GEERING UP WITH UBC!

1/21/2020

GEERING UP with UBC!

Today, our students were luck to have 2 S.T.E.M. (Science, technology, engineering, and math) instructors from UBC come into our class to teach our students more about coding and electrical circuits. Students engaged in programming using 'SCRATCH' coding and 'MAKEY-MAKEY' circuit boards. They created programs and devices that detected moisture/rain. Students collaborated with one another to solve a problem! Thank you to Amy and Parissa for helping us learn today! Parents, click here to see a quick video showcasing the learning today.

IMPORTANT:

Click here to view the SKI SCHOOL HANDOUT. You will find all the relevant information here. See highlighted section for what to wear and bring on Monday's first ski trip!
Students who did not have the back of the white SKI TRIP FORM signed, please be sure to return this tomorrow!
Click here to learn the Basketball offence:

1.) MATH:

Bring a few flyers from a newspaper tomorrow so you can work on your 'PLANNING A PARTY' decimal assignment.

2.) LA/NOVEL APPROACH:

Share your practice 'POWERFUL RESPONSE' with Mr. Hong if you haven't already done so. (EDIT ACCESS)
Post a shared link (EDIT ACCESS) to FreshGrade on your Powerful Response practice activity.
Share with two students if you haven't already done so. Remember, any feedback you give a classmate should be based on the criteria points!
Complete your PR based on the rubric you were given today.
Note, you should copy and paste your PR for the Giving Tree into your document and edit/revise using your rubric. This can be found here.

3.) POST A RESPONSE:

Today, you were lucky to learn from the GEERING UP instructors. Write about what you learned!
Write a paragraph using the 6 traits of writing (Poster on our white board) you have been learning about this year (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions/givens)

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
1.) Paragraph format
2.) Include an engaging hook.
3.) 3 supporting points/examples of what you learned
4.) A conclusion.
5.) Give feedback to one student in your group based on the 'GIVENS'.
6.) Edit/revise as needed.

VIDEO LINKS:
What is Geering Up?

(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ Max

1/21/2020 03:31:22 pm

FIRST!!!!

Sara

1/21/2020 03:33:36 pm

2nd!!!

Max

1/21/2020 04:00:24 pm

Today, I did something fun and interesting that has to do with something called "Coding". I experimented with coding using a coding program called "Scratch". I already learned most of the things the two S.T.E.M. instructors from U.B.C., but there are still some new things I learned.

I learned how to detect if there is water or not using coding and wiring. First, I had to take a block code that said if _____ then "meow". I just left it on the board. Then, my I had to get some copper strands and connect them to a board (the solid one). After I had done that, I connected a crocodile clip to the copper plate. I connected the end of the crocodile clip to the laptop. Finally, when the water touched the copper plate, the computer started meowing. It was really satisfying to hear and see that I succeeded.

In conclusion, I may have learned most of the things today, there were still some cool tricks that I have yet to learn. I am sure there are even more tricks that I have not yet heard of.

Catherine

1/21/2020 04:18:07 pm

4th!

Sara

1/21/2020 04:28:20 pm

Actually, you are 3rd.

@ Catherine

Catherine

1/21/2020 04:55:56 pm

@Sara thanks, I didn't see Max's name at first.

3rd!

1/21/2020 05:18:05 pm

Forth! :D

1/21/2020 05:54:20 pm

What I learned
~ About the different commands in scratch.
~ To use the circuit broad and wire.
~ How to make a water detection system using code and other materials.

Have you ever wondered how your favourite apps are made? It's called coding. Today we did a workshop called gearing up. In this workshop we created a water detection system using scratch. I'm going tell you what I learned!

Firstly I learned about the different commands in scratch. For example did you know that there is a command that changes something into another colour?
Secondly I learned how to use the circuit board and wire. Before I didn't have any background knowledge about how to use the circuit board and wire, but now I learned! To be more specific, I learned how to connect the circuit board to the computer, use the alligator clips, and use the copper wire.
Thirdly I learned how to how to make a water detection system using code and other materials. Here's how it works! The water touches the copper wire on the insides of the cup. Then a message is sent though the copper wire, and to the alligator clips. Where it press's a button, and sends information . My partner and I made messages like " High water level " and " Low water level".

In conclusion we learned a lots during this workshop. What did you learn?

Adrian

1/21/2020 06:08:45 pm

This afternoon we had students from UBC teach us about some cool things about coding, using website called "Stretch". It was fun to find out ways to make the little character move around when we aren't even touching the computer, but instead using a piece of technology called a "makey makey".

I learned a lot of things from this activity, since I don't have much background knowledge about it. One thing I learned was that, if the copper strand was not in the cup of water, if wouldn't make the animation make a little sound which was pretty interesting. The water goes through (doesn't actually go through the slip) the copper slip and through the wires and alligator clips, then it makes the solid board signaled and something will happen to the screen, either it being a funny sound, the character moving or a message!

At the end of the day it was a fun experience and very interesting to learn about coding. I built up some background knowledge about it as well!

Kayd

1/21/2020 09:14:02 pm

Adrian it's not stretch its scratch.

Ethel

1/21/2020 06:17:03 pm

Coding is very fun! We get to control characters and play with spheros (well I don't know if any other schools do this) Today, students from UBC came to teach us about how to code in the website Scratch. Now, I'll be telling you what I've learned during this workshop.

First, me and my partner Sara made a character first, we made the earth with a derpy face which was pretty fun. After that we just experimented with the commands we had and tried to assemble the circuit board which I forgot the name of, but luckily Amy came to help us out.
Secondly, the UBC students helped us with an experiment which we basically get copper wire into a cup with water with the alligator clips to see if whenever the water rises the character would say things like " A drop of rain " or " A lot of rain" but that's all I could remember.
Lastly, I learned on how to move the character and how to use certain commands on my character. This work shop was very fun and I hope to do it again sometime, I would change some things next but this was a fun activity to do.

1/21/2020 06:52:03 pm

Mealea

1/21/2020 06:56:32 pm

Have you ever done a fun activity called “coding”?
If you have, you must have had a really fun time right?
Today, Students from UBC came to teach us how to code on scratch in this fun workshop!
Here’s a few things I’ve learned:

First off, me and my partner Ty decided to just experiment with the controlls, sounds, and other stuff then, get a new avatar. Ty and I found the penguin to be the cutest one so we used that one.

Second we experimented with the circuits and the water to try and do the experiment they told us to do. It was a success.

Today I learned a little more on how to code and feel more comfortable. I learned how to do the “drop of rain” project by connecting it with circuits, computer, water, copper, and more.

Next time I will experiment more with all the different commands and with the materials I have.

Charlie

1/21/2020 07:32:24 pm

Today we had a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (S.T.E.M.) activity called "Gearing Up". The two U.B.C. students told us about coding, circuits and what not. What we were to do was make a line of code using a "Makey makey", some wires and the coding software "Scratch" to make a code to see if it is raining or not.

Something I learned about coding and circuit boards was the the circuit must be a look going back and forth, a direct wire to the source wouldn't work instead having to link two wires together. Another thing I learn was that water and surprisingly ourselves are conductors of electricity, if you do not know what conductors of electricity is. It is something that can transfer electricity through it self and through to the next. This workshop was really fun for me and I would love to do it again. Though me, not being the best at coding, I still very much enjoyed this activity.

Charlie (Edited)

1/21/2020 09:19:46 pm

Today we had a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (S.T.E.M.) activity called "Gearing Up". The two U.B.C. students told us about coding, circuits and what not. What we were to do was make a line of code using a "Makey makey", some wires and the coding software "Scratch" to make a code to see if it is raining or not.

Something I learned about coding and circuit boards was the the circuit must be a look going back and forth, a direct wire to the source wouldn't work instead having to link two wires together. Another thing I learn was that water and surprisingly ourselves are conductors of electricity, if you do not know what conductors of electricity is. It is something that can transfer electricity through it self and through to the next.

This workshop was really fun for me and I would love to do it again. Though me, not being the best at coding, I still very much enjoyed this activity.

1/21/2020 07:34:59 pm

Coding is a fun thing to do, but it can be difficult. Today, we used a program called Makey Makey which uses blocks of code. Three thing I learned from the program Makey Makey are: water is a conductor, you can make characters say different thing by putting copper at different heights and using Scratch.

It was a fun experience coding ant thanks to the UBC students for coming to our school and teaching us how to code.

Ty edited

1/21/2020 07:35:50 pm

Coding is a fun thing to do, but it can be difficult.

Today, we used a program called Makey Makey which uses blocks of code. Three thing I learned from the program Makey Makey are: water is a conductor, you can make characters say different thing by putting copper at different heights and using Scratch.

It was a fun experience coding ant thanks to the UBC students for coming to our school and teaching us how to code.

gabriel

1/21/2020 07:36:09 pm

Today we did coding and also used circuits. today people from UBC came and taught us how to code this to code this cat to do things with circuits. Me and Max also found out how to power the circuits with water. When we were done at the end we made a scary demon called taxes I know very scary. In conclusion it was really fun and I hope they come again.

Sara

1/21/2020 07:50:06 pm

Today we had the GEERING UP instructors come to Laurier Elementary or to be exact, they came to our class room to teach us coding! It was really fun and right now I will be telling you people right now what I learned today.

One thing I learned is that you can use the makey makey like your own keyboard. Well personally, I like to use it to 'hack' on the laptop to annoy my partner.( UwU ) Yes it was really fun if you didn't know. The second thing I learned is that copper wire is flat like a strip of paper. Yes I know I am quite dumb but I am still learning. " The Learning Never Stops", says Mr. Hong.

In conclusion, coding is a really fun activity to do. What did you learn from coding today?

Spencer

1/21/2020 08:01:21 pm

Today, me and my classmates were lucky enough to try the gearing up program. And I am here to talk to you about my experience with programming. Gearing up is a coding program that uses the program scratch to do special activities.We made a program to detect the levels of water in a cup. We had two brass wires, one at the very bottom of the cup and one to the top. If The water were to touch the bottom brass, it would send a signal to the computer to say it is raining a little.If it were to touch the top brass wire it would send a signal to the computer to say it is raining a lot.Its pretty amazing what you can do with coding and I hope to do gearing up again.

Dennis

1/21/2020 08:01:27 pm

First Day back to school in 3 days, feels great. But only until in the afternoon, my day became more memorable, when 2 UBC students/ members from the S.T.E.M or Gearing Up, they first of all gave us a great intro science and engineering, for example they had clearly stated the reason of their visit, and what they hope to accomplish and teach us.

During this lesson, I was able to discover how different substances and materials are conductors and cancelers. I also had found that copper was a ore that could be considered a conductor, but I do not however know what might be a canceler. In addition to this, we were taught how to use Scratch website used for simple coding and engineering. Later we would use Makey Makey's, which are just like a internal keyboard, with keys lined up on the thin sheet of metal, mixed with coding and responsive material, to create our own simple way to code, for example you would start by connecting the wires to the copper tape that you would then bend onto the side of a water filled cup, and because water is able to transfer and conserve electricity to the copper which will then activate the gadget/ circuit. Then where ever the other part of the wire is attached to the makey, will activate and start the code.

And that is basically all we had a lesson on, for today at least, I don't know if we will have another class on this, but who knows.

Nick

1/21/2020 08:37:26 pm

Today we had the GEERING UP program and learned about program engineering. We had lots of fun and learned many new things!

We had used the makey makey to function as a keyboard sort of thing. I didn't really like it because the one I got was a little broken, but we used it anyways. We were supposed to construct a program to detect water, but I had no idea how to do that so instead I just inserted my own voice that would say "WAAATTTEEERRRR" so whenever the device comes into contact with water, I'd play the sound to make it sound like I had invented a revolutionary tool.

In conclusion, we had fun and learned a bunch about hardware, software and all the other stuff, and next time we have this same thing, I should probably make an actual program to detect water. (or not....it's fun.....)

Sophia

1/21/2020 08:54:44 pm

GEER UP EVRYONE AND LETS GET READY TO GO CAMPING! that was my first thought when I heard we are having a workshop called "gear up". On the other hand it was something completely different, it was a coding workshop where we tried using a software called scratch to create a rain detection system. We used paper cups, copper tape, alligator clips (or something like that, something that's like a keyboard etc. This was a good experience and good chance to get out of my comfort zone, coding isnt exactly my area of expertise so I was a little bit nervous. Although, I was lucky enough to have kayd as my partner to help me understand the experiment better.

Shannon

1/21/2020 08:58:21 pm

cod·ing
/ˈkōdiNG/
Learn to pronounce
noun
the process of assigning a code to something for the purposes of classification or identification.
Today, students from UBC came to teach us about S.T.E.M. which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. we focused on coding and circuits today.
In the beginning, I didn’t have much experience with circuit boards and coding. I did coding in the summer but I didn’t know much. Through this workshop, l learned many new things, such as how a circuit board works, conductors, and how to use the if-then function on scratch. For today’s activity, we learned how to detect water with code. We were provided with a cup, water, computer, and a circuit board. Using these materials, we made a contraption that allowed us to detect water levels. At first, I thought that this activity would be hard, it turns out that it was actually easy. The code was easy to build and everything went smoothly.
although my ability to code is not great, I still thought that this workshop was really fun and I hope to do more activities like it.

Sophia edited

1/21/2020 09:00:23 pm

GEER UP EVRYONE AND LETS GET READY TO GO CAMPING! that was my first thought when I heard we are having a workshop called "gear up". On the other hand it was something completely different, it was a coding workshop where we tried using a software called scratch to create a rain detection system. We used paper cups, copper tape, alligator clips (or something like that, something that's like a keyboard etc. Overall, I think this was a good experience and a good chance to get out of my comfort zone, coding isn't exactly my area of expertise so I was a little bit nervous. Although, I was lucky enough to have kayd as my partner to help me understand the experiment better. I think without the hands on experience in this work shop I would have not understood the lesson as well.

Charlie

1/21/2020 09:18:25 pm

@Sophia, next time, put your edited version into your original comment to save space.

Amy

1/21/2020 09:19:35 pm

This afternoon, we did a coding program called Geering up where we used Scratch and electricity to make a rain-detecting program. Three things I learned today is how to use a makey-makey, use copper strips, and connect electricity with water.

The makey-makey is a tiny and very simple keyboard that you can connect to your computer. When section on the makey-makey is activated, it's basically the same as clicking the key on your board. However, the makey-makey keeps going until the circuits get disconnected. I found this to be very cool since I've never experienced something like the makey-makey. Another thing I learned is how to use the copper strips they gave us to connect the circuits. There are two ways to do this. One, you can clip the metal clips onto the strip, and multiple wires can be connected at once. Third, I learned how to use water to connect multiple wires too. First, fill a cup up with water. Then, clip copper strips to each of the wires that you want to connect. Then, dip the ends of the strips into the water to connect the wires all together.

Geering up was a very fun activity that I enjoyed, and I hope we can do this again!

Kayd

1/21/2020 09:22:50 pm

Is your computer garbage and responding if it is you can change that with coding which is what we did in class today. In class we learned how to make a rain detection thing. The items we had at our disposal were ... copper tape, alligator clips, A Makey Makey devise and a cup to fill with water to see if our rain detection system works. What I learned in class was that I can be part of a circuit because our bodies can transmit electricity. I also created a game where you collect cats and level up when we were allowed to have free time with coding. I hope the UBC students come back so I can use more of my background knowledge.

Kyungsun

1/21/2020 10:31:36 pm

we use things with code all the times in our lives. From something as important as the US governments nuclear weapons launching systems to something as minor as a alarm clock, many modern things either utilize code first hand or code is used the production of said item. Today some UBC students came to our class and did a few activities on coding using scratch and multiple Makey Makey™ devices.
One of the main goals that we were expected to achieve was to create a rain detection device. Now you may ask, "how can a few 12 year olds with Chromebooks create a seemingly complex program?' Well this was done by taking alligator clips and clipping one end to a copper foil thing and dipping the foil in water. The other end was either clipped onto the grounding area or the space area. When water was poured into a cup with both copper foil things, the circuit was completed as the water acted as a conductor. This triggered a series of code which usually lead to something happening to get the attention of the operator. In my case this was a series of meows which got progressively higher pitched until it became a severe annoyance.
In conclusion the geer up was a very fun program which was fairly educational

Catherine

1/21/2020 10:46:45 pm

What do you think about when you hear the word geer? At first you might think it’s just a misspelled gear, but it’s not. Its full name is actually the Geer up workshop. This is a program that people commit to help kids understand science, technology, engineering, and math. They want to inspire curiosity and creativity. Now that you know a little bit about the program, let me tell you what I’ve learned.

I actually had interaction with Geer up twice now, once last year and once this year. I would say they are a pretty good program in general. For example, I learned a lot of new things that I didn’t think was possible before. One of those things is that I learned that anybody can connect computer science with the real world. To illustrate, we first put in a code to involve the water. Secondly, we used alligator clips to clip on the copper strip that's in the water and then just clip it to the small device to cause the affect you programed. I thought that was really interesting since you can a lot more experiments with it.

In conclusion, I learned a lot from this workshop and really enjoyed having this opportunity to try something new that I have never tried before.

1/22/2020 07:17:42 am

@Catherine- Try not to use I's in your body paragrah in a row. Overall I really like you paragraph! :D

Emily

1/21/2020 11:17:08 pm

Makey Makey. Interesting name isn't it? That doesn't matter though, what matters is the product itself.

I learned a variety of facts today. For example, it's pretty neat how metal clips can make a circuit using just water. That made me think, how does water make it work? Then I realized that the instructors from UBC had already covered that earlier today. Did you know that water is a conductor? I never put much thought into it, or maybe it's because I never knew what a conductor was. More facts I learned today were that wires should be longer, or that I should be more careful. At my table, we spilled water three times, which was troublesome to clean up since it got everywhere. Other than that, there weren't any other significant facts that I can remember. My reason for not learning anything new about Scratch is because I already know how to use it, so using the blocks was quite easy.

In conclusion, Makey Makey is a clever hands-on hardware. It was really cool to program the sprites and play around with it. I had a lot of fun!

megan

1/21/2020 11:37:15 pm

3.) POST A RESPONSE:
Today, you were lucky to learn from the GEERING UP instructors. Write about what you learned!
Write a paragraph using the 6 traits of writing (Poster on our white board) you have been learning about this year (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions/givens)
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
1.) Paragraph format
2.) Include an engaging hook.
3.) 3 supporting points/examples of what you learned
4.) A conclusion.
5.) Give feedback to one student in your group based on the 'GIVENS'.
6.) Edit/revise as needed.

In the world of technology, there is something called coding. Code is something we use in our everyday lives, so learning such a crucial skill in life is pretty cool. During class today, two UBC students majoring in computer science and science came to tech us basics about coding.

We learned how 'if/then' statements worked, which taught us how to use a Makey-Makey (an extrernal keyboard) to create a functional system that would allow the on-screen sprite to say different things when a certain amount of water is detected. It was a great learning experience as I had never seen this type of programming before. Another great thing I had learned during this experience was how you can use circuits and extrernal keyboards to create interesting creations on Scratch. Yet again, it was very interesting because you could simply make an infinite loop to your creation, which I found quite astounding. Finally, I had learned that coding holds endless possibilities. With coding, you could literally create anything, and it is so mind-blowing to imagine. You could create a song, animation, it really dosen't matter. Coding has no limits, and you can really do anything. For instance, when I saw all of the features on Scratch, I was very overwhelmed by the many features it offered.

In conclusion, I believe that this experience was a great learning experience, and I can't wait to further see what coding holds.

Emma

1/22/2020 07:44:00 am

Do you know what a water detector is well we created that today with coding! We had the pleasure of learning about coding with some UBC students with the GEARING UP program. Now I’ll tell you what I learned.

The first thing we did on the computer was get a feel for the website we tested out some code blocks and features, but after that we had a task to create a water detector to see how much water was in the cup. We did this by putting the copper strips lower or higher and had our sprite say wheaten it was a low water level high water level etc. When we did it the test was successful although it didn’t work at times we just adjust it alligator clips to fix it.

In conclusion This was a very fun and enjoyable experience and I would love to learn more about coding.

Brieana

1/22/2020 07:55:33 am

Today, Gearing Up! came to us and taught us how to us scratch. First, they wanted us to make code that tells us when there is water in the cup. They had to help some people (including us) with it. For a bonus they wanted us to make code that lets you know when there is a low water level or a high water level. I had a really fun experience with this. I hope I get to do it again.

Audrey

1/23/2020 07:39:57 pm

I was absent for the time being when the instructors explained how the programming works

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