Tag Archives: Franklin

Franklin High School accelerator lab: ‘If you can dream it, you can build it’

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Franklin

Journal Sentinel: “If you can dream it, you can build it,” is the motto engraved on a sign for the Accelerator Lab at Franklin High School.

The space is filled with multiple 3D printers, a laser engraver, and a variety of students’ creations, from a Pokémon “Diglett” to a glass-etched football trophy, proof that students are taking the motto for the space seriously.

The lab is open for any student at FHS to come and create, and it will eventually be open to the community, as well.

Right now, a group of lab “interns” are becoming experts on all of the technology, funded by the Franklin Public School District and the Franklin Educational Foundation. Once they’ve mastered the devices, the students will be the teachers in the space, showing their peers and even community members how to build what they dream.

“My favorite part is that we’re really allowed to do anything because if we can imagine something and design it in any of the programs, we can actually make it,” said junior Eddie Rabideaux, one of the interns.

Read the complete article on Franklin’s accelerator lab.

Franklin school specialist is ‘Making IT Happen’ with technology

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Franklin Now: District Technology Integration Specialist Chad Kafka was recognized by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) at its national convention as an outstanding leader and educator for “Making IT Happen.”

Kafka was one of two Wisconsin educators who received the “Making IT Happen” award, which “honors outstanding educators and leaders who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students,” according to the ISTE’s website.

“The thing I’m happy about is that the award not only recognizes my work, but also Franklin as a leader to bring technology into schools,” Kafka said.

LuAnn Zielinski, Franklin’s district technology supervisor, said that Kafka works in a variety of ways to integrate technology into Franklin schools.

“He’s involved in a lot of things that are ongoing, being that support person for users, helping them learn new stuff and new tools,” Zielinski said. Within the Franklin school system, Kafka helps teachers and students learn how to use new technologies in ways that enhance the school learning experience.

Franklin High School’s InRoads program aims to prepare students for careers

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Franklin Now: Franklin High School’s InRoads program was first announced in 2013 — the college and career readiness curriculum somewhat coincided with the high school’s $33 million reconstruction project.

Initially estimated to include 30 students in the program’s first cohort, more than 160 students are enrolled in InRoads.

“I feel like there’s a couple things happening in education right now — really big picture, you see this push back against standardization, not that [standardization] doesn’t have its place, but was it too much?” asked Brooke DeLassus, the InRoads coordinator at Franklin.

“There’s a lot of talk [of] engaging kids and better preparing them for the world we’re actually living in.”

The InRoads program consists of three strands — biomedical, engineering and global business.

Read more.