Activity
Setting Up a Mobile STEM Unit
Mobile STEM Units offer an opportunity for ALL students to participate in hands-on, inclusive STEM activities.
By Lydia Knopp, Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB)
Have you ever wanted to get MORE students excited about Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) activities in an inclusive environment? Are you looking for ways to promote an understanding of some of the challenges that students with visual impairments face in participating in STEM lessons? Are you trying to reach new populations of the community who may not know the basics about visual impairment? If so, a Mobile STEM Unit may be for you!
Background
The Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) Mobile STEM Unit offers an inclusive opportunity for all classrooms. These inclusive STEM experiences use access technology and simple adaptations to provide an opportunity that allows ALL students to explore, analyze, engage in trial and error investigations, and experience the joy of discovery.
Growing out of the Maker Space that was created was Bob Taylor, the KSSB Mobile STEM Van was founded in 2020 and has visited 34 different schools or organizations. Last year, the van traveled 2,900+ miles and worked with over 500+ students and community members.
Download the flyer. (PDF) (Word)
What is a Mobile STEM Unit?
The KSSB Mobile STEM Unit brings quality, hands-on, and interactive activities for classrooms which includes students who are blind or visually impaired. This service is provided free of charge to local schools and community organizations as part of the Outreach activities.
In addition to outreach to schools where students with visual impairments are enrolled, we have offered activities at other types of community events, including Girl Scouts, Career Fairs (in the hope of recruiting teachers of students with visual impairments – TSVIs), transition activities, the State Fair, and the Braille Challenge.
The goals for the KSSB Mobile STEM Unit are:
- Deliver active, learner-centered activities that are accessible to all students in Kansas communities
- Model collaborative teaming
- Promote awareness of the importance of accessibility in STEM learning
- Create pathways to higher learning
- Have fun!
Depending on the space, grade level, and identified goals, the STEM Activities may include activities such as Cubelets, Sphero, Rube-Goldberg, OzBots, drones, maker space equipment, and accessible technology.
Watch the video below to learn more about the Mobile STEM Unit.
Mobile STEM Van
The van is an essential part of the success of the Mobile STEM Unit. Ideally, the van is dedicated to the Mobile STEM project and is stocked with materials and equipment for a range of activities to be offered onsite. Grant funding may be available to purchase and outfit a van.
Setting up the day
Outreach staff works closely with the school personnel to set up a schedule for the day.
- Activities are selected depending on the age and number of participants.
- Typically, it works best to have a large space, such as a school gymnasium to set up stations.
- Anywhere from 5-9 stations may be set up, depending on the need.
- Middle and high school students typically have a block of an hour and a half for each grade and students rotate through the stations with approximately 15 minutes at each station.
- Staff includes a STEM specialist from the School for the Blind, TSVIs serving the local school, local organizations with similar missions (e.g. transition organization), at least three staff from the host school. It can be helpful to have a staff person or student assistant who is blind or visually impaired, as many participants have no experience meeting people with visual impairments
- Sample schedule
Stations: Differentiated Activities
KSSB offers a list of Available Items for Exploration with the Tech Van. This includes the following:
3-D Printing
Students utilize 3D Pens to create small additive designs in the third dimension like rings, cursive names, etc. Students also learn about the 3D printer live on-site and utilize modeling programs like Tinkercad and Thingiverse to design files.
- 3D Pens
- 3D Printers
- Creality
- See3D: 3D printing for the blind
- Tactiles: 3D printing for learners with vision impairment
Assistive Technology for People with Visual Impairments
Students learn about the braille alphabet, and interface with a Perkins brailler to write their name in Braille. Other devices include a Magnifier, Refreshable Braille Display, Tablet with Voice Over, and Smart Watches. Students also try Vision Simulators that help provide first-hand experience of what it’s like to have various types of visual impairments while learning the basics of cane usage and mobility technique
- Braille Notetaker
- Refreshable Braille Displays
- Video Magnifier and Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
- WeWalk Smart Cane
- Windows Laptop with Screen Magnifier/Reader
Blind Engineering
Students wear vision simulators and are tasked to work together in teams to build a structure larger than the tallest person in the group using sticks and balls. Students must use communication and orientation skills to make it happen.
Circuitry
Students utilize SnapCircuit kits to build small machines that enact different functions. Snap Circuits projects come with tactile labeling and fully brailled instructions alongside print versions to reinforce different forms of learning.
Coding and Robotics
Using a combination of Cubelet & Sphero Codable Robots, alongside APH’s Codable Mouse, students work in groups to code different robotic functions for different goals. Sample goals include coding a “track” resembling an uppercase letter for the robot to follow, combining different functions to create a robot that spins, lights up and makes sounds, or “driving” a robot using coded directions down and back on a track.
- Code & Go Programmable Robot Mouse
- Cubelets
- Empower Mats: Robotics for students with visual impairments
- MooreBot
- Ozobots
Makerspace Equipment
A variety of projects combine maker-materials and tools to make things like straw rockets, rubber band cars, cane tags, upcycled sculptures, tactile graphics, and video production.
- Bloxels: Create your own video games
- Drones and Swift Playgrounds
- Sphero
Rube Goldberg Chain Reaction Machine
Students use various upcycled materials to build a contraption that uses a chain reaction to carry out a simple task.
Explore the list of other items we have available!
How can you set up a Mobile STEM Unit?
A school for the blind or regional center may be the most suitable operator of a Mobile STEM unit. You may wish to consider the following:
- Funding: How will you pay for the van, the equipment and materials, and staffing? Have you explored grant funding opportunities?
- Staffing: Do you have a STEM instructor who is available to dedicate time to this, in addition to regular teaching duties? Who will do the administrative duties?
- Service area: How much geographic distance can you cover? Will you be covering the whole state, or a particular region or school district?
- Time: How much time can be set aside for this each month?
Return to Accessible Science main page.
