Lane of Things: An Interactive Environmental Sensor STEAM Curriculum
The Lane of Things is an 8-week STEAM curriculum developed for the Lane Technical High School's Computer Science students. A collaboration between AoT, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and school's Computer Science department, the Motorola Solutions Foundation-funded program has seen more than 450 students since 2015.
In this curriculum, students learn about using low-cost micro-controllers, environmental sensors, switches, triggers, events, cloud-based data collection, data analysis, large dataset visualization, digital design and fabrication, prototyping, client questioning and more.
The students learn how to use these tools to design and build devices that can help them solve problems for themselves and for their communities which brings in civic engagement, social justice implications and ethics.
In its third year, Lane of Things partnered with the Chicago Cubs to design, prototype, and build multiple sensor nodes to deploy at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were interested in fan sentiment, upper-deck environmental conditions (wind, light, temperature, humidity, etc), and sound levels from the stadium out into the neighborhood.
School of Things: A LofT Professional Development Course
Utilizing the “Lane of Things” curriculum, the Lane of Things team packaged the course of study in order to deliver a participatory professional development workshop.
It provided Chicago high school computer science teachers with materials, background, and training to implement a program that combines the ideas around embedded system, enclosure design, and open data from a network of deployed sensors.
In the summer of 2018 the first cohort of School of Things (SofT) completed a week-long workshop to prepare 11 teachers to offer the curriculum in their own Middle Schools and High Schools.