BL Magazine v5.5 | LC Revue v5.5

Welcome.Bienvenue.

JEFFWILLSON,EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR|DIRECTEURGÉNÉRAL

Withspringintheair,thisissueoftheBrilliantLabsMagazine exploresthemanyaccomplishmentsofourteam,andthe educatorsandstudentswesupport.Fromengagingyouth, parents,teachers,schooldistrictsandboards,Centresfor Education,andDepartmentsofEducation,ithasbeenabusy timefilledwithcollaborativeefforts,alongwithnewpartners andnewteammembers.Overthepastfewmonths,ourteam hasbeenactivelyworkingtoshareourworkthroughour “Share InPurple” videoseries.Theseshortclipsgiveaudiences glimpsesintothe‘why’ofBrilliantLabs’teammembers. ColleagueslikeJohnWong,DirectorofCommunity Development&Partnerships,whoempathicallysharedhis commitmenttoyouthempowermentandwhatitmeanstolove yourworkin‘purple’,andwhyourteam,teachers,studentsand communityaresoimportanttoBrilliantLabs.

Wearecontinuingourworkwithstudentsandteachersin classroomsandthecommunitiesthroughouttheAtlantic regionandbeyondwhileonboardingmoreco-opstudentsand internseveryterm.Theopportunityforourteamtoworkwith youthtodevelopworkforce-readydigitalskillshasbeen impactfulforbothparticipatingstudents,andourteam.In workingdirectlywithyouththroughtheseco-opopportunities, weareabletobenefitgreatlyfromtheireffortsandtheyalso gainaplatformtosharetheirskillsanddevelopnewonesas theyarechallengedtodesignlayout,andevenauthorarticles forthisissueoftheBrilliantLabsMagazine.Aswemove forwardwewillbeintroducingnewco-opandinternship opportunitiesthatwillseeyouthleadingvaluableprojects includingvideoproduction,editing,script,copywritingand journalism,inadditiontoourexisting12positionsincluding GraphicDesign,JuniorWebDeveloper,JuniorRoboticsEngineer, CyberSecurityIntern,andAnimationInternsjusttonameonly afew.

InthiseditionofBrilliantLabsMagazine:MakingInTheLab,we explorehowyoungprofessionals,likeNeilGray,aregaining moreconfidenceandvaluableworkexperiencebyjoiningthe BrilliantLabsteam.WethenexplorehowWillCollins,Ph.Dand ourBrilliantLabs’DirectorofBio-Innovationdescribeshowa slimemoldcansolvecomplexproximityproblemswithout havinganyoftheadvancedcognitiveskillsthathumansand otherearthcreaturesmayhave.WecelebrateClair2023,the largestfrancophoneeducationeventeastofMontrealas hundredsofteachersandchangemakersvisitthesmalltownof Claire,NB.Finally,wesharetheInnovateNBCelebrationhosted byTechImpactandpartnersinSaintJohn,NB.Itwasaday filledwithnetworkingandconnectionsaswewerejoinedby JacobLerouxandLeahBrownwhoexhibitedtheirawesome roboticsprojects.Laterthatnighttheteamwassurprisedand veryhonouredbytheannouncementthatBrilliantLabswonthe 2022NewBrunswickInnovationChampionawardforour innovativeworkwithstudents,teachers&communityandour drivetocreatenewaccessibletechnologiesforyouthtocreate andinnovate.Nowjoinusaswewelcomeournewteamof ProgramSpecialistsinNovaScotiaastheyintroduce themselvesandsharetheirexperienceswithus.

Nousprofitonsdel’arrivéeduprintempspourvousprésenter,dans cenumérodelarevueLabosCréatifs,lesnombreusesréalisations denotreéquipe,ainsiquelesenseignantsetlesélèvesquenous appuyons.Nousavonsdéveloppédenouvellescollaborations,de nouveauxpartenaires,etacceuillidenouveauxmembresausein del’équipe.Aucoursdesderniersmois,notreéquipes’estefforcée activementdediffusernotretravailparlebiaisdenotresériede vidéosqui « partageleviolet ».Cescourtesvidéosdonnentau publicunaperçudecequianimelesmembresdenotreéquipe. DescollèguescommeJohnWong,directeurdudéveloppement communautaireetdespartenariats,quiestvenupartageravec empathiesadéterminationàhabiliterlesjeunesetexpliquerce quesignified’aimersontravail « enviolet »,ainsiquelesraisons pourlesquellesnotreéquipe,nosenseignants,nosélèves,etnotre collectivitésontsiimportantspournous.

Nouspoursuivonsnotretravailavecélèvesetenseignantsdansla régiondel’Atlantiqueetau-delà,toutenaccueillantchaque trimestredavantagedestagiairesetd’élèvesenrotation.Cette opportunitédetravailleravecdesjeunespourdévelopperdes compétencesnumériquesprêtesàl’emploiaeudesretombées positivesàlafoispourlesélèvesparticipantsetpournotreéquipe. Grâceauxpossibilitésd’alternancequinouspermettentde travaillerdirectementaveclesjeunes,nousbénéficions grandementdeleurseffortsetilsbénéficientàleurtourd’une plateformepourpartagerleurscompétencesetendévelopperde nouvelles,puisqu’ilssontmisaudéfideconcevoir,demettreen pageetmêmeécriredesarticlespourcenumérodelarevueLabos Créatifs.Àmesurequenousavançons,nousintroduisonsde nouvellespossibilitésdestagesetd’alternancequipermettront auxjeunesdemenerdesprojetsenrichissants,notammentdans lesdomainesdelaproductionvidéo,dumontage,duscénario,de larédaction-conceptionetdujournalisme,enplusdenos12 postesexistants,notammentceuxdegraphiste,dedéveloppeur webjunior,d’ingénieurrobotiquejunior,destagiaireen cybersécuritéetdestagiaireenanimation,pourn’enciterque quelques-uns.

Danscetteédition,nousexploronslamanièredontlesjeunes professionnels,commeNeilGray,acquièrentdelaconfianceetune expérienceprofessionnelleprécieuseensejoignantàl’équipede LabosCréatifs.WillCollins,Ph.D.etdirecteurdelabio-innovation desLabosCréatifs,nousfaitdécouvrircommentlesmyxomycètes peuventrésoudredesproblèmesdeproximitécomplexessans aucunedescompétencescognitivesavancéesquepossèdentles humainsetlesautrescréaturesterrestres.Noussoulignons égalementClair2023,leplusgrandévénementfrancophoneen matièred’éducationàl’estdeMontréal,danslapetitemunicipalité deClair,auN.-B.,oùserassemblerontdescentainesd’enseignants etd’artisansduchangement.Enfin,nousprésentonslacélébration d’InnovateNBorganiséeparTechImpactetdespartenairesàSaint John(N.-B.).Lajournéefutricheenréseautageetenconnexions, alorsqueJacobLerouxetLeahBrownsesontjointsàl’équipepour présenterleursimpressionnantsprojets.Plustarddanslasoirée, l’équipeaétésurpriseethonoréed’apprendrequeLabosCréatifsa remportéleprixduchampiondel’innovation2022poursontravail novateurainsiquepoursavolontédecréerdenouvelles technologiesaccessiblespermettantauxjeunesdecréeret d’innover.Joignez-vousànouspouraccueillirnotrenouvelle équipedespécialistesdeprogrammeenNouvelle-Écosse,quise présenterontetnousferontpartdeleursexpériences.

INTRODUCINGNOVASCOTIA: PROGRAMSPECIALISTS

-ByronButt BLProgramSpecialist, SouthShoreNovaScotia

TheNovaScotiaEECDhasbeena greatpartnerofBrilliantLabsandis helpingusreachmorestudentsin communitiesacrosstheprovince thisschoolyear.Let’sintroduceyou totheBLProgramSpecialistswho areavailabletohelpyouandyour studentscreatemeaningful learningSTEAMexperiences.

Byron,WelcometoBrilliantLabs! Canyousharewithourreaders howyoucametojoinBrilliant Labs?

ByronButt grewupinStephenville, NewfoundlandandstudiedatSt. FrancisXavierUniversity(B.SC., M.Ed),MemorialUniversity(B.Ed.), CapeBretonUniversity(Ed.Tech.).

AfterworkinginNorthernManitoba (St.TheresaPointFirstNation)and theSouthShoreofNovaScotia (DigbytoHubbards)asateacher,a schooladministrator(VicePrincipal andPrincipal),aschoolboard consultant,aschoolboardteacher leader,aregionalboard InstructionalCoachforTechnology. Today,Byroniscarryingforwardhis lovetechnology,leadershipand goalofinspiringmoreyouthto learnbycreatingwithtechnology.

Ihavebeenparticipatinginthe workofBrilliantLabssincebeing askedbymyschoolboardtopilota “learningcommons/makerspace” at BridgewaterJunior/SeniorHigh Schoolin2015.BrilliantLabscofounderJeffWillsonandImetthat Septemberwhenhedroppedoff makerspaceequipmentwithawink andasmile.AtthetimeIrecall beingperplexed.Iaskedhimalot ofquestionsthatcamedownto: whatishalfofthisequipmentand whowasgoingtohelpmefigureit out.Caseinpoint:a3DPrinterthat requiredassemblyandthenI neededtolearnhowtouseit!Since thattime,andafteralotofresearch andproblemsolving,Icameto admirethedivergentthinkingof JeffandhisteamatBrilliantLabs. Togetherwehavesupported teachersthroughouttheSouth Shoreregion.

In2016,Ihadbecomehighly intriguedbythenotionofbuilding

underwaterrobotics.ROVshad beendonebeforebutnothinglike whattheMarineAdvanced TechnologyEducation(M.A.T.E.; Marinetech.org)folksweredoingin theUSA.IwenttoCaliforniafor trainingandBrilliantLabshelped setmeupwithacoupleof underwaterrobotpartskitsformy studentstocreatetheirownPVC framedROV.Threeyearslater,anda lotofsupportfromBrilliantLabs,I hadateamcompeteatthe International M.A.T.E.competitionin Tennessee,USA. Itwasafantastic experience!

InJulyof2022,Iwasapproachedby myDirectorofEducationatthe SouthShoreRegionalCentrefor Education(SSRCE)withanexciting proposalthatwouldallowmeto workwithBrilliantLabsmore extensively,andhereIam!

Inyourlifetimehasanyone inspiredyoutochangeyourmind, forthebetter,toovercomean obstacle?

Icreditmywife,Charlotte,for steeringmeintoeducation.Asa

sciencemajoratSt.FrancisXavier UniversityIwaspoisedtojointhe RCMP.Anunfortunatehockeyinjury curtailedthoseplansandIwas lookingforanotheropportunitythat wasnotsophysicalinnature.At thetimeIwasworkingasaChem Labdemonstratorandenjoyingthe work.Iwasalsotutoringonthe side.So,Charlotte,whowasmy girlfriendatthetimeandinthe BachelorofEducationprogram, encouragedmetogotheeducation routeandIhaven'tlookedback!

Whatisyourpassion?

I'minthefieldofeducational technologybecauseI'vealwaysbeen acomputerguy.Istarted programmingatanearlyagewith myfirstcomputer:aCommodore Vic20withthetapedeckforsaving littlegamesprogrammedinBasic computerlanguage.IthinkIbought every “Compute” magazinebackin theearly80s.SincethattimeIhave falleninlovewithallthenewest gidgetsandgadgets.Ilovetolearn newthingsandparticipateinthe developmentofinnovativeprojects bystudentswhosurprisemewith theirknowledgeandunderstanding ofcomputing.I'mstillakidatheart whenitcomestoaloveof technology.

Tellusaboutyourfavourite project.

In2016Istartedanafter-school programcalledSouthShore Robotics(Sites.google.com/ gnspes.ca/rov).Itwasawayof utilisingmynewknowledgeand interestinunderwaterrobotics. Eachyeartheteamgrewin numbersandtherobotsbecame moreandmoreadvanced.Students stayedwithmefromgrade8 throughgraduation.Somestill comebacktocheckinandsay “Hi” tothecurrentclubmembers.I don’tchargestudentsafee;allof theresourcesIhaveaccumulated arefromfundraisingeffortsand throughsuccessfulBrilliantLabs grants.Withoutthatsupport,I couldnotoffertheprogram.

BrilliantLabssharesthisinformationinthespiritoflearningandsharing.Wearenotendorsingoradvertisingthisoranyother commercialproduct.Theseadsand1980smediacanbefoundathttps://laughingsquid.com/1980s-commodore-vic-20-computer-adsfeaturing-william-shatner/andhttps://www.commodore.ca/commodore-gallery/compute-magazines-issue-91-through-130/

Whatgoalsdoyouhaveasyou workwithBrilliantLabs?

Iwanttosharemyinterestandlove oftechnologythatmakesa differenceintheworld.Mybeliefis thatifweputtherighttoolsand challengesinfrontofstudentsthat theyarecapableofbeingsuccessful innovatorsandentrepreneurs.The future,asIseeit,embracestheuse oftechnologywithmoreandmore youngpeoplefindingjobsinthe techindustry.

Whatadvicewouldyougive teacherswhoareinterestedin bringingmakingtothe classroom?

Don'tbeafraid.ThebiggesthurdleI havefacedfromeducatorsinmy32 yearcareeristhefearoffailure;the fearofbreakingequipment;thefear ofhavingastudentaskaquestion towhichtheydonothavean answer.TothoseeducatorsIsay workbesideyourchild,notinfront norbehind;learntogether.Teach studentsitisoknottoknowbut evenbetter,teachthemhowtofind theanswerontheirown.Research skillsaremoreimportantthanever asouryouthnavigatethetwists andturnsoftheinternet;show themtheproperpathway.Manyof ouryouthlackopportunitiesto demonstratehowgoodtheycanbe atmakingthingswiththe resourcesyouprovide.Ifyou provideit,theywilluseit.Don'tbe afraid.

Ifyoucouldrecommendagood readforteachers,whatwouldit be?

It'snotabookformethatwould inspireteacherstoday,asIlove historicalfictionandspynovelsin mydowntime;it'sactuallytwo moviesthatIrelatetoasan educator.Thesetwoobscuresmall budgetmovieshaveshapedmyway ofviewingeducationandhaveled metoworkalittleharderonmy SouthShoreRoboticsprogram.The firstiscalled´SearchingforBobby Fischer´(https://youtu.be/ hOTc4D0uQNk)andthesecondis called´SpareParts´(https://

youtu.be/GXOLwIIHuCs).Thefirstis amoviethatputstwoteaching paradigmsatoddswitheachother inteachingChesstoprodigies;the secondisbasedonarealstoryofa firstyearunderwaterroboticsteam fromTexaswhowontheM.A.T.E. Internationalcompetition.Watch themfromthepointofviewofthe educatorsthenconsiderthe viewpointsofthestudents.It's mustseeTV!

“Ihadnoexperienceincodingandwas prettylow-techatthetime.But,after Jacobshowedmehowtocodeasingle Neopixelandplaceitinmylittlefeltedcreature itwaslikealight-bulb,literally,wentoff!Who knewhowfunitcouldbetoincorporateartand technology?!

-MaryWebber BLProgramSpecialist, AnnapolisValley,KingsCounty,NovaScotia

PhotobyMaryWebber NorthMountain,Canning,NovaScotia

MaryWebber livedinOttawaand spentmostofhersummersand holidaysinbetweenWolfvilleand Sydney,NovaScotia.Thenat thirteenherfamilymovedto Liverpool.ToMarythiswasan excellentopportunityasNova Scotiaalwaysfeltlikehome!

Marywilladmitthathereducation hasbeenazig-zagaftergraduating fromLiverpoolRegionalHigh School. “Ihaveadegreein PsychologyfromAcadiaUniversity, andadiplomainInformation Technologyfrom NovaScotia CommunityCollege (NSCC),but thosewereinterruptedbysome timeat NovaScotiaCollegeofArt andDesignUniversity (NSCAD)and lotsoftimeatwhatIwouldcallthe ‘universityoflife,’whichinvolved travellingaroundtheworldand exploringdifferentcareerpaths.”

Onethingissure,thatzig-zag educationprovedtobevaluablefor Maryasshecouldworkatalmost anycareer. “Ihaveworkedasa campcounsellor,librarytechnician, researchassistantandeveninthe filmindustry(Deadpool)tonamea few!

In2018MarymovedtoFredericton NewBrunswickrightdownthe streetfromBrilliantLabs.Shetook aninstructorrolefortheGeorge StreetMiddleSchoolTextileClub. “I taughtstudentshowtosew,felt, weaveanddesignfabric.”

LikemanyAtlanticCanadian stories,Marydiscoveredaformer highschoolclassmateatGeorge StreetMiddleSchool:JacobLingley, BrilliantLabsDirector(nowVicePrincipalofGeorgeStreet)askedif shecomeinanddoaneedlefelting demonstration.Shedid,butintrue BLfashionJacobsaid “Great!Now canyoulightitup?”

Marywasalittlepuzzled.

“Ihadnoexperienceincodingand wasprettylow-techatthetime.But, afterJacobshowedmehowtocode asingleNeopixelandplaceitinmy littlefeltedcreatureitwaslikea light-bulb,literally,wentoff!Who

knewhowfunitcouldbeto incorporateartandtechnology?!

Thatgavemetheideaforthefelted terrariumprojectwhichImadewith agroupofgrade8techstudents, alongwithalotofsupportfrom BrilliantLabsInnovationEngineer JoshKeys.FromthereIwasableto developsomereallyfunSTEAM projectslikelightboxesand interactivepaintings.Thepaintings thatweremadebyagrade5artand mathclassweredisplayedatthe BeaverbrookArtGallery ”

In2020Maryandherhusband decideditwastimetomovebackto NovaScotiawhereBrilliantLabs askedMarytosupportthe CommunicationsTeamwithdigital illustrationandgraphicdesign materials. “2022wasmyfirstyear asafull-timeNovaScotiaCreative SpecialistatBrilliantLabs.”

We’resohappybeapartofyour journeyMary!

Inyourlifetimehasanyone inspiredyoutochangeyourmind, forthebettertoovercomean obstacle?

Thecreditwouldhavetogotomy originalBrilliantLabsteamofJacob andJosh.WalkingintotheLabat GeorgeStreetMiddleSchoolfeltlike walkinginto WillyWonka’s ChocolateFactory;impressive, inspiringandalittleoverwhelming! Ithoughtsomeofthetechnology thatIdidn'tuseorunderstandwas superfluous(whoneededtocutfelt withalaserwhentherewere perfectlygoodscissors?!)butthey changedmymindthroughtraining, support,anddefinitelysome lightheartedteasing.NowIlove creatingallkindsofprojectsusing lasercutters,andIhaveeven movedfrompaintandpaperto digitalillustration,whichwas somethingIneverthoughtIwould do.

Whatisyourpassion?

MypassionisputtingtheAin STEAM!Ithinkthatinnovation comesinsomanyforms.Creatinga projectthatincorporates technologydoesn’thavetobeall wiresandsolder.Itcanbebeautiful too!Itcanbemadeoutoffamiliar materials,likewool,canvas,paper andwood.Usingtraditionalmaking methodscanmakeitfeel accessible,thenaddinginthat technologyaspectcanmakeit magic.

Whatgoalsdoyouhaveasyou workwithBrilliantLabs?

Mygoalistoopenuptheworldof technologytostudentsthat normallywouldn'tbeattractedtoa STEMproject.Ithinkthatusingart asadisguiseforareallyfunproject thatjustsohappenstoinclude STEMsubjects,makesaprojectway moreapproachableforstudents.

Whatadvicewouldyougive teacherswhoareinterestedin

“Justgoforitanddon’tbeafraid.Evenifyou don’treallyunderstandhowsomethingworks youcanlearnalongwiththekids.Itwillbeok.

-DebbieClark BLProgramSpecialist, PictouCounty,NovaScotia

PhotobyG.Hunter,GettyImagesSignature Pictou,NovaScotia

DebbieClark studiedhistoryand anthropologyat St.FrancisXavier University,butdecidedthatshe wouldbetheIndianaJonesof libraries.Thismoveleadherto studyatthe NovaScotia CommunityCollege (NSCC)to becomealibrarytechnician.

Lifeandworkaftergraduationisa journeyandlikemanyofusDebbie hasworkedworkedinvarious positionsovertheyears,butfound herwaytothePictou-Antigonish RegionalLibraryasaHeritageClerk. “Thiswasafantasticrole,whereI hadthechancetohelppeoplefrom allovertheworldwiththeir genealogyresearch.Ithenmoved intotheschoolsystemwhereIhad thechancetohelpbothstudents andteacherswithanyandallkinds ofthings.Thelibraryisn'tjustbooks anymore!”

WelcometoBrilliantLabsDebbie! Canyousharewithourreaders howyoucametojoinBrilliant Labs?

Iamaschoollibrarianwhoplayed alldaywithallthetechnologyI couldgetmyhandson.Fortunately somefolksthoughtIhadplayed aroundenoughthatIwouldbeable tohelpothereducatorsfigureout howtouseallthetechnologyinour schools.

Whatgoalsdoyouhaveasyou workwithBrilliantLabs?

Helpingteachersusetechnologyas muchaspossibletomakeclasses funandinteractive.

Whatadvicewouldyougive teacherswhoareinterestedin bringingmakingtothe classroom?

Justgoforitanddon’tbeafraid. Evenifyoudon’treallyunderstand howsomethingworksyoucanlearn alongwiththekids.Itwillbeok.

Sometimesunpluggedcoding activiteslike “humanrobot” work greattointroducethe fundamentalsoflogicthinkingand isafunwaytointroducestudents

tocoding.I’veusedchalkandtheschoolyardforthisactivity.Thekidshadalot offun.

Ifyoucouldrecommendagoodreadforteachers,whatwoulditbe?

FormyELAteacherslookingtoincludetechnologyinclass,TheWildRobotby PeterBrown.It’sagreatclassreadandcanbeagreatbridgeforwaysandreasons touseroboticsinELAclass.

Tellussomethingfunthatyoudotokeepyouenergised!

I'vebeenplayingfortheKickinVixens'outofPictouCountyfor8years. Rollerderbyisafemaledominated,fullcontactsport.Mypositionisasjammer (that'sthepersonthatscoresthepoints)andmyrollerderbynameisDC Comicazi.Forme,RollerDerbyisnotjustasport,itisasupportivecommunity whereeveryoneisacceptedandsupportedforwhotheyare.RollerDerby'sgender inclusivepracticesandrulesareaheadofmanyothersports.

“Ifyouseesomethingthatintriguesyou,don’tbe scaredtotryit.Takeonthechallengeofanew technologyandbeokaywithshowingstudents yourstrugglesandlearningwhiledoing.

PhotobyStephenBarnes,GettyImages Shipsdockedatthepier,NorthSydney,NovaScotia

-PeterDay BLProgramSpecialist, Sydney,CapeBreton,NovaScoita

PeterDay bringsover20yearsof experienceineducationalsettings, withafocusonscienceandmath. Peterwillbesupportingstudents andteachersofthe CapeBreton VictoriaRegionalCentrefor Education(CBVRC) andStrait RegionalCentreforEducationto learndigitalskillsandmaker education!

BornandraisedinNorthSydney, NovaScotia.Peterlivedin Antigonishfornineyearsbut couldn’tstayawayfrommyhomein CapeBreton.Aftergraduatingwitha BachelorofScienceandamajorin ChemistryandaCertificateof MathematicalSciencesfrom St. FrancisXavierUniversity.Andmore recentlycompletedaMastersin CurriculumStudieswithafocusin TechnologyIntegration.Iam currentlyenrolledinthe InstructionalLeadershipProgram throughthe EducationalLeadership ConsortiumofNovaScotia(ELCNS)

“ForfouryearsItaughtsecondary mathematicsandsciencecourses atAntigonish,PortHawkesburyand Guybourough.In2006Imovedback hometoCapeBretonwhereI’ve beenteachinggradesfromthreeto highschoolandevenadultschool levels.ForthepastsixyearsIhave hadthepleasureofbeinga mathematicscoachforsecondary mathematicswhereIworkwith studentsandteacherstomodel lessonsthatwillintroducemore innovativewaysofexploring mathematicalconcepts.”

WelcometoBrilliantLabsWill! Canyousharewithourreaders howyoucametojoinBrilliant Labs?

Thisopportunitybecameavailable justmonthsaftercompletingmy MastersofCurriculumStudieswith aFocusonTechnologyIntegration andIcouldnotthinkofabetterway toutilizeallthatIhavelearned.

Inyourlifetimehasanyone inspiredyoutochangeyourmind, forthebetter,toovercomean obstacle?

Ihavehadmanygreatteachers throughoutmyeducationalcareer. BothwhenIwasastudentandasa teacher.Ihavehadfartoomany positiveinfluencesthroughoutmy lifetonarrowitdowntojustonebut Iamextremelygratefulforeachand everyone.

Whatisyourpassion?

Encouragingstudentsandteachers tomovebeyondtheircomfortzones totrynewwaysoflearningandto reachtheirpotential.Likemany teachers,thereisnothingmore gratifyingthanwatchingastudent reachthat “AhHa!” moment.

Tellusaboutyourfavoriteproject.

YearsagoIappliedforaProgram DevelopmentAssistantFundGrant throughtheNSTU,whereIwas awardedcloseto$5000to

purchaseBreakoutboxesand supportingmaterials.Theseboxes aresimilartoescaperooms,where studentsaregivencluesinorderto solveproblemsbycommunicating, collaborating,andusingcritical thinkingtoopenthelocksand “breakinto” thebox.Sinceacquiring thisresourceIhavecreatedand implementeddozensofactivities forhundredsofstudents.

Whatgoalsdoyouhaveasyou workwithBrilliantLabs?

Toinspireasmanystudentsand teachersasmuchaspossibleto incorporatethemakermindsetinto theirdaytodaylearning.Welivein adayandagewherewehaveallthe informationintheworldatour fingertipsbutweneedtohavethe problemsolvingskillstobeableto utilizeit.

Throughproblemsolvingactivities, studentscanlearntotackle problemsbyhavingamindsetthat isfocusedoncontinuouslearning &improvement;ratherthana

simplerightorwronganswer. Whatadvicewouldyougive teacherswhoareinterestedin bringingmakingtotheclassroom?

Ifyouseesomethingthatintrigues you,don’tbescaredtotryit.Takeon thechallengeofanewtechnology andbeokaywithshowingstudents yourstrugglesandlearningwhile doing.SomeofthebestlessonsI taughtweretheoneswherethe studentsknewthatIwaslearninga newskilltoo.Welearnedtogether andtheyhelpedandcouragedmeto continue.

Ifyoucouldrecommendagoodread forteachers,whatwoulditbe?

Formathematicsteachers, “Building ThinkingClassroomsin Mathematics” byPeterLiljedahl.This bookexploresmanywaystoengage studentlearningwithlearnercentereddeepmathematical thinking.

Favoritequote: “Justkeep swimming” -Dory

ÉcoleLe Mascaret MONCTON

What

et SI

...theclimatecrisiscouldbeexpressed throughdesignscreatedbystudents& supportedbyteachers?

...lacriseclimatiquepourraitêtreexprimée pardesinnovationscrééesparlesélèves etappuyéesparlesenseignants?

Rendez"Etsi"possible

Venezrejoindredescentainesdejeunesinnovateursle11mai2023alorsqu'ilsrendront"Etsi" possible!l'ÉcoleMascaret610CheminMcLaughlin,Moncton,NB

Lesélèves,lesfamillesetlacommunautésontlesbienvenusde13hà17hpourexplorerles ateliers,lesexpositions,lesprojetsd'innovation,larobotique,labiofabrication,lesstations makersetplusencore!Visitez laboscreatifs.ca/celebration-d'innovation pourplusd'info.

TAKE

5 5 WithRachelHarris

ByMelissaLee|BrilliantLabsSt.John’s,NL

Photography: CurtisMeeker

Doingwhatyoulovecan startearlyinlife.These arehintsthatmay becomealifelongjourney. SometeacherslikeRachel foundthemselvesinroles likecampleader,tutor, musicteacherand children’sprogram director.Doyouknowa kidwhoenjoysteaching others?Maybethey’ll chooseateachingcareer likeyou!

Itiswithgreatpleasuretoshare MelissaLee’s Take5 interviewwith RachelHarris,Grade4Teacherat CowanHeightsElementaryinSt. John’s,NL.

WhenRachelreachedouttoour BrilliantLabsNLteamwithagreat ideafromherGrade4class,Iknew shewasanenergeticteacherwho loveswhatshedoes!Herstudents expressedinterestincreating throughrepurposingcardboardfor anewproject.Together,Racheland herclasswereinspiredby Caine’s Arcade tocreatetheirownarcade outofcardboard.Thisproject caughtmyeyerightawaybecauseI myselfwasinspiredtoincorporate maker-centeredlearningmoreinto myownteachingwhenIlearned aboutCaine’sArcadealmostten yearsago.Caine,a9yearoldboyin California,createdaworking arcade,mostlyfromrepurposed cardboard,inhisdad’sautoshop. Hesparkeda#CardboardChallenge andBrilliantLabs’ CardboardFor Kitty fundraiserforsheleter animalsco-foundedbytwosisters (Hannah&GraceTotten)inNew Brunswick.Caine’smovement inspiredyouthacrossNorth Americatocreateandlearnthrough making,evensparkingthecreation ofanonprofitorganizationto supportkidsintheircreationsand buildingskills.

Rachelandherstudentshavebeen

pushingtoensuretheyaretackling the6C’sintheclassroom; Creativity,Collaboration,Critical thinking,Communication, CitizenshipandCharacter.They havebeenreflectingonhowthey canbuildadeeperprojectby ensuringtheyarehavingapositive impactonthecommunityandthe environment,allwhiletheyare havingfuncreating!

Thisyear,Rachel’sworkhasalready beennoticedprovincially,bythe NewfoundlandandLabrador EnglishSchoolDistrict,Ihadthe opportunitytoconnectherandher wonderfulstudentswithallthe districtprogramsstaffsothatthey couldsharetheirstoryandwork.I thinkitwillinspireotherteachers andstudentstotrysomethingnew, thinkoutsideoftheboxtherewon’t beanyleftafterthestudentsare donewiththemanyway!!)andget making!

Rachelandherstudentswantedto incorporatesomecodingandtech intheirarcadeprojects,soBrilliant Labswashappytohelpsupport! TheyhaveMakeyMakeysand cardboardtoolstohelpbuildon theirideas.Theyalsoplanto incorporateMicro:bitsandScratch insomeoftheirprojects.By workingtogether,werealizedthat theirideawouldbeagreatfitfor BrilliantLabs’ CircularMaking InnovationChallenge!

Iamfortunatetohavehadthe opportunitytochatwithRacheland brainstormabouttheirprojectandI havelearnedsomuchfromher!Her reflectiononherteachingandhow itimpactsstudentlearningis paramounttothesuccessthatshe ishaving.Sheisworkingon developingindependenceamongst herGrade4studentsand empoweringthemasmakersand innovators.Shehastakenonthe roleoffacilitatoroflearningandis comfortablelearningalongsideher studentsandmakingmistakes!

I’mexcitedtocontinuetosupport Rachelandherstudents throughouttheirprojectsandlearn fromthemalongtheway!

Now,joinmeaswelearnmore

aboutRachelandherteaching!

You'vebeenateacherforhow manyyears? Ihavebeenteaching intheclassroomforsixyears.Ialso creditthemanyyearsthatIspent asacampleader,earlychildhood musicteacher,tutor,andchildren’s programdirectorforwhyIamthe kindofteacherthatIamtoday.

Whydidyoubecomeateacher? Ican’tevenrememberatimewhen Ididn’twanttobeateacher.There isnowheremoreexcitingthan insidethewallsofaschoolbuilding everyday.Itiswherethemagic happens.Anyonewhoisn’there,is missingtheparty!Ithinkthatmy studentsareincredible.Itrytopush backontheideathatweareonly preparingthemforthefuture, becauseIknowthatthepeoplethey arerightnowarechangingthe world.IamthankfulthatIgetto learnalongsidemystudentsevery day.IreallybelievethatIhavethe bestjobintheworld!

Whathasshapedyouasateacher?

LikeIsaytomystudentsdaily:the peoplethatyousurroundyourselfwith haveahugeimpactonyourviewof theworld.IknowthatmyProfessional LearningCommunityimpactsthe kindsofconversationsIhavearound teachingandmystudents.Itryto investinandtakeinspirationfrom otherteachersandeducation personnelwhobuildmeandmy studentsup.Supportive,caringand enthusiasticteachersarecontagious.I amalwayslookingoutforpeoplewho enablemetobethebestversionof myself.

Studentsarechanging theworldtoday!

TeacherslikeRachel believeinteachingfor thefuture,butprefer recognizingthework youtharedoingtoday!

Whatisyourmostmemorable momentasateacher?

Thereisnooneparticularmoment. Myfavoriteongoingmomentasa teacheristhelookonastudent’s facewhentheyareproudof themself.Whetherit’screating somethingtheyaretrulyproudof, masteringaskill,orconqueringa challenge.Thatlookismadeeven betterwhentheylookbackatyou becausetheyknowyouare watchingthemandcheeringthem on.

Mystudentsinspiremeeveryday withtheirwonder,imaginationand resilience.

Howhaveyouevolvedasa teacher?

Iusuallyfindmyselftryingtobeone (orten!)stepsahead.Iam constantlyplanning,preparingand anticipatingtheneedsand challengesofmystudents.Inmany ways,thisishelpfulbutitcanalso beoneofmygreatestchallengesas Iworktowardsmeetingmy studentswheretheyareand capitalizingonopportunitiesthat arisenaturallyintheclassroomfor authenticlearningandexploration. Iamlearningtoremembertotrust theprocess.Onceyouestablish yourclassroomasalearning environmentwherestudentvoice andownershipisvalued,students willalwaysrisetotheoccasion. WhenIslowdowntobepresent withthem,theyconsistentlylead meandthemselvesintonew discoveries.

Tellusaboutaproject(or challenge)thathelpedstudents improvetheirlearning experience?Howdiditmakeyou feel?

Lastyear,myGradeFourstudents becamefascinatedwiththeroleof variousNewfoundlandandLabrador EnglishSchoolDistrictstaffwhen theycameforavisitatourschool. Wedidawritingpiecewherethey guessedwhattheirroleswereand wesharedtheirwritingonTwitter! Tothestudent'sdelight,theDistrict Staffwrotebackandofferedtovisit ustolearnmoreaboutideasthat studentshadtomakeschoola

betterplace!Thislaunchedayearlongprojectwherewecreated classroomcommitteesandranour ownSchoolDevelopmentmeetings. Theylearnedaboutvariousroleson committees,wrotetheirown meetingagendas,andsawmanyof theirideasthroughtocompletion. Thewaysthatweleveraged technology(somany spreadsheets!)duringthatproject exceededanythingwemighthave attemptedduringamore traditionallystructuredclassroom activity.

Everygroupofstudentsisso different.Thisyear,Inoticeda handfulofmyGradeFourstudents werecollectingpaperduring unstructuredtimes.Onestudent createdadollhousebytaping sheetstogetherandthenfilledit withpaperdolls.Anotherstudent madeastructure.Whenadelivery ofbooksarrivedinacardboardbox, Ihadstudentsarguingoverwho wouldgettodecidewhatthey

3 3 4 4

OurProfessionalLearning Communitiesimpactthe conversationswehave aboutteachingandour students.Together,by investingandtake inspirationfromother teachersandeducation personnelwhobuildus andourstudentsupcan becareerchanging.Find thosesupportive,caring andenthusiastic teacherswhoare contagiousandtheywill helpyoufindthebest versionofyourself.

turnedtheboxinto.Wearenow workingonaCardboardArcade projectthathastakenonalifeof itsown!

Whenstudentstakeonanew project,Iamalwayssoproudand amazed!Ifeelhonoredtogoon theadventurewiththem,and excitedtoseewhereittakesus!

It’simportanttoincorporatethe studentsintothelearning process,itshouldn’tbedesigned

4 4

Motivatestudentsto assumeleadership positionsthataimtomake apositiveimpactontheir schoolandcommunity. Assignthemroleswithin groupsthatwillresultin tangibleimprovements. Followthroughwith supportingtheirideas untiltheyaresuccessfully implemented.

FORthem,itshouldbedesigned WITHthem.

Whatisyourperspectiveon maker-centeredlearningandwhat advicewouldyougivetonew teacherswantingtoteachusing STEAMbasedlearning/technology intheirclassrooms?

Itcanbedauntingtolearnnew skillsandtechtoolsandevenmore dauntingifyoufeelyouneedtobe anexpertbeforeintroducingthem toyourstudents.WhenIfirst introducedmicro:bitstomyclass,I spentanhourlearningaboutthem withacolleague,moretime watchingvideosmyselfand preparing,whatIthought,wasan amazinglesson.Itdidn’ttakemore thantwentyminutesbeforeevery studentinmyclasshadeclipsed myknowledgeandwereteaching meinstead.Itismoreeffective(and fun!)toalllearntogether!It’s importantforustomodelthatwe asadultsarelearnerstooandit’s okaytomakemistakesand

problemsolve.

Ialsostronglyrecommendtaking aninterest,projectorskilland takingthetimetodevelopitasfully aspossible.Forexample,withour CardboardArcadeproject,students arelearningtechniquestobuild withcardboard,designingtheirown gamewithapartner,codingdevices toincorporateintotheirgame, organizinganarcade(admissionby FoodBankdonation)andwalkingto theFoodBanktodropoffthe donationsourselves.Itmayseem thatthereisn’tenoughtimefor projectssuchasthese,buttheyare socross-curricularandmuch deeperintermsoflearningthan moretraditionalmethodsof “covering” curriculumoutcomes.

Studentsaremorethancapableof learningthelanguageand processesrequiredforspecial projectsandskills.Ifyoulistenin onalunchtimeconversation,it doesn’ttakelongtorealizethat theyarefullyfluentinthelanguage

andnamesofcountlessvideo gamesandcharacters.Whenit’s meaningfultothem,andbeing usedregularly,theywillremember.I willneverforgetthelookonour Principal’sfaceattheendofa meetinglastyearwhereastudent frommyclasswasdiscussingan incidentcompletelyseparatefrom ourcommitteemeetings,andthe childlookedupatherandsaid, “Is thismeetingadjourned?”

Thisyear,ourschoolhasputan emphasisonthe6C’sofDeep Learning.Itisexcitingtosee studentsusingthevocabulary intentionallyinconversationaswe workonourCardboardArcade project.Theyarenoticingand encouragingeachother “Great creativity!” “Thatwassomeamazing CriticalThinking!”

Establishingyourvalueasprocess overproductalsosetsupsuccess forproject-based,student-led learning.Atthebeginningofthe year,Ifindmyselfsaying “Youare neverfinishedagain!” overandover tomystudentswhodesperately wanttojustcheckofftheboxes.It canbeahugementalshifttogo fromtryingtofinishaclose-ended worksheet,oranswerquestions directlyfromatextbookto developingamindsetthatis lookingandreceptivetochanges andimprovements.Itrytomodel thiswheneverpossible.Ihavefound repeatingthesameSTEAM challengeafewweeksafterthefirst timewedoit,tobeareallyeffective waytobringthisideahome.The firsttime,studentsoftensay, “But wealreadydidthatone!” andI respondbyaskingthemifthey thinkthatthatmeanstheywilldo anevenbetterjobatitthistime?A projectisneverfinished!

Lastly,embracethemess!Ifind myselflaughingwhenI’minthe middleofaroomfullofmaterials (I’msuretherewascardboardon everysurfaceofourlibrarylearning commonsoneday!).Isometimes havetofighttheinstincttoclean andmanageateverystep.Butwhen Istepbackandlook,Icanseethat studentsareallengagedand

learning.It’sanimportantpartof theprocess,especiallywhen designingandimproving.Put cleaninguponthescheduleor explicitlywrittenintopartofyour STEAMprocess!It'shardtoimagine inthemiddleoforganizedchaos, butthespacewillgetclean! Motivatedstudentsarethebest helpers!

Howhasyourclassroom experiencechangedby incorporatingmaker-centered learning?

Whenweareinthemiddleofabig projectatschoolorworkingasa classonanewskillorlearninghow touseanewpieceof technology...theenergyshifts! Studentscomethroughthedoor asking “Whenareweworkingonit today?” Thefeelingofcreating somethingbiggerthaneachofus byourselvesissoelectrifyingtome. Ihopemystudentsleavefeeling empoweredandseethewaysthat theirideasandenthusiasmcan haveanimpactontheworld!

Beinginthemiddleofa STEAMprojectand workingonnewskillsor learninghowtousenew technologywillshiftyour class’energy!Your Studentswillfeel empoweredtobeapartof somethingbigger.Plus,by seeingtheirideasin actionwillcreatemore enthusiasmasitcanhave realanimpactonthe world!

FOLLOWRACHEL

FollowRachelonTwittertokeepup withtheirprojectandcheckout whatherstudentsareupto! @MsHarris_edu Findmore informationabouttheImagination organizationinspiredby Caine’s Arcade andthe GlobalCardboard Challenge.

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WelcometoShareInPurple,anew featureinBrilliantLabsMagazine aboutwhatitmeansto “loveyour workinpurple,andwhypeopleare sopassionateaboutBrilliantLabs” .

JoinusontheBLYouTubeChannel tohearwhyJohnWong,Director, CommunityDevelopment& PartnershipsatBrilliantLabsloves hisworkandhelpingcommunities.

Withover18yearsofexperienceas aseniorresourceandcommunity developmentprofessional,John Wonghasspentsevenofthose yearswithBrilliantLabs.

Johnispassionateabout supportingyoutheducationand empowermentthroughthepowerof communityandacultureof

philanthropy.Bycombining nonprofitmanagementbestpracticeswithmillennialingenuity, hehelpstomakeadifference throughIDEA–inclusion,diversity, equityandaccess,andbyapplying innovation,collectiveimpactand collaborativepartnershipsinhis work.

AlongwithhisCertifiedFundraising Executive(CFRE)credential,John hasmanyyearsofentrepreneurial experienceinconsumerproduct development,leadership management,andglobalmarketing andsales.Asadevelopment professional,hehassuccessfully developednumerouscommunitybasedinitiatives;andraisedfunds throughannualandcapital campaigns,majorgifts,special

eventsandsponsorshipstosupport transformativeprojectsand programs.In2017,hewasoneof150 CanadianstobeprofiledinThe PhilanthropisttomarkCanada's 150thanniversaryofConfederation. Johnisastrongbelieverthat regardlessofourbackgrounds,we shareacommondesiretobuilda betterfutureforall.And,thatour willingnesstohelpothersalsohas theenormouspotentialtohelp transformourselvesandour communities.

SeeJohn’sSharingInPurplevideo toseewhathelovesaboutworking atBrilliantLabs,andwhyhe’sso deeplypassionateaboutthe charity’sworktosupportyouth educationandempowerment.

AyearagoIwouldn’thavecalled myselfamaker.Ihadjustfinished aworkcontractasaJuniorSoftware Engineer,myfirstexperienceinthe fieldaftergraduatingfromthe New BrunswickCommunityCollege (NBCC)asaProgrammerAnalyst, andfeltunsurewhereIwantedtogo nextinlife.Itwouldhavebeeneasy tofindmoreworkinthefieldbutI foundmyselffeelingunfulfilledin theposition.Iwantedtobuild somethingmorethanjustany anothercompany’sin-house software.

IhadfirstheardofBrilliantLabs duringmytimeatNBCC.Therewas anopportunitytotutorandcreate withstudentsoverthesummerthat Ihadbeenquiteexcitedfor,but COVIDendeduphavingotherplans. Withpandemicrestrictionsinplace thatprogramwasunfortunately cancelled.Therewasnothingthat couldhavebeendoneinthat situation,andsummerpassed

kindofworkBrilliantLabsdoesand theconceptofthe “makerculture” Itwasalsomyintroductionto Micro:bits andthe b.Board.While mybackgroundasaprogrammer certainlyhelpedtopickupthe codingaspect,encouragingdesign thinkingwasachallengeIhadnot facedbeforethispoint.Itwas rewardingtoseestudentslearn theseskills,workshopprojectideas, andmakethoseintoareality.While mytimeasavolunteerwasshortI wasexcitedtobeofferedaposition asaProgramSpecialist,andtosee howfarstudentscouldreallytake theirideas.

eeingthevarioustechnologiesandcraftswoven togethermademewishithadbeenpartofmy ownyouth.Inparticular,the3Dprintersrunning tirelesslytocreatedesignsfromnothinginspiredmetodelve into3Dmodelingmyself.- NeilGray,ProgramSpecialist

withoutthatchance.Ieventually graduated,wenttoworkatmyjob placement,andreachedthe conundrumstatedaboveoncemy contractranout.

Rememberingthemissed opportunitytheprevioussummerI contactedJeffWillson,BLExecutive Director,toaskabouteither employmentorvolunteering.Atthe timetherewasn’tapositionopen, buttherewasanafterschool programbeinghostedbyBrilliant Labs,at ConnexionWorks ashared workspaceinuptownSaintJohn.I didn’tmissthisopportunity, insteadIaskedifIcouldvolunteer!

OverthefewweeksoftheprogramI gainedmyfirstintroductiontothe

MyfirstmonthsatBrilliantLabs werehectictosaytheleast.Every weekbroughnewchallenges,new lessons,andnewpeople.Imetmore peopleinthespanofamonththanI hadoverthelasttwoyearsofCOVID. Twothingsthatreallystuckwithme wereseeingdifferentMakerspaces (orLabs)inandaroundSaintJohn, andtheseveralMakerFairesI attendedaroundtheMaritimes.The Labsthathadbeendevelopedover timetosuitthecreativeneedsof thestudentsworkingwithinthem werecompletelynewtome.Seeing thevarioustechnologiesandcrafts woventogethermademewishit hadbeenpartofmyownyouth.In particular,the3Dprintersrunning tirelesslytocreatedesignsfrom nothinginspiredmetodelveinto 3Dmodelingmyself.TheMaker Fairesweresomethingelseentirely. It’sdifficulttodescribetheenergy theseeventshadnotonlyforthe studentswhohadthechanceto showofftheprojectstheyhad spentmonthson,butforvisitors likemyselfseeingallthispassion onfulldisplayforthepublic.Iwould

havetodescribeitas overwhelming.Inthemomentthere wasn’treallytimetoprocessit,just beamazedbyalltheworkputinto maketheseeventssuccessful.It wasaninspirationtosaytheleast, andsomethingI’vetriedtocarry forwardintheworkI’vedonewith BrilliantLabs.

Sincethen,I’veworkedwith summercampstudentsshowing offawholesamplingofdifferent STEAMactivities,havebeenworking withteacherstohelpdemonstrate

“G

endedup.NotonlydoIgettoteach technologyrelatedsubjectsnow, somethingthathasbeenapassion ofmine,I’velearnedallnewwaysto makeandcreatethroughthe months.

OfallthenewtechnologiesI’ve encounteredwhileatBrilliantLabs, myabsolutefavoritehasbeen3D printers.Itisamazingtomethatwe havemachinesthatcanactas miniaturehomefactoriesto produceparts,art,anythingthe printeritselfisphysicallycapable

holdersorcasesforthem.Witha3D printertheskyreallyisn’tthelimit. Whilethemachinesthemselvescan betemperamentalandrequire specificknowledgeformaintenance I’vetakenaninterestinlearning howtokeepthemrunningeven whenbizarreissuesarise.

OverallthetimeI’vespentmaking inourLabshaschangedmylife.I seemanynewpossibilities,andso manymoreIwanttosharewith studentsacrossAtlanticCanada andbeyond.Whiletherehavebeen

ettingtoworkinthisrolemixingeducationandcreativityinsuch auniquewayisanopportunityIneverthoughtIwouldhave.

-NeilGray,ProgramSpecialist

waystobringdifferenttechnologies intotheclassroom,andhavebeen helpingtodevelopnewLabsaround SaintJohn,amongotherthings.It’s beenlifechangingtosaytheleast. Gettingtoworkinthisrolemixing educationandcreativityinsucha uniquewayisanopportunityInever thoughtIwouldhave.

MyfatherwasateacherintheNorth EndofSaintJohnandseeingthe positiveimpacthehadonallofhis formerstudentsmademewishfor somethingsimilar.Inmyyouth thoughItriedtofindmyownpath, neverquitesatisfiedwithwhereI

ofcreating.OfalltheusecasesI lovethattheycancreatepartsthat areeitherdiscontinued,simplytoo costlytogetnormally,orcustom designedforaspecificuse.I’ve beentryingtoimprovemy3D modelingskillsbyreproducing everydayobjectsusingthewebsite Tinkercad,freecomputeraided designsoftwarewithalowerbarof entrytocreate.Thingslikethe variouspartsweuseforMicro:bits andb.Boardsmakeexcellent exercisestorecreate.Thebestpart isaftermakingoneofthoseasa modelitcanbeusedasareference tocreatenew3Dprintedpartslike

challengesattimes,therewards havebeenworththeeffort.Iwantto dowhatIcantogivestudentswho wouldneverhavetheopportunities toworkwithallkindsof technologiesandcreationsthose experiences,onesthatinmytime asastudentsimplywerenotthere. I’mlookingforwardtodoingwhatI cantokeepimprovingthequalityof educationinthiscornerofCanada, andtoseewhatwe’llcreatenext.

LET’SCONNECT

NeilGrayisaBrilliantLabsProgram SpecialistsupportingTeachers& StudentsintheADS-SouthDistrictof NewBrunswick. Ifyouteachinthis regionandwanttolearnmore aboutBrilliantLabsprojectfunding, InnovationChallenges,classroom orschoolSTEAMsupportand initiatives.ConnectwithNeil!

Neil@Brilliantlabs.ca

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DESIGNTHINKING inyourclassroom

Makereducationisan interdisciplinaryapproachto learningby engagingstudentsin makingmeaningfulprojects.Maker style projectshelpstudentsengage intheirwork,byreflectingona what, whyandhowtheywillmake.

Therearevarioustypesofmaker projects,fromtangibleto intangible suchasasong,adigitalanimation, acardboardcity ora3Dprinted prostheticarm.Yourstudentsand youwillfind personalisedwayto furtheryourlearning.Throughthese types ofBrilliantprojectswehelp studentsnotmerelyconsumebut alsocreate/constructknowledgein deeperandwiderways.We focuson studentcentricsolutionsandnot justtheproblem.

Makercentredlearningiswhere kidslearnbydoing-making. They arefindingsolutionstoproblemsby creatingauthentic projects.In Makercentredlearningstudents immerse themselvesthroughnewmaterials tothendevelopsoftskillson topof learningthecurriculum.Itextends theschoolwork outsideofthe4 wallsofschool.

Throughthismethod,students collaboratewithotherstudents or adultsinordertoachievetheirgoal. Thispersonaliseof learningfosters creativityandinnovation.Byreal problem solvingmakercentred learningencouragestechnology innovation.

Theroleoftheeducatorbecomesa “makerofexperiences” leadingto thelearningoutcomesand opportunitiesinclass andbeyond. Justlikeeducators,somestudents needaguided

frameworkwhileothersneedopenendedexploration.The educatoris thecreatoroftheframeworkinthe classroomorthe architectof learning.

WhyconsiderAdesignthinking pedagogyintheclassroom?

Thinklikeadesigner. Whenateacher takestheperspectiveofthe designerintheclassroom,he/she/ theyfocusonthesolutionand ratherthantheproblem.

Thedesignthinkingprocess empowerseducatorstocreatetheir OWNframeworkfortheirclassroom pedagogy.Itenhancescreativityin problemsolving.Theycaninnovate theirclassroomsbygaining confidenceintheirdecisionmaking. Beingstudentcentric,design thinkinghelpsbuildconfidence, resilienceandcollaboration.Italso givesyoureflectiontimeand marginforerror.

Thisspiraldisrupterofroutinewill helpguideyouthroughmaking, fromideatingtoevaluating.Itwill enhanceyourstudents'experiences bycreatingamultitudeof opportunities.

ConsiderThis!

Educationisattheforefrontof politicalandeconomicalissues.In thepast,therehavebeenmany overhaulsoftheeducationalsystem (mostlyfinancialissues),butnot withtheeducatorsandstudentsat heart.Wecannameoverahundred teachingmethodsortoolsandthey canbeoverwhelming.Ifitisatool thatmyprincipalorcolleagueslove, doesitmeanitwillworkforme?My friend’sdaughterseemstolovethe

waythateducatorsteach,will'that way'workformystudents?Weoften forgetaboutourselvesinallthose toolsandmethods.Doweforget whatweandwhatourstudents love?Whatareourneeds?This guideistohelpyoureflectonyour practiceandhelpyouinnovateyour classroom'yourway'.Inawaythat willhelpstudentslearnandretain thecurriculum.Let'sconsiderhow tohaveadeeperlearning experiencethroughplay,research andmaking;while,engagingeach otherandcollaboratingon meaningfulprojects!

WhatisBrilliantPedagogy?

Whatifallstudentswereengagedin theirschoolwork?

Whatifallteacherswerepassionate educators?

Whatifwewereflexiblewithour teachingtools?

Whatifteachersfeltempoweredto dosomething?

Whythisapproach?

Webelieveyoucancreateyourown framework.Usingyourbackground, passions,interestsandskillset,you willcreateyourownteachingstory! Creatingyourclassroomnarrative beginswithreflectingonhowyou teachandwhatyouwanttochange. Considerthenewhealthyteaching habitsyouwanttoincorporate? Thesewillcreatesustainable successthatwilllast!Now,let's considerthetoolsyou'llneed.This isnota'OneSizeFitsAll'approach. Thetoolsyouchoosewillsuityour sustainableteachinggoalsandnew classroomnarrative.Honestly,

tryingaglitzy500$cordlesspowerdrillto'HitTheNail OnTheHead'willstillnotbeasefficientasthe2$ hammer.

Now,ratherthanthe'GuideOnTheSide'.Let'sre-frame thisconcepttooneofalearningfacilitator,orthe 'EducatorOnTheSide'.Asyouaretheeducatorwhowill carefullyconsideryourstudents'projects,wherethey areontheirlearningjourney,andasknotonlythe curricularquestions,butallthetoughquestionsthat challengethelearnertokeepgoing.Afterall,thesenot onlyneedtobeansweredforeachgradelevel,but they'reimportantandwillhelpyourstudentsreflect meaningfullyontheirprojects.

Let'sconnect.Togetherwecancreateyournew sustainableclassroomgoalsandnarrative!

Thetransitionfromanon-makerto makercanhappeninaninstant-this stageisthatinstant.Themoment someonebecomesurgentlymotivatedto seekoutandcombinetherawmaterials thatwillactualisetheiridea.

Theprojectstartstotakeshape.The studentswilldefineandstartto decomposetheproject.Whatarethe differentpartsoftheprojectandoptions forsolutions?Whoisthisprojectforand howwilltheyuseit?Whataretheother solutionsavailablethatcouldhelpyou? Whataretheconceptsthatyouneedto learnmore?

Studentslookatallthepossibilities, theylookintotransformingaproblem intoavarietyofsolutions.Theyreflecton theenduser’sneedsinordertooffera varietyofideas.Nojudgement, sometimesthegreatestideasarebased onthemostfarfetched.

Studentssimulatetheendproductor result.Theyareabletorefineafter testing.Theydraw,refine,calculate, studymaterials Theyreflectonthe purposeoftheircreation.

Theytestthematerials,thequalityofthe product.Keepinmindthattheymight havetogobacktoideationor prototyping.Thisisacircularmodel.

What Let’sMake

JeffWillson BrilliantLabs’ ChampionsInnovation inEducationduring acceptance speech

The InauguralInnovateNB Celebration,heldinSaintJohn,New Brunswick,onNovember22,2022, wasapowerfulreminderofhowfar wehavecomeasaprovincewhenit comestoinnovation—andhow muchfurtherwestillneedtogoif wewantouryouthtosucceedina digitalworld.

Together,wearecommittedto continuingourworktowards buildinganinnovativefuturefor youngpeopleinNewBrunswickby providingmeaningfulexperiences throughhands-onlearning opportunitiessotheycangain valuableskillstodayandfortheir futurecareers.

Thankyouagaintotheofficeof WayneLong,MPSaintJohn— Rothesay,fornominatingBrilliant Labsandtoeventorganisers: Tech Impact,TheMcKennaInstitute,

arippleacrosstheprovince,through theBayofFundyandeventually caughtawavethatspreadacross AtlanticCanada. Currentlywearereachingabout ninety-fivepercent ofschools acrosstheregion. Wecan’tpat ourselvesonthebackbecause sometimesitisonlyoneteacheror oneclassroom.Maybetwo.Thereare manymoreclassroomsdownthehall weneedtoreach.We’vebeenableto attractinternationaltalent.We recruitedtalentfromtopuniversitiesMITgrad and Tuffs.Electronic engineersfromSouthAmerica to cometoAtlanticCanadaandhelp inspirethisnextgenerationof innovators.

LikeMarcelLeBrun[Founder, Chairmanof12Neighbours]said “It’sa movementandshouldalsoincludea socialecologicalresponsiblespirit” respectingthe Sustainable

behindthem.

Whenwelookattheinvestments thatarebeingdone thereareso manypeoplewaitingforourhelp. We’reworkingmonthsinadvanceto findresourcesandsupportstohelp theseinnovators.

Thisisacalltoaction

DavidAlstondroppingthatpebble nineyearsago andallowingusto supportyouthover900,000and teachersover100,000times.It’sa wonderfulthingbutit’sjustthetip oftheiceberg!

Wherearewegoingtobeinthenext eightyears?Wehavetolistento ouryouth.Withtheworkthatthe McKennaInstitute isdoingwith digitalliteracy.Theseareessential components.Wehavetotransform everything.Startingwithteacher trainingprograms… Teachers

Propel,NBIF,EnvisionSaintJohn andsponsors: ACOA,Governmentof Canada,ONB,andNewBrunswick Government,forrecognisingus!

Thewinnerofthe Innovation ChampionAward is Brilliant Labs!

JeffWillson,BilliantLabsExecutive Director, acceptedthe Innovation ChampionAward onthebehalfofthe BrilliantLabsteam,volunteers, teachers&students.Thiswashis message:

“ThankyoutoDavidHickeyandthe officeofWayneLongforthe nomination.

NineyearsagoinFrederictonImet anamazingperson,withabrilliant mindandgoldenheart,who droppedapebble.Itstartedmaking

- JeffWillson,ExecutiveDirector,BrilliantLabs

DevelopmentGoals,respecting climatechangeandallthesethings happening.Educationisthebestway tohelpthepopulation.Ifyouwereat thetradeshowearliertoday,youmay haveseenasixfoottallrobotusing artificialintelligenceandvoice recognition… Thatwasdoneby Jacob Ledoux. IfyouaskJacobwhathe wantstodointhenextcoupleofyears it’smechatronics. LeahBrown also joinedustodayexhibitingher Mission:Marsrover.Shewantstobe anelectronicsengineerinspiredby JoshKeys,ourInnovationEngineer, withwhosehelpwedevelopedthe b.Board.Arapidprototypingdevice madeinNewBrunswickandusedby youthacrossAtlanticCanadaand beyond.

Wehavekidsinthisprovinceand beyondcomingupwiththeirown innovationsandwehavetoget

shouldnotbeleavingSaintThomas withoutunderstandinghow innovationworksandhowkeyitis intheclassroom.It’stoolateto havethedebateofshouldwefocus ourinvestmentsineducationon languageartsormathematics.It shouldinsteadfocusoninnovation —itacrossallsubjectareas.

Thankyouverymuchonbehalfof everyoneatBrilliantLabs,weare verygratefulfortherecognitionand thisinspiresustopushforward. “

t’s too late to have the debate of what we should focus our investments in education on: language arts or mathematics. It should instead focus on innovation it’s across all subject areas”

AtBrilliantLabs,webelievethat hands-onexperimentallearningis essentialforeducators.Wehave seenfirsthandhowitengages students,encouragescreative thinking,andempowersthemtobe innovativeproblemsolvers.

Technologyhaschangedthewaywe learn;thetraditionalrouteofthe memorisationoffactsisnolonger aneffectiveorefficientwaytoteach students.Instead,weareworking hardbringexperientiallearning opportunitiestostudentstoexplore theirinterestswhilegaining technicalskills.

Wearefocusedoncreatinglasting changeineducationbymakingsure thateverystudenthasaccessto opportunitiesthatwillhelpthem thriveinadigitalworld.Todothis BrilliantLabsprovidesworkshops atschools,librariesandcommunity centresthroughoutNewBrunswick sothatallstudentscanbenefit fromourprograms.Ourhands-on workshopsgivestudentsachance toexplorecodingandrobotics,3D

printinganddesign,game development,andmore–allareas oftechnologywhicharebecoming increasinglyimportantintoday’s jobmarket.

Thankyouforworkingwithus! Togetherwithteachers, CanCode, theAtlanticCanadianprovincial EducationandEarlyChildhood Developmentdepartments, communitypartnersandgenerous donors,BrilliantLabsishelpingto bringexperientiallearninginto classroomsandcommunities acrosstheregionbyproviding resourcessuchascurriculum materialsandsupportforeducators whowanttointegratetechnology intotheirlessons.

JeffWillson,BrilliantLabsExecutive Director,isafullybilingualleader& educatorwithexperienceinthepublic, privateandnon-profitsectors.Asa lifelonglearner,hebelievesinthe valueofSTEAMandMakerCentered Learningthroughcollaborationand projectbasedlearningtobring creativity,innovation,digitalskills, andglobalcompetenciestoevery student,school,andcommunity.

SaintJohn,NB-InnovateNBAwards.BrilliantLabsreceivedthetheInnovatonChampionAward.

(Left)JacobLedoux,Studnet(RobotzGotBrilliance);JoshKeys,InnovationEngineer;JeffWillson, ExecutiveDirector;LeahBrown,Student(Mission:Mars);AlexHawkins,Student(b.BrilliantCohost);CherylWillson,Marketing&CommunicaitonsDirector;DavidHickey,SaintJohn

Thinking WithoutaBrain.

BYWILLCOLLINS,PHD.BIOINNOVATIONENGINEER, BRILLIANTLABS

Weoftenhavetheperceptionthat higherorderthinkingskillscanonly beaccomplishedbymammals (humans,cats,dogsetc.)birds (ostritches,parrotsetc.),orspecial speciesliketheoctopus.However, manyofuswouldbesurprisedto findthatsinglecelledorganisms arealsocapableofaccomplishing dramaticfeatsofcognition.

eachplanofaction.Therearealotof thingswedon’tknowabouthow individual‘simpleminded’ organismsorcreatures cancoordinateresources andaccomplishelaborate featsofengineeringand thought.

Let'stalkaboutamathematical challengecalledthe‘Travelling SalesmanParadigm’andwhatit meanstosolvethisproblem.To envisionthisproblemconsiderthat youareatravelingsalesmanwitha familyyouhavetoreturntoin severalmonths.However,youare obligatedtotraveltoeverycityin yourcountryandreturnhomeinthe shortestpossibletimeasefficiently aspossibleandthatthegeography ofyourtravelisunusual.Whileto somethisproblemseemstobe straightforwardtherealityisthatit mayrequiresomeelaborate planningtoexecuteproperly.Each cityhasadifferentproximitytoyou buttheremaybeadenserclusterof citiesintheotherdirectionthat maybemoreefficienttovisitfirst. Therealityoftheproblemismore challengingthanyoumight imagine.

WhatifIweretotellyouthataslime moldcansolvetheseproblems withouthavinganyoftheadvanced cognitiveskillsthatyouorIhave? Maybeyouwouldbesurprisedthat aclusterofindividualcellsis capableofsolvingcomplex proximitylikethisandassign priorityandrankingsystemsto

Inthe1990’snotable researcherEdwardO. Wilson(knownasE.O. Wilson)startedclosely observingantcolonies andhowtheycoordinate resourcesamongstone anothertofeedthecolony andmaintainitsgrowth. Eachoftheindividual ‘drone’antsdonotmake individualdecisionsbut actinthebestinterestof thecolonytoidentify wheretofindnutrients, fendoffattackers,andpreparefor shoringupinfrastructureagainst weatherconditions.E.O.Wilson foundthatthese‘droneants’would disperseinalldirectionsfromtheir homebaseandreportbacktheir findingstootherswithinthecolony butultimatelythedecisionsare madebythecollectivegroup.

Antsarecapableofidentifying chemicalsignalsthatyouorIwould beunabletodeterminewithour owneyes.Forinstance,sometypes ofantsarebornentirelyblindand relyexclusivelyonchemical signalinglikesmellandantenna providingsensorialfeedback throughtouch.Ifasingleant identifiesafoodsourceitwillusea trailof‘pheromones’toleadother membersofitscolonytothesite. Thesepheromonescanmeanmany differentthingsincluding(1)a warningagainstpotentialattackers (2)asuggestionofpotential collaboratorsor(3)thedirectionof ausefulresource.

Whatmakestheaccomplishments of‘simpleminded’organismslike ‘slimemolds’sodramaticisthat theydosointheabsenceofanyof thesenseslikevisionorhearing thatyouorItakeforgranted.Much liketheants‘slimemolds’cansolve complexproblemsusingacrude

versionofsmellcalled‘chemotaxis’. Chemotaxiscantakeseveralforms butisgenerallycharacterizedin termsof(1)staticcontroltostayin place(2)attractantsthatdrawto them,and(3)repellentsthatpush away.

Let'salsolearnaboutanother importantconceptcalleda‘vector sum’whichmakesupthecollective pullorpushofacolonyinone directionoranother.Thevectorsum canbeplacedonaeuclidean geometricplaneofXandY coordinateswhichsetacolonyat theXYaxisinwhichorganismscan bepulledinvariousdirections.

asachemorepellentforourslime molds.Asimpleexperimentwould beadirectforwardlinemovingin onedirectionincludinganda combinationofattractantsand repellentstodrivehowquicklya slimemoldwillpushinone direction.

Ina‘straightshotmaze’weputour slimemoldatoneendandeithera chemoattractantorchemorepellent attheotherend.Willtheslimemove towardstheattractant?Ifso,we knowwecanproceedtomore advancedexperiments.

Wehavecometofindthatslime moldsareexceptionallygoodat sniffingoutthecorrectdirectionto goinandwheretorunaway.For instance,theyloveoatsbutdetest saltandwillgotogreatlengthsto runtowardsoneandawayfromthe other.Inthisregardtheycanbe steeredinkeydirectionsby strategicplacementofwhatthey loveandhate.

Ifwecanfindawaytomakeslime moldssolveamaze,maybewecan findawaytohaveourslimemolds

followthepatternsofacircuit board.It'sanunusualthoughtbut whatifwecouldmakeelectronics thatcanbegrowninsteadof manufacturedthroughtraditional manufacturingtechniques.Muchof themanufacturingofcircuitboard reliesonatechniquecalled photolithographywhichusesa combinationoflightandcaustic chemicalstomodifycircuitboards insuchawaythattheyproduce definedtractsofconnectivestrips. Evensimpleruleswhenassembled togetherinauniquemannercan unveilremarkablecomplexity. Considerforinstancethatthebasis orourcomputereraisbuiltentirely on‘1’sand‘0’sasfundamentalason oroffbuttheinterplayofruleslike logicgates(i.e.NOR,AND,NOT)are thebasisformodernelectronics andcalculation.Evensimple mindedorganismsliketheslime moldrespondingtothepushand pullofitssurroundingchemistry canproduceremarkableresults.

Nowwecanworktoputallofthe toolswehavelearnedabouttouse inrealworldapplications.To supportevidenceofhowthe mathematicalprinciplesofvectors canbeappliedtobiologywecan collectimagingdatathroughoutthe courseofourexperiment.Wecan evenmakeourownmazesand executeourownexperiments.There areseveralthingsweneedto confirmingettingagoodideaof howtocontrolthingslikewhatacts asachemoattractantandwhatacts

Interview&PhotographyByJolieHammond, SimondsHighSchool,BrilliantLabsMarketing &CommunicationsCo-op

Howlonghastheco-opprogram beenrunningatSimonds?

Mr.Creamer-FromwhatI understanditis22years+,I graduatedherein2001wehadcoopthensoIwouldimaginethis programhasbeengoingonsince the90s.Itischangedinafew differentwaysbutasaco-op programitselfithasbeen20-30 years.

Whatistheprocessofregistering forco-op?

Mr.Creamer-Theregistration processisprovinciallyregulated,so thereisaninterview. Wealsohave aformthatyoumustfilloutwhere thestudenthavetoidentifywhat theylike,somepotential placements.Theyalsohavetoget parentalconsentcauseobviously thestudentwillbeoutinthe community.Theywillalsoneedto getreferencestwofromteacherAs wellasonereferencefroma homeroomTeachertoget interviewedfortheco-opprogram.

Whatarethebenefitsfroma teacherperspective?

Mr.Creamer-Sofromateacher perspectiveoneofthemajor reasonsIlikeitisyougettoseeyou productimmediatelysowhenmy studentsgoouttoco-op,andthey getofferedjobsortheygetoffered scholarshipsoraposition,Igetto seethatrightaway.Inmypastlife asanEnglishteacher,youknowI wouldteachEnglishorhistoryor whatever,andyouknowmaybea studentwouldcomebacktenyears laterandsay‘’heythatwasareally goodclass’’,butnowwithco-opI gettheimmediate‘’youknowthis isexactlywhatIwanttodoand thankyouforhelpingme’itisvery fulfillingfromateacher's perspective. Fromastudent's perspectivethere'stonsofgreat thisaboutco-op,obviouslyrealworldexperience,forpeoplewho arenottraditionallearnersthisisa greatwaytogetyouknow3credits, itisagreatwaytomake connectionsinthecommunitysoI

thinkthatquestioncouldgoon forever.

Howhasco-opchangedoverthe years?

Mr.Creamer-Frommyfirst introductiontoco-optherewere actuallyalotoftrades-based courses,sobasically,ifyouwere goingtoco-op,youwerethereto youknowworkwithyourhandsper say,nowwegonethroughso mainlychangesHorizonHealththis yearhaslaunchedanewprogram calledHorizon150wheretheir tryingtogetstudentsexposedto healthcare,NBCChasoffereda programcalledH-stopwere studentsessentiallygetexposedto 7differenttradesthroughNBCC programs,evenNBpowerhasa newinitiativeforco-op,thereisa long-termcareco-op,there's mentorshipco-ops.Sonowitis reallyexpandedtothepointwhere inoneclassthereisactually somethingthereforeverybody.So,if youwanttoworkorgetexperience inthecareerworldthere'soptions now.Frombasicallyjustgoingout andstockingshelvesor,perhaps assistingwithbuildingsomething toworkinginahospitalorata lawyers'officeorinbrilliantlabs.

Whatdoyouthinkthehardest partofco-opis?

Mr.Creamer-Honestly,its organizationsobothfromthe teacher'sperspectiveandthe studentsperspective.Theco-op programdoesrequirethatthe studentshaveahighlevelof organizationcausetherearedates thattheyaregoingtohaveto rememberformeastheteacher, butalsothere'sdatesthattheir goingtohavetorememberfortheir placementsaswell,forexampleif thereisaprojectthatbrilliantlabs needdoneatacertaintimeyou obviouslyhavetobeabletobook that.Frommyperspectiveyou knowIhave25studentsin25 differentplacementsthatIhaveto makesuretheirdoingwhatthere supposedtobedoingsothereisa lotoforganization,alotoftime management,itisdifficultbutalso

incrediblyrewarding.

Howwouldyousaymoststudents woulddescribetheirco-op experience?

Mr.Creamer-Overwhelmingly positive,I'veyettoseesomebody whosaidthattheyhatedtheirco-op programevenwhenthestudent doesnotliketheirplacement,they stillfindvalueinitbecausethey willsay‘’oh,Iwasgoingtogotake thisinuniversityorIwasgoingto gotocollegetogettrainingforthis positionbutnowIknowitis somethingIdesperatelydonot wanttodo.So,Ithinktheviewofit isalwaysoverwhelminglypositive,I havenothadsomebodywhosaid theyhatedco-opyet.

Doyouhaveanyadvicefor studentsthinkingaboutsigning upforco-opinthefuture?

Mr.Creamer-Suresoonething thatIneedtokindofmakeclearto alotofstudentsisthatco-opisnot atraditionalclasssoifyouarethe kindofstudentthatrollsintoclass 10minuteslateeverydayyou cannotdothatwithco-opbecause youareactuallygoingtoawork placementandyoutheirtimeis veryvaluable,Theirtimeismoney astheysaysoyouhavetobevery veryonyourownschedule.Iwould alsocautionthemabouthaving loftygoals,soforexampleifyou wanttobecomeabrainsurgeon obviouslyIcannotplaceyouinyou knowanoperatingroombecause youareastudenthoweverIcanget youclosetoitsoIalwaystell studentswhoaretryingtoapplyto co-optothinkaboutaboutthejobs aroundthejobyouwantaswell causemaybesomeofthose assistingpositionscanhelpyou withyourfutureaswell.

Ifyou’reinterestedinlearningmoreaboutHighSchoolCo-opPrograms contactyourdistrictoffice.BrilliantLabsisalsoheretohelp.Weworkwith studentsinavarietyofdisciplinesin-person&virtual.From3DPrinter Technician,GraphicDesign,DigitalMarketing,Magazine/Blog/SEO Writers,Journalism,Acting,HardwareEngineering,CyberSecurity,Web Development,AppDevelopment,MultimediaProduction,andGame Design.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

JolieHammond,SimondsHigh School,BrilliantLabsMarketing& CommunicationsCo-op

BrilliantLabshasgivenmethe resourcesandabilitiesneeded togointoanygraphicdesign relatedjoborcourse.Ihave beenshownnothingbut kindnessandrespectfrom them.Mygoalafterhighschool istogotoMountSaintVincent University(MSVU)for sociologyandwomenstudies.

Iwanttolearnaboutthegroup mindandmobmentality,while understandmyowngender more.WhenIgraduate universityIplantomoveto Monctonwithmybestfriend andshareanapartment.Today, mygoalisto becomeasocial workeror genderequityofficer(a person whodealswithmakingsure everygenderistreatedequally in differentsettings).

Withthe helpofBrilliantLabsand my co-opteacherMatthew CreamerIhaveconfidencethat Icanachieveallmydreams andlivethelifeI'vebeen dreamingof.

-WethinksotooJolie!Thanksfor workingwithBrilliantLabsand we’relookingforwardtofollowing yourmanysucessfulsocial leadershipinitiatives!

PhotographybyJolieHammond,Grade12,SimondsHighSchool,BLGraphicDesignCo-op

Theterrariumstartedwitha smallballofneedle-feltedwool andasingleNeoPixelglowing fromwithin.Itwasmyfirst collaborationwithBrilliantLabs, andafterIlearnedwhata NeoPixelwas(anaddressable LED)andhowtocodeit,there wasaseriesof‘whatif’ collaborationsthatamounted to afull-sizefeltedterrarium withcodedcreaturesthat narratedtheirownstories.

Thisfeatwasbravelytakenonby agroupofgrade8students fromGeorgeStreetMiddle SchoolinFrederictonNB.The studentsresearchedalocal habitatandchoseananimal thatliveswithinit.Theythen wroteascript,whereeach characterintroduced themselvesandspokeabout theirhabitat.Thescriptwas recordedwitheachstudent voicingtheircharacter.This soundfilewasaddedtocode thatwouldbetriggeredbya pushofabutton.

Eachstudentwasresponsible fortheirowncodeanddeciding whatcoloursequences displayedontheirNeoPixles bestrepresentedtheircreature. Forexample,thetrouthadmore blues,greensandpurplesto representtheiraquatichabitat. Infutureiterationsofthis project,studentscodedstrings oflightstolooklikemoving water,changingsunlightand fire.Servoswereaddedfor movementandtheselittle motor’scanbecodedaswell. Addingmovementthroughcode isagreatopportunitytofurther developanunderstandingof theircreaturesandhabitats.A studentchosetomakeasloth move,butwouldasloth’sarm reachupquicklyorvery sloooowly?Howfarcananowl turnitshead?

Thecurriculumconnectionsare boundlesswiththisprojectand coverSTEAMandbeyond.The terrariumcanbedone individuallyorcollaboratively,

whereeachstudentcontributes toacollectiveterrarium.

• Biology:Thestudyof habitats,floraandfaunacan beascientificstudyor fictionalusinglanguagearts tocreatetheirown microcosms.

• LanguageArts:Studentscan createthenarrative.Thiscan bewrittenorcodedtobe playedinunisonwithlights andmovement.Thiscanalso betranslatedtomultiple languages.

• Technology:The technologicalpossibilities areendless,therearecoding androboticcomponentsand canbeaselaborateoras simpleasyourequire.

• Arts:Studentsaredesigning thehabitatandcreatures. Thefibreartofneedlefelting isextremelyversatileandan excellentcreativeoutlet.

• Math:Ifaterrariumis createdfromscratchthere areopportunitiesfor studentstooptimize materialsbycuttingand measuringtofitalaser cutterorothercarpentry toolsavailabletoyou.

• Geography:Thestudyof habitatsallovertheworld, localorgloballocationscan beincorporatedinto geographyandworldstudies.

Thisprojectcanbescaledtofit yourneedsandabilities,from thesizeofaspicejarorshoebox tothefull-scalemodelseen here,anythingispossible!Have yourown‘whatif’sessionand seewhatadditionsyoucan maketoyourownhabitats.

Thefirstterrarium,thedeluxe versionbroughttoyoufromthe LabatGeorgeStreetMiddle SchoolinFredericton.Thiswasa collaborationbetweenBrilliant Labsandagroupofstudents fromthegrade8Technology class.This‘deluxe’versionofthe terrariumwasdigitallydesigned andthewoodandacrylicwere cutinalasercutter.

Thisisthefelting experimentthatstartedit all!Myfirsttimecodinga lightandaddingittoa feltingproject.

Lowtechspicejar terrariumexample.

ExamplesfromtheCodedShoebox TerrariumstheGrade6’smadeat WolfvilleSchool:

Withineducation,thereisan increasingemphasisonastudent’s choiceregardingtheirlearning. Whileacommontopicamong groupsofteachersanddistrict boardrooms,outsidethecontextof schoolsystemsveryfew,willhave heardthetermexperiential learning.Asnomenclatureimplies, thisistheprocessoflearning throughexperimenting,experience, andindependentlydrivenactivity, anditstandsinstarkoppositionto thepillarsthecurrentschool systemremainsfirmlyplantedon.

Amongtherecentinflationinthe numberofexperiential opportunitiesexiststhe IdeaCentre, comprisedof5locations&online sessionsthroughoutNew Brunswick,theperfectgatewayfor highschoolstudentstoengagein theircommunity,nurturelifelong skillsets,andspreadawarenessfor suchopportunitiestotheirpeers, andtheskepticalaudienceof parentsandfiguresofauthorityon whoseshouldersthefutureof experientiallearninglies.

TheIdeaCentreisaculminationof opportunitiesandcommunal learningthroughafocuson entrepreneurialprinciples.It providesthequintessential elementsrequiredforastrong foundationinexperientiallearning. StudentsarriveattheCentrewitha concept,fully-fledgedormerely flickers,wheretheywillspendthe firstfewweeksgettingtoknowthe groupthatwillsurroundthemfor thenextsemesterandstarttogive formtotheirpersonalproject.While thisintroductoryperiodwillseem fairlystandard,asthefirstweekis relegatedtomemorystudentswill begintodiscoverthefreedomthey areencouragedtograsp.Where someopportunitiesoffersuperficial freedom,theIdeaCentrerecognizes thatstudentsmayneedtobeshown howtoutilizetheplethoraof optionsandensuresthat opportunitiesareavailabletoall. Thisisbalancedwithnurturing students'independentcapabilities. Whetherthroughoneofthemany guests,recommendedbyateacher, orexplicitlysoughtout,the

attendantsattheIdeaCentrewill ensurethatanychanceonereceives tofurthertheirventureistaken advantageoffully.Thisisachieved notthroughtheoverbearingreach ofdeadlinesandpenalties,buta preciseconcoctionofsupport, encouragement,andanintimate knowledgeofhowstudentsare uniquelymotivated.Theprogramis constructedtoseamlesslymould aroundtheever-changing landscapesofthegreater community,businessworld,and evenstudents'ownprojects.There arefewmandatoryaspectsofthe Centrebuttheonesthatdoexist servetoholdoneaccountablefor thestateoftheirproject;weekly reflectionstoprovideinsightand setgoals,contributioninthe provincialpitchfestwherestudents markettheirideaswithachanceat acashprize,andafinal presentationwhereprogressand projectsaresummarized’and assessedbystudentsinfrontofan audienceoftheirowndesign. Throughengagingtheinterestsof students,andweavinginlessonsin entrepreneurshipandpublic speaking,theIdeaCentrehas studentsinvestintheirown passionsinamannerthat conventionaleducationfailsto. Learningwithintheboundsofa classroomhasremainedstoically unchangedfordecades.Thereexists apervasivebeliefthatthisisthe bestwayforpeopletolearn,and whileformanyindividualsthismay apply,anincreasinglyvocal populationofteachersand studentsiscallingforchange.In NewBrunswick,thereexistsa massiveemphasisonthe individualityofchildren,that everyone'sdifferencesmustbe celebrated,andyetthesystem throughwhichthesechildrenare taughtrefusestoaccommodatethe countlessuniquewaystheylearn. Thisislikelyareoccurringproblem throughoutasubstantialportionof NorthAmerica.Thesolutiontothis isexperientiallearning.Whileit wouldservebestintegratedwiththe currentsystem,balancingreceiving informationfromclassandthe applicationofitthroughpersonal ventures,experientiallearning

wouldsolvetheproblemsdetailed aboveduetothemeritsofitbeing studentled.Theschoolsystem doesn’tneedtobemademalleable, asstudentswouldcreatetheirown learningenvironments,andall teacherswouldhavetodois supportandholdthestudents accountable.Inherarticle “Using ExperientialLearningTechniques” , KimHawtreyexploresexperiential learningwithinthecontextof universityandconcludesthat “real learningoccurswhenstudents applyconceptsbyhavingtowork themoutindifferentsituationsand experiencetheissuesfirsthand.”

(Hawtrey145)Sheelaboratesthat learningisatitsbestwhen studentsbecomea “stakeholder,” as theybecomefarmoreinvestedin theirpersonalpursuitofknowledge, whichhelpsmaintainthe motivationthat’sbecomingharder tofindinstudents.Experiential learningexiststosomedegreein almosteveryschoolsystem, however,itisusuallyseverely downplayedinfavouroftraditional learningstyles.Endeavours,suchas theIdeaCentre,seekto demonstratewhataboonputting learninginstudents’handscanbe.

Attheriskofmakingthisarticle intoanopinionpiece,Ifeelto properlyconveymyargumentsI mustinterjectmypersonal experiencesattheIdeaCentre.I’ma dualBritishandCanadiancitizen, andhavinglivedinbothcountriesI haveexperiencedallrangesof qualitywithinsystemsbuilton traditionaleducationprinciples. Now,afterfinishingtheprogram recently,Icanspeaktothe effectivenessoftheIdeaCentreasa toolforexperientiallearning.

Throughexperience,weare introducedtoprinciplesof marketingandentrepreneurship andleavewithasimilarbasisto whatwewouldreceiveintheir classroomcounterparts.What stoodouttome,however,wasthe sheernumberofopportunitiesand connections.Mostweekswehada highlyqualifiedguestspeaker,who broughttheirowninsightsand opportunitiestoourprojectsand

provideduswithanincredible networkofcontacts.

Asawriter,themostinvaluable aspectformewerethe opportunities.Ihavebeenableto displaymywritinginamannerI thoughtinconceivableatthis stageinmylifethroughother students’projects,andthefaith thatpeoplearewillingtoplacein IdeaCentrestudents'work.Imust alsoextendmyutmostthanksto BrilliantLabs,whoprovide invaluableassistancetoanyand allstudentswithintheIdeaCentre andhavegivenmethechanceto writethisarticle,amongother projects,forthem.

Educationischangingeveryday. Momentouschanges,thatweare onlynowcapableofmaking,are slowlystartingtobeimplemented. InNewBrunswickspecifically,a reformoftheeducationsystem itselfisonlyacoupleofyears away,markingdefinitivelythatwe areamidstatimeofupheaval withintheschoolsystem.Moving forward,itisinconceivablethat experientiallearningisn’ta fundamentalfoundationofthe newcurriculum,withanemphasis onstudentchoiceand independence.Storiesaroundthe worldspeakoftheeffectivenessof thesemethods,andwiththeIdea Centre,we’vebeenabletowitness theirfruitfirsthand.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

EdumndManthorpe,IDEACentre, MonctonHighSchool

Grade12atMonctonHighSchool, NewBrunswick,lookingtobolster hisabilityasawriter.Eagerly pursuingwritingopportunitieswith thefreetimegainedthroughthe earlycompletionofhisfinalhigh schoolyear.

Someconsiderationsforworkbefore postsecondarymayinclude bloggingasitisoneofthemost effectivewaystopracticewriting skills.ThiswillallowEdmundto expresshisthoughtsandideasina creativeandengagingmanner. Additionally,itprovidesaplatform forstudentsandemergingauthors toshowcasetheirwork.

Plus,bloggingservicesmaybea greatfitforsmallbusinesses.They arealwaysonthelookoutfor talentedwriterswhocanhelpthem createhigh-qualitycontent.This wouldbeawin-winasEdmundcould applyhiswritingskillsina professionalsetting,whilethesmall businessescouldusecosteffective socialmediaandbloggingto promotetheirproductsandservices.

—BrilliantLabswishesyougreat sucessinyourstudiesandwriting Edmund.Wearelookingforwardto followingyourstoryandthearticles youwillwrite.

BrilliantLearning&Teaching GlobalSTEAMEducatorsEvent Sept17-19,2023

Attentionallteachers!DoyouwanttotakeyourSTEAMteachingtothenextlevel? Areyou readytobeinspiredbyInnovativeEducatorsfromaroundtheworld?Ifso,thenyouwon'twant tomissthe BrilliantLearning&TeachingGlobalSTEAMEducatorsEventInspiringInnovation, this September17-19,2023 inbeautifulFredericton,NB,Canada!

Thishands-onlearningProfessionalLearningevent,hostedbyBrilliantLabs,isamust-attend foranyteacherwhowantstostayaheadofthecurveintheever-evolvingfieldofSTEAM education.You'llhavetheopportunitytoconnectwithlike-mindedprofessionalsandlearnfrom someofthebrightestmindsintheindustry.Fromcutting-edgetechnologytobestpracticesin curriculumdesign,theBrilliantLabsGlobalSTEAMRetreatwillprovideyouwiththetoolsand strategiesyouneedtotakeyourteachingtothenextlevel.

Sowhatareyouwaitingfor? Signuptoday and joinusforanunforgettablethreedaysof learning,networking,andfun.Wecan'twaittoseeyouthere!

Areyouaneducatorlooking toinspireinnovationinyour classroom?Joinusforthe BrilliantLearning& TeachingGlobalSTEAM EducatorsEvent Inspiring Innovation, takingplaceon September17-19,2023in beautifulFredericton,NB, Canada.

Fredericton,thecharming capitalofNewBrunswick, Canada,offersauniqueblend ofurbanandoutdoor experiencesthatwilldelight andinspireyou.Knownforits naturalbeauty,richhistory, andvibrantculture, Frederictonistheperfect destinationfortheBrilliant LabsSTEAMlearningevent. Thishands-onProfessional Learningopportunitywill connectyouwithfellow educatorsfromaroundthe world,sharebestpractices, andlearnfromexpertsinthe fieldsofscience,technology, engineering,arts,and mathematics.

AtBrilliantLabswebelievein

experincewillinclude professionalworkshops,while allowingfortimetoexplore waterfalls,parks,hikingtrails aswellasfantastic restaurants,craftbreweries, andmarkets.Whetheryou wanttorelaxandunwind beforeoraftertheretreat,or explorethecity'smany attractions,youwillfind somethingtosuityour interests.

Don'tmissthisexciting opportunitytojointheglobal STEAMcommunity,learnnew skills,anddiscoverthe beautyofFredericton,NB. Registernowtosecureyour spotatthe BrilliantLearning &TeachingGlobalSTEAM EducatorsEvent inspiring Innovation.

Clair2023

Voirl'éducationautrement

ParSamanthaMcRae

Coverphotocredit:SamanthaMcRae

Clair2023

Le2février2023,lesLabosCréatifs sontretournésauCentre d’ApprentissageduHautMadawaskapourladouzième éditiondel’évènementannuelClair. Aprèsunepausededeuxans, causéeparlapandémie,l’équipede LabosCréatifsétaitraviedefaire partiedecetteconférence organiséepourexplorerla pédagogiecréativeetvoir l’éducation d’une nouvelle façon. Depuis 2010, l’école accueille cette conférence sur le thème "Voir l’éducation différemment", allumant l’inspiration pour aborder les problèmes du système éducatif et découvrir de nouvelles façons de pousser les jeunes et les enseignants vers un avenir meilleur. Clair 2023 est un évènement à ne pas manquer ! Avec l’énergie des enseignants, des élèves et de la communauté qui soutiennent cet évènement, il est impossible de repartir sans se sentir allumé !

Les élèves et les enseignants de Clair ont commencé le week-end en force. Après la cérémonie d'ouverture, M. Kevin Ouellette et ses élèves ont présenté Agua, un défilé de mode novatrice sur l'eau propre et les effets du changement climatique sur les baleines. Ces élèves avaient conçu trois robes et un manteau, chacun représentant une étape différente du changement climatique et des solutions en matière d'eau propre. Lorsque les lumières se sont éteintes, l'orchestre d'ipad, organisé par Mme Chantal Doiron Pelletier, a joué de la musique improvisée pour accompagner le défilé. Le public était en admiration lorsque les modèles ont traversé le gymnase dans des créations sophistiquées et époustouflantes. L'une des robes représentait la pollution et comportait une longue traîne faite de sacs poubelles noirs et de déchets. Le corsage était constitué de capsules de bouteilles percées individuellement pour accueillir de

petiteslumièresquiétaientcodées pours'allumeràl'aidedub.Boardde LabosCréatifs.Lemanteauqui représentaitlafiltrationétait enveloppédetubesquifiltraient desliquidesbleusetrougestoutau longdudesign.Ilétaitétonnantde voirlacomplexitédecescréations mélangéesàdesélémentsnaturels, etlecodage,toutpourdiffuserun messageimportant.Leweek-enda démarrésurunbonpied.

Lematindufoirepédagogiquedes élèves,lavilles'estréveilléeen apprenantquelesécolesétaient ferméeslevendredi3février.

Beaucoupontétédéçus d'apprendrecela,carlesélèvesont travaillésansrelâchesurleurs projetscréatifsàprésenterlorsde cefoire.Lacommunautéasurpris toutlemondelorsquelesparentset lesélèvessesontprésentésau Centred'ApprentissageduHautMadawaska,malgrélafermeture desécoles!Onpeutparlerde dévouementetd'amourde l'apprentissageàClair!Lesélèves étaienttoutsourireslorsqu'ilsont commencéàs'installeretà présenterleursprojetscréatifsà plusde300pédagoguesquilesont vusLesenseignantsontparticipéà unechasseautrésordeprojetset ontpuinteragiravecdiversprojets àl'aidedeMicro:bitsattachésàdes lanières.Enseconnectantau réseauappropriéassociéàchaque projet,lesenseignantspouvaient mettrelesprojetsenfiled'attente pourqu'ilsbougent,s'allumentet bienplusencore!

Lesélèvesétaientdisséminésdans toutel'écoleetprésentaientdivers projetstelsquedelamusique activéeparlemouvementdans l'entréedulaboratoirecréatifde l'école,desvillesenlegoqui s'illuminentenfonctionde différentessituations,dessalles d'évasion,del'impression3D,du macramé,delarobotiqueetbien plusencore.Cematin-là,la communautédeClairetduHaut-

Madawaskaadémontréàquel pointl'innovationdansl'éducation peutavoirunimpact.Lapassionde cesélèvesetdecesenseignants étaitindéniable,ettoutlemonde estrepartiavecdel'enthousiasme etdenouvellesidéesàramener danssapropresalledeclasse.

Àlafindesprésentations desélèves,lesparticipantssont retournésdanslegymnasepour assisteràdiversestablesrondes réunissantdesenseignantsetdes élèves,ainsiqu'àd'autres présentationspassionnantes.Les LabosCréatifsonteul'honneur d'avoirdeuxmembresdeleur équipequiontfaituneprésentation

que"Etsil'écoleétaitaussiexcitant qued'alleràDisneyland?"et"Etsi lesenseignantsétaientrémunérés pourinnover?".Toutaulongdeson discours,Natachaafaitrirele publicetl'aplongédanssa descriptiondelamanièredontla conceptiondesignpeutêtreutilisé pourpousserlesenseignantsetles élèvesàallerdel'avantafin d'améliorerl'expériencede l'éducationetd'assurerunmeilleur avenir.

Enfin,toutlemondes'est assispourlessessionsIgnite. L'Igniteestuneformede présentationrapidede20

présentéavecsuccèsla biofabricationetsonprochain Guidedelabiofabricationàun nouveaupublic!

Aprèslevendredisoir,le restedeClair2023a malheureusementétéannuléen raisondesconditions météorologiques,maiscelane signifiepasquel'événementn'apas étésatisfaisant.L'équipedeLabos Créatifsaétéépoustoufléeparle dévouementetlacréativitédes élèvesdeClair.Entreledéfiléde modeexceptionneletlesélèvesqui sontvenusàl'écoleunjourde neige,ilnefaitaucundoutequele mouvementd'innovationauCentre

à Clair, la première étant Natacha Vautour. La conférence de Natacha Vautour a mis en lumière le processus de la conception design, en ranimant le plaisir de l'apprentissage l'éducation à travers des projets significatifs et pratiques, et en aidant ce qu'elle appelle les "étudiants coureurs" à atteindre leur plein potentiel. Elle a commencé sa présentation en nous ramenant au début de la journée, lorsque les enseignants interagissaient avec les projets des élèves via le Micro:bit. L'équipe desLabos Créatifs avait enregistré le nombre de fois où chaque projet d'élève avait été envoyé par le biais de l'interaction. Certains d'entre eux l'ont été plus de 500 fois ! Natacha a ensuite abordé des questions telles

diapositives,20secondespar diapositivepouruntotalde6 minuteset40secondes.Cela augmentecertainementlapression des'adresseràunpublic,maiscela seveutaussioptimisteet passionnant.Lorsdessessions Ignitedecetteannée,LabosCreatifs étaitheureuxd'accueillirAlisha Collinspoursapremière présentationenfrançais!La pressionsupplémentaired'une nouvellelanguen'apasempêché Alishad'impressionnerlepublic avecsaprésentationsurla biofabrication.Elleasouligné l'importanced'uneproduction durableetlafaçondontcelapeut êtreexploréavecdesmatériaux vivants.Malgrédesdiapositivesqui défilenten20secondes,Alishaa

d'ApprentissageduHautMadawaskaaétécouronnéde succès.L'équipedesLabosCréatifs aétéhonoréed'apprendreetde présenteràClair2023etesttrès enthousiastepourlasuite.Onpeut affirmerquelespédagoguesetles participantsontétéinspiréspour mettreen œuvredesméthodes d'enseignementnouvelleset créativesdanslasalledeclasse.

“Et si j’étais allée en Éducation car j’avais aimé l’école ?

-NatachaVautour,Directriceduprogramme,LabosCréatifs

CONNECTONS-NOUS

Samanthaestl'assistanteen communicationdeLabosCréatifs. Ellesoutientl'équipede communicationetrendcomptede toutcequiestcréatif.Sivousêtes unenseignantouunélèveetque voussouhaitezpartagervos histoiresetvosprojetsavecnous, contactezSamantha.

samantha@brilliantlabs.ca

LIENS

Idéesdeprojets

Objectifsdedéveloppementdurable (ODD), Défisd’innovation

S’abonner:Nouvellesinnovations

Clair2023 Seeingeducationdifferently

BySamanthaMcRae,DigitalMediaAssisant

Coverphotocredit:SamanthaMcRae

Clair2023

OnFebruary2,2023,BrilliantLabsreturned totheCentreD’ApprentissageduHautMadawaskaforthetwelfthannualClair event.AfteratwoyearbreaktheBrilliant Labsteamwasthrilledtobeapartofthis conferenceheldtoexplorecreative pedagogy,andseeingeducationinnew ways.Since2010,theschoolhasbeen hostingthisconferenceonthethemeof “Seeingeducationdifferently,” igniting inspirationtoaddressissuesinthe educationsystemanddiscovernewwaysto pushyouthandteacherstowardsabetter future.Clair2023isdefinitelynotanevent tobemissed!Withtheenergyofthe teachers,studentsandcommunitybehind thisevent,thereisnowaytoleavewithout feelingignited!

ThestudentsandteachersofClairstarted theweekendoffwithabang.Followingthe openingceremoniesoftheevent,Mr.Kevin Ouelletteandhisstudentspresented Agua, anInnovativeFashionshow aboutclean waterandtheeffectsofclimatechangeon whales.Thesestudentshaddesignedthree dressesandasuit,eachrepresentinga differentstageofclimatechangeandclean watersolutions.Asthelightswentdown, theiPadorchestra,organizedbyMme ChantalDoironPelletier,performed improvisedmusictoaccompanytheshow. Theaudiencewasinawewhenthemodels walkedthroughthegyminintricateand mindblowingdesigns.Onedress representedpollutionandhadalongtrain madeofblackgarbagebagsandwaste materials.Thebodicewasbuiltofbottle capsthatwereindividuallydrilledtohold smalllightsthatwerecodedtolightup usingtheBrilliantLabsb.Board.Thesuit thatrepresentedfiltrationwaswrappedin tubesthatfilterblueandredliquid throughoutthedesign.Itwasamazingto seetheintricacyofthesedesignsmixed withcoding,naturalelements,allto broadcastanimportantmessage.The weekendwasofftoabrilliantstart.

Themorningofthestudentpedagogyfair, thetownwokeuptothenewsthatschools wereclosed.Manyweredisappointedto hearthis,asstudentshaveworked tirelesslyontheircreativeprojectsto presentatthisshowcase.Thecommunity surprisedeveryonewhenparentsand studentsshoweduptotheCentre D’ApprentissageduHaut-Madawaska, despiteschoolclosures!Talkabout dedicationandtheloveoflearninginClair! Studentswerebeamingastheybeganto

setupandheldpresentationsof theircreativeprojectsforover350 educatorstosee.Teachers participatinginaprojectscavenger huntwereabletointeractwith variousprojectsusingMicro:bits attachedtolanyards.Byturningto theappropriatechannelassociated witheachproject,teacherscould queueprojectstomove,lightup andmore!Studentswerescattered throughouttheschooldisplaying variousprojectssuchasmotion activatedmusicintheentranceof theschool’smakerspace,Lego citiesthatlituporsoundedalarms basedondifferentweatherrelated events,escaperoomsusingAI, b.Board,3Dprinting,macrame,

highlightedtheDesignThinking Process,inspiringteachersthrough meaningfulandhands-onprojects andhelpingwhatshequoted “runnerteachers” reachtheirfull potential.Shebeganher presentationbybringingusbackto earlierinthedaywhenteachers wereinteractingwithstudent projectsviatheMicro:bit.The BrilliantLabsteamhadrecorded thenumberoftimeseachstudent projecthadbeenpingedthrough interaction.Somehadbeenpinged over500times!Natachathen movedontopresentthroughthe lensof “whatif” questionssuchas “Whatifgoingtoschoolwasas excitingasgoingtoDisneyland?”

tohaveAlishaCollinspresentfor thefirsttimeinfrench!Theadded pressureofanewlanguagedidnot deterAlishafromimpressingthe audiencewithherpresentationon biomaking.Shehighlightedthe importanceofmaking sustainabilityandhowthatcanbe exploredwithlivingmaterials. Despiteslidesmovinginandoutin 2seconds,Alishasuccessfully introducedbiomakingandher upcomingBiomakingGuidetoa newaudience!

Followingtheeveningofthethird, therestofClair2023was unfortunatelycancelleddueto weatherconditions,butthatdidnot

roboticsandmuchmore.That morning,thecommunityofClair andHaut-Madawaskaprovedjust howimpactfulinnovationin educationcanbe.Theengagement ofthesestudentsandteacherswas undeniable,leavingeverybodywith excitementandnewideastotake backtotheirownclassrooms.

Asthestudentpresentationscame toanendattendeesmovedback intothegymforvariousroundtable talksthatincludedteachersand studentsalike,aswellasother excitingpresentations.Brilliant Labshadthehonorofhavingtwoof ourteammemberspresentatClair, thefirstbeingNatachaVautour.The conferencewithNatachaVautour

and, “Whatifteacherswere compensatedforinnovating?” Throughoutthespeech,Natacha hadtheaudiencelaughingaswell asimmersedinherdescriptionof howtheDesignThinkingProcess canbeusedtopushteachers forwardforabettereducation experienceandabetterfuture. Finally,theconference begantocometoaclosewiththe IgniteSessions.Igniteisaformof rapidpresentationthatis20slides, 20secondsperslideforatotalof6 minutesand40seconds.This definitelyheightensthepressureof speakingtoalargeaudience,but alsomeanttobeupbeatand thrilling.Atthisyear'sIgnite Sessions,BrilliantLabswasproud

meanthattheeventhadnotbeen fulfilling.TheBrilliantLabsteam wasblownawaybythededication andcreativityofthestudentsat Clair.Betweentheoutstanding fashionshowandthestudents comingtoschoolonaschoolday, thereisnodoubtthatthe innovationmovementattheCentre D’ApprentissageduHautMadawaskahasbeenasuccessful one.TheBrilliantLabsTeamwas honouredtolearnandtopresentat Clair2023andareexcitedfor Clair2024.Itissafetosaythatthe educatorsandattendeeshavebeen inspiredtoimplementnewand creativewaysofteachinginthe classroom.

“WhatifIwentintoeducationbecauseIlovedschool?”-

NatachaVautour,ProgramDirector,BrilliantLabs

DidyouknowBrilliantLabsisaregisteredCanadianCharity?When families,friendsorbusinessesgivetoBrilliantLabstheyaregivingthegiftof Science,Technology,Engineering,ArtandMath(STEAM)Education. Yoursupportcouldinspirethenextcure,robotist,engineer,designeror leader.Our“future”islearningtoday! VisitBrilliantLabs.ca/donate and let’s‘rev-upthenextthousandBLSTEAMconnectons’.#BrilliantGift

Merci <CODECan>

Sciencesometimesfeelslikealistof thingstomemorizeinafieldwhere everythingalreadyhasbeendiscovered, butinreality,bioscienceatthe intersectionofdesigniscreative, messy,excitingandfullofnewhorizons. Weallhavetheopportunitytoexplore andplayaroleinshapingourBio

Future.Thiscolourfullyillustrated Biomakingguidebookfocuseson innovativesimplebiomaterial explorationsthatcanspark,sustain, anddeepenstudentinterestin sustainabilitydesign.

Sustainablematerialsolutionsmight ariseoutofcollaborationswithhumble organismsinoften-overlookedcorners

BIOMAKING GUIDE COMINGSOON!

Brilliantlabs.ca/biomaking

Register togetupdatesand detailsaboutthereleaseofthe BrilliantLabsBiomakingGuide byAlishaCollins.

Lascienceressembleparfoisàune énumérationdeconnaissancesà mémoriserdansundomaineoùtouta déjàétédécouvert,maisenréalité,les biosciencesàlajonctiondudesignsont créatives,complexes,captivanteset richesennouveauxhorizons.Nous avonstouslapossibilitéd'exploreretde jouerunrôledanslefaçonnementde notreavenirbiologique.Ceguidedela bio-fabrication,illustrédemanière colorée,seconcentresurdes explorationssimplesetinnovantesdes biomatériauxquipeuventsusciter, souteniretapprofondirl'intérêtdes étudiantspourledesigndurable.

Dessolutionsdematériauxdurables peuventnaîtredecollaborationsavec d'humblesorganismesdansdescoins delanaturesouventnégligés,quisont peucoûteuxetrelativementfacilesà intégrerdanslelabocréatifoulasalle declasse.Leschampignons,le kombucha,lesalguesetles exosquelettesd'insectespourraientêtre essentielsaudéveloppementde nouvellesapprochesdeconception circulaire.

PréfacedeCorinneOkadaTakara (DesigneretéducatriceauNestMaker Space)

BIOFABRICATION GUIDE

INSCRIVEZ-VOUS

laboscreatifs.ca/biofabricationrestez

Inscrivez-vousà laboscreatifs.ca/ biofabricationrestez àl'affûtdesdétails.

Wewouldliketothankthestudents&teacherswhoareinspiringinnovationeverydayandtothecontributors&staffwhohelpedcreate Volume5,issue5:MakingInTheLab.

Noustenonsàremercierlesélèvesetlesenseignantsquiinspirentl'innovationauquotidien,ainsiquelescollaborateursetlepersonnel quiontparticipéàlacréationduvolume5,numéro4:Projetsenébullition.

BRILLIANTLABS|LABOSCRÉATIFS

JEFFWILLSON,EDITOR

BYRONBUTT,EDITORIAL

DEBBIECLARK,EDITORIAL

PETERDAY,EDITORIAL

NEILGRAY,EDITORIAL

MELISSALEE,EDITORIAL

HAYDENMCNAMEE,DESIGN

SAMANTHAMCRAE,EDITORIAL

NATACHAVATOUR,EDITORIAL

MARYWEBBER,EDITORIAL

ALEX HUGHES, SUPPORT

JOHN WONG, EDITORIAL

WILL COLLINS, EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS|CONTRIBUTEURS

JOLIEHAMMOND,SIMONDSHIGHSCHOOL,BLGRAPHICDESIGN CO-OP

RACHELHARRIS,COWANHEIGHTSELEMENTARYSCHOOL,NL CIRTISMEEKER,PHOTOGRAPHY

EDMUNDNICHOLASMANTHROPE,STUDENTWRITER,IDEA CENTREMONCTON

ABOUTUS|ÀPROPOSDENOUS

BrilliantLabsisacharity,hands-onexperientiallearningplatform,basedinAtlanticCanada.Wesupporttheintegrationofcreativity, innovation,coding,andanentrepreneurialspiritwithinclassrooms&educationalcurricula.

LabosCréatifsestuneorganisationàbutnonlucratifduCanadaatlantiquequioffreuneplateformed'apprentissageparl'expérience enmettantl'accentsurl'expériencepratiqueetlatechnologie.Noussoutenonsl'intégrationdelacréativité,del'innovation,ducodage etdel'espritd'entreprisedanslessallesdeclasseetlesprogrammesd'enseignement.

PHOTOGRAPHY&DESIGN| PHOTOGRAPHIE&DESIGN

Articleimageswereprovidedbystaffandcontributors.ProfessionalimagesweresourcedatUnsplash.com|Pixles.com.Magazine design,photography,photo&copyeditingwascreated/approvedbyCherylWillson,BrilliantLabsMarketingCommunicationsDirector |videographyforBrilliantLabsMagazinedigitaliseditedbyJoshLively,BrilliantLabsVideo&MarketingCoordinator.

Lesimagesdesarticlesontétéfourniesparlepersonneletlescontributeurs.Lesimagesprofessionnellesontétéobtenuessurlesite Unsplash.com|Pixles.com.Laconceptiondelarevue,lesphotographiesetl'éditiondesphotosetdestextesontétécréés/approuvés parCherylWilson,directricedescommunicationsmarketingdeLabosCréatifs|lavidéographiedeLabosCréatifsrevuedigitaleest éditéeparJoshLively,spécialistevidéoetmarketingdeLabosCréatifs.