iSWAT (SOL19 #8)

“We’re making a robot!” The excitement in her voice was contagious. The group picked up the tiny circuits and put them together to create a motor. “Look, Mrs. Suomi, we made it move! It’s alive!” They continued by assembling the body of the droid. Watching them work together to make sure that each piece was assembled just right made my heart swell.

I am so proud to be the leader of a techie group of students called iSWAT. iSWAT stands for I’m a Student Willing to Assist with Technology. I’ve been the teacher leader of this amazing club as long as it has been my school district. I love it.  These students choose to wake up early and come to school at 7:15 in the morning to be part of this club. They consider it an honor and a privilege. As I worked with the group this week I started thinking about all the things I love about iSWAT and being their teacher leader. 

-I love giving students an opportunity to create with their technology, not just consume.

-I love providing students with a chance to hone their leadership skills by teaching other students and teachers about technology.

-I love the looks on their faces as they explore with a robot or different tech tool. 

-I love teaching students about a new language through coding. 

-I love when my iSWAT leaders work together to debug a line of code that they took so long to write. 

-I love hearing them problem solve and think through each line of code to make sure that they are achieving their goal.

-I love watching them teach others about their passions by creating their own presentations and speaking at technology conferences. 

-I love when they take such pride in their work while they are creating. 

-I love hearing from coaches across the district how great our iSWAT kiddos are when they are representing our school.

I don’t love waking up early on Wednesday mornings, but the second I am with this incredible group of students, it makes it all worth it. 

If you want to watch our journey in our iSWAT club, please check out our website. We have presentations from each of our meetings, and examples of student work. 

SOL18 Day 3: Proud Teach

I have lots of proud teacher moments. When students have the lightbulb when they get something that they have previously been struggling on. When I see students include someone who may not be one of their best friends, but they don't want them to feel left out. When they stand up for what's right.

So many to choose from.

Today was different. 

Today I watched three girls deliver their first presentation at a technology conference. 

I watched three fifth grade girls articulately explain Dash & Dot robotics to students from 3rd through 12th grade with a level of confidence that I had not yet seen out of them in the classroom. I watched the three girls call on students in their session and answer their questions fully while providing extra information that I didn't even know about the robots. I also watched those same three girls smile triumphantly at the end of their session.

I am so incredibly proud of these three tech leaders. #GirlsWhoCode 

They are incredible. 

Congratulations ladies!