Kurn Hattin Homes for Children just finished their summer program—Tech Week. This one-week program immersed the students into a dynamic world of technology with the aim of fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving in young minds, preparing them to thrive in the ever-evolving tech-driven landscape.
The students delved into projects like building robots within the VEX Robotics Continuum while on teams, their objective to deliver payloads to a destination in a model Robot City. They had hands on experience with Snap Circuits and Circuit Maze while they learned all about the fundamentals of electrical engineering. They used empathetic design and created a model Mars colony base together using a variety of analog and digital tools, and they competed in a 3D orienteering and teamwork challenge in Minecraft Education!
Kurn Hattin Homes’ students were challenged to use Design Thinking to create visual representations of their ideas using any medium in the SmartLab that aligned with the criteria and constraints. They practiced empathy to consider what the astronauts would need to live happy, healthy, safe and productive lives on Mars. Students ideated together, drew blueprints, and then created a habitat complete with comfort items, pets, an aquaponic farm, laboratory, observatory, and a model airlock with moving doors!
Benjamin Weiner, Technology Facilitator, says, “On all of these challenges, campers did an amazing job, practicing the 4 Cs of the modern working world; Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. My hope is that this introduction and exposure will kindle interest in the program during the school year, and as the SmartLab is all about student agency and choice, it can really help to know what your options are in terms of fields of study. There is a lot of potential in this implementation of the SmartLab, and I can’t wait to see what it can become.”
The diversity offered during Tech Week has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on students, equipping them with valuable skills for their future.