TRURO, N.S. — Kayla Emmerson enjoyed more than the learning opportunities provided at a recent MakerTech day.
“It gives us somebody new to work with and experience their personality and strengths,” said the Oxford Regional Education Centre student.
“It’s really interesting too. We’re making a wind turbine, which is fun.”
Students worked in pairs, and she was partner with Ava Flecknell, from Parrsboro Regional High, who she’d only met a few minutes earlier.
“I’m not huge on building, so doing this this is a new experience for me, but it’s interesting,” said Ava.
MakerTech brought together about 80 Grade 8 students and 20 teachers from Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education (CCRCE) schools and École acadienne de Truro. Each school sends a teacher, who chooses the students to accompany her/him.
“One of the purposes of this is to expose schools with Grade 8 to different ways of teaching curriculum,” said Louise Haycocks, technical integration consultant with the CCRCE. “There are workshops in the morning and in the afternoon they use what they learned in the morning to complete a challenge.
“This is the fifth year we’ve held this, and it always gets a positive response.”
Workshop topics included stop motion, robotic control, programming micro-computers, wind turbine creation, green screen work, and climate change.
Audrey MacLeod, from West Pictou Consolidated, was one of the students working on a climate change project.
“It’s something I’m concerned about and, obviously, something has to be done,” she said.
Both she and her partner for the workshop, Hants North Rural High student Hope Beaudoin, said they now use reusable straws and bags.
Keandru Paris, from Truro Junior High, was enjoying the workshops.
“I was excited to be chosen for this, and it’s what I expected,” he said. “I like technology and hope to work in it when I’m older.
“in this, we collaborate and figure things out so it’s fun while learning.”
Dalton Goodwin Peck, who also studies at Truro Junior High, said he enjoys solving things and his dream is to work for Apple someday.
The third Truro Junior High student at the event, Brea Hayden, is considering a career in software engineering.
