Building A Mobile STEAM Lab

Mobile lab

(Image credit: Lisa Spencer)

By Lisa Spencer

T&L Leadership Summit attendee Lisa Spencer shares how Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland is building its own mobile STEAM lab

T&L Leadership summit Edtech in Action is a new series of articles from attendees and speakers of Tech & Learning's events. Click here to learn more about these events and to apply to attend.

Initiative: Building a mobile STEAM lab

Where: Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland 

All of the other districts I spoke with that had a mobile lab of their own had utilized contractors or outside entities to complete the work required to transform the bus. I figured, “If our students are able to build a house, surely they can complete the interior work required to revamp a bus.” I viewed this as an awesome opportunity to merge the two thoughts. A mobile lab and student involvement, while at the same time, address one of PGCPS’ goals and an overarching goal throughout the United States. Specifically, the goal of providing learning opportunities encompassing science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics in a fun, yet challenging, thought-provoking way.

Croom Vocational High School was the school selected. Under the guidance of their teachers, students enrolled in the carpentry and electrical courses completed the flooring and cabinetry work and installed countertops. Currently, the students and teacher in the electrical class are preparing to start the electrical work.

In regard to the exterior of the bus, last school year we hosted a “Cover The Bus” contest for students enrolled in the Graphic Arts program. Drawings were submitted and the student who submitted the winning drawing received a Chromebook, donated by one of our vendor sponsors.

We have ordered supplies, tools, and equipment ready to serve students at all levels, K-12. As soon as the electrical work is completed, the bus will be driven to the shop to be wrapped, showcasing the student drawing. We are expecting to have the STEAM Lab roadshow ready immediately after spring break. I can’t wait!

I want to thank and share our great appreciation for the vendor support received [from Hartford Computing Group, Inc. (HCGi)] who donated Home Depot cards to assist with purchasing the wood and laminate materials and [Lenovo donated] computing devices toward achieving this endeavor.

Lisa Spencer is the Director of Instructional Technology & Support for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland.

Click here for more info and to apply to attend a Tech & Learning Leadership Summit.

See the full article at https://www.techlearning.com/news/edtech-in-action-building-a-mobile-steam-lab

Warm winter golf in Baltimore draws rugged core of duffers, pros alike

By MIKE KLINGAMAN, BALTIMORE SUN |
MAR 06, 2020 | 5:00 AM

Why play golf in winter? Cheap fees. No crowds. Fast games.

Tee up in the cold, duffers say, and enjoy the perks. Icy fairways give balls more scoot. Frozen ponds send wayward shots bounding on. Find the rough? Big deal. Tall grass flattens down, come winter. Moreover, summer’s pesky insects are gone, and sunburns aren’t a worry.

Share those merits with Bill Hottman and the Bel Air golfer frowns.

“Don’t tell too many people or it’ll get crowded out there,” said Hottman, 64.

It’s no secret; the game appeals to seasoned golfers year-round. Last month, Pine Ridge Golf Course held a tournament, the Jack Frost Scramble, which drew 84 hardy entrants — Hottman included — for a 9 a.m. start in 19-degree weather. A January tourney, the Chilly Willy, attracted 120 golfers to the course in Timonium. On Saturday, Mount Pleasant Golf Course, in Baltimore, will host another winter best-ball outing.

[See the full article here.]

Daniel Stern Is Guest Speaker At 8th Annual HCGi Solutions Summit

Meet our Sponsors

Vendor Showcase

10:30am – 11:10am BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Lakeview D – Enterprise IT hosted by Anita Schweinfurth

Patuxent Room – Data Center hosted by Brian Stubblefield

11:20am – 12noon BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Lakeview D – All A/V hosted by Bill Hottman

Patuxent Room – Public Safety hosted by Mark Lance

12noon – 1:00pm BUFFET LUNCH – Lakeview Gallery/Ballroom

1:00pm – 2:00pm SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER – Lakeview Ballroom

Daniel Stern / Raven’s statistics and research analyst

Hosted by HCGI President, Bill Heneghan

2:00pm – 3:00pm VENDOR SHOWCASE and One on One Sessions

Forecasting opportunities to meet end-user expectations

Schedule with a vendor and HCGI representatives

See more and register at https://www.hcgi.com/ss8

LBC² - Just a Few Days Away. There's Still Time...

HCGi is a proud sponsor for the upcoming 3rd Annual Loyola Blakefield Cyber Challenge.

About the Competition
 The third annual Loyola Blakefield Cyber Challenge is an exciting event for all participants. It will take place on March 7, 2020, at Loyola Blakefield High School. The challenge is created by students for students. Participants will be challenged with real-life scenarios that embody the specific cyber threats that are prevalent in today’s society. Whether you have had little or no training or are well-skilled in computer management, this challenge is open to everyone. The challenge will teach and assess the participant’s skills and applications for handling cyber threats. Industry mentors will be on hand to make this a true teaching and learning day. If you have wanted to get involved in Cyber Security this is a great opportunity to try it out.

 The competition is open to all students in grades 8 thru 12.  There is NO COST to attend for the day and lunch is provided.  You only need to bring a laptop with you that is capable of accessing the internet wirelessly.


About the Workforce Development Summit 
The third annual edition of LBC2 will include a Workforce Summit for parents, industry partners, guidance counselors, educators, friends and family of competitors. The summit is inspired by the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB) and aspires to highlight the private and public sector’s need in all types of businesses for future employees capable of defending against complicated cyber threats. In order to fulfill these needs, the development of student’s hard and soft skills must occur through internships and apprenticeships. The Workforce Summit hopes to build a better relationship between students, educators, and employers to provide students the skills to make a positive impact in the future.  Many of the summit sessions will be run by current students.

Date/Time/Location:
The competition will be located at Loyola Blakefield High School on March 7th, 2020.

500 Chestnut Ave, Towson, MD 21204. The Competition will be held in the Knott Hall Four Court Gym. On competition day, there will be signs to direct participants to the location.

See more about this event at LBC2.org

Security For Business-Critical Data - HCGi IT Solutions

Security for business-critical and proprietary data, physical access to servers running in your virtualized infrastructure, the ability to pass regulatory compliance audits, and many other types of data security, backup and disaster recovery are all legitimate concerns of CIOs who are new to cloud computing.

Fortunately, HCGI understands all these concerns and we are aligned with the leading vendors in the industry to offer you the most cost-effective, flexible and intelligent choice as you venture into this evolving area of IT. Whether you are moving to a cloud or building a private cloud, we can assist you. We can help you select the right solution and provide an “on-ramp” to transition your organization.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

As more IT professionals become educated about cloud computing, they realize the benefits it offers to their organization. Cloud makes it possible for you to:

• Scale rapidly – up or down
• Deploy services only when and where they’re needed
• Create efficiencies and cost savings by paying as you go for only the services used
• Control server sprawl
• Decrease IT management costs via virtualization
• Increase revenue by deploying software and products more quickly
• Increase agility by initiating and provisioning IT resources more simply and quickly
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Reduce costs for IT hardware, software, and services
• Reduce data center energy costs
• Improve availability and scalability of your storage needs
• Improve disaster recovery and data backup
• Enable faster time to market of products/services
• Allow IT staff to focus on strategic solutions for your core business

With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of technology, HCGI is fully equipped to help your organization decide which of the many cloud offerings available from our vendor partners is right for your specific needs. Go to https://hcgi.com

HCGI Internet Technology Employment Opportunities

HCGi associates have been with the company on average 10 years
and it’s based on our commitment to a work-life balance.

See our current employment opportunities here: 

https://www.hcgi.com/company/employment-opportunities

Quantum Impact: Computing a more sustainable future (Ep. 1)

While quantum computing may seem like the next frontier, its foundations have actually been around for billions of years—in the natural world. This episode of Quantum Impact explores the ways in which we can tap into nature’s organic systems and processes to help solve some of today’s most pressing issues around climate change and environmental sustainability. Join Dr. Julie Love, senior director of quantum business development at Microsoft, and Lucas Joppa, Microsoft’s chief environmental officer, as they discuss the complex problem of land use optimization, one environmental challenge that can be addressed through quantum solutions. Learn more: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum