BalticSatApps Success Stories: GlobKids, Poland
In November 2018, the Educational Team of Instructors in Kreatikon Company in Poland near Krakow discovered, how deep the European Space Agency´s (ESA) resources are. Training for teachers has shown to the team that knowledge about space can be transferred using Lego education, Scratch programming and Raspberry Pi electronics. Their business dream is to launch the GlobShop for desktop computers and to produce the GlobKids application for smartphones. Read more, how their work has made progress since the first discovery.
Coming up:
- Ebook about our experience with the MoonBase Challenge from the ESA (in English until the end of August 2020): https://kursykrainatworczoscipl.elms.pl/s/kursykrainatworczosciplbaza-ksiezycowa.html
- European Rover Challenge – we prepare a version for teens and families with brics for remote controlling: http://roverchallenge.eu/pl/home/
- First Lego League in Krakow – we are collecting teams from halfway of August 2020
- Organization of “Satellite Terrain Games”
- Visiting the EuroSpaceCenter and the ESA in Belgium on September 30, starting from Krakow via Bremen.
Our answer to the astronaut’s question “Where are my successors?” – is: “They handle downstream and learn from satellite data!”
- Services we offer currently are video tutorials on platform in Polish: Kursy.krainatworczosci.pl
- In English we are sending a newsletter for fans that will join by the globkids.com website – we are answering by e-mail.
We invite fans to our site GlobKids.com
In October 2019, we joined the Acceleration Program SpaceUp organised by the Krakow Technology Park as a part of BalticSatApps project activities.The experts we met during the consultations listened to our idea for a website. The website would combine activities for children with the resources of the European Space Agency and communicating the recruitment needs of the space sector.
During the MySpaceLoveStory Conference in March 2020, we heard the question of Polish astronaut Mirosław Hermaszewski: “Where are my successors?”. The GlobKids project that we presented won the second place during the Pitching Contest in front of the jury of NASA astronauts and the education department of the Polish Space Agency.
Children and teenagers are interested in space issues, teachers and parents in need of 3D printing skills
The time of quarantine showed us that children and teenagers are interested in space issues and want to have practical contact with it to do something tangible. Global Space Educational System turned out to be the answer to these needs. Global Space Education System we understand as four different competences and educational levels:
- Pre-school (age 5–6) : Lego Wedo robotics simple models and basic discussions about space (orbits, gravity)
- Primary school (age 7–10): Lego WeDo, Scratch Programming, Space discussion ( GPS system, maps, solar system)
- Middle school (age 11–15): Electronic AstroPi, Space Experiment (Remote Sensing in satellite data,)
- Secondary School (age 16–18): 3D designing and printing, Satellite Data analysis Qgis and satellite investigations.
In April and May 2020, our team organised online courses about 3D designing to create a Moon Base and join the ESA Moon Base Challenge. What’s more, we have created an internet platform for sharing designs of 3D objects and easy ordering at home. Schools in Poland are required to introduce 3D printing to regular school activities, so we are starting to offer training for teachers and interested parents.
Hackathon participation with solution of satellite investigation event for teens
Next step within the BalticSatApps was the Hackathon on satellite data organized by the Krakow University of Technology and partners in June 2020, where many teams competed for awards for their projects. The GlobKids team conducted an edition of the junior event where teens carried out their “satellite investigations” on atmospheric pollution, deforestation, oil spots in the ocean and night photos showing energy demand. We also tracked train movements in real time. The joint conclusion of the participants was the confirmation that the data downloaded from the satellites have practical applications in everyday life!
