Learning by Doing
Proactive corporate partner NFS donates KitBooks to Unicoi County Schools
 |
 |
|
Edamar Co-founder David Jones helps Unicoi County Middle School fifth-grader Abbey True assemble a circuit in a KitBook he and Ed Basconi developed. (photo: Jim Wozniak / Johnson City Press)
|
|
News story published Saturday, December 20, 2008
By Jim Wozniak
Erwin Bureau Chief
jwozniak@johnsoncitypress.com
Learning by doing: Local men’s KitBook big hit at Unicoi Middle School
ERWIN, TENNESSEE — Jordan Connelly wants to take his newest textbook home so he can treat his mother to an endless amount of noise. Emily Briest is ecstatic with her latest schoolbook that helps her explore her love of science.
Robin Lamie’s fifth-grade classroom at Unicoi County Middle School became a science laboratory of sorts Thursday when representatives of Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) and Edamar hit the room. They passed out science KitBooks developed by Edamar co-founders Ed Basconi and David Jones that teach students about items such as circuits, conductors and electricity.
Students briefly worked with the kits before they were stored away to be used in the next semester.
NFS, which makes fuel for the Navy and converts high-enriched uranium to a low-enriched form, donated 150 student editions and 20 teacher versions to UCMS. It’s part of a new educational program for public schools called the NFS Young Innovators Program.
“Sparking the kids interest in science early is really a win, win, win,” General Manager Tim Lindstrom said. “We think it’s a win for the kids because they get interested in science and technology and have career opportunities later in life. We think it’s a win for NFS because we’re developing the skills that we need in the work force.
“We think it’s a win for the community because that partnership and that interest in technology will continue to allow the skill development and growth of industry in this area.”
Basconi and Jones, engineers who met when they both worked for Texas Instruments in Johnson City, have produced the KitBook for about a year but have been in business longer. Jones describes the KitBook as a combination science kit and textbook that combines theory with practice.
“Sales are good,” Jones said. “We exceeded our goals for the first year, and we have high hopes for the coming year. We won two national awards this year.”
Jones said the National Science Education Standards for electric circuits are geared toward students in fourth through sixth grade. But he and Basoni are finding the applicability is broader, so their audience includes children who are 7-13 years old. But he said even Northeast State Technical Community College is using the KitBook to teach instructors.
He said the University of Tennessee analyzed 50 students in Knoxville using the KitBook and another 50 learning a more traditional way. Testing them afterward, those conducting the study found students using the KitBook scored 32 percent higher.
Jordan and Emily had a great time playing with the KitBook on Thursday.
“I think it’s really good and helps people learn about science,” he said and then explained why he wants to take the KitBook home with him. “I’d love to keep these at the end of the year and drive my mom nuts with the beeping.”
“It was awesome,” she said of the kit. “You can do all this stuff with science. I’ve always loved how you can do all that stuff. I don’t know why, but it’s just so fun in a really weird way because most of the time, kids think that school is all boring and everything. But I actually like school.”
Lamie is happy to have the KitBooks in her classroom.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the children,” she said. “Science is very important, and hands-on experiments are what they love to do and what helps them to remember.”
For NFS, items such as the KitBook play into the company’s strategy to attract more Unicoi County residents as employees.
“We think the earlier that we can spark an interest in science and technology and develop the interest in the skills that we need in the work force, the higher percentage of a population that we’ll be able to draw on of Unicoi County residents for NFS employees,” Lindstrom said.
