Microsoft - Katie McNeil: EdTech Content Marketing

Hacking STEM is a small incubation team inside of Microsoft that focuses on developing next-generation hardware, software, and services for K-12 education.

During my contract, I worked with a multidisciplinary team of teachers, engineers, and designers to develop STEM lesson plans that embed computational and design thinking into existing middle school curriculum.

Responsibilities included:

o Copy editing Hacking STEM lessons, professional development content, lesson resources, build instructions, dynamic Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations
o Writing web copy and scripts for lesson videos
o Conducting background research for lesson content
o Creating bi-weekly social media editorial calendar
o Curating fresh, daily STEM content for social media

31st October 2022

Build machines that emulate humans

Students build robotic models from cardboard and straws to understand the anatomy and biomechanics of the human hand. Then, they conduct trials visualizing data in Excel to generate new ideas for improving its performance.

Microsoft Hacking STEM • 21st March 2019

Resource Document for Basic Circuits

Many Hacking STEM projects, like Morse code, Hot wheels, and Joystick, use a switched circuit and a DC power supply to function. This resource introduces the components and functions of a basic circuit.

21st March 2019

Microsoft Hacking STEM: Making party lights to understand electrical circuits and switches

I collaborated with teachers to provide both substantive and copy editing of this middle school STEM lesson plan. This three-day activity introduces students to electrical circuits and how to use a circuit to create a light switch. Students construct electrical circuits consisting of four fundamental components—power source, load, conductor, and switch. With these circuits, students create party lights that are manually controlled or set to music they choose.

Microsoft Hacking STEM • 21st March 2019

Microsoft Hacking STEM: Building models to understand and mitigate brain injury

I collaborated with teachers to provide both substantive and copy editing of this middle school STEM lesson plan.

This lesson sparks students’ curiosity about the brain and helps them understand and mitigate brain injury. Students construct a model of the human brain, equip it with impact sensors, and use data to develop and test designs for protective headgear.

Microsoft Office Support • 21st March 2019

Workbook settings for Excel's Data Streamer add-in

When the Data Streamer add-in is enabled, you can set the parameters for the Data In and Data Out functions in the Workbook Settings tab.

Microsoft Office Support • 21st March 2019

Advanced settings for Excel's Data Streamer add-in

Microsoft Office Support • 21st March 2019

Start streaming real-time data with the Data Streamer add-in

Now that you’ve connected a source for your data, it’s time to start streaming it into Excel.

Microsoft Office Support • 21st March 2019

Flash code and connect a microcontroller to your PC

To visualize real-time data in Excel with the Data Streamer add-in, you'll need to connect a microcontroller and flash code onto it.

Microsoft Office Support • 21st March 2019

Enable the Data Streamer add-in

If you want to connect live data with the Data Streamer add-in for Excel, but you don't see the Data Streamer tab in the Excel ribbon, you first need to enable the Data Streamer add-in.

Microsoft Excel Support • 21st March 2019

What is Data Streamer?

Data Streamer empowers students with a simple way to move data from the physical world in-and-out of Excel’s powerful digital canvas.

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