Baraboo math teacher purchases programming technology with award - Baraboo News Republic

After earning the Baraboo School District’s Excellence in Education Award in May, Damion Beth sought to use his $1,300 stipend in a way that would benefit his current and future students.

Previous award winners have spent the money on field trips, conferences and seminars, but the high school math teacher wanted to use the award for something different.

“I wanted to do something that wasn’t just a one-time thing for my kids,” he said.

Beth said he heard about new programming technology that had been developed by Texas Instruments and thought it would be a good use of the money. He purchased 12 TI-Innovator Hubs and wiring kits for his classroom, as well as two TI-Innovator Rovers that can be programmed to complete various functions using the hub and a TI calculator.

“The Innovator Hub is similar to a lot of the stuff they use in computer science,” Beth said. “They’re trying to make it more accessible to more students without necessarily having to know all of the ins and outs of the tech behind it.”

By plugging command codes into the calculator, students can program the rover to flash LED lights in different colors, play sounds, move in various directions and complete a host of other functions. The rover also has an ultrasonic sensor in front, so it can be programmed to avoid obstructions.

Beth said the educational activities using the rovers already have gotten his students thinking about real-world applications for the technology.

“I put this out for the kids, and they were talking about Roombas or the whole autonomous car business,” he said. “This is a really bare-bones version, but it’s the idea of all of the sensors that need to be available.”

The Excellence in Education Award is given annually to a secondary teacher in the district who has “distinguished themselves as exemplary teacher” and “has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and dedication to the young people of the Baraboo community.” The award is provided by the Baraboo High School class of 1956 through an endowment fund with the Greater Sauk County Community Foundation.

Robin Whyte, associate director of the Community Foundation, said Beth used his stipend in a way that is consistent with the award’s purpose, which is to provide professional development or an educational enrichment activity.

“It was original, exciting and innovative,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see the different directions that teachers take with the gift every year, and we’re happy to have been here to manage the fund that makes the award possible.”

Beth said he plans to use the new technologies in his advanced placement calculus and geometry courses in the future. He said the equipment could give students a head start at learning the concepts that drive modern technologies.

“With the way society is moving and where technology is going, you have to figure this out,” Beth said. “When your phone doesn’t send or receive a text message immediately, there’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that’s making this work.”

“To have that appreciation and exposure means a lot to the kids.”

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