Featured, Tech Talks

Tech Talks

KGNU is launching a new segment on Friday mornings at 8.25am produced by students at the Innovation Center in the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont.

In this segment hosts Samuel Narvaez, Haira Lopez, Steven Lamp answer three regarding technology: Technology in the classroom, technology outside of school, and technology education for students during the summer.

Question 1: How is technology integrated into the classroom?

Technology is integrated into the classroom in a variety of ways on a daily basis. We use laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, and even our phones in classes depending on what projects we are working on or what we are researching; not just to text and mess around. For example, the game “Kahoot” where we take quizzes put up on our SmartBoards and can answer through our phones in a competition really get students interested in learning. “In a lot of the STEM classrooms, because we have access to higher end technology such as 3D printers, we can use CAD programs such as SolidWorks to not only build what we’re designing but to print out our product in real life or a small model.” says Steven about the way technology has become essential to the STEM education. Samuel also tells us about an opportunity he received through technology in education, “In a STEM class, I spent three days learning how to use SolidWorks, it’s something you would usually get with on-job training or in college, it’s a really good opportunity.”

Question 2: How is Tech impacting students’ lives outside of school; on a daily basis and how it is used in their life?

Technology is a huge part of our lives, it is something that is now crucial to our personal organization in so many ways. Haira states how she uses her phone for all of her alarms, reminders, emails, notifications about a new grade in the grade book, to look up test scores as soon as they are put in, “I basically use my phone for everything.” Samuel added, “It’s really helpful to have this one ‘thing’ in your pocket to remind you of the things you want to do, especially for school. Sometimes I’ll be lazy and don’t want to do homework, but if my phone tells me to, I’ll probably do it.” Technology isn’t used by students strictly for educational purposes outside of school, either. Another thing phones are helpful for is the GPS as Haira explains, you can easily put in a location you have never been to before and it will effortlessly take you straight there.

Question 3: Are summer STEM programs offered at the Innovation Center?

Yes, summer programs are offered at the Innovation Center. For example the SuperSTEM camps Samuel explains to us are for kids of all ages, are taught by people who work at the IC. Haira shares her experience with a summer class at the IC, “I’ve done things like the Tech 2 class to get Apple certified, I know those are really useful and they’re quick courses so you can take them for a few weeks until you get them done, they’re really useful.

Tech Talks kgnu

For SuperSTEM enrollment and for more information on the Innovation Center, visit innovation.svvsd.org.

Tech Talks is produced by students at the Innovation Center in the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont. You can hear it on Friday mornings at 8.25am.