Jason Kasper
I am a Colorado native and have taught everything from outdoor education, and 6th grade to technology courses, K-8. I am passionate about the process of innovation & superb design as it greatly impact the course of the world & Humankind. I am an avid mountain biker that has traveled the world to rip the gnar and meet new people. I've been married to my wonderful wife Jeanna for 26 years. We recently celebrated our anniversary in Tuscany, Italy in the small village of Sconsano.
General Class Description:
The priority of this class is to be very hands-on and student driven. Students are given resources, support material, tutorials, and goals. They are then asked to find their own creativity in the class. I will bend over backwards to help students, and at the same time I am trying to honor the title of the class: Innovation & Design.
Syllabus:
Unit 1- Dropcopters: Students will build an origami helicopter of their own design. We will test for accuracy at the end of the unit by dropping them off of the mezzanine. The students will then reflect on the 2 first stages of the design cycle through writing prompts.
Unit 2- Co2 Cars: Students will learn about form, function, and society and how they interact. They will then learn to draw 2 view orthographic technical drawings that help them design their own car. Last, they will build their own car. At the end of the unit, students will judge the influence of their car via voting for the most popular quotes, along with reflecting on how they implemented the design cycle.
Unit 3A- Bridges: Students will learn the social and economic context of bridges, then build popsicle stick bridges.
Unit 3B- 6 super high quality students from each class will be trained on the power tools and the laser cutter. They will then be able to fabricate anything that can be completed during the bridges unit. I call these students ‘Indies.’ They will not do bridges- just Indie fabrication.
Unit 4- Trebuchets: Students will learn how to assemble and fire wood trebuchets during the Trebuchet Olympics. They will then compete for gold, silver, or bronze medals.
Homework- I don’t assign homework. If they do have homework, it will be because the student(s) chose poorly in class.
Late work- For every day the student is gone, they will have one day to make up work. There are times that students will be gone, and we are racing Co2 Cars, or doing load testing, or during bridges where they will want to participate since it is a social event to race and load test. In this case, it is up to the student to get going and complete the work as quickly as possible.
Key/Code when looking at Infinite Campus Grades
T for Turned in (within 24 hours of being submitted)
M (Missing)- with comment A if Absent (get one day per absence) and include due by date
M - Until turned in or 0 when assignment is no longer being accepted (end of unit/ no longer relevant/ end of grading period)
All work (including late work) that is submitted will be graded within a 1-week window.
Redo for higher grade- A student can redo work at any time for a higher grade during
the current unit. After that, the grade(s) are locked.