Blog Archives

December in the Innovation Lab

12/28/2016

The Innovation Lab hosted several great projects during the month of December and here are some pictures from a few of them! Second graders used KidPix to create an poem and illustration which was printed out and enhanced by a glowing LED bulb! Our fifth grade focus group created drawings on paper which were converted to SVG graphics and 3d printed! The seventh and eighth grade Prototyping and Inventing class attempted to solve the problem of disorganized cords on our lab tables along with controlling their Scratch creations using Makey Makey! To learn more about Makey Makey be sure to watch the video at the end of this post!

Kidpix, Writing, and Lights (2 Christie)

Line Drawing to 3d Printing (5 focus Group)

Problem Solving, Coding, and Makey Makey (7/8 Prototyping and Inventing Choice)

Check out the video!

Students connect a Makey Makey device to the USB port of a computer and wire leads can then become connected to the device's ground through just about any object. The connections tell the computer to press the space bar, arrow key, etc. In this video one student holding the ground is playing Tetris while the other students each hold one of the other leads. Each of the other students is actually a controller button in the game! One is to move left, another to move right, another to rotate the shape, etc. This was great fun!

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Teachers Imagine the possibilities at Innovation Lab Open House

12/16/2016

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The elementary faculty meeting on Tuesday, December 13th was a professional learning experience in the GEMS Innovation Lab. Teachers were invited to visit various interactive exhibits such as 3d design, paper circuits, robotics, green screen video, coding, and new multimedia creation software. Each exhibit contained the tools, supplies, and information available for teachers to tinker, explore, and generate new instructional ideas.

Some of the interactive exhibits that were available to teachers at the open house.

Collaborating with teachers is one of the main functions of the Innovation Lab program. Mrs. Payne and Mr. Hadd both work with GEMS teachers to plan new student learning experiences using a variety of tools and resources. The main goal of the open house was for elementary teachers to see what is avalable and to brainstorm possible future projects that can be supported by the lab.

Teachers were asked to complete an exit ticket indicating which exhibits they visited as well as their ideas. The tickets contained many positive reactions to the experience as well as numerous ideas.

Working with LittleBits electronic circuit components.

Programming Ozobots with color codes.

"I didn't know what to expect - but very cool!"

"This is so cool. Thanks for hosting!"

"Need time to think about it all!"

Creating paper circuits!

Creativity with copper tape, LEDs, and batteries.

"I am booking writing, I would love some time learning KidPix 3d."

"First graders would love to use the hands on manipulative activities!"

"It would be fun to make a 3d version of a building."

"Using the Green screen for where in the world? - famous landmarks."

"Hyperstudio 5 - create project displaying knowledge from non-fiction text."

"Robotics - create a map of setting from text according to description - robot follows map in sequence of events."

Trying out new multimedia software.

Imagining the possibilities!

If the success of this open house can be measured by interest and ideas, the event was a home run! The lab has already seen an uptick in scheduling and Mrs. Payne and Mr. Hadd have been meeting individually with teachers about upcoming projects. The new year is going to be exciting and busy in the GEMS Innovation Lab!

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Learning About Inventive Thinking

12/7/2016

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What does it mean to invent? How do inventors come up with ideas? These are some of the question that the Prototyping and Inventing 7/8 Choice Class pondered this past week. Students were given a challenge to design a better solution to organize the wires on the Innovation Lab tables. First students sketched out ideas on paper, then many followed up with Tinkercad , an online tool for creating 3d objects. A few students opted to use another 3d modeling program or physical materials. Students received feedback through a gallery walk activity and used the feedback to make changes. Finally the class voted and chose four designs to be 3d printed and tested. The final designs wil be included in a future blog post!