- This year, we are featuring some of the things that we're doing in our classroom, we're introducing that to the entire school. - That's cool. - For example, we planted some animal boxes outside to see if we have some nocturnal animals around campus. And we also installed a wildlife camera. And so we were able to capture some things on video. And so we broadcast that to the school and we learned that we have, what do we think the mystery animal we think we have? A fox. So red fox. - A fox. - Yes. - This is the "ORISE Featurecast." Join host Michael Holtz for conversations with ORISE experts on STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. You'll also hear from ORISE research program participants and their mentors as they talk about their experiences and how they are helping shape the future of science. Welcome to the "ORISE Featurecast." - Good morning and welcome to another episode of the "ORISE Featurecast." Today I'm really excited to be talking to Ms. Crystal Clark in Richmond, Virginia and some of her students. Ms. Clark was the winner of the 2021 CIA Mission Possible-Classroom Transformation. And we're gonna talk about what she did with $25,000 and how that has changed teaching in her classroom and at her school. And I'm thrilled that she has some of her current and former students with her. Ms. Clark, welcome to the "ORISE Featurecast." - Thank you. - So tell me a little bit about who you are and then if the students would introduce themselves as well that would be great. - Well, my name is Ms. Crystal Clark and I'm a teacher here at Mary Mumford Elementary School and I've been here for about four years, but I have been teaching for over 20 years and I currently teach fourth grade. - Awesome. And who do you have with you? - I have here Thomas and Khelani and they're both former students. I had them last school year and current students are Anya, Jack, Cinta, and . - Well, thank you all so much for being here. Ms. Clark, let's start with just the day that you found out that you won $25,000. I was there. I remember that day. It was so much fun. What did that feel like and how did that set you up for where you are today? - I was very excited to be the winner of $25,000. It was an exciting feeling to just even apply for it knowing the possibilities. Having worked at a Math and Science Center prior to coming to Mumford, I knew the possibilities and all of the tools and equipment that was out there and I really wanted those things in my classrooms to be able to make my classroom come alive. So it was an exciting day for me. - So you've had a solid school year, a half-ish almost with new technology. How has that changed how you teach, how the students learn all of things? - It's allowed me to be able to bring some experiences to them that I wouldn't otherwise be able to. And it's enriched not only their lives, but even enriched my teaching and enhanced the way I'm able to teach. - And I know one of the things that you were able to do was upgrade the weather station at this school and you also did some multimedia purchases as well. How are the students taking to using that technology? Obviously, there's some significant upgrades, I know particularly to the weather station and some of the multimedia stuff, but also you've got some other great equipment in the classroom, so let's talk about some of that. - Well, in enhancing the weather station, we installed a new weather station on the roof and so we're able to use that along with the daily broadcast that we do with MMTV, and they're able to do daily weather reports and they're also able to do daily broadcasts of just general news for the school. And then this year, some of the things that we're doing in our classroom. we're introducing that to the entire school. - That's cool. - For example, we planted some animal boxes outside to see if we have some nocturnal animals around campus and we also installed a wildlife camera. And so we were able to capture some things on video. And so we broadcast that to the school and we learned that we have, what do we think the mystery animal we think we have? A fox, the red fox. - A fox. - Yes. - And Mary Mumford's in the middle of town. I mean, it's not in the country. So having a fox on campus is definitely a mystery, right? - Yes. And then we also have iPads. And on those iPads we've installed apps and so we're able to use those apps daily. We have one particular app called Seek. So with that particular app, we're able to identify plants and animals around campus. So that's been fun for them to be able to use every day. And some of them even come ask me, "Oh, can we take this outside for recess?" So instead of playing on the blacktop or a playground, they're walking around with their iPad finding things. - Yeah, that's awesome. And I think I saw in one of the presentations, did you purchase a greenhouse or a- - A hydroponic. - A hydroponic, yeah, a hydroponic system. - Yes. And so with that hydroponic system, we grew lettuce and also basil and with that lettuce and basil, we harvest it. So they got to go through the whole process from seed to harvest and then we incorporated cooking those items that we harvested. - That's awesome. So you're not just doing science as a standalone, you're incorporating it into everyday life. You're growing vegetables and basil and here's what you can do with it now that you've grown it. - Yeah. - That's pretty amazing. If I could ask some of your students, whoever wants to go first, what's your favorite piece of technology or thing that you've learned in Ms. Clark's class because of the technology? - Go ahead, Khelani. - I learned how to 3D print and last year in Ms. Clark's class, we got to 3D print little key chains with our names on them and different structures. And some people like Jack, he's not here right now but he helped out with that process. So that was really cool to see how to make things like that. - Very cool. 3D printing is a lot of fun. - And Thomas, you wanna talk a little bit about the 3D printing? - Yeah. So basically, you insert the film in and then you make a model, but before you can put that model into the printer, you have to use what's called a slicer. And it basically slices all the layers in the print, I mean in the model so that the printer can read them and print them out. - That's really cool. - And you shared with me at the beginning of the school year, what did you come and share with me? That you actually now have what? - A 3D printer. - What did you just pull out your pocket. What's that? - A noise maker. - A noise maker? - He made that with his own 3D printer. - Did you make a banana? - Anyone else wanna talk about something they love? - Anybody else wanna talk about any of the iPads, how we're using the iPads or alright, and then Jack. - So for the broadcast, we usually do paper and you have to flip the paper over. But now we have the iPads and you can use the iPads for the broadcast and it is easier to read and it's way better than the papers. And I feel like that helps our broadcast. - Okay. - That's like professional news level 'cause you're not holding paper - And the at the top. - Yeah. - Awesome. - Very cool. - I figured out that there are a million species of every animal. Well, not a million but there's usually more of two species of every animal. And I know that using Seek on the iPads. - Okay. - Okay. - That's awesome. Khelani. - I really like using . - So tell us about that. What is that? - It's like a weather, you see how fast the wind . - What do you use it for? - Well, we used it to check the weather or how windy it was outside. And I usually brought it outside and we used to stick it in a tree or something and then it would tell us how hot it was outside and then it would tell us how windy it was and then this little part, it would spin a lot and we also used that in class a little bit sometimes and it's nice having it. - Okay. - That looks like a really cool piece of equipment. So I could see definitely being interested in all the weather aspects that you can gather from that. Anyone, are you interested in being a scientist, being a meteorologist? I'm seeing some hands up. I see Khelani. - You wanna say anything about that? What are you interested in? - I like space lot. - You like space? Okay. - Awesome. - I saw somebody else was in. - I like the . - Okay. And also in the room, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce her, is, I have a student teacher from JMU this year. - Hi. - Oh, hi. - And that's . She's learning to be a teacher. - Get to learn from Ms. Clark and hear about all the different ways that she's used all the new equipment in her classroom. So it's been great. - That's awesome. Let me talk to you both about that 'cause we talk a lot at ORISE ORU about mentorship and mentored experiences. And Ms. Clark, obviously, you are being a mentor to a student teacher. What is that like for you and then, I'm sorry, tell me your name again. - Ms. Smithson. - Ms. Smithson, if you'll tell me what it's like to be mentored by a teacher of Ms. Clark's caliber. - Yeah, it's been great so far. It's been great to be able to see the way that she's able to just implement all of the different new technology. She's told me about all the different things she's been able to buy and update and really help out not just in her classroom but you can see that it's having an impact on the whole school and the way that they're able to use the weather equipment on the top of the school for MMTV and use new equipment for broadcasting and stuff like that. And you can tell that the students are really interested and you can tell that her passion, especially for science and just the different things that she has in her classroom, that rubs off on the kids. You can tell the kids are getting excited about it too which is a really great thing to see. So it's been great to be able to learn from her and watch her teach her students and just fuel their passion for science and all the other things that she's teaching in her classroom as well. - Very awesome. Do you have a specific topic that you want to teach or are you thinking STEM teacher? - I am just in general elementary school right now. - Okay. - So I'm looking at all the different topics so I'm not looking at a particular subject right now and I'll get a chance to teach different things in the classroom as part of my program, so. - Very cool. Thank you so much. Ms. Clark, what's it like to be shadowed by and working with student teachers? I'm sure that's something you've done throughout your career. How important and how valuable is that? - It's very important as when I started I didn't know all the possibilities that were out there. And so to be able to share those, not only with my students but with a new teacher, it's awesome. It's an awesome experience. And also just to be able to share resources with teachers in the school, it's a great experience as well. - I mean it yes, it changed your classroom, you were able to transform your classroom but it really impacted the entire school, didn't it? - Absolutely, absolutely. And I actually know the winner of the grant for this year. Her and I actually worked together at the Math Science Innovation Center. And so she we've had conversations as well about the resources that she had and even with her applying for the grant. So just being able to impact teachers at other schools as well. - That's really cool. Knowing that the CIA is going to offer a classroom transformation, a maker space opportunity, I would expect you would recommend that teachers go for it and go through the process of applying and creating the video and- - Absolutely, don't be afraid to extend yourself and apply for this because the possibilities are endless. You would be able to impact students and all the equipment that you can get for your classroom is certainly things that will make your classroom, your teaching more valuable and enhance what your students are able to do. And not only did I order teaching materials, but I actually ordered things that would enhance my teaching as well from the Apple computers that I have, the digital camera- - Okay. - And even my television in my classroom, all of these things will enhance your teaching. - Absolutely. And I've seen in the presentations that you sent that some of your students created, how you're implementing that in the classroom and able to have experts be zoomed into the classroom to talk to the students and do presentations, who they're not in your classroom but they can still teach your students. - Yes. When we use the hydroponic system, we actually called the company who built the hydroponic. They're right here in Virginia and they zoomed in with us and gave us some advice on growing our plants and they were very excited that the students were interested because usually they're working with high school kids. But the fact that we are in elementary school and we're growing and using their hydroponic system was a great experience for them. - That had to be exciting for them to see that their equipment is being used by a younger than intended necessarily audience. So very cool. Well, Ms. Clark and everybody, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. It's been great to catch up with you and see how life has changed because of the CIA Mission Possible-Classroom Transformation. So thank you for your time. And I would be remiss, our business development director, Wanda Gamble, is a fellow AKA and I see you wearing the colors so if I didn't give a shout out, she would slap . So just wanted to say, go Soror on her behalf. So thank you so much and have a great rest of the day. - You too. Thank you. - Bye. - Thank you for listening to the "ORISE Featurecast." To learn more about the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, visit orise.orau.gov or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at ORISE Connect. If you like the "ORISE Featurecast," give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.