Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Teen Tech Week 2017 in Central Unified




Ever wonder what the inside of a computer looks like? For Teen Tech Week, March the 7th,  students at Central High School West, had the opportunity to compare two different generations of computers taken apart to see the difference between each.  Under the supervision of community member volunteer, John Souza, students learned about the different components that make up the insides of a computer.  

They were able to learn the names and functions of the different parts.  For some students, this was their first time seeing what went inside the metal case.  For other students, it was an opportunity for them to show off their knowledge and experience of the inner workings of computers.  For all students, it was an engaging activity that involved questions and comments that made for a happy learning event in the library at lunch time.  Students were also able to document the experience by emailing photos from their phones to their teacher-librarian, Ms. Cheek.  Students earned prizes for their photos that they shared.  Teen Tech Week was an enthusiastic success! This annual event will be held next year on Thursday, March 8th.  We look forward to hosting even a larger event then.



Our goal during Teen Tech Week was to share with students the various forms of technology available within our Library’s Makerspace. One program, in particular, Canva.com, was used by students to create infographics illustrating their use of technology on a daily basis.

Rio Vista Middle School also participated in Teen Tech Week.  In celebration of Teen Tech Week in the library, Mr. Tosto was our lunch guest on Wednesday.  Attended by nine students, the Makerspace workshop used Google Apps for graphic art and design projects.

Students learned how to make a graphic organizer including shapes and callouts along with their photo.



Central High School East Campus Library hosted their second annual STEM Career Fair on Thursday, March 9th from 9 AM to 1PM.  This event is done in conjunction with Teen Tech Week.  Students from the Robotics courses and the 3D Imaging classes shared projects and demonstrations.  There were 19 vendors from a variety of fields in science, technology, engineering and math to visit with students about educational, military, and careers in STEM.  In addition, the Fresno County Deputy Coroner, Deputy Gentry, gave two, one-hour presentations (in the PAC), explaining the science, technology, and math used in death scene investigations.  Students from more than nine classes were able to attend these presentations.  Teachers brought scheduled classes through to visit the vendors and all students had access during break and lunch.





Students at El Cap Middle School participated in a lunchtime Markers Space which included the use of Ozobots and Little Bits.  Additionally, students were challenged to a scavenger hunt in the library wherein students had to use QR codes, Destiny, and Google to complete the mission.  Students used the ReacTable app which allowed students to explore synthetic music manipulation.  Additionally, students participated in animating sessions and block coding games.




The Glacier Point Library was thrilled to host for the second year in a row, Teen Tech Week 2017! This year’s theme, “Be the Source of Change” was the basis for creating a Retro Tech Museum featuring vintage items such as a manual typewriter, mechanical calculator, floppy discs, and so much more.  


The responses from staff and students on the Retro Tech Museum was extremely positive, as it provided, meaningful dialogue between teachers and students about the path technology and innovation has/is taking us.






Thank you to all of our amazing teacher-librarians: Ramona Cheek, Annie Lokrantz, Rosie King, Tommy Martinez and Christine Flores for supporting Central Unified students during Teen Tech Week and contributing to this blog post!