Technology Student Style

Conversation, collaboration and keystrokes amounted to powerful displays of digital savvy and creativity at the 5^th annual OpenWorld Learning (OWL) Tech Fair. This year’s fair was the biggest ever for the organization and held the added surprise of technology competition that captivated its attendees.

Teams from eight OWL elementary schools – Archuleta, Colfax, Edgewater, Eagleton, Ellis, Garden Place, Munroe and Vista PEAK – showed off their MicroWorlds skills during OWL’s Tech Fair Tech Challenge. With quick thinking, the teams worked to respond to a specific challenge. Round One’s Task: Create your school’s mascot. Teams of three collaborated on the steps to take to create their school’s character on screen. Each contributed to the discussion and design of the final product, while judges poised behind them listened to the talk and scored teams not only on technical abilities but also team cooperation. As an added bonus to all the learning, Comcast generously donated event T-shirts as a keepsake for every student who participated in the Tech Challenge.

Melanie Moreno, Pathway Director at Vista PEAK Exploratory echoed what the judges saw firsthand, “We’ve had OWL for two years and our kids are learning programming, as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills and collaboration skills that are so important.”

Next, came the newly installed Robo Challenge. This live LEGO Robotics competition put robots built and operated by students from three OWL middle school sites through the paces to see which mechanical masterpiece performed the best. It was a crowd favorite for the day.

Parents Martha and Brain Cook smiled brightly as they talked about OWL’s impact on their daughter Jazmyne’s life,

“It’s a great program,” they reported in unison. “She’s learned so much it’s amazing. And she loves it.”

“It’s great to be with friends who are interested in doing this,” said Leslie, a shy 6^th grader at Kepner Middle School, with a gesture to the elaborate stop motion film set she created. “I loved spending time making my set.”

The event also added a resource fair. Representatives from a variety of community organizations educated parents about healthy eating, resources via Denver Parks & Recreation, Comcast and YMCA, among others. Ansley Young and Pam Peters from Spark It Studios, a company offering art camps for kids and adults, found it a great way to connect with an audience interested in expression.

“It’s a great event! We are meeting lots of kids who are interested in the camps we offer. They are interested in art and technology,” said Ansley Young, founder of Spark It Studios.

In the cafeteria, Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) offered the chance for students to operate “Marvin,” the 4 foot, 7 inch, 120 pound robot designed and built in six weeks by a team of 20 students from the school. “It’s a blast to be here,” agreed students of Team DSST.

OWL’s mission is support children’s school success by tapping the power of digital technology and peer teaching to develop leadership and ignite a love of learning. Founded in 2000 by Chris Myers, the organization aims to provide fun and challenging after-school educational programs centered on teaching advanced computer technology to Denver area students. Since its inception OWL has served more than 5,000 students with over 550,000 contact hours.

The reviews were unanimous: OWL’s Tech Fair was a great way to spend a tech-centered Saturday. It may just be the place computer history will record the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs got their start.

Hats off to all who participated! Below is a list of those who walked away with prizes:

EPortfolio Elementary Prizes: Third Prize: Sparkfun kit; Second Prize: Headphones; First Prize: Galaxy Tablet

Contest Winners

Art & Animation: 3^rd Place: The Penguin That Got Lost, by Cheyenne Mitchell – Ellis Elementary; 2^nd Place: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover, by Miriam Qblia – Ellis Elementary; 1^st Place: Friends, by Kyetya Ri – Ellis Elementary

Programming: 3^rd Place: Baby Mario, by Daniel DeHerrera – Colfax Elementary; 2^nd Place: St. Patrick’s Day, by Fatima Chavez – Munroe Elementary; 1^st Place: The Legend of Zelda, by Justin Le – Ellis Elementary

Writing & Research: 3^rd Place: Recyclones Unleashed, by Tyson English – Archuleta Elementary; 2^nd Place: Be Yourself, by Shanda Hines – Ellis Elementary; 1^st Place: Megalodon, by Jazmyne Cook – Colfax Elementary 

Integrated: 3^rd Place: Babies!, by Natalia Mendoza Ramos – Colfax Elementary; 2^nd Place: Easter Day, by Suvd Jargalsaikhan – Ellis Elementary; 1^st Place: Swimmy Fish, by Jared Vargas – Ellis Elementary

EPortfolio Middle School Prizes: Third Place: Sparkfun Kit; Second Place: Snap Circuit Kit; First Place: Sphero Ball Robot

Contest Winners:  

Graphic Design: 3^rd place: Legacy and XBOX Game & Cover, by Isaiah Albright – Kepner; 2^nd place: I.L.F., by Giovani Guzman – Vista Peak; 1^st place: Jordi & Julian’s Logo Design Co., by Jordi Lahowetz & Julian Robinson – Vista Peak

Stop Motion Animation: 3^rd place: My Family Story, by Jhoalen Duran – Vista Peak; 2^nd place: Painting, by DJ Cox – Vista Peak; 1^st place: The Mystery Injury, by Leslie Pinedo-Delgado – Kepner

Live Competition Winners:

TECH Challenge 3^rd place: Eagleton Eagles (Eagleton Elementary); 2^nd place: Archuleta Gigabytes (Archuleta Elementary); 1^st place: Ellis Einsteins (Ellis Elementary)

ROBO Challenge: 3^rd place: Big Fat Pigs (Vista Peak Exploratory 6-8); 2^nd place: Mate Ma’a (Vista Peak Exploratory 6-8; 1^st place: Jackalopes (Kepner Middle School)