How do you Learn Technological Skills When You Can’t Be in the Technology Lab?


Posted by Admin on June 29, 2020 at 4:31 PM

Annie, a Grade 10 student, built an entire shed for her technology project this year. 

By Beth Alexander, STEM Teacher

At the heart of Linden's CERES program, students build critical thinking skills and resilience through the process of solving problems while working with their hands. They use a wide array of tools and materials to do so, and visitors to the lab are often surprised by the large number of things we’ve packed into a relatively small space. So, what do you do in a pandemic, when you can’t be in the lab? Well, you have to get creative.

This term, senior technology students did an incredible job of using resources at home to continue learning, and have exceeded my expectations with their ambition, skill, and resilience. Here are just a few highlights from the Exploring Technology and Design Technology Classes:

  • Amelia in Grade 11 has set to work building beehives for her farm, and has learned that you need to fill out quite a few government forms in order to start beekeeping.
  • Alison in Grade 9 has extended her coding skills in Python by creating an AI lyrics-generator to create new Fall Out Boy songs.
  • Kailah in Grade 10 has built a raised garden bed with built-in irrigation, and has learned how to accommodate the existing wildlife in her backyard.
  • Annie in Grade 10 has built an entire shed, learning how to read plans, order the appropriate materials, and frame a peaked roof.