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As a “Ham” Radio operator, I am keenly aware of the benefits of including Amateur Radio enrichment programs in our schools. There is a direct relationship between the knowledge base of ham radio and the science, math and geography taught to our children. Amateur Radio fosters communication and in so doing improves a young person's verbal and social skills. The sense of accomplishment gained by passing an FCC exam and operating on the air does wonders for a young person’s confidence, and teaches them the value of persevering towards a challenging goal.

All the wireless technologies that underpin so many areas of our life today and that in the future will only increase, are, after all, an outgrowth of radio. It is increasingly important for today's education to include at least some basic understanding of the technology involved. It's equally essential to provide exposure for our children to those technologies and related sciences at an early age. Engaging a student’s imagination in the fascinating world of radio science creates a current of interest to carry them on to become tomorrow's scientists and engineers. Amateur Radio has a place in this endeavor, but opening channels to share the opportunities for the learning and insight Amateur Radio offers is a challenge in today’s educational environment.

In general, schools can offer only a few unique learning opportunities for those students who are not inclined to participant in the school’s sports and other standard extra-curricular programs. This regrettable situation may leave many students disenfranchised. If you, as a parent, believe technology oriented programs, like robotics, science competitions or Amateur Radio, would be a valuable part of your children’s school curriculum, you need to communicate this to your school board and administration. And if you do get support from your local educators — then what?

The ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio™, has developed a nationwide Education & Technology Program to provide students with learning opportunities in science and technology through special hands-on activities that engage students’ minds and imaginations. The aim of the program is to provide a foundation of Wireless Technology Literacy among teachers and students, and to demonstrate how Amateur Radio can be a doorway to the world of physics and electronics. ARRL provides teachers with methods that will enrich classroom curricula, capture students’ interest and help them learn.

A student at East Elementary School in Zion, Ill., learns to solder.

The ARRL Teachers Institute

ARRL’s Education & Technology Program is an entirely donor-funded educational outreach effort. Through this program, we are able to offer professional development for teachers and award grants for Amateur Radio station equipment and resources for instruction to help teachers better convey basic electronics and wireless technology concepts in the classroom.

A cornerstone of our outreach program is the professional development workshop we sponsor — the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. Each summer, we offer multiple sessions of a four-day, expenses-paid seminar in locations throughout the United States. The workshop is open to all teachers, whether they are licensed Amateur Radio operators or not.

Since 2004, the Teachers Institute has provided teachers from elementary school to the university level with tools and strategies to introduce the science of radio, electronics, space technology, weather, microcontrollers and robotics in their classrooms. In 2008, the curricula was expanded to include Amateur TV and radio astronomy.

Teachers get some hands-on experience at the Teacher Institute.

Teachers who attend the Institute experience hands-on learning with project kits such as a seismometer, a 24-hour clock and a Boe-Bot® robotics kit. But a Teachers Institute isn’t all classroom work. We also provide plenty of hands-on experiences they can turnaround into science and engineering activities that will fascinate your children.

For example, the teachers conduct a “fox-hunt” tracking down a hidden radio transmitter; participate in Amateur Radio satellite contacts; and observe the collection of satellite imagery transmitted by NOAA satellites. These are all activities teachers can take back home to engage children in their classrooms and in after-school programs. A recent Teachers Institute participant commented, “If there were one thing I would want my students to take away from my classroom, it would be this kind of resourceful thinking that facilitates problem-solving. I believe Ham Radio is one of the few places where a student can build experience with practical, hands-on problem-solving.”

This past summer, ARRL added an advanced Teachers Institute for former graduates with a focus on satellite communications. Teachers set up and operated a satellite ground station. They learned how to copy, decode, interpret and use satellite telemetry. Carried over into the classroom, these satellite measurements are put in the hands of their students who then graph and interpret the telemetry, learning about the health and operating condition of a particular satellite.

ARRL receives gratifying reports from the schools that participate in the Education & Technology Program. The schools tell us that the resources we offer are bearing fruit. Teachers are using Amateur Radio as a tool for their students to explore wireless technology, programming, robotics and electronics. They are integrating topics in aerospace and satellites, geography, weather, astronomy and applications for math and data analysis and demonstrating real world applications.

Incorporating "wireless literacy" into the broader educational landscape is not something that will happen overnight. Even so, we believe that, through the outreach efforts of ARRL’s Education & Technology Program, Amateur Radio can have a significant role in developing a favorable climate for “wireless literacy.” Fueled by community support, ARRL’s program can help to establish wireless literacy as an educational mainstay, providing opportunities for students to be engaged with electronics and radio technologies, stimulating a life-long curiosity for many subjects.

The ARRL Educational Grant Program

The ARRL’s Educational Grant Program is straight forward: we look for commitment from a teacher (preferably, teachers) and the school’s administration combined with a working relationship with local ham radio volunteers who will provide mentoring support for the school.

To date, ARRL has provided grants — station equipment, instructional resources and opportunities for professional development — to more than 400 teachers and schools. Additional information about ARRL’s Education & Technology Program can be found at www.arrl.org/etp and www.arrl.org/ti and through a site search for news stories about the Teachers Institute on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org.

Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, is manager of the ARRL Education Services Department. She can be reached at djohnson@arrl.org.

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.