Changes to Our Maker Space

The Maker Space, which we started 2 years ago, has gone through quite a few changes.


This year we moved a few things around and ordered quite a few new kits and tools based on feedback from teachers and students as well as our own observations on how space was used. We have also enlarged the space it occupies to include one of our large work tables with better access to power.

We have reorganised and redefined areas, but possibly the biggest change is the attention the Science Nook is getting. This can be found at the back of the maker space just in front of the ICT Lab. It now sports microscopes, solar panel robot kits, circuit blocks, engineering kits, board games and more. The students also have access to our 3D printer and printing pens and a good selection of appropriate magazines and books for young scientists, engineers, tinkers and thinkers.







The LRC Maker Club has already started and the response has been great. Over the summer we received a long awaited shipment of replacement 3Doodler Pens. We had the opportunity to view them in action and chat with the company representatives at the annual ISTE Conference and were convinced the 3Doodler Start pens were the way to go. They are non-toxic the tips do not get hot and they were 3Doodler, the only company whose pens has stood up to the rigours of our maker space and ICT lessons. We weren't disappointed.

Have a look at some of the initial designs done by the students during their first lesson.

STEAM Fest 2017

Our Anual STEAM Fest was a huge success!

If you would like to read up on the prep, please click here.

This STEAM Fest, our school maker faire, was different in some ways than STEAM Fest 2016, in that the students defined the projects from day one. Last year, was our first attempt and we found that we ended up supplying a list of potential projects for students to sign up for. This year that wasn't necessary as staff and students had been through the process once before and had a good idea of what it is they would be taking on.

This year we tried something new. We live streamed our event to our School's Facebook pages. Several members of staff wandered the various venues with roaming cell phones and filmed, interviewed and talk with participants throughout the day, following a published schedule.

We found this really useful as we were able to open up the event to parents and families who were unable to attend. They were able to tune in o the event at given times to view the action.

Here is a short video from the auditorium, we took using Facebook Live Stream.




They say a picture speaks a thousand words.
Here is a link to our Flickr Gallery from the event. It speaks for itself.

IT Security in ITGS

The 11th grade ITGS students were learning about security issues this past week as well as how to avoid them and how to deal with them. They were asked to put a short video together to explain these concepts and did so over the course of two lessons.

The first step, after deciding on a focus was for them to identify key terminology and language they planned on using. Next,  they wrote short scripts and began their recordings. It was great to observe the variety of methods and applications they chose to produce their videos.

Here are three out of the many examples, compiled into one video. In these cases the students opted for Powtoon, whiteboards, and drawings, as well as presentation videos, in that order.

Enjoy!

STEAMing Along on Our Way to STEAM Fest 2017

This year's STEAM Fest is going to be bigger and better than last year's in a variety of ways. 

The number are in and the response has been overwhelming, from our  6th grade to 12th grade students.  Close to 100 students, from across Secondary have now formed teams and volunteered to plan and develop a STEAM project for this year's event. 

This doesn't take into account teachers, nor does it include the hundreds of  Primary students who will be working diligently in their lessons, on their projects as well. Upper Primary will present one final project per class, as well as several ICT projects, at this year's event.

The Logo Competition

Several students from both Primary and Secondary challenged themselves to design a new logo for this year's STEAM Fest, based on our new Motto which is: MAKEe a Difference, Think Globally, Act Locally!  The Logo Competition winners have been chosen and we have two of them.

The design below was created by combining both winning logos. These were selected from a collection of submissions as the ones that best illustrated our new Motto. 

BTW: You may recognise the last part of that motto. It isn't our own, in fact, we have borrowed it. If you would like to know more about this interesting quote you may want to start with this interesting  Wikipedia article about it.

Here is the winning announcement which will go out to students and staff this today.

The Mini Maker Faire: as mentioned previously, was a great success. 

Here is a short video and the link to our photo gallery on Flickr.

STEAM Fest Mini Maker Meet-Up

Our second annual STEAM Fest event will take place on March 10th this year. In fact, STEAM Fest will officially kick off Science Week instead of closing it as it did last school year.
This year's motto is: MAKE a Difference-Think Globally, Act Locally

While we have been meeting as a core committee over the last few months, and promoted it in various ways around the school, the real action and visible preparatory activities have just gained momentum.

The kids were introduced to STEAM Fest prior to Christmas Holidays in order to start gathering up their ideas and building their teams. Upon return to school in January, student project sign up began for a spot at the Fair. The deadline to fill in the Google Form  was last Friday, January 13th however, we left the intentionally left the receiving responses option activated on the Google Form and it has paid off.  We have had a continuous flow of submissions over this past week as well.

We are taking things up a notch this Friday. The predominately 10th, 11th and 12th grade STEAM Team leaders who have been actively speaking to students across Secondary in Assemblies, will be running a Mini Maker Meet-Up at the cafeteria during lunch time. As soon as the bell rings they will roll down a mobile maker cart and run 2 different activities of their own choice,each.

These activities are designed to capture student interest, imagination and enable everyone to have a  'taste' of some of our newer Gadgets, and design activities as well as encourage additional groups to sign up a project.


Below are the photos from the event.
If you would like to learn more about STEAM Fest 2017 or STEAM Fest 2016 have a look at our Official Website.



Please click here to view the entire gallery on flickr.

Semana del Libro

Con el propósito de fomentar la lectura en nuestros estudiantes de secundaria, se realizó nuestra semana del libro con el lema "Alimenta tu necesidad de Leer" la cual se desarrolló del 28 de noviembre al 02 de diciembre.

Considerando la lectura como una actividad indispensable para el desarrollo de habilidades importantes para la vida, ya que esta facilita no solo el aprendizaje de nuevos conocimientos, si no también provee de herramientas que ayudaran a nuestros alumnos a enfrentar los nuevos retos que nuestra sociedad demanda.

Por este motivo dentro de nuestra semana se desarrollaron diferentes actividades:  

El día lunes comenzamos nuestra semana dando las palabras de inauguración con el profesor David Flores quien al mismo tiempo desarrolló un cuentacuentos con los alumnos de sexto grado el título del cuento Epaminondas. Al final del cuentacuentos realizó un crucigrama de los cuales resultaron tres ganadores en resolver el crucigrama sin ningún error al final los tres ganadores obtuvieron regalos sorpresas.

Conservatorio con Ricardo Hernández y Vladimir Amaya

Patrick Josselin

Editorial Bayard

Silvia Pira

Cuentacuentos

Josué A. Peña
Escritor

Ligia Salguero

Mediateca Embajada de España
Cuento congelado

Competencia de la trivia de libros.

En el área de los display interactivos del LRC se reunieron los estudiantes de diferentes tribus Mayas, Pipiles, Incas y Aztecas para competir en las trivias.

Los ganadores de cada trivia ganaron 20 puntos  quedando  como ganadores Mayas e Incas.

Recomendación de libros en hojas.

Los estudiantes escribieron sus recomendaciones de libros en hojas para ponerlas en el árbol de lectura que estaba en el centro de la biblioteca. 
También obtuvieron puntos de tribus siendo los ganadores

Paul Davis 

Eva Harris 

Salvador Zaldívar

El Mejor diseño de portadas de libros.

Los estudiantes demostraron su creatividad a través de la creación de portadas de libros. Para la elección del ganador estuvo de los profesores Jennifer Garcia y Adrian Hall, siendo la ganadora del primer lugar K.Z. de 6to Grado.

Mejor disfraz.

El mejor disfraz ganaba 20 puntos tribales 

La elección de los ganadores dependía de la creatividad de los concursantes y siendo jurados las bibliotecarias

Google Cardboard in ITGS

Last week we spent half an hour testing out and evaluating Google Cardboard in our HL ITGS class. This was  part of our preliminary work on wearable tech. The students viewed a video overview, learned how to use the headsets and the Cardboard App (which runs 360 degree videos), then assembled the devices. Next, we headed outdoors to the grassy area in front of the LRC. Luckily, there was a respite in the rainy weather and the grass was also dry, enabling us to purposefully wander around the grounds, whilst immersed in different VR environments.


It was fascinating to observe the kids as they took tours, spotted their partners and shared their locations and findings, all without leaving the lawn in front of the LRC. This work was punctuate by excited exclamations, location call outs and the regular directions of the spotters.


The next step is to continue the debrief, and record their findings on their response sheets. Interestingly enough, the students were very impressed by these cheap cardboard constructions built for cell phones, despite their awareness of the range of alternative high tech VR devices currently available. It will certainly be interesting to read their written responses to the this experience.