Case Study

Copperas Cove ISD

“This is my 30th year in education and 15th year at the district level and I have experienced year after year that we see these really cool things that could be integrated and it’s just kind of a fight and we push. But we feel very blessed that we’re able to find these spots to fit Strawbees in. We definitely see the value of Strawbees for sure.”
Holly Landez
Holly Landez

Director of Digital Learning at Copperas Cove ISD

Intro

After facing obstacles at a district level to implement new tools into the curriculum, Holly Landez, Director of Digital Learning at Copperas Cove Independent School District, was able to implement Strawbees into both Gifted and Talented programs and Marker Spaces across multiple schools.

It was the versatility of the application and the ease of applying it across all different types of learning as well as the ability to foster independent learning among students that made it easier to implement across multiple age groups and subjects.

Chapter I Transforming Classrooms and Inspiring Creativity

Implementing Strawbees Across Grade Levels

After seeing Strawbees at a trade fair, Holly added it to an ever growing list of really cool things that she wanted to implement within Copperas Cove, but experienced a roadblock in terms of funding and time.

“When you’re in Edtech and have been there for awhile, there are so many cool things that you want to try and I had been hearing about Strawbees for years where I was working,” Holly said.

When Annababette joined Copperas County, with her passion for computer science, and with the help of a grant designed to help increase coding and math, the district was able to find the ability to pull Strawbees into multiple elementary and middle schools.

The Challenge: Strict Curriculum

For Holly, the overwhelming number of different types of solutions, a lack of funding as well as the difficulties in implementing anything new into a strict curriculum made getting Strawbees on a larger scale extremely difficult.

“Our teachers at the elementary and some junior high levels have some pretty structured curriculum and time constraints,” Holly said.

The introduction of the TEKS curriculum has also introduced new obstacles for those wishing to implement different solutions within their schools. Although Strawbees now offers multiple TEKS aligned lessons, many can still face significant challenges getting Strawbees into day to day lessons.

“I know that the intention has been for teachers to implement it in their classroom but we’re really not there yet. It’s been a very small launch and we’re trickling specifically in the libraries and with the Gifted and Talented students,” Holly Landez said.

A big task Annababette has is to encourage more students to visit the libraries and programs where they can learn more about coding and science. Though Holly is enthusiastic about Strawbees and what it offers, it can be incredibly difficult to fight for change on a higher level.

“This is my 30th year in education and 15th year at the district level and I have experienced year after year that we see these really cool things that could be integrated and it’s just kind of a fight and we push. But we feel very blessed that we’re able to find these spots to fit Strawbees in. We definitely see the value of Strawbees for sure.”

“We feel very blessed that we’re able to find these spots to fit Strawbees in. We definitely see the value of Strawbees for sure.”"
Holly Landez
Holly Landez

Director of Digital Learning at Copperas Cove ISD

The Solution: Why They Chose Strawbees

With the help of Digital Learning Leaders made up of teachers and librarians across multiple campuses whose job is to help teachers learn about various digital learning tools, as well as Annababette’s ability to take them step by step, Strawbees became a good solution to work across multiple grade levels.

“It has versatility because it can be used in so many things. We have a summer STEM camp and it can be used there. It can be used in Gifted and Talented classes. It can be used in a library. It can be used in the regular classroom. I don’t think it’s pigeonholed to one level,” Holly said.

Librarian Savannah Taylor also found that Strawbees could be used both with very young students in first grade while at the same time challenging students in Gifted and Talented programs, “It challenges them in a different way, especially with micro:bit. They’re smart kids and usually they can look at a picture and figure it out. What I liked about Strawbees is it challenged them more than usual so they had to slow down.”

"They’re smart kids and usually they can look at a picture and figure it out. What I liked about Strawbees is it challenged them more than usual so they had to slow down."
Savannah Taylor
Savannah Taylor

Librarian at Copperas Cove ISD

“It can be used in a library. It can be used in the regular classroom. I don’t think it’s pigeonholed to one level.”
Holly Landez
Holly Landez

Director Digital Learning at Copperas Cove ISD

Implementation: Inviting Students to Code

As a computer science graduate, Annababette is passionate about coding and bringing more students into the process of thinking like an engineer and implementing problem solving and independent learning. When implementing Strawbees, Annababette noticed that the students were immediately engaged and curious about the different colors of straws and because of the simplicity of building, they often ended up building without even realizing it.

“The concept for coding with the micro:bits is very easy and you will be surprised how the small kids will be like, ‘Okay, I know how to do that now!’ It’s very easy and they’re very eager to learn.”

With the use of Strawbees Classroom, Annababette has been able to easily implement lessons and also encourage students to take ownership of their own learning process. The step by step nature of the lessons along with the idea that it clearly delineated everything needed for each build as well as videos made it incredibly easy to work with.

“The lessons tell them what to do. I tell the students, ‘Go read the directions. It will show you. Just follow it.’ So I’m making them independent. Imagine these are fourth graders and fifth graders and I’m telling them to go read it and follow directions. It’s more engaging for them because they are the ones doing it.”

Savannah also agrees that Strawbee provides a pathway for students to learn in a self-motivated way, “It doesn’t take a whole lot of teacher direction. It really is something that the students can take ownership of and you can be a supporting factor.”

“I’m making them independent. Imagine these are fourth graders and fifth graders and I’m telling them to go read it and follow directions. It’s more engaging for them because they are the ones doing it.”
Annababette Diemecke
Annababette Diemecke

Digital Learning Coordinator at Copperas Cove ISD

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of teacher direction. It really is something that the students can take ownership of and you can be a supporting factor.”
Savannah Taylor
Savannah Taylor

Librarian at Copperas Cove ISD

Results & Impact: What Changed?

Despite being unable to fully implement Strawbees in the way that they would like into daily lessons, the impact of what they have been able to do in libraries and with Gifted and Talented programs has made an impact.

Every time Annababette is able to visit a classroom and run coding sessions with Strawbees and micro:bit, the students are excited to see her and are asking for more and more sessions.

“The students said ‘How come we only have one day of coding? We should have more days! We want to do this!’. Luckily we realised we had one more session and now we’re going to do the crane activity and they’re very excited about it,” Annababette said.

After implementing Strawbees for two years in a row, Savannah is keen on continuing to implement it based on the results she’s seen, “I think it’s a great program for kids. My hope is that next year I’ll be able to do this on a larger scale with my classes and give all the kids access to STEM related activities.”

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Implementing Strawbees in Libraries and Makerspaces

Despite the challenges that Holly has faced implementing Strawbees across the Copperas Cove, she is committed to finding ways to incorporate Strawbees into the lives of students.

“For Texas, we don’t do Common Core and everything has to be really closely tied to the state standards. We have to be able to show that kids can be hands-on here and there. There has to be a really strong alignment to get anything embedded. Strawbees is on the right track there,” Holly said.

Annababette is also happy to continue to have sessions with students and librarians across the district, especially when it comes to involving more students in coding. “I’ve been teaching computer science and I love coding. So for me, building those things together with Strawbees and micro:bit is really good for the student’s mind and bringing them into the engineering process.”

Holly also encourages teachers who are passionate about getting it into their classrooms to consider grant funding opportunities. “We always tell our teachers, there are other grant opportunities if the school district cannot provide things. Here in our district, we have an education foundation that gives small grants for things like Strawbees. A lot of teachers don’t apply for them.”

As Strawbees continues to expand resources on Strawbees Classroom specifically to address TEKS requirements, Holly hopes that there is a bright future for Strawbees in the Copperas Cove District. “Our wish is for everybody to use it,” Holly said.

“We always tell our teachers, there are other grant opportunities if the school district cannot provide things. Here in our district, we have an education foundation that gives small grants for things like Strawbees. A lot of teachers don’t apply for them.”
Holly Landez
Holly Landez

Director of Digital Learning at Copperas Cove ISD

“I’ve been teaching computer science and I love coding. So for me, building those things together with Strawbees and micro:bit is really good for the student’s mind and bringing them into the engineering process.”
Annababette Diemecke
Annababette Diemecke

Digital Learning Coordinator at Copperas Cove ISD