Bonsall High partners with HP for project-based learning experience

BONSALL – Bonsall High School world studies students partnered with HP engineers in a project-based learning opportunity. Teacher Danny Costa said “the final project, which is a working Rube Goldberg machine, is integrated with representation of events of World War II based upon the students’ country of choice.”

Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist and inventor made famous by his illustrations of overcomplicated devices that perform simple tasks. Students were mentored throughout the project by HP engineers, specifically with the use of the HP Sprout, an all-in-one computer that allows students to scan, edit and print in 3D.

Students used the Sprout to prototype and design their Rube Goldberg machines. The capstone event was a public exhibition of student projects, where students’ machines were evaluated on the operation, design, and incorporation of WWII events.

“One thing that’s really important to our school is the idea of creating a culture of revision,” said Principal Lee Fleming. “So when students create a draft, they realize that the draft is never really finished, you just have to meet the deadline.”

HP hired a professional film crew to document the event. The video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs3u50PYmyw.