FableVision Lands Grant to Support CTE Pathways in Boston Public Schools

FableVision Learning is thrilled to announce it is one of three grant recipients for the 2021 Generation Success Grant Challenge offered by the Boston Opportunity Agenda. This funding will allow FableVision to pilot two new CTE (Career Technical Education) programs across six Boston Public Schools and three to six public libraries in resourced communities. 

The grant provides resources to broaden the relationship between the work of FableVision, Boston Public Schools, and Boston Public Libraries. The goal for the new program is to introduce 9th graders to opportunities for career exploration through the hybrid digital/in-person program. Students will have the opportunity to learn digital animation and/or engineering design; hear stories and tips from professionals working in the field, and be provided access to digital design and creation software either at home, school, or at a public library nearest to them. With additional support, plans are eventually to deploy the animation and engineering programs across the entire district – making it available to thousands more middle and high school students in Boston.

FableVision’s programs were recently featured in BOA’s Generation Success BrightSpot Toolkit – Harnessing Boston’s Collective Energy to Prepare Students for College, Career and Life. 

The Boston Opportunity Agenda (BOA) is a public/private partnership that is working urgently and strategically to transform the Boston education landscape from “cradle to career.” BOA is focused on removing the systemic barriers that create unacceptable outcomes and lack of opportunity for historically oppressed and economically disadvantaged populations and creating a just, equitable education system. Working with the City of Boston, and Boston Public Schools, as well as the city’s leading public charities and many local foundations, the coalition is working to give all Boston residents access to the education necessary for upward economic mobility, civic engagement and lifelong learning for themselves and their families.   

BOA has most recently responded to the alarming research that shows that less than half of students who graduate from Boston’s district, charter and Catholic schools are prepared to pursue higher education, and subsequently face the reality that more than half of all job vacancies in the city require at least an Associate’s degree. And these readiness gaps are widening as COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact Black, Latinx, Asian and Native American students.  

In response, BOA launched Generation Success - a campaign focused on preparing each and every student to graduate high school fully prepared to achieve success in life, as they define it. Through Generation Success, BOA  offered small and medium-sized businesses, as well as nonprofits, an opportunity to apply for a $10,000 grant to help young people connect with and learn about local industries, and gain meaningful learning and skills that they can leverage after high school.   

Along with FableVision, the two other 2021 grant recipients are XR Terra and Fontbonne -The Early College of Boston. XR Terra will be introducing students from The Calculus Project how to create real-time, interactive 3D experiences using the Unity platform, used across sectors as varied architecture, manufacturing, and medical training, etc. And Fontbonne - The Early College of Boston, a Catholic, all-girl college preparatory high school and early college serving families throughout Greater Boston and the South Shore. With this social investment, they will be augmenting their efforts to integrate innovative technology learning to help bridge the Achievement Gap of students from disadvantaged communities (drastically widened by the pandemic) through their Early College Model.

Boston Opportunity is investing in three programs committed to answering this question: How might we help Boston’s high school students go beyond exposure to local industries to get meaningful learning and skills that they can leverage after graduation – even now during the pandemic?

Each 2021 grant recipient submitted a unique idea that fit the following criteria:

1. Industry aligned: Does the experience prepare Boston’s high school students for careers for which there are openings in the city and region? Does it focus on one particular industry or is a hybrid experience with overlapping industries and activities?

2. Innovative: Is it fresh? Does it spur creativity for our students? Does it provide collaborative or out-of-the-box learning and training opportunities?

3. Relevant: Does it answer the call to reimagine student development during the pandemic?

4. Equitable: Does it make learning more equitable and inclusive for black and brown communities? Does it take into account remote learning gaps or challenges given the pandemic?

Visit the Generation Success website to learn more about what Boston Opportunity Agenda is doing to fuel preparation opportunities for life after high school. For more information about FableVision Learning’s CTE program click here.

Fabricating Fun for National Engineers Week

Build a snowman without the frostbite! Watch this quick time-lapse video to see how educators can introduce engineering concepts to young learners with FabMaker Studio.

FabMaker Studio is the first digital fabrication software tool developed specifically for use in the classroom. It is an easy-to-use, web-based program that invites students to experience STEM and STEAM learning in an engaging, personally meaningful way.

For more information, contact us at info@fablevisionlearning.com

FABClassroom: Oak Ridge School Students Construct a FAB Paper City

Meet Carly Smith, Art and Technology Teacher at Oak Ridge School. Carly fuses creativity and innovation together every day with her students to program robots, create stop-motion animations, and design in Fab@School Maker Studio.

Can you share a bit about your school and your teaching journey? 

I am lucky enough to teach in the elementary school that I attended as a child, so working here feels like coming home. I am in my 8th year at this school and have worn many different hats, from special education teacher to technology integrationist and my current role as a specialist teacher teaching both art and technology. A typical day is never typical! Each day is different and that’s what I like most about my role. My technology classes are working on building computational thinking skills by coding robots so my morning is lots of troubleshooting and runaway robots. My art classes are operating on a choice-based curriculum so in the afternoon I feel like a “creativity coach” teaching mini-lessons, managing the space, and meeting with student-artists.

How are your students using Fab@School Maker Studio?

My students used Fab@School Maker Studio to create houses as part of an architecture project we did last year in art class. We looked at different types of buildings and the students designed their own to become part of a “Paper City." They created everything from monuments, to tent camping sites, to skyscrapers and one student even recreated the Eiffel Tower! After the buildings were fabricated the students used LEDs and coin cell batteries to light up the city. After this first project, some students used the software again to create stencils for an apparel design screenprinting project.

 What has been the “aha” moment?

I discovered Fab@School Maker Studio at last year’s MassCUE conference. I was so excited the first time I used it because the options are limited only by the imagination of the designer. The software is the perfect combination of “kid-friendly” without being limiting. I had wanted to bring 3D printing into my classroom, but felt that my students’ experience would be diminished due to the expense of the filament and the time the printing takes for each item. Seeing how fast the paper cutter works combined with the affordability of the paper and cardstock made this so doable for my students and me. My PTA generously purchased the licenses and the paper cutter for my classroom and we began using it with Chromebooks last spring.

How are you integrating Fab@School with your current school curriculum?

This year I am hoping to expand the use of the software by having technology classes fabricate “cars” or “boats” that will be driven by the robots we are learning to program. The robots are waterproof so hopefully students will be able to design and program them to drive on dry land or be propelled through water. Check back with me in a few months and we will see how this grand plan comes to life!

As an Art/Tech teacher you really put the A in STEAM- can you share a bit about your role at Oak Ridge and how you incorporate arts with technology?

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate technology into the art curriculum and vice versa. The technology and art curriculums overlap in so many ways because creative problem solving and the design process are so critical to both content areas. In addition to the 3D design work they have done with Fab@School Maker Studio, my students have used software to edit photos or create unique compositions, iPads to create digital artwork, and digital cameras to learn about perspective, create illusions in photography as well as stop-motion animation.

This year we are experimenting with green screens to add interesting effects to our photos and videos. I find that my job is evolving to the point where I am putting students in the driver’s seat and empowering them to come up with ways to creatively use the technology available to them. I try to learn as much as I can about each tool or device so that I can help to guide them and troubleshoot problems. Often students know what they want the technology to do, and just need help getting there. Experimentation can sometimes feel scary because the teacher has to give up control, but the results are usually far beyond what I would have thought of or expected!

What is next?

I am excited to continue to connect with educators who are using this software because the sharing of ideas is so valuable. I would love to add a second printer so that more students can fabricate within a single class period (wish list item!). I am also open to bringing the software to other teachers in my district as part of a possible makerspace to be built. With this and other technology tools I will continue to be inspired by the creativity of my students!

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Get Involved

Is your classroom a FabClassroom? We would love to feature your school in a blog post! To be featured in an upcoming post, send an email to info@fablevisionlearning.com. You can also share your Fab@School Maker Studio creations and ideas on social media with #FabMakerStudio! For more posts featuring Fab@School Maker Studio, click here.

But Wait, There's More! 

Want to learn more about Fab@School? Fill out the contact form below and a FableVision Team member will get back to you.