I'm a STEM teacher with a B.S. in Chem Engineering and several websites and apps online. Looking for more challenging, technical work; willing to learn your tools.
Thanks! For me #1 is really important too. I think just trying, especially with software, is so important. The language is one I'm thinking about - some of my students are self-studying AP CS which is centered on Java, but that language seems more difficult to start building things you can see (as opposed to just HTML/javascript) but maybe I'm just not as versed in it.
Thank you! Yes, I think tangible projects are a really strong approach - I'm trying to figure out a suite of realistic projects, so students can choose the one they most respond to.
At first I smirked when I read your American bit... but then I wondered... what if those were design choices?
For example, what if someone figured out the average sit-time of gasoline in the jerrycan, the average fault rate and leak rate of the lesser seam, and the average production time and lifespan of the jerrycan - then decided the sometimes leakier version was better because it was lighter, more quickly manufactured, etc?
And then perhaps American soldiers were more likely to pilfer gasoline for joy-rides or bartering, or to steal and sell the jerrycans themselves to their liberated friends and lovers, or for some other reason these cans were more likely to be "lost" as the Wikipedia article vaguely mentions - thus, make the can useless without the spanner and funnel, so as to make it a little less tempting for an improper owner to run off with?
Maybe?
Just thinking out loud.
But these questions reminded me just how fascinating everyday objects can be.
