If you're fearing that America's children are sliding on an out-of-control toboggan toward an abyss of ignorant bliss, where they will spend eternity texting one another and playing mindless computer games, your fears are unwarranted at Granville Middle School.
Technology is being used to lure these GMS students toward a bright future of discovery and invention. That's where Dan Sansuchat comes in.
This technology education teacher is changing the face of education and lighting up the faces of children who enter his classroom. For his efforts, he will be presented with the "Teacher Excellence Award" at the International Technology Education Association annual conference this week in North Carolina.
Nominated for the honor by the Ohio Technology Education Association, he also was recognized by that group on April 10 at Worthington High School, his alma mater.
Sansuchat's students appreciate his hands-on approach to learning.
"This class is really fun," eighth-grader Ben McComas said.
"It's like all the classes combined," added his work partner Dain Steffney. "We use science and math."
About 20 Design and Build students ranged the room in different stages of their project to build a sitting machine for an upcoming competition. Their excitement and focus gave the lie to anyone who says students are distracted by working together. But then, the task was formidable.
The eighth-graders were required to consider five forces when constructing their machine: Compression, tension, bending, shear and torsion. Using no more than 20 square feet of 1/8-inch thickness of recycled single wall corrugated board, and only wood glue, they had to create a design on the computer, develop a prototype, test the prototype and redesign before constructing their machine, which had to be strong enough to hold 180 pounds.
Sam Gress and Gage Farley worked on a prototype of interconnected triangles that did not yet look exactly like their computer design.
"Triangles are one of the strongest shapes," Gress said. "They're used in bridges and braces, like the ones on the ceiling." He pointed above him to the open-steel beams.
Sansuchat said he is gratified to see so many girls in his classes. And they are not all "techies."
Katherine Hunter, who opened her novel as soon as class finished, said she wants to be an author. But she would take another class like this one.
"Mr. Sansuchat helps and encourages us. He explains things before we do them and lets us use our own ideas," she said. "I was definitely surprised to like this class so much."
Sansuchat displayed some of the projects from another of his classes: Digital Multimedia, in which students use programs like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, sound editing programs and Adobe Premier to create multimedia presentations. They also are learning to communicate with each other in a professional, non-texting way that allows them to give peer critiques of each other's work. Using the computer application Moodle, students can give constructive advice on design.
"Whoa! How did you get all those designs in the background? The symbol behind the A and P may be a little bit much," one entry said.
In this class, students design their own apartments on the computer, creating their own 3-D furniture from specifications they research online.
"They are using calculus-level math to do this, but they don't know it and they don't need to," Sansuchat said.
If the projects are difficult, students always have their partners for support. "It's 100 percent collaborative," Sansuchat said.
These classes are all about synthesis and evaluation, according to the teacher.
"We use divergent projects to find the solutions to problems, working through the design process to see spatial reasoning and then do virtual modeling," he said. "What can we do to make something faster, more efficient, save time, save money? The pencil and paper are technology. It's not all just computers."
Sansuchat's award for teaching is especially meaningful in light of his own educational background. He said he was a capable but reluctant student who didn't see the practical application of much of traditional education.
"I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. My middle school tech teacher said I would either be the next Unibomber or win the Nobel Peace Prize."
After high school, unsure of what he wanted, Sansuchat did electronic and mechanical troubleshooting, diagnostics and repair of engine management systems and EFI Controls, all of which utilized his proficiency in computer and electronic skills. He also did Bio and Alternative Fuel Tuning, reflecting his current interest in everything "green," which he imparts to his students daily.
After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in technology education from Ohio State University, Sansuchat came in 2008 to GMS where he teaches Multimedia and Tech: Design and Build, as well as acting as a computer tech and go-to person for the middle school staff.
Technology is being used to lure these GMS students toward a bright future of discovery and invention. That's where Dan Sansuchat comes in.
This technology education teacher is changing the face of education and lighting up the faces of children who enter his classroom. For his efforts, he will be presented with the "Teacher Excellence Award" at the International Technology Education Association annual conference this week in North Carolina.
Nominated for the honor by the Ohio Technology Education Association, he also was recognized by that group on April 10 at Worthington High School, his alma mater.
Sansuchat's students appreciate his hands-on approach to learning.
"This class is really fun," eighth-grader Ben McComas said.
"It's like all the classes combined," added his work partner Dain Steffney. "We use science and math."
About 20 Design and Build students ranged the room in different stages of their project to build a sitting machine for an upcoming competition. Their excitement and focus gave the lie to anyone who says students are distracted by working together. But then, the task was formidable.
The eighth-graders were required to consider five forces when constructing their machine: Compression, tension, bending, shear and torsion. Using no more than 20 square feet of 1/8-inch thickness of recycled single wall corrugated board, and only wood glue, they had to create a design on the computer, develop a prototype, test the prototype and redesign before constructing their machine, which had to be strong enough to hold 180 pounds.
Sam Gress and Gage Farley worked on a prototype of interconnected triangles that did not yet look exactly like their computer design.
"Triangles are one of the strongest shapes," Gress said. "They're used in bridges and braces, like the ones on the ceiling." He pointed above him to the open-steel beams.
Sansuchat said he is gratified to see so many girls in his classes. And they are not all "techies."
Katherine Hunter, who opened her novel as soon as class finished, said she wants to be an author. But she would take another class like this one.
"Mr. Sansuchat helps and encourages us. He explains things before we do them and lets us use our own ideas," she said. "I was definitely surprised to like this class so much."
Sansuchat displayed some of the projects from another of his classes: Digital Multimedia, in which students use programs like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, sound editing programs and Adobe Premier to create multimedia presentations. They also are learning to communicate with each other in a professional, non-texting way that allows them to give peer critiques of each other's work. Using the computer application Moodle, students can give constructive advice on design.
"Whoa! How did you get all those designs in the background? The symbol behind the A and P may be a little bit much," one entry said.
In this class, students design their own apartments on the computer, creating their own 3-D furniture from specifications they research online.
"They are using calculus-level math to do this, but they don't know it and they don't need to," Sansuchat said.
If the projects are difficult, students always have their partners for support. "It's 100 percent collaborative," Sansuchat said.
These classes are all about synthesis and evaluation, according to the teacher.
"We use divergent projects to find the solutions to problems, working through the design process to see spatial reasoning and then do virtual modeling," he said. "What can we do to make something faster, more efficient, save time, save money? The pencil and paper are technology. It's not all just computers."
Sansuchat's award for teaching is especially meaningful in light of his own educational background. He said he was a capable but reluctant student who didn't see the practical application of much of traditional education.
"I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. My middle school tech teacher said I would either be the next Unibomber or win the Nobel Peace Prize."
After high school, unsure of what he wanted, Sansuchat did electronic and mechanical troubleshooting, diagnostics and repair of engine management systems and EFI Controls, all of which utilized his proficiency in computer and electronic skills. He also did Bio and Alternative Fuel Tuning, reflecting his current interest in everything "green," which he imparts to his students daily.
After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in technology education from Ohio State University, Sansuchat came in 2008 to GMS where he teaches Multimedia and Tech: Design and Build, as well as acting as a computer tech and go-to person for the middle school staff.
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