Teamwork and Technology: Grade eight students test creativity with technology workshop

By Amanda Doucette

Students challenged their creative abilities April 20 at MakerTech 2017.

Selected grade eight students from 21 different Chignecto-Central School Board schools, filled the Best Western Glengarry conference room today to learn about technology.

“We’re using electronics to represent Canadian identity,” said Sarah Kittilsen a Central Colchester junior high school student.

The theme of the event was Canada 150. After spending the morning learning about electronics, students were challenged to make their own projects while incorporating the theme.

"I never thought I could make something on my own that had wires and light bulbs and stuff,"Kittilsen said.

Each table was covered in building materials as students worked away, barely taking their eyes off their creations.

“You place a nickel on the wires, then lay copper tape on the paper and if you connect the light bulbs right, it lights up,” said Maren Whynot, a Riverside Education Centre student.

Whynot and her group members Logan Miles and Ryan Keefe used copper and light bulbs to make a Canada 150 sign. They were as well recording a time-lapse video of the process.

Renae Cutler, Breanna Young and Chloe Faulkner, West Colchester Consolidated School students, were using a similar circuit and decorations to create a Canada flag.

“We learned how to make the board this morning,” Cutler said. “Now we’re brainstorming what we can add next.”

Calen Shaw, Tessa Macintosh and Alyssa Cosh from Bible Hill Junior High and Luc Young, Oakley MacDonald and Calvin Denny from East Pictou Middle School, teamed up to recreate a model of Justin Trudeau.

The girls from BHJH were creating a stand to resemble Trudeau’s upper body and placing a makeshift suit and tie over top. Then the boys from EPMS were tracing Trudeau’s face to add to the stand and creating a circuit board.

“We’re not sure if we can use the board on our project yet, but it was fun to make,” said Young.

Louise Haycocks, CCRSB technology integration consultant, was coordinating the event and she says the students were given little instruction on the projects but they were all succeeding.

“The less instruction you give them, the more they can learn themselves,” she said. “We’re trying to teach them to work through their failures because that gives them so much more pride to say ‘I did this myself’.”

The event was intended to be using curriculum learning, in hands-on activities, said Haycocks.

“There is so many unique categories of projects they’re putting together and it’s a great way for them to explore they’re creativity.”

 Riverside Education Centre students Maren Whynot, Logan Miles and Ryan Keefe working on their circuit and creating a time-lapse video.

Students made a circuit board and a light bulb switch at MakerTech 2017. Amanda Doucette photo.

 Calen Shaw, Tessa Macintosh and Alyssa Cosh working on a stand, for a recreated Justin Trudeau model. Amanda Doucette photo

Cutline 1: Students from BHJH and EPMS recreated a model of Justin Trudeau at the MakerTech 2017 technology convention. Calen Shaw, Tessa Macintosh and Alyssa Cosh (back) Luc Young, Oakley MacDonald and Calvin Denny (front)
Amanda Doucette photo.