AT-HOME ACTIVITY IDEA: Exploring the concept of technology can be done at home too! Our “Build and Measure” activity highlights how we use an important tool to determine the length of structures we build—a handy measuring tape!

Materials:

• Stackable building materials, such as blocks
• Measuring tape
• Paper
• Writing utensil

Instructions:

1. Lay out all the building materials and have your child build something.
2. Now measure it! Help record its height, depth, and width.
3. Have your child make observations and write them down. Ask questions such as: What does the structure resemble? What shapes are used? What are the different measurements? What happens when we make it smaller or larger?

STEAM, including Technology, comes to life through Dramatic Arts in this activity. Have your child express their understanding of the concepts by using the structures as homes for pretend animals, cars, or other items. Now you can ask follow-up questions, such as: Would your structure make a good home? Is it sturdy? Would it blow over in the wind?

Share your photos and outcomes in the comments below!