Innovation Hour at Gordon Terrace: I Came, I Saw, I Cubed
Wow. Innovation Hour at Gordon Terrace was way more fun than I expected. And trust me, me and technology are not exactly besties. But this? This was a totally different kind of tech experience, hands-on, kid-powered, creative, and surprisinglyā¦ not terrifying! It was a perfect way to blend tech with student curiosity in a fun, innovative, low-pressure environment. We had five awesome stations, and every single one had something cool going on:
1. Button Making
A low-tech, high-creativity zone! Students made their own buttons, and it was so fun seeing them cycle through our stations with their new buttons.
2. Go Cubes (My Station!)
Ah yes. The station that turned me, someone who had never solved a Rubikās cube, into a near-professionalā¦ with a little help from our iPads. Here is a link to a video explaining the Go Cubes a little more. I spent the whole event at the Go Cube station because it was a bit more complex and required consistent explaining, resetting, and making sure everything actually stayed connected. Sounds like the morning shift had a tough go, but when I arrived, we were almost a well-oiled running machine. And by the end, we were practically Go Cube pros.
We worked with five groups of students in two grade ranges:
- Grades 2ā5 (the older kids āgot itā quicker than I did)
- Kindergarten and Grade 1 (adorable little fart machines)
The older kids were pretty independent, they were quick learners, curious, and very into the idea of a computer-supported cube. It was such a great chance for me to practice explaining things clearly, stepping back and letting them problem-solve, and just watching them light up when things clicked. They worked in pairs, and they were focused and engaged and all solved the cube a few times!
Then came the little stinkers (literally, kindergarteners have no shame when it comes to farting)
Kindergarteners + Go Cubes = very challenging but they still had fun
They loved the cubeā¦ but mostly wanted to flip it, twist it, and hold it upside down every which way. The Go Cube sensors? Not fans of that. They made too many mistakes which caused the cubes to disconnect, so, we had to get way more hands-on and do groups of 3 instead of pairs. We had to walk them through each move, guiding their turns and helping them hold it properly. Some figured it out, though, and their excitement when they solved the cube made it worth all the explaining.
Overall? Way more fun then I thought, and Iām glad I tried the more āchallengingā station. It gave me a bit of confidence for my own problem solving.
3. Microbit AI
This station I didnāt participate in, but from our design lab class we had explored it previously and sounds like it was a hit. The microbits were preprogramed to make different images on their screen, which were matched to different movements like jumping, fist bumps, flossing and some we couldnāt even figure out, it looked fun!
4. Chomp Saw
Okay, I love Chomp Saws, and I wish I had time to try this station out. The students cut out and made paper airplanes, and they were so proud to bring them to their next stations!
5. Unplugged Activity: Brain in a Bag
A super fun, no-tech activity, I didnāt quite get the explanation of the station, but they looked like they were having a good time!
Final Thoughts
Innovation Hour was such a great experience, not just for the kids, but for me too. I got to practice teaching skills, work with different age groups, problem-solve on the fly, and even āsolveā a Rubikās cube for the first timeā¦ kind of. Iām already looking forward to next year.
Huge thanks to everyone who organized this super fun event!
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash