Welcome to GEARBOX LABS' Newsletter
May 2020
Welcome to the first Gearbox Labs Newsletter. We are launching this service to share news about
- our curricula, kits, and services
- upcoming events
- project insights
- stories from our partners and model implementations
- STEAM News, information, and resources for your classroom or educational setting
We hope to make this newsletter informative, inspirational, and practical. We have your email address from a conference, purchase, Maker Faire, workshop, or previous outreach via mail or email.
If this is not of interest to you, you can opt-out completely.
But before you do, please consider forwarding to someone in your organization that may benefit from our work. Learn more about us here.
In this newsletter, we are sharing updates on
- COVID-19
- Introducing Gearbox Labs
- Next Curriculum: Internet of Things
- Worldwide Partner Network
- Gearbox Labs Online Courses: Now Available
- STEAM News
We are open for business.
We can do all of our business online, over the phone, or through videoconferencing. Send us an email, give us a call, or message us on one of our social media accounts and we will work with you directly. While we cannot come to you at this time, we can conduct training through our online courses and WebEx.
We have books and kits in stock that are ready to ship via USPS or DHL daily.
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Founded by Isabel Mendiola and Peter Haydock in 2019, Gearbox Labs is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit, organization from Wisconsin USA with a mission to advance STEM/STEAM education. Isabel and Peter bring their nearly 50 years of award-winning education experience. Independently, they have developed new and innovative resources for educators and students.
Now they have collaborated on their first curriculum, The ARDUINO® Classroom: STEAM Edition can be used in multiple contexts including:
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science classrooms to enhance traditional labs like pH, VOC detection, turbidity determination, and temperature measurement (and more) with engineering and coding experiences (Authentic 3D learning)
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engineering classes exploring physical computing, computational thinking in an applied science framework
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maker spaces and fab labs to foster innovation through guided and applied practice
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computer science classes using C/C++
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robotics teams building skills using sensors for new team members
- high-interest days
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museum or library workshops for the public or targeted audiences
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dinner tables for family or individual projects
The ARDUINO® Classroom: STEAM Edition was tested for over 4 years in Isabel's classroom. The projects scaffold within the curriculum and start with introductory skills building projects and continue through scientific sensors and robotics. One of Isabel's students took what they learned and won the National Science and Engineering Competition of Mexico twice with the skills learned from this curriculum.
Curriculum Features |
Content & Skills |
Free Online Features (with Registration) |
Premium Online Features |
25 foundation projects
110+ extensions
tested code
standards aligned
assessments
materials lists
color technical diagrams
color photos
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scientific sensors
physical computing
C/C++ coding
engineering design
computational thinking
STEM/STEAM
project management
ELA
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community ideas
project showcase
project updates
Chromebook adaptations
project extensions
book links
additional alignments
acknowledgments
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copy and paste code
project videos
project photos
classroom presentations
ancillaries
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Also available from Gearbox Labs are materials kits custom-assembled from classroom-tested parts. We offer starter, station, training, and custom kits through our online store.
Take a look at our online and onsite services including workshops, courses, and classroom residencies. We also appear at Maker Faires, high-interest days, STEM Fairs, and other engagements as well as run free workshops with our partners. Check our Events page for where we will be.
Contact us if you have any questions here.
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Gearbox Labs has commissioned the second book in The ARDUINO Classroom series. The ARDUINO Classroom: Internet of Things Edition will be available later in 2020. Learn more about the forthcoming curriculum here.
This curriculum will be structured as the STEAM Edition. It will feature projects that use
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- Cellular
- GPS
to interconnect to sensors, webpages, and apps.
Isabel and Peter are hard at work on this curriculum and will be announcing its availability soon.
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Gearbox Labs is pleased to announce the following partners.
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Philippines, Felta Multi-media
Felta will carry all of the curriculum and kits through an exclusive agreement for the Philippines. Felta CEO & President Mylene Abiva said of this partnership, "FELTA continues to be the trailblazer and leader in School technology and innovative Education in the Philippines. Our partnership with Gearbox Labs, Inc. is a testament to bringing only the BEST to the Filipino learners."
Watch the Felta website for details as they build out their new Maker Space and bring Gearbox Labs books, kits, and services.
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Neenah, WI, USA Cre8lab
Cre8lab will sell Gearbox Labs curricula and kits through their maker space in Neenah. Gearbox Labs will also run workshops onsite once the "Safer at Home" restrictions are lifted. Stop by the Cre8lab website to see all of their offerings.
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Exminster, UK, CodeCreates
CodeCreates will carry the curriculum and kits through an exclusive agreement for the United Kingdom and Europe. We will be working with CodeCreates over the next few months to "Gearbox Labs are truly innovative and creative with regard to the Arduino platform and have developed a fantastic curriculum and series of resources for schools and educators, content is easy to understand and deliver in the classroom pivotal for teachers in any setting. We are delighted and excited to be able to partner and work with Gearbox Labs to supply and deliver their products across the UK and Europe, they fill a clear gap with regard to offering quality content associated with the Arduino products."
Watch the CodeCreates website for details as they grow and bring Gearbox Labs books, kits, and services to the UK and beyond.
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South Africa, KUTYEI - RoboCoder
Located in Pretoria, South Africa, Tinago and Roy are building a business to teach robotics and coding skills to students. Robocoder will be using content from The ARDUINO Classroom: STEAM Edition in their workshops and online courses.
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TIPS Contract (TEXAS)
Gearbox Labs has been awarded a contract to sell its curriculum, kits, and workshops to Texas schools. For more information click here.
We are also in the purchasing systems of several school districts in Texas. Check with your local district and if we are not in yours, use the contact form to reach out to us here.
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Gearbox Store
See all of the offerings of Gearbox Labs at the online store.
- We will be announcing other partners soon.
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Gearbox Labs is pleased to announce that it has released two online courses.
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Introduction to Arduino
A short introductory course to build skills using the Arduino UNO. In this course, you will build 6 Arduino Projects. The projects are numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, and 16 from The ARDUINO Classroom: STEAM Edition and a project of your own design. To learn more click here.
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Scientific Sensors and Arduino
A course to build skills using scientific sensors and the Arduino UNO. This course is designed and facilitated by the curriculum authors Isabel Mendiola M.S. and Peter Haydock, M.L.I.S In this course, you will build 6 Arduino Projects. The projects are numbers 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 22 (light, color, heartbeat, pH, soil moisture, and temperature) from The ARDUINO Classroom: STEAM Edition. Resources include project videos, reference videos, reference web pages, diagrams, and photos. If you run into a jamb, the authors will video conference with you to troubleshoot your projects. Take short section quizzes to demonstrate your understanding. To learn more click here.
These courses are available for licensing to a school server or hosted on our servers.
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Here are the headlines that we follow.
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