Ham Radio News
…because we don’t live in a vacuum
Reaching Youth Through Amateur Radio in
the Classroom
ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve
Goodgame, K5ATA, attended the Georgia
Educational Technology Conference, held November
2 - 4, 2022. The conference was the first part in a
series of planned ARRL exhibits to meet with
teachers and promote amateur radio in the
classroom. Assisted by ARRL Teachers Institute
Instructor Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, along with
volunteers Cyndi Goodgame, K5CYN, and Betsey
Greene, they spoke to hundreds of teachers, school
administrators, and technology directors about the
ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.
ARRL's participation at this conference, as well as
future events, is meant to inform and network with
educators looking to incorporate amateur radio into
their curriculum.
"The level of interest among teachers was
incredible!" said Goodgame. "Our booth enjoyed
heavy traffic for the duration of the conference,
much of the time with all four of us engaged in
discussions with multiple people simultaneously.
Except for a couple of teachers we met who were
already hams, few teachers had heard of amateur
radio before this conference. These teachers were
absolutely amazed at the possibilities that exist
when including amateur radio and related
educational experiences in their schools."
"Teachers were especially excited at the connections
between amateur radio and space. We shared
information about the ARISS program -- Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station -- as well as
communicating via amateur satellites. Enough
teachers were interested in learning more about the
relationship between amateur radio and satellites
communications that we put together an
impromptu live demonstration using two handhelds
and an Arrow antenna we had for display in the
booth. We gathered a crowd of teachers, along with
a few students who were presenting their Student
Showcase projects and headed outside. We enjoyed
a good satellite pass and made contacts through
AO-27. One of the students even got on the air!"
"Overall, it was a great conference and a great
opportunity for ARRL to network with educators and
work with them to help get more youth engaged in
amateur radio."
- ARRL Letter