A Science Teacher's Review of PASCO in the Classroom
Rachelle Dené Poth, renown educator and author, uses PASCO's Coding with Vehicle Sensor Technology Kit in her class
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Rachelle Dené Poth, a high school science teacher, used PASCO’s Coding with Vehicle Sensor Technology Kit with her high school class and summarized her experience in a blog she posted to her website, Innovation with PASCO in the Classroom. (You can read her full blog here.)
Rachelle Dené Poth is an educator in Spanish and STEAM at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA, holds a Master’s in Instructional Technology, is an ISTE-certified educator, and is the author of eight books.
As an enthusiast for introducing STEM to classrooms to prepare students for future careers in related fields, Rachelle spoke highly of PASCO's Coding with Vehicle Sensor Technologies Kit (ST-7820). She was impressed with the ease-of-use of the equipment, hands-on learning experience, and how the devices engage students with technology similar to what is used in the real world.
Rachelle noted that the setup was simple, allowing plenty of time for students to explore the material. She also liked how the kit came with all the materials necessary to run the lab, making it easy for first-time users to integrate technology into their lessons.
| “Because the device is user-friendly, it requires minimal setup and supports students so they can dive right into experiments and have more time to explore and take on the learning challenges!” |
Rachelle also pointed out how her students had fun programming the //code.Node for the activity, and how this hands-on experience added value to student learning. She also noted how the Teacher Guide aided with the setup of the //code.Node to get students started, and she liked how the student activities workbook is designed to cover concepts and encourage critical thinking while aligning with educational standards.
| “Each activity is designed in alignment with science standards and helps to foster skills across different STEM disciplines, including data analysis, mathematics, and even language arts, as students share what they have learned and even present their findings to classmates.” |
Rachelle commented that the activities were exciting for her students to learn about vehicle technology. She valued that students could use the //code.Node Cart and Blockly coding to “simulate real-life engineering tasks, from programming turn signals to exploring the dynamics of crash tests.”
| “It makes the learning experience more relevant through real-world scenarios and applications, which shows students the impact they could make through skills in science and technology.” |
Rachelle encourages hands-on science learning, and PASCO is excited to hear feedback from teachers like Rachelle that our products, such the Coding with Vehicle Sensor Technologies Kit, was enjoyable and exciting for students as well as the instructor!
| “With the hands-on approach and the use of real-world scenarios, it also helps students to develop essential skills of problem-solving, creativity, collaboration and more while fostering a deeper understanding of both the technology and the engineering design process.” |