ARRL Announces 2017 Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology

ARRL has announced its 2017 Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology schedule. This summer’s sessions will be held in Dayton, Ohio — hosted by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) — and at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. (DARA also helps to sustain the program as a generous contributor.”) The deadline to apply is May 1. Past participants who have completed the introductory (TI-1) course may want to consider signing up for the advanced (TI-2) session on Remote Sensing and Data Gathering. These expenses-paid, intensive professional development opportunities offer educators training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom using Amateur Radio.

Topics covered in the TI-1 Introduction to Wireless Technology include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming, and basic robotics. Among other activities, participants will learn how to solder and practice by building a digital clock. They’ll also learn basic circuit concepts and learn how to use basic test equipment.

Educators in the TI-1 class will also learn about Amateur Radio, take part in a hidden transmitter hunt, and see demonstrations of Amateur Radio satellite communication. Students will build and program their own simple robots. An Amateur Radio license is not required to take the TI-1 class.

Applicants to the advanced Teachers Institute (TI-2) on Remote Sensing and Data Gathering must hold an Amateur Radio license and have competed TI-1. The class will concentrate on analog-to-digital conversion and data sampling, and participants will receive telemetry from Amateur Radio satellites and apply it to math and science topics. TI-2 participants will also construct a marine research buoy equipped with environmental sensors, build a microcontroller to sample the data, configure it for Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) transmission, and receive and upload data to a spreadsheet for analysis.

Introductory (TI-1) ARRL Teachers Institute sessions will take place July 17-21 in Dayton, Ohio, and July 24-28 at ARRL Headquarters in Connecticut. One advanced (TI-2) ARRL Teachers Institute class will be held July 10-13 at ARRL Headquarters.

Check out this video for an inside look at the Teachers Institute! More information is available on the ARRL website. An article about the Teachers Institute will appear in the March issue of ARRL’s monthly membership journal QST. Register to receive news about ARRL Education & Technology Program activities and notifications about the summer 2017 Teachers Institutes.

Contributions from individuals and from corporate and institutional supporters make the annual ARRL Teachers Institutes possible.