© Rick DeRennaux All Rights Reserved - All Items Are Covered And Protected By US Patents, Trademarks, And/ Or Copyrights
The Story Behind Tech-Now Inc.
& UMakeThisStuff.com
Engaging activities that teach useful skills!
For
as
long
as
I
can
remember,
I
have
enjoyed
making
things.
As
a
child
I
made
countless
forts
for
my
army
men
from
building
blocks,
constructed
structures from lawn furniture and blankets, and was always taking my toys apart to see how they worked.
As
I
grew
older,
I
enjoyed
constructing
plastic
models
of
airplanes,
cars,
and
ships,
and
launching
model
rockets.
Growing
up
on
air
force
bases
across the U.S. no doubt sparked my interest in aviation.
As
an
adult,
millions
of
people
watched
me
on
the
ABC
Television
Show
American
Inventor
as
I
showed
the
HT
Racer
product
that
I
created.
Unfortunately,
the
show
did
not
tell
much
of
the
story
behind
my
HT
Racer
product
so
I
will
share
a
little
here.
I
was
a
middle
school
teacher
in
a
small
school
district
in
Missouri
and
was
having
a
difficult
time
getting
my
students
to
complete
their
assignments.
With
my
meager
budget
I
tried
reward systems with limited success.
I
needed
a
reward
that
was
engaging,
educational,
and
something
that
I
could
afford.
As
a
kid
I
made
countless
paper
airplanes,
but
I
knew
there
was
no
way
paper
airplanes
were
going
to
get
my
students
excited.
So
using
the
supplies
at
hand:
paper,
scissors,
rulers,
and
glue
I
came
up
with
what
would
eventually
become
HT
Racers,
but
back
at
the
beginning
it
was
simply
called
Paper,
Glue,
&
You!
Not
real
creative,
but
very
descriptive.
At
first
I
had
no
access
to
a
school
computer,
so
I
had
to
create
everything
at
home
in
the
evenings
and
then
bring
the
kits
to
school
for
my
students
to
assemble.
The
deal
was
if
my
students
worked
on
assignments
and
behavior
was
good
the
class
was
given
time
to
work
on
the
different projects.
It
worked
better
than
I
ever
expected.
The
students
really
got
into
the
projects
and
later
I
incorporated
computers
and
design
software.
The
gifted
and
talented
teacher
requested
some
kits
for
her
classes
and
it
was
at
this
time
I
thought
that
I
might
be
on
to
something.
Since
1995
I
have
been
developing
curricula
to
engage
students
and
teach
them
to
use
computers
and
related
technologies.
In
1999
I
became
the
program
director
for
the
High
School
High
Tech
program
called
Tech-Now
and
developed
the
program
activities
centered
around
what
I
had
developed
for
my
classroom
students.
In
2004
the
program
know
as
Tech-Now
became
the
not-for-profit
501c3
company
Tech-Now
Inc.
Over
the
years
I
have
continued
to
develop
activities
to
help
students
learn
how
to
use
computers
as
tools,
not
just
expensive
toys.
Thousands
of
students
and
teachers
have
learned
marketable
skills
like
teamwork,
leadership,
and
computer-aided
design
as
they
have
worked
through
the
numerous
STEM
related
activities
I
have
created.
For
the
first
time
ever,
I
am
making
a
few
of
the
products
I
have
created
available
as
gifts
to
individuals
that
that
help
support
Tech-Now’s
mission
through
donations.
The
U
Make
T
his
S
tuff
website
is
setup
to
accept
donations
for
the
not-for-profit
company
Tech-Now
Inc.
Tech-Now
Inc.
works
hard
to
keep
the
creativity
that
made
America
great,
alive
in
the
classroom.
Of
the
thousands
of
students
that
have
participated
in
Tech-Now
over
the
years,
not
a
one
has
grown
up
and
gotten
a
job
filling
in
circles
on
an
answer
sheet.
My
students
step
into
a
world
where
solutions
to
problems
are
rewarded,
and
the
ability
to
be
a
team
member
is
essential
for
company
success.
When
the
answers
to
almost
all
school
questions
are
just
a
smart-phone
away,
my
students
are
learning
skills
that
require
the
use
of
tools,
both
simple
and
complex,
and
the
ability
to
use
a
spreadsheet
to
calculate the cost of a product that the team conceived of, designed, manufactured, and marketed.
Unfortunately
with
the
emphasis
on
standardized
testing,
funding
for
truly
creative
programs
is
getting
extremely
hard
to
secure.
I
hope
that
you
will
consider
a
*tax-deductible
donation
to
Tech-Now
Inc.,
a
small
not-for-profit
company
that
is
making
a
big
difference
in
the
lives
of
students and teachers every day.
Thank you for taking the time to consider supporting me and my team as we take a stand for creative students everywhere.
Best!
*Check with your account
Ricky