With the onset of COVID-19 and the evolving policies from city and state officials, students and teachers are having to adjust to a new reality for the rest of the school year. Online education is the new normal, and STEMHero is uniquely qualified to help out during these changing times.
Our curriculum is catered to remote learning and can be an asset to teachers looking for a solution during this adjustment period. At STEMHero, we are happy to provide our curriculum at no cost to students and teachers directly impacted by this situation.
To get you started with your transition to online education, there are a few aspects of this change to keep in mind and to utilize to your advantage.
Fix A Leak Week
In case you didn’t hear, we’re in Fix A Leak Week (March 16th-March 22nd), created by the EPA to bring awareness to how common water leaks are in the home. On Twitter, you can look for the hashtag #fixaleak or #fixaleakweek to see posts from local and regional utility companies and the water resource conscious. There are lots of tips and activities you can do from home.
For example, you can do a toilet test to assess for leaks in the bathroom:
Encourage students to place a few drops of food coloring (whichever color they like best!) into their toilet tank.
Allow the food coloring to sit for 15 minutes.
If students notice any food coloring in the toilet bowl, they likely have a leak.
Make sure students flush to avoid staining of the toilet bowl.
Guide students to search for the source of the leak; toilet flappers are a common one!
Remember, Fix A Leak Week doesn’t have to be one week out of 52; teach students to keep regular tabs on the water resources in their homes and use our data-driven technology to document changes in usage and readings. If they notice any large fluctuations, especially when their families are not showering, running laundry, or watering the lawn, it could indicate a leak in the system.
Help your students do their part to conserve resources every week of the year.
An Alternative To Virus-Based Learning
You may be inundated with online education catered to tracking the spread of the virus or other topics related to COVID-19. STEMHero takes a different approach and provides a break from education that parallels the news cycle.
Teachers can use our technology to help students experience their time at home in a different way. The curriculum is designed to use resources available in most students’ homes:
Water meters
Gas meters
Electricity meters
STEMhero provides students with diverse education and real-life concepts that are applicable to their home environment.
Sustainability During A Pandemic
Teachers can help students learn about sustainability during an extended period of online learning.
Students may be part of or overhear family discussions about resource management during this time. STEMHero provides them with hands-on activities and data-tracking capabilities to act as stewards of their communities as they learn from home.
While students engage in online learning, sustainability weaves school and home life together. Empower students to track the impact of their actions and note changes that result from adjustments they make, like taking shorter showers or identifying and fixing a leak.
Share Leak Fixes Online
As part of STEMHero’s drive to support online education, we will be giving away two Flume Smart Home Water Monitors to students who participate on Twitter and Facebook by sharing photos, videos, or stories documenting a leak fix in their own homes.
Here’s how students can participate:
Read their meters and note data that indicates a leak.
Identify the source of the leak.
Get guidance from their teacher and assistance from a parent or guardian to fix the leak.
Be sure to document the process of fixing the leak. Students can take notes, record videos of the process, or have a family member take pictures of them while they repair.
Students should post their documentation on Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #fixaleak and #STEMhero.
Between now and April 2nd, we’ll be monitoring the hashtag, #fixaleak and watching for students’ success stories. Students can provide evidence of their efforts with photos, videos, or a brief description of what they did. Each week on Thursday, our panel of teachers and water professionals will select a student to be awarded a Flume system.
We will direct message the selected student to arrange for them to receive the Flume System.
STEMhero is Here to Help
At STEMHero, we appreciate how the needs of students and teachers have changed in the last few weeks and we are glad to be of service. If you’re interested in using our curriculum or want to discuss how to incorporate sustainability into your online curriculum, get in touch with us at support@STEMhero.com.