Brilliant Labs Magazine: Making Connections

Withtheholidaysuponusand2020comingtoaclose,many familieswillbehostingvirtualcelebrationsandcreatingmemories ininnovativeways.Thiswillserveasyetanotherreminderofthe manytrialsandtribulationsthepandemichasbroughtbutwill alsodemonstratetheinnovations,perseverance,andabilitiesof youth,educators,families,andcommunitiestoadaptalongthe way.We’vefoundnewwaystocommunicateandtoconnect.

InthiseditionofBrilliantLabsMagazine:MakingConnections,we sharestoriesfromourcommunityofmakersandeducatorswho havefoundwaystoconnectvirtually.Weexplorehowourownteam reconsideredtheirconnectionswithteachersandstudentsas manyschoolswereclosedtoexternalvisitors.OurProgram Specialistssawgreatsuccessinvirtualclassroomvisitsasthey workedtosupportteachersandstudentsfromafarandintegrated newmonthlycodingchallengestokeeppushingstudentlearning forward.WelaunchedourBrilliantLabsSpeakerSeriesthathas introducedparticipantstoinspiringlocalentrepreneurswho empoweredyouthtofollowtheirpassionsearlyinlife.Followedby aworldrenownedmentorwhosharedthevalueofslowingdown andthestrengthofempathy.Wewerethenawestruckwiththe creativityandscienceof4Dprintingasitwilltransformthedesign, logistics,andsustainabilityofmanyproducts.Fromflatnoodles thattakeshapeonlyafterthey’vebeencookedtointelligentfabric thatsensesandrespondswhenanathlete’stemperaturerises. VirtualprogramslikethesearehelpingAtlanticCanadianyouth connectwithfunchallengesandworld-class,internationalthought leaders,whowouldotherwisenotbeaccessibleinatraditional classroomenvironment.

IntheNewYear,andbuildingonourCommunityTVeffortsof2020, wewillbelaunchingournew “b.Brilliant” TVshowthatwillbe availableforstreamingonBell’sFibeTV.Wehopeviewerswillenjoy somecreativeprojectsfromyoungmakers,learningfromexperts, anduncoverthemysteriesof “BB”,amischievouslabA.I.which seeminglylikestohelpbutalsolikestocausesomeproblems.The seriesfocusesonyoungmakersfromacrossAtlanticCanada,and includesinterviewswithexpertsoneverythingfromrenewable energytobiomaking.Viewerscaninteractwiththeb.BrilliantTeam byemailingtheirprojectandgeneralinquiries,whileparticipating athomeorinclassthroughtheb.BrilliantMakerGuidethatwillbe availableonourwebsitewhentheshowlaunches.

2021willalsowelcomethelatestversionoftheb.Boardallowingfor studentstoeasilyprototypetheirownproducts,inventions,and learnmoreaboutcoding,IoT,andvarioustechnologies.Withwifi capabilities,onboardneopixels,motordrivers,servopins, speakers,microphones,andmore,thenewb.Boardwilltrulybea ‘superherocape’fortheMicro:Bitandwelookforwardtosharing themwithclassroomsacrosstheAtlanticregion!

Wealsolookforwardtosupportingtheincreasedinterestanduse ofmanyoutdoorMakerspacessproutingupacrosstheregion. Makingdoesnotalwaysneedtohappenindoorsandwewill continuetosupportoutdoorlearningandnaturalmakingwithnew resources,workshops,PL,andoutdoorclassroomsupports.Inthis issue,weprovidetipsonhowtobringnaturalmakingtostudents andwedigintothesocio-emotionalconnectionswithnature necessaryforauthenticlearningexperiences.

NowjoinusaswewelcomeournewestBrilliantLabsteammember, Pierre-PaulCyr,ourCyberSecurityspecialist.Wehavesome excitinghandsonCyberSecurityactivitieslaunchinginearly2021 andwithmoredigitalconnectionsoccurringdaily,andstudents andteachersmovingtoonlinelearningenvironments,tobe mindful,cautious,andknowledgeableaboutCyberSecurity.

Àl'approchedesfêtesetdelafindel'année2020,denombreuses famillesorganiserontdescélébrationsvirtuellesetcréerontdes souvenirsdemanièreinnovante.Ceseraunnouveaurappeldes nombreusesépreuvesquelapandémieaentraînées,maisaussila preuvedesinnovations,delapersévéranceetdelacapacité d'adaptationdesjeunes,deséducateurs,desfamillesetdes communautésencoursderoute.Nousavonstrouvédenouvellesfaçons decommuniqueretdenousconnecter.

DanscetteéditiondumagazineLaboscréatifs:l'établissementdeliens, nouspartageonsleshistoiresdenotrecommunautédecréateurset d'éducateursquionttrouvédesmoyensdeseconnectervirtuellement. Nousexploronscommentnotrepropreéquipeareconsidérésesliens aveclesenseignantsetlesélèvesalorsquedenombreusesécoles étaientferméesauxvisiteursextérieurs.Nosspécialistesdes programmesontconstatélegrandsuccèsdesvisitesvirtuellesen classe,carilsonttravailléàsoutenirlesenseignantsetlesélèvesde loinetontintégrédenouveauxdéfismensuelsdecodagepourcontinuer àfaireprogresserl'apprentissagedesélèves.Nousavonslancénotre sériedeconférencesLaboscréatifsquiapermisauxparticipantsde découvrirdesentrepreneurslocauxinspirantsquiontdonnéauxjeunes lesmoyensdesuivreleurspassionsdèsleurplusjeuneâge.Suivipar unmentorderenomméemondialequipartageaitlavaleurdu ralentissementetlaforcedel'empathie.Nousavonsensuiteété impressionnésparlacréativitéetlasciencedel'impressionen4D,car ellevatransformerlaconception,lalogistiqueetladurabilitéde nombreuxproduits.Desnouillesplatesquineprennentformequ'après avoirétécuitesautissuintelligentquidétecteetréagitlorsquela températured'unathlèteaugmente.Desprogrammesvirtuelscomme ceux-ciaidentlesjeunesduCanadaatlantiqueàseconnecteràdes défisamusantsetàdesleadersd'opinioninternationauxdeclasse mondiale,quineseraientautrementpasaccessiblesdansun environnementdeclassetraditionnel.

Aucoursdelanouvelleannée,etdansleprolongementdenoseffortsen matièredetélévisioncommunautairepour2020,nouslanceronsnotre nouvelleémissiondetélévision"b.Brilliant"quiseradisponibleen streamingsurFibeTVdeBell.Nousespéronsquelestéléspectateurs apprécierontcertainsprojetscréatifsdejeunesréalisateurs,qu'ils apprendrontauprèsd'expertsetqu'ilsdécouvrirontlesmystèresde"BB", uneintelligenceartificielledelaboratoiremalicieusequisembleaimer aidermaisaussicausercertainsproblèmes.Lasérieseconcentresur lesjeunesréalisateursduCanadaatlantiqueetcomprenddes entretiensavecdesexpertssurdessujetsallantdesénergies renouvelablesàlafabricationdeproduitsbiologiques.Les téléspectateurspeuventinteragiravecl'équipedeb.Brilliantenenvoyant leurprojetetleursdemandesderenseignementsgénérauxparcourriel, toutenparticipantàlamaisonouenclassegrâceauguideb.Brilliant Makerquiseradisponiblesurnotresiteweblorsdulancementde l'émission.

2021accueilleraégalementladernièreversiondub.Boardpermettant auxétudiantsd’élaborerunprototypeplusfacilementdeleurspropres produits,inventions,etd'enapprendredavantagesurlecodage,l'IdOet diversestechnologies.Avecsescapacitéswifi,sesnéopixelsembarqués, sesmoteurs,sesservos,seshaut-parleurs,sesmicrophonesetbien d'autreschosesencore,lenouveaub.Boardseravéritablementune"cape desuper-héros"pourleMicro:Bitetnoussommesimpatientsdeles partageraveclessallesdeclassedetoutelarégionatlantique!

Noussommeségalementimpatientsdesoutenirl'intérêtetl'utilisation accruedesnombreuxespacesdecréationenpleinairquise développentdanslarégion.Lafabricationn'apastoujoursbesoindese faireàl'intérieuretnouscontinueronsàsoutenirl'apprentissageen pleinairetlafabricationnaturelleavecdenouvellesressources,des ateliers,desPLetdessupportsdeclasseenpleinair.Danscenuméro, nousfournissonsdesconseilssurlamanièredefairedécouvriraux élèveslafabricationnaturelleetnousexaminonsleslienssocioémotionnelsaveclanaturenécessairesàdesexpériences d'apprentissageauthentiques.

Rejoignez-nousmaintenantpouraccueillirnotrenouveaumembrede l'équipedeLaboscréatifs,Pierre-PaulCyr,notrespécialistedela cybersécurité.Nousavonsdesactivitésdecybersécuritépassionnantes quiserontlancéesaudébutde2021,avecunnombrecroissantde connexionsnumériquesquotidiennes,etdesélèvesetdesenseignants quisedirigentversdesenvironnementsd'apprentissageenligne,pour êtreattentifs,prudentsetbieninforméssurlacybersécurité.

Welcome, bienvenue Pierre-PaulCyr

Rencontreavec Pierre-Paul

(Englishversiontofollow)

L'étédernier,LabosCréatifsaeuleplaisird'accueillir Pierre-PaulCyrauseindenotreéquipeentantque spécialistedelacybersécurité.Lacybersécuritéestplus importantequejamais,lesélèvesetlesenseignants évoluantversdesenvironnementsd'apprentissageen ligne.L'objectifdePierre-Paulestdecréerdesprojetsou desdéfisamusantsetattrayantsquiaiderontlesjeunesà réfléchiràlamanièred'êtreensécuritéenligneetà reconnaîtrelesmoyensdecontrerleharcèlementoules attaquesenligne.

Noussommesheureuxdepartagerlesconnaissanceset l'expériencedePierre-Paul.

Vousêtesenseignantdepuiscombiendetemps? J’ai enseignépendant7années,dansledomainede l’informatique.Monexpérienceenenseignementest surtoutorientéeversl’enseignementcollégialet universitaire.

Quelleestvotrepassion? J’aicommencéàsuivredes coursdephotographienumériqueetjemesuisprocuré unecaméranumérique.Ilya,autraversd’unelentille,la possibilitéderéaliserlesbeautésdenotreplanète,aussi petitessoient-elles.Alors,trèssouvent,lorsquejeregarde autraversdemalentille,jemedemande:ets’iln’yavait pasdecouleurs,d’oiseaux,d’arbres,d’insectes,defeuilles, delumière,qu’est-cequejepourraisbienphotographier? Autraversdespetiteschosessimplesdelaviesecachent lesgrandescomplexitésdenotreplanète

Qu'est-cequelacybersécurité? Demanièregénérale,la cybersécuritéviseàl’atteinted’unniveaudestabilité adéquatentermesd’utilisationdestechnologiespourles entreprises.End’autresmots,commentl’organisation peut-elleutiliserlestechnologies(onpenseàInternet)et s’assurerd’obtenirunestabilitéentermesde fonctionnementetatténuerleseffetsdepossibles attaquesprovenantdel’intérieurdel’organisationou encoredel’extérieur?Ondiraquecettestabilitéest surtoutpossiblegrâceauxtroisfondementsdela cybersécuritédont:1)Ladisponibilitédesdonnées;2) l’intégritédesdonnées;et3)laconfidentialitédes données.

Enypensantdavantage,onpeut proposerl’idéequelacybersécurité estaussiunemanièred’agirdans notremondemoderne,afinde contribueràlapoursuitedenos objectifsouencoredenos rêves,toutenétantconscient quechaquegesteenligne peutengendrercertaines conséquences.La cybersécuritédevientdonc uneresponsabilitécollective.

etmeprocureunesatisfaction quotidienne.Etlorsquejeressensle besoinderalentir,jesorsmacaméra numériqueetjevaisdansles sentiers!

quelpointildevientincontournable des’yintéresserpournous,maispour nosgénérationsfutures.

“C

Commentavez-vousété impliquédansla cybersécurité? J’aiété intriguéparlacybersécuritéparce quej’adoraisl’espritdecuriositédans lequelellemeplongeait.J’aimais essayerderésoudredesproblèmeset j’aimaiscréermesoutilspourpouvoir trouverdessolutions.Lacybersécurité estundomainefascinantquiévolue rapidement.Cetteréalitémepermet d’êtrecontinuellementenmouvement

en’estdoncpastoujours compliqué.Cen’estpas toujoursmathématique.Ce n’estpastoujoursincompréhensible.Au contraire,lacybersécuritépeuts’appliquer directementàvotrechampd’expertise.

Quelssontvosobjectifsen travaillantavecLabosCréatifs?

J’aimeraispouvoircontribuer,ne serait-cequ’untoutpetitpeu,àfaire ensortequelacybersécuritédevienne unebanalitédanslequotidiendes enfantsetdesenseignants.Ilserait intéressantdevoirunediscussion s’ouvrirfaceaudomaineetréaliserà

Queldéfidonneriez-vousauxjeunes etauxenseignants? Durant monpassagechezlesLabos créatifs,j’aimeraisqueles étudiantsetlesenseignantsse posentlaquestionsuivante pourchaqueexercicequ’ils ferontdansleurscours:est-ce qu’ilyadelacybersécurité danscequejesuisentrainde faireencemoment?

Etvousserezsurprisàquelpointla réponseseraoui,laplupartdutemps!

Quelsconseilsdonneriez-vousaux enseignantsquisouhaitent introduiredesactivitésde cybersécuritéenclasse?

Commejel’aimentionnéunpeuen

introduction,lacybersécuritéc’est aussiunemanièred’être.Cen’est doncpastoujourscompliqué.Cen’est pastoujoursmathématique.Cen’est pastoujoursincompréhensible.Au contraire,lacybersécuritépeut s’appliquerdirectementàvotre champd’expertise.

D’ailleurs,appliquerlacybersécuritéà votrechampd’expertiseestunmoyen trèsrassurantettrèsencourageant pourapprendreausujetdece domaine.Carouilacybersécurité c’estaussiundomaine.Donc,onne pourrapasdevenirtotalementexpert danstouteslesfacettesdudomaine. Etàcesujet,mêmemoi,jenepourrai pastoutconnaîtredudomaine. Heureusementd’ailleurs,sinon,jene saispascommentjepourrais supportercettelourdeurdetout connaître!

Sivouspouviezrecommanderune

bonnelectureauxenseignants, quelleserait-elle? Ilyenaplusieurs. J’aimeraisinviterlesenseignantsà communiquerdirectementavecmoi. Jepourraiscertainementtrouverun livrequiseraitenlienaveccequ’ils recherchent.

Entre-temps,j’aimeregardercesdeux sitesWebaubesoinlorsqueje rechercheunoutilunpeuplussécure. Lessitessontdisponiblesenfran maisilsepeutquecesoittraduitpar untraducteurautomatisé,doncily auracertainescoquilles!

ElectronicFrontierFoundation

L’organismetravaillefortpournous informerenmatièredeprotectionde lavieprivée(etbiend’autres).J’adore leurtravailetleurdocumentationest trèspertinente.

https://ssd.eff.org/fr

ThispastsummerBrilliantLabs hadthepleasureofwelcoming Pierre-PaulCyrtoourteamasa CyberSecuritySpecialist.Cyber securityismoreimportantthan everwithstudentsandteachers movingtoonlinelearning environments.Pierre-Paul'sgoalis tocreatefunandengagingprojects orchallengesthatwillhelpyouth considerhowtobesafeonlineand recognizewaystocounter cyber-bullyingorattacks.

Wheredidyougrowup? I grewupinasmallvillage calledSaint-Hilaire.The villageislocatedjust outsideofEdmundston, NB,about20minutes away.

possibilitytorealizethebeautiesof ourplanet,nomatterhowsmall theyare.So,veryoften,whenIlook throughmylens,Iaskmyself:what iftherewerenocolors,birds,trees, insects,leaves,light,whatwouldI beabletophotograph?Throughthe simplelittlethingsoflifehidethe greatcomplexitiesofourplanet.

WhatisyourroleatBrilliantLabs? I'veembarkedontheBrilliantLabs boattostartcreatingactivities

"Cybersecurityisn'talways complicated.It'snotalways mathematical.Itisnotalways incomprehensible.Onthecontrary,cyber

securitycanbeapplieddirectlytoyourfield ofexpertise.

Wheredidyoustudy? Educationisaveryimportantvalue forme.IobtainedmyMaster's degreeinCommunicationatthe UniversityofOttawa.Ithen continuedinphilosophyatSaint PaulUniversityandfinallyatÉcole PolytechniquedeMontréalwhereI obtainedacertificateincyber securityofcomputernetworks.

Whoinspiresyou? French philosopherMichelFoucault.Atthe timeofmymaster'sdegree,my thesisprojectwasorientedtowards electronicsurveillanceinthe workplaceandmytheoretical frameworkwasbasedonFoucault's work.Ilikehisstructuralistvision ofasocietyandhowimportant historyremainsforhiminthe analysisofaproblem.

Whatareyoupassionateabout? startedtakingdigitalphotography coursesandboughtadigital camera.Thereis,throughalens,the

relatedtocybersecurity.SoIam veryhappyandblessedtohave suchanopportunity.

You'vebeenaneducatorforhow long? Ihavebeenaneducatorfor7 years,inthefieldofcomputer science.Myteachingexperienceis mostlyorientedtowardscollegeand universityteaching.

WhatisCyberSecurity? Generally speaking,cybersecurityaimsto achieveanadequatelevelof stabilityintermsoftheuseof technologyforbusinesses.Inother words,howcantheorganization usetechnologies(Internetfor example)andensurethatit achievesstabilityintermsof operationandmitigatetheeffects ofpossibleattacksfromwithinthe organizationorfromoutside?Itcan besaidthatthisstabilityismainly possiblethankstothethree foundationsofcybersecurity:1) dataavailability;2)dataintegrity;

and3)dataconfidentiality.

Thinkingaboutitfurther,wecan proposetheideathatcybersecurity isalsoawayofactinginour modernworld,inordertocontribute tothepursuitofourgoalsoreven ourdreams,whilebeingawarethat everyonlineactioncanhavecertain consequences.cybersecurity thereforebecomesacollective responsibility.

Whyareyouinterestedin CyberSecurity?

Iwasintriguedbycyber securitybecauseIlovedthe spiritofcuriositythatit broughtmeintoit.Iliked tryingtosolveproblemsandI likedtocreatemytoolssothat Icouldfindsolutions.Cyber securityisafascinatingand rapidlyevolvingfield.This realityallowsmetobeconstantly onthemoveandgivesmedaily satisfaction.AndwhenIfeelthe needtoslowdown,Itakeoutmy digitalcameraandgooutonthe trails!

Whatgoalsdoyouhaveasyou workwithBrilliantLabs? IwishI couldcontribute,ifonlyalittlebit, tomakingcybersecuritya commonplacepartofthedailylives ofchildrenandteachers.Itwouldbe interestingtoseeadiscussionopen upinfrontofthefieldandrealize howmuchitisbecoming unavoidableforus,butforour futuregenerations.

Whatchallengewouldyougive youthandteachers? Duringmy timeatBrilliantLabs,Iwouldlike studentsandteacherstoask themselvesthefollowingquestion foreveryexercisetheydointheir classes:Istherecybersecurityin

whatIamdoingrightnow?

Andyou'llbesurprisedhowmanytimesthe answerwillbeyes!

Whatadvicewouldyougiveteacherswhoare interestedinbringingCyber-Security activitiestotheclassroom? AsImentioneda littlebitinmyintroduction,cybersecurityis alsoawayofbeing.Soit'snotalways complicated.It'snotalwaysmathematical.It's notalwaysincomprehensible.Onthecontrary, cybersecuritycanbeapplieddirectlytoyour fieldofexpertise.

Infact,applyingcybersecuritytoyourfieldof expertiseisaveryreassuringandencouraging waytolearnaboutit.Becauseyes,cyber securityisalsoafield.Therefore,youwillnotbe abletobecomeatotalexpertinallaspectsof thefield.AndevenIwon'tbeabletoknow everythingaboutit.Luckily,otherwise,Idon't knowhowIcouldbeartheburdenofknowing everything!

Ifyoucouldrecommendagoodreadfor teachers,whatwoulditbe? Thereareseveral.I wouldliketoinviteteacherstocontactme directly.Icouldcertainlyfindabookthatwould berelatedtowhattheyarelookingfor.

Inthemeantime,Iliketolookatthesetwo websitesasneededwhenI'mlookingfor somethingalittlemoresecure.

ElectronicFrontierFoundation:Theorganization workshardtoeducateusaboutprivacy(and manyothers).Ilovetheirworkandtheir materialisveryrelevant.

https://ssd.eff.org/

Accordingtotheirdescription,PrivacyTools definesitselfasaplatformwhere"weprovide services,tools,andknowledgetoprotectyour privacyagainstglobalmasssurveillance,and moderateathrivingcommunityofprivacymindedindividualslikeyourselftodiscussand learnaboutnewadvancesinprotectingyour onlinedata.".Ialsovisitthissitefromtimeto timetorefreshmymemory.

https://privacytools.io/

ItiswithgreatpleasuretointroduceyoutoMr.ShaunDoyle,Grade9 TeacheratGrahamCreightonJuniorHighinDartmouth,NS. January2019,ShauncontactedBrilliantLabs'SarahRyan,Nova ScotiaProgramDirector,tobeginprojectstosupporthisGrade9 Classwithdigitalliteracyopportunities.HereceivedaMicro:bit InventorsKitsthroughtheBrilliantLabsProjectFund. Sarahvisited hisclassroomtodeliverseveralin-personcodingsessionsforhis classoverthepasttwoyears. Lastyear,hisclassparticipatedinBio InnovationChallengeworkshopsandtodaytheycontinuelearning throughvirtualsessions.Together,ShaunandBrilliantLabs,are helpinghisstudentswiththeirprojectsanddigitalliteracyskills. WearehappytoshareourTake5interviewwithyouasShaun continuestogotheextramiletobringopportunitiestohisstudents whetheritbeinpersonorvirtually.

You'vebeenateacherforhowmanyyears?

Iaminmy16thyearteaching.Ihavespentthatentiretimeteachingat GrahamCreightonJrHighSchoolinCherrybrook,NS.Iamdeeplyproudtocall theGCJHcommunitymyhome.

Whydidyoubecomeateacher?

IbecameateacherbecauseIhadoneveryspecialteacherinGrade1.Mrs. Drakeshowedmetheimpactonepersoncanhaveonsomanyothers. Sheset anexampleforcombiningacaringandcompassionatepersonalitywiththe beliefthatallstudentshaveamazingpotentialandcanachieveanythingwith therightsupport.Everyday,Istrivetoliveuptothatstandardanditismy goaltohaveevenhalftheimpactshedid.

Hasastudenteverinspiredyou? Ifso,howhasthatchanged yourteachingmethods?

Ihavebeenblessedtobesurroundedbyexcellentcolleagueswhohavebeena sourceofinspiration.Whenthingsarechallengingordifficult,itissohelpful toknowthattherearepeoplewhoyoucanleanon.Similarly,mystudents havebeenasourceofinspirationandtheirabilitytomakemelaughwhile risingtomeetexpectationsprovidesmewiththeenergyandmotivationto powerthroughobstaclesorfrustrations.

TAKE 5

Whatisthemostmemorablemomentasateacher?

Ihavehadmanymemorablemomentsasateacher.I’ll neverforgettripsI’vetakenwithstudents,tripsthatallow metoseethemoutsideoftheclassroomsettingand makeconnectionswiththemgettoknowthemaspeople. However,oneofthemostmemorablemomentshappened afewyearsagowhenastudentwasterrifiedofpresenting. Throughcoachingandsupportingthem,theywereableto presentwithwhispersandtears.Bytheendoftheyear, thisstudentstoodupanddeliveredacomfortable, confidentpresentationwithsmiles.Anyteacherwilltell youthatwatchingastudentwhostrugglesandthen overcomesisthesinglegreatestfeelingthereisandIhave hadmanyofthese,butthisstudentstandsout.

Tellusaboutaprojectorchallengethathelpedstudents improvetheirlearning? Howdidthatmakeyoufeel?

IteachtheDiscoveringOpportunitiesprogramandevery year,wetakeonaprojectaroundtheschool.ThefirstyearI didthis,Iledtheactivityandhadstudentshelpdesignan outdoorlearningspace.Thestudentshadalukewarm receptiontoanideaIthoughttheywouldreallylove.Thenext year,Iallowedtheclasscompletecontrolovertheentire project.Fromtheideaphasethroughtoconstructionand completion,Iwasmerelyaguidefortheircollaborationand innovation.Byshiftingthefocusoftheprojectfrommeto them,studentslearnedsomuchaboutprojectcreation, aboutcollaborationandaboutthemselves.Iwassoproudof themfortheworktheydid.Itwasamuchmorerewarding experience.

SinceMarchwe'veseenincrediblechangesinourworld anditseffectsoneducationWhatisyourperspectiveon virtuallearningandhowcanweprepareforapossible returnto"learningathome"

Learningvirtuallyhasitsbenefits.Underaglobalpandemic, thingscannotrunthewaytheyareusedto.Thereareso manyadjustmentsthatbothteachersandstudentshaveto make.Iamdeeplyproudofmycolleaguesastheynavigated suchamonumentalshiftintheirpracticeanddidsoonthe fly.Iamalsoimpressedbyhowwellstudentsadaptedtoall ofthis.Thatsaid,nothingcanreplacethepersonal interactionsofaclassroom.Whiletherewereopportunities toexamineteachingpracticeandlearnnewtools,itcreated alotofstressforstudentsandteachersalike.Myadvice wouldbetoembracetheunknown,butunderstandthatitis alearningexperience. Totryandcompletelyrecreatethe classroomexperienceisimpossible.Prepareasbestyoucan forthescenarioandexecutetothebestofyourabilities. Be proudofthestepsyou’vetaken.Tryingtorebuildanaircraft midflightisnotaneasytask.

Howhasyourclassroomexperiencechanged? Howdoyouinspireyourstudents?

Myclassroomexperiencehaschangedinthatstudents andItaketimetoenjoythelittleconversationsandday todayinteractions.Wemissedthatwhenwewerenot togetherinschool.Iwouldalsosaythattheexperience oftransitioningtoanonlineofferinghasforcedmeto leanontechnologyinamuchdifferentandthorough way.Embracingtheelectroniccomponentoflearning hasledtoincreasedengagementandsuccess.I wouldn’tsaythatIinspiremystudents,somuchas theyinspireme.

IN CONVERSATION WITH DANN DOWNES

“I wrote in my notebook at the beginning of my Sabbatical that when I get back, I’m going to ‘give my students the opportunity to fail.’ ”

Dann Downes is the Chair, Department of Social Science & Education, and a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, NB. Prof. Downes is also an artist, musician and maker. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with him about his work where he shared his insights about the importance of teaching students how to learn 21st century skills through making and experiential learning, and creating opportunities for them to fail

JW: I’d like to start by asking you for your thoughts regarding teaching university students 21st century skills?

DD: The whole notion of students needing to acquire 21st century skills came about as a collaboration between educators and tech companies, government agencies and nonprofits in the United States at the turn of this century.

There was a set of concepts providing a framework that recognized that the workforce in the 21st century was going to change dramatically over the life cycle of children growing up and going through the education system over a specific period

So, in order to train students to be prepared for that kind of change, you had to educate

them in such a way… or, help them learn in ways that are going to prepare them to continue to learn. However, simply using phrases such as “life long learning” and such is not sufficient, in my opinion. You have to also instill a culture of that very thing within your students and develop their mindset towards that particular kind of thinking

JW: As an educator, how have you fostered that particular kind of culture in your students?

DD: By realizing there had to be an impetus and recognition that students in my program needed a safe place to fail I had been teaching up to that point since

John Wong | Director Community & Fund Development | Brilliant Labs

DANN DOWNES

I wrote inmy notebookatthe beginning ofmy Sabbaticalthat whenI get back, I’m going to ‘give mystudentsthe opportunity to fail.’”

Professor of Information and Communication Studies and Chair of the Department of Social Science at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John.

the 1990s and it’s something I had to also learn I became aware of this in 2013 when I was on Sabbatical and had a meeting with a student It was one of our top students, who wasn’t feeling comfortable with my Sabbatical replacement, and wasn’t able to figure out how to do an assignment that was worth very few marks.

The student had failed the assignment because they weren’t able to meet the professor’s expectations In fact, they hadn’t followed the instructions given I commented to the student that from my perspective, this was pretty minor A good lesson learned and a really good teaching moment for them The student replied “No You don’t understand I’ve never failed anything!” I wrote in my notebook at the beginning of my Sabbatical that when I get back, I’m going to “give my students the opportunity to fail.”

JW: Where does giving your students opportunities to fail connect with popular culture and making?

DD: I started this approach in my classes when I got back from my Sabbatical. I gave students opportunities to do projects in my own five classes of communication courses. We then initiated this in the whole Communication Studies Program… and called the initiative COM-X – Com for communication and X for experiential learning

Upon return from Sabbatical, I initiated this new program with my colleague June Madeley We committed to using this framework of teaching 21st century skills in our courses There always has to be a connection between what the students learn through their studies and the practical skills we also want them to acquire –

theory and context For us, the link is popular culture

The way we use popular culture in our program is both the context in which we live and as a way for students to find examples. It also gives meaning to the concerns or interests they are addressing. Students bring passion projects to classes. You want to build something because you’re a maker, that’s okay. If you want to explore something that’s outside the class, that’s okay too… or, if you want to volunteer with an organization, you’ll get up to 20 percent of your grade for following through in the course And, if you don’t follow through, it doesn’t affect your grade If you fail, and you don’t want to be evaluated on that, that’s fine If you want to be evaluated on that, you can be

The best example of this for me has nothing to do with making

[...] a student learninghow to build a cajón,and another student learninghow totake videosofthe student buildingit. They worktogether weeklyontheir projects. The timestamp onthe video isearly February. The student buildingthe cajón holds itupand the instrumentfalls apart!Without skippinga beat, the student immediately says “Plan B:I will learn how toplay guitar!”

with electronics or volunteering for a radio station. It was a student who decided they wanted to build a cajón: a portable drum – a plywood box with wires inside that you sit on and slap your hands on it. It sounds like a snare drum. The student was working with an International student learning how to make video.

So, you have a student learning how to build a cajón, and another student learning how to take videos of the student building it. They work together weekly on their projects. The timestamp on the video is early February. The student building the cajón holds it up and the instrument falls apart! Without skipping a beat, the student immediately says “Plan B: I will learn how to play guitar!”

The rest of the video consists of weekly snippets of the student learning how to play guitar, and getting better… and at the same time, the quality of the video clip is also getting better. At the very end of the video, for some unexplained reason, instead of playing guitar, both of the students are performing something they wrote in GarageBand!

You have two students spending a term getting together at least once a week working closely together on the project. One is an International student, and another is a local student, and they’ve developed a meaningful connection. You also have a student who abandons their original project and does something completely different because they realize they have to get on with a project… and all of this within a collaborative endeavour.

While this was a class on popular music, and the projects had a relationship with the subject matter, the learning experience in my mind for the students had as much to do with supporting their social and emotional development. The student who was learning how to play guitar didn’t go on to becoming a musician. However, they did go on to win an award for volunteerism at the university. So, this student became active in the community, in part because of the opportunity to engage with another classmate in an activity that was completely developed and driven by themselves.

Oneofthe thingswe’ve done as a society overthe last25 years orsoisassumed we’dbecome betterand betterintechnically mediating our communications and thatwewould eventuallyno longerneedtonavigatewithone another aspeople. I think one ofthe thingsCOVID has demonstratedis how we’re experiencingproblems relatingtoisolation,anxieties...and alienation, perhaps.” - DannDownes UNB Professor

JW: Given how you prepare your students to address the 21st century, it strikes me that your students would then also be positioned to navigate the growing complexities in society, in life and work. Interested in hearing your thoughts?

DD: One of the things we’ve done as a society over the last 25 years or so is assumed we’d become better and better in technically mediating our communications… and that we would eventually no longer need to navigate with one another as people. I think one of

the things COVID has demonstrated is how we’re experiencing problems relating to isolation, anxieties... and alienation, perhaps.

The places where interpersonal communication works are places where we already have existing relationships and can leverage technologies like video calls. It’s much more difficult to form a relationship that is entirely technologically mediated. It’s equally difficult to have the kind of education that I’m describing –and the long-term impact as an institution, a professor or a student – if our communication is largely mediated through technology.

One of the things that we’ve specifically and deliberately done in the Communication Studies Program is that in looking at the number of students we have, we also look at the relationships we have with students, not just over a term, but over four, five or six years. Over time it’s about those relationships, and the attention and care we put into them in teaching our students.

IN CONVERSATION WITH is a regular Brilliant Labs Magazine segment authored by John Wong, Director of Community & Fund Development. John’s goal is to highlight passionate community leaders who are inspiring and informing change. If you know an educator or change maker that is making a positive impact, email:

John.Wong@brilliantlabs.ca |

Subject: In Conversation With

While Professor Downes brings his academic knowledge and research to students, he also leads by example as an author, maker, musican and visual artist To learn learn more about his efforts, work and art visit hearboymedia.ca.

LABOSCRÉATIFS MAINTENANTÀLATÉLÉVISION

HELLO

b.BRILLIANT

A new tv show all about young makers, fun projects and BB... A Lab A.I. that likes to help, but causes problems for Mr. Lingley.

Only a few months ago Brilliant Labs welcomed makers from across Atlantic Canada to create at home during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Glaring back at us were families experiencing gaps in learning due to no at-home technology or unreliable internet coverage. The Brilliant Labs team started was buzzing with ideas and reached out to Rogers and EastLink for help. Soon, MakerFUN was created and aired on local community TV channels giving youth fun learning projects they could create using items from junk drawers found in most kitchens.

In the New Year, and building on our Community TV efforts of 2020, we will be launching our new “b.Brilliant” TV show that will be available for streaming on Bell’s Fibe TV. Join co-host Alex Hawinks as she and her fellow Makers interview experts about sustainability, make and create new technology and uncover the mysteries of “BB” , a mischievous Lab A.I. that seemingly likes to help but causes playful havoc for the Lab's teacher & co-host Jacob Lingley.

The series focuses on young makers from across Atlantic Canada as they find solutions for real world problems, explore sustainability through renewable energy, design future communities, grow bio materials and prototype their own technology. Viewers can interact with the b.Brilliant Team by emailing their project and general inquiries to BB and participate at home or in class with their teachers through b.Brilliant Maker Guides found at brilliantlabs.ca/bbrilliant

Watch: Youtube.com/@BrilliantLabs or tv1.bell.ca/fibetv1

Alex Hawkins, b.Brilliant co-host

Jacob Lingley, b.Brilliant co-host

BrilliantLabsiscommittedto empoweringyouth,adultsand familiestofueltheirpassions, takecreativerisksandconstructa sustainablefutureforthemselves andtheircommunities.Asthe globalK-12learningcommunityis makingeffortstoembracethe changeandadapttonew circumstanceswithopennessand curiosity,wecontinueoursupport tocatalyzechangeacrossthe educationecosystem.Weare exploringnewopportunitiesfor youthtocultivateinnovativeskills thatnurturenotonlytheir thinking(cognitive)needsbut alsosocial-emotionalneeds.

ThisschoolyearBrilliantLabshas begunhostingtalkseachmonth,

invitingexpertstobringnew aspirationsandperspectives throughtheirstories.Inthespirit ofCanada's2030Agenda,acallto actionforglobalSustainable DevelopmentGoals(SDGs),BL highlightstopicsincluding sociallyresponsibleleadership, positivecomputing,critical design,ethicaldesign,empathy andwell-being.The30-45min talksdeliverexperiencesthat amplifyyouthvoicesaboutissues theycareaboutandinvitethemto participateinaninnovation challengesubmittingpersonal passionprojectsandideas.

OnOctober8,2020,wehostedour kick-off'MakingaDifference: SpeakerSeries'eventfor

BethStevens StudentEntrepreneur,Inventor Beth’sAMetreMattersBike Light.

KeepaneyeoutonallBrilliantLabssocial mediaplatformsandsignupforournewsletter tohearaboutupcomingspeakers: www.brilliantlabs.ca/subscribe

l'apprentissage hybrideà domicile

CONSEILSETASTUCES

Depuisledébutdelapandémie,le systèmed’éducationavécudes changementsenmodesupersonique.

Noussavionsquelesystèmeétaiten évolutionetnoussavionsqu’ildevait s’adapter,maisnousnesavionspasà quelpointnousaurionsbesoind'apporter deschangementsaussirapidement.

Nousutilisonsl’internetchaquejourdonc nouspensionsêtrebonsavecles technologiesetnouspensionségalement quenosenfantsétaientencoremeilleurs!

Aprèsquelquesmois,quelgrandéveilde conscience!Commentpouvons-nous offrirunenseignementhybrideouàla maisonlorsquenousavonsétéformés pourenseignerànosélèvesensallede classeetnonàdistance?Ilfautbeaucoup d’adaptations.

Ici,nousvousfaisonspartdes apprentissagesfaitsdepuislesdernières

Différencierlesfaçonsd’apprendre,mais comment?Ilfautprendreletemps d'apprendreàconnaitrenosapprenants avantdesauterdepleineforcesdansle programmed’étude.Voicidesexemples dequestionsàposeràvosélèves: Quelssonttesintérêts?Quelssonttes talents?Qu’est-cequetuesbonàfaire? Qu’est-cequiterendheureux?Quelssont tesrêves?Qu’aimerais-tuapprendre? Qu’est-cequetuaimesfaire?Qu’est-ce quetuaimeraiscréer?

Ilestprimordialpourlesenseignantsde répondreaussiàcesquestions,afinde voircequ’ilpeutapporteràsesélèves.En connaissantnosélèves,nousserons capablesderessortirdesélémentsclés quipermettrontd’adapterlesprojetsen

1-Ilfautpersonnaliserles apprentissages.

conséquence.Avecl’accèsaux technologies,ilfautvoircomment ellespeuventaideràapprendreet noncommentellespeuventêtreun outilderemplacementdes enseignants.Ilestprimordialde définirlerôledel'enseignant,celui oucellequisontleshumains derrièrelesapproches pédagogiques.Ilfautaussi reconnaitrecommentnous enseignonsetnonseulement réaliserunecertaineactivitédéjà planifiéeavecnosnouveauxoutils.

nécessairementdevoirêtredevant unécranentouttemps.Ilestaussi importantd’avoirunespacede travailquipermetd’éviterles distractions.

3-L’engagementdesélèves dansleursapprentissages

élèves.L'enseignantestlelienentre lesapprentissagesdesélèveset leurbienêtre,cepourquoiavecles nouvellestechnologiesd' apprentissagesonrôleestencore plusimportant.

L’établissementscolairetelqu’onle connaitestunendroitstructuréqui doitsuivredesrèglementsde sécuritéetd’accès.Toutyest contrôlé:salledeclasse,qui effectuequoi,quivaoù,où çase passe,quientreetparoù,cequ’on apprend,àquelmoment,lacloche, quandtumanges tout!Par contre,cen’estpaslecasàla maison.L’enseignementhybride doitprofiterpleinementdes opportunitésflexibles d’apprentissagesetdesmoments calmes.Ungranddéfide l’apprentissageàlamaisonest souventquel’onsur-structureles apprentissages.Nousnepouvons passtructurerunenvironnement quenousneconnaissonspas,car lesréalitésqueviventnosjeunes sonttrèsdifférentes,lesvies familialesaussi.

Nousdevonsalorslaisserplaceàla flexibilitédansl’environnement d’apprentissageàlamaison.Ilest importantaveclastructurehybride desapprentissagesqueles enseignantspartagentdes activitésauxélèvesafinqu’ils puissentpoursuivreleurs apprentissagesàlamaison,sans

Développerdesactivités d’apprentissageengageantespour nosélèvesestundéfi.Cequi sembleengagerlesélèvesàl’école, neleserapossiblementpasàla maison.Donc,mêmesiunélève réussitàl’école,celaneveutpas direqu’ilestengagéet,mêmesiun élèvefaitsestravauxpapiercrayon,celan’estégalementpasun signed’engagement.Cequiengage lesjeunesàlamaisonest généralementliéàcequiles intéressedanslaviedetousles jourscommedesactivitésenlien avecdesproblèmesdelavie courante,leursimplicationsdans diverscomitésàl’extérieurde l’écoleetcequ’ilsfontdansleur tempslibre.Cesopportunités authentiquesd’apprentissages sontsouventcomplètement ignoréesdusystèmeéducatifetne sontjamaiscomptabilisées.

Commeadultenousavonsdu plaisiràjouer,lesélèvesaussi. L’utilisationdelapédagogieparle jeuasaplace,mêmeausecondaire. Est-cequ’ilyadesplateformesde jeuquenouspouvonsutiliseravec nosélèvesàlamaison?Qu’est-ce quenosélèvesconsidèrentcomme amusant?JohnDeweymentionnait danssesrecherchesque l’environnementdanslequelles enfantsapprennentaunegrande influencesurleursapprentissages. Ilrecommandaitentreautresen 1897deporterattentionà l’environnementd’apprentissage afindelesimplifieretl’équilibrer danslebutdepermettreauxjeunes deseréaliserpleinement.

Ilnousestquasiimpossiblede connaitrelesenvironnements familiauxdetousnosélèves, surtoutpourlesenseignantsqui enseignentplusde50élèvespar semestre… doncpourquoiavoirles mêmesattentespourtousquand ilssontàlamaison?Soyonsalors empathiquesenversles enseignantsquis’adaptentàcette nouvelleréalitéetaussiavecles

Entantqu'enseignants,nous sommesdespédagogues.Notre travailconsisteàvaliderleprogrès desapprentissagesdenosélèves, etdenousassurerqu’ilyenait,tout enassurantlebienêtredenos élèvesetdenous-mêmes.Nous sommesspécialistesdenos programmesd’étudeset connaissonsnosobjectifs.Nous sommesenmesuredereconnaitre lesdifférentesopportunités d’apprentissageàlamaisonetd’en fairedesrapprochementsavec notreprogrammed'étude.Nous devonsparcefaitmême,prendre

“J

ohnDewey mentionnait dansses recherchesque l’environnementdanslequel lesenfantsapprennentaune grandeinfluencesurleurs apprentissages.

régulièrementdesmomentsde réflexionafindevoirlesactivités quepeuventfairelesenfantsdela maisonpourcontinuerleurs apprentissages.Nousparlons souventdel'enseignementcomme unevocation,ilfautfaireattention etnepasseperdredevuedansce travailacharné.

7-Collaboration, communicationetletemps

Commeprofessionnelsde l’éducation,nousn’avonspaseule tempsdenouspréparerpourcette nouvellefaçondefaireetnousne l’avonspaschoisi!Parcontre,nous choisissonsnotrefaçonde l'accomplir.Prioriserletempsde collaborationavecnoscollègues aideragrandementavecl'idéation despédagogiesetdes apprentissages.Lacommunication entreparents,enseignantset élèvesdoitêtreuneprioritéafinde permettredecréerdesliensetque chaquepersonnepuisseassumer sonrôle.Unebonne communicationfaciliteles échangespourappuyerlaréussite del’enseignementetdes apprentissages.

TIPSANDTRICKSFORBLENDED LEARNINGATHOME

Sincethebeginningofthe pandemic,theeducationsystem hasbeenundergoingchangesin supersonicmode.Weknewthe systemwasevolvingandweknew ithadtoadapt,butwedidn'tknow howquicklywewouldneedto makechanges.

Mostofususetheinternetevery daysowethoughtweweregood withtechnologyandwealso thoughtourchildrenwereeven better!

Afterafewmonths,whatagreat awakeningofconsciousness!How canweofferhybridorhome schoolingwhenwehavebeen trainedtoteachourstudentsin theclassroomandnotremotely?It takesalotofadaptation.

Here,iswhatwe’velearnedover thepastfewyears:classroom, home-schooling,hybridschool, flexibleschoolanddistance education.

Differentiatethewaysoflearning, buthow?Wemusttakethetimeto gettoknowourlearnersbefore jumpingintothecurriculum.Here areexamplesofquestionstoask yourstudents:

Whatareyourinterests?Whatare yourtalents?Whatareyougoodat? Whatmakesyouhappy?Whatare yourdreams?Whatwouldyoulike tolearn?Whatdoyouliketodo? Whatwouldyouliketocreate?

Itisimportantforteachersto answerthesequestionsaswell,to seewhattheycanbringtotheir students.Byknowingourstudents, wewillbeabletoidentifykey elementsthatwillallowustoadapt theprojectsaccordingly.With accesstotechnology,weneedto lookathowitcanhelplearning,not howitcanbeareplacementfor teachers.Itisessentialtodefinethe roleoftheteacher,thehumanbeing behindthepedagogicalapproaches. Itisalsonecessarytorecognize howweteachandnotonlytocarry outacertainactivityalready plannedwithournewtools.

2-Structureoflearning time:family&teacher

Theschoolasweknowitisa structuredplacethatmustfollow safetyandaccessregulations. Everythingiscontrolled:the classroom,whodoeswhat,who goeswhere,whereithappens,who comesinandwhere,whatyoulearn, whenthebellrings,whenyoueat... everything!Ontheotherhand,this isnotthecaseathome.Hybrid educationmusttakefulladvantage offlexiblelearningopportunities andquiettimes.Abigchallengeof learningathomeisoftenoverstructuringlearning.Wecannot structureanenvironmentthatwe donotknow,becausetherealities thatouryoungpeoplelivearevery different,asarefamilylives. Wemustthereforeleaveroomfor flexibilityinthehomelearning environment.Itisimportantwith thehybridlearningstructurethat teachersshareactivitieswith studentssothattheycancontinue theirlearningathome,without necessarilyhavingtobeinfrontof ascreenatalltimes.Itisalso importanttohaveaworkspacethat avoidsdistractions.

3-Students'commitment tolearning

Developingengaginglearning activitiesforourstudentsisa challenge.Whatseemstoengage studentsatschoolmaynotbe engagingathome.So,evenifa studentisdoingwellatschool,it doesnotmeantheyareengaged, andevenifastudentisdoingtheir paperandpencilwork,itisnota signofengagement.Whatengages youngpeopleathomeisusually relatedtowhatintereststhemin everydaylifesuchasactivities

relatedtoeverydayproblems,their involvementinvariouscommittees outsideofschoolandwhattheydo intheirfreetime.Theseauthentic learningopportunitiesareoften completelyignoredbythe educationalsystemandnever accountedfor.

4-Mentalhealth&empathy

Whatistheirfamilyenvironment like?Itisalmostimpossibleforus toknowthehomeenvironmentsof allourstudents,especiallyfor teacherswhoteachmorethan50 studentspersemester...sowhy havethesameexpectationsfor everyonewhentheyareathome?So let'sbeempathetictotheteachers whoareadaptingtothisnewreality andalsotothestudents.The teacheristhelinkbetweenthe students'learningandtheirwellbeing,whichiswhyhisroleiseven moreimportantwiththenew learningtechnologies.

5-Playingforthepleasure oflearning

Asadultswehavefunlearningand sodothestudents.Theuseofplaybasedpedagogyhasitsplace,even insecondaryschool.

Aretheregameplatformsthatwe canusewithourstudentsathome? Whatdoourstudentsconsiderfun? JohnDeweymentionedinhis researchthattheenvironmentin whichchildrenlearnhasagreat influenceontheirlearning.Oneof hisrecommendationsin1897was topayattentiontothelearning environmentinordertosimplify andbalanceitsothatyoungpeople canachievetheirfullpotential.

6-Theimportanceofthe teacher'srole

Asteachers,wearepedagogues.Our jobistovalidatetheprogressofour students'learning,andtoensure thatthereis,whileensuringthe well-beingofourstudentsand ourselves.Wearecurriculum specialistsandweknowourgoals. Weareabletorecognizedifferent learningopportunitiesathomeand relatethemtoourcurriculum.We mustthereforetakeregular momentsofreflectiontoseewhat activitiesthechildrencandoat hometocontinuetheirlearning.We oftentalkaboutteachingasa vocation,wemustbecarefuland notlosesightofthishardwork.

7-Collaboration, communicationandtime

Aseducationprofessionals,we didn'thavethetimetopreparefor thisnewwayofdoingthingsandwe didn'tchooseit!However,weare choosinghowwewilldoit. Prioritizingthetimetocollaborate withourcolleagueswillgreatlyhelp withtheideationofpedagogiesand learning.Communicationbetween parents,teachersandstudents mustbeapriorityinordertocreate linksandforeachpersontobeable toassumehisorherrole.Good communicationfacilitates exchangestosupportthesuccess ofteachingandlearning.

Financedby|financépar:

HOWTO!

#MakerFUN

ByNatachaVautour

Articleenfrançaisàsuivre

Youhaveprobablyhadthe chancetotestorreadthe different#MakerFun projects.Sincethe beginningofthepandemic inMarch2020,Brilliant Labshasbeenworkingto createengagingandfun activitieswithaccessible andavailablematerials thatarefuntodesign.Here areafewtipsonhowto createanactivity. Beforeyoustart,youneed to: 1-makesurethattheyouth aregoingtocreate/ manufacturesomething; 2-confirmtheaccessibility

ofthematerials; 3-promotesafety. Thecalltoactioncomesas soonasyoudecideto createanewproject.These momentsarevariedfor everyone.Youmaywantto createaprojectthatwould engageyourstudentsmore oryoumaybelookingfora newwayforyourstudents tolearnaconcept.Whether it'sacalltoactionto engageyourstudents,to solveaprobleminthe classroom,inyour communityorevenat home,thesourceofthat callwillinfluencewhatyou create. Whenweareempathetic,

welistentoneedsand reflectonthe characteristicsthatmake usdifferent.Whoareyour students,themembersof yourschoolandthe membersofyour community?

Understandingwhatothers see,feelandexperienceis crucialtothesuccessof yourproject.Thereare manyreasonsthatinspire you,andthesereasonswill validateyourproject throughoutitscreation. Nowthatyouknowwhy andforwhomyouwantto designyourproject,you canbegintodefinehow youwillachieveyourgoal. Youneedtodefinethe

conceptsyouwanttolearn, theobjectivesofthose concepts,andthe materialsyoucanaccess. Inaddition,rememberto targetyourpersonal strengthsandinterests, eveniftheymaynotseem relevantatthispoint,they canhelpyoucreateyour ideas.

Thisiswhereyoulookat thedifferentpossibilities foryourprojectandthe differentsolutionstosolve yourproblem.Thisstepis oftenbestdone collaboratively.Sometimes themostcrazyideasare takenoutoftheboxto createtheproject.Youcan buildontheideasof others.Areyougoingto

createaprojectbasedona challenge,arealproblem, anactivity,aphysical place?Don'thesitateto thinkabouttheissuesthat mayarise-gradelevel, accesstomaterials, unnecessaryexpenditure ofresources,student learning,linksto curriculum.Itisimportant toprioritizesolutionsto theseproblems.Youstart yourplanning,youmay startwithoneplanandend upwithacompletely differentplan,becauseat somepointsomeonewill askyouaquestion, somethingwillcomeup andyouwillgoina completelydifferent direction.Itdoesn'tmatter, that'swhereyouhavetobe flexibleandyoucanaskfor help.

Youwillbeabletorefine yourlessonplanafteryou havegonethroughitonce, justlikeyouwouldforany otherlesson.Youcantake thetimetothinkaboutthe purposeofyourproject. Thesemomentswillhelp guideyourcreative process.Whatmaterials andspaceareavailablefor yourproject?Itis importanttothinkabout thedifferentskillsinvolved inthisproject.

Our#MakerFunchallenges arealways interdisciplinary,evenif sometimestheyseemtofit betterintooneschool subject,theycanfitinto severalsubjects.These extensionsofcurriculum learninghelpstudents makeconnectionsoutside ofschoolsubjectsand allowforsustainableand authenticlearning. Thematerialsatyour disposalcaninfluencethe project,certainmaterials caninfluencelearning,just asaccesstonomaterial caninfluencecreativity. Hereyoutestthe effectivenessofyour #MakerFun.Youwillask questionsthatwillallow youtoseewhatyour studentshavelearned.

All#Makerfundailychallengescan befoundonthenewBrilliantLabs ProjectPortal.Hereyoucanalso findotherprojecideastooforK-12 atanylearninglevel(beginner, intermediateoradvance).Visitthe projectportaltoday!

https://projects.brilliantlabs.ca/

COMMENTCRÉERUNE ACTIVITÉ#FUNCRÉATIF?

Vousavezprobablementeu lachancedetesteroude lirelesdifférentsprojets #FunCréatifs.Dèsledébut duconfinementenmars 2020,LabosCréatifss’est misàl'œuvrepourcréer desactivitésengageantes etamusantesavecdes matérielsaccessibleset disponiblesenayantbien duplaisiràlesconcevoir. Voiciquelquesconseils pourcréeruneactivité.

Avantdedébuter,ilfaut: 1-s’assurerquelesjeunes vontcréer/fabriquer quelquechose; 2-confirmerl’accessibilité desmatériels; 3-promouvoirlasécurité.

L’appelàl’actionarrivedès lemomentoùvousdécidez decréerunnouveauprojet. Cesmomentssontvariés pourtous.Ilsepeutque vousvouliezcréerunprojet quiengageraitvosélèves davantageouquevous cherchiezunenouvelle façonpourquevosélèves puissentapprendreun concept.Quecesoitun appelàl’actionpour engagervosélèves,régler unproblèmeensallede classe,dansvotre communautéoumêmeàla maison,lasourcedecet appelviendrainfluencerce quevouscréez.

Lorsquenoussommes

empathiques,nous sommesàl’écoutedes besoinsetréfléchissons auxcaractéristiquesqui nousrendentdifférents. Quisontvosélèves,les membresdevotreécoleet lesmembresdevotre communauté?Ilestcrucial decomprendrecequeles autresvoient,ressententet viventafinquevotreprojet soitunsuccès.Ilya plusieursraisonsquivous inspirent,cesraisonsvont validervotreprojettoutau longdesacréation.

Maintenantquevoussavez pourquoietpourquivous voulezconcevoirvotre projet,vouspouvez commenceràdéfinir commentvousallez atteindrevotreobjectif. Vousdevezdéfinirles conceptsàapprendre,les objectifsdecesconcepts etlesmatériaux accessibles.Deplus, n’oubliezpasdeciblervos forcesetvosintérêts personnels,mêmes’ilsne semblentpas nécessairementpertinents pourl’instant,ilspourront vousaideràcréervotre nuaged’idées.

C’esticiquevousobservez lesdifférentespossibilités pourvotreprojetetles différentessolutionsà apporterpourrésoudre votreproblème.Cetteétape estsouventmieuxen collaboration.Parfois,les idéeslesplusfarfelues portentàsortirdelaboite pourcréerleprojet.Vous pouvezbâtirsurlesidées

desautres.Allez-vouscréer unprojetpartantd’undéfi, d’unproblèmeréel,d’une activité,d’uneplace physique?N’hésitezpasà réfléchiraux problématiquesqui peuventsurgir-niveau scolaire,accèsdes matériels,dépenses inutilesderessources, apprentissagesdesélèves, lesliensavecles programmesd’étude.Ilest importantdeprioriserdes solutionspources problématiques.Vous débutezvotreplanification, ilsepeutquevous commenciezavecunplan etfinissiezavecunplan complètementdifférent, parcequ'àunmoment donné,quelqu'unvous poseraunequestion, quelquechoseapparaitra etvousprendrezunetout autredirection.Cen'est pasgrave,c'estlàquevous devezêtreflexibleetque vouspouvezdemanderde l’aide.

Vouspourrezaffinervotre plandecoursaprèsl'avoir parcouruunefois,comme vousleferiezpour n'importequelleautre leçon.Vouspouvezprendre letempsderéfléchirà l'objectifdevotreprojet. Cesmomentsvous aiderontàguidervotre processusdecréation. Quelssontlesmatériauxet l’espacedisponiblepour votreprojet?Ilest importantderéfléchiraux différentescompétences deceprojet.

Nosdéfis#FunCréatifs sonttoujours interdisciplinaires,même siparfoisilssemblent mieuxs’intégrerdansune matièrescolaire,ils peuvents'intégrerdans plusieursmatières.Ces extensionsdes apprentissagesdu curriculumaidentles élèvesàfairedesliensà l'extérieurdesmatières scolairesainsiqu'à permettredes apprentissagesdurableset authentiques.

Lesmatériauxàvotre dispositionpeuvent influencerleprojet,ilest certainquecertains matériauxpeuvent influencerles apprentissages,demême quel’accèsàaucun matérielnepeutinfluencer la créativité.Ici,vous testezl’efficacitédevotre #FunCréatif.Vousposerez lesquestionsquivontvous permettredevoirceque vosélèvesontappris.

Touslesdéfisdujourde #FunCreativepeuventêtre trouvéssurlenouveau portailduprojetBrilliant Labs.Vousytrouverez égalementd'autresidées deprojetspourla maternelleàla12eannée, quelquesoitleniveau d'apprentissage(débutant, intermédiaireouavancé). Visitezleportaildeprojets dèsaujourd'hui!

https:// projects.brilliantlabs.ca/

hello

B.Board!

2021willwelcomethelatest versionoftheBrilliantLabs’ b.Board.

Usingtheb.Board,sudentswill easilybeabletoprototypetheir ownproducts,inventions,and learnmoreaboutcoding,IoT, andvarioustechnologies.

Withwificapabilities,onboard neopixels,motordrivers,servo pins,speakers,microphones, andmore,thenewb.Boardwill trulybea‘superherocape’for theMicro:Bitandwelook forwardtosharingthemwith classroomsacrosstheAtlantic region!

Tolearnmoreabouttheb.Board andpre-orders,contactusat info@brilliantlas.ca

Wearelookingforwardto introducingyouandhelping yourstudentsgetstarted “Creatingtheirownb.Baord STEAMAdventure” .

LearnmoreatBrilliantLabs.ca/bboard

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

ByMaryWebber&JeffHennigar

Droppingintotheclassroomto provideprojectsupportisa littledifferentthisschoolyear. JeffHennigarcanbesupporting aclassindowntownHalifaxat 11am,andcheckinginwitha studentinLiverpoolatnoon. BrilliantLabsisproudtosay that theyhavemasteredthe scienceofteleportation,nonot really, butwehavethenext best thing…virtual classroom support!

Teachersandstudentsworking withBrilliantLabsareinspired tomakemoreconnections acrosstheircurriculumsand technology. “I wasinspiredby JeffHennigar’s tweets.Itaught

withJeffafewyearsagoandI followhisBrilliantLabstweets forideas.” SaysMmeLefort, a grade3&4French immersion teacheratRockingham Elementary.

Forstudents,oneprojectcan covermanysubjects, allowing forapracticallearning experience,immersing themselvesintonewlearning contexts.Studentsare reporting thatlearningonlineis sometimes‘stressful’ and‘weird’ butalsotakeprideandfind excitementinlearningnew skills.Theyfeelthatvirtual learninghascreatedasafe spaceforsomeoftheshyer studentstoflourish.Theyeven helpedeachotheroutwith troubleshooting.Thisproject wasdescribedas “thebest

thingallyear” byastudent.A happythought,duringsuch tumultuoustimes.

ThisinspirationledMmeLefort toreachoutandconnectwithMr Hennigartovirtuallycomebythe classroomtooffersomeproject support.Herstudentswere researchinghabitatsandwere creatingdioramastorepresent each ecosystem.Theyweregoing totaketheseprojectstothenext levelandcreatemovementin thedioramausingcode.

Whenaskedifthereareany challengestovirtual instruction Jeffreplied, “Itisdefinitelymore challengingthanbeingtherein person.In theclassroom, teachersgetsubtlecuesfrom studentstoknowiftheyare engaged,arereadytomoveon,

PHOTOCREDIT:JANIQUECASELEY,GRADE6,ROCKYLAKE ELEMENTARYSCHOOL,TWITTERPOST,NOV.24.2020

are feelingconfidentor overwhelmed.Teachingremotely, I don’tgetthisquickfeedback fromstudentsthatIneed.Iam inahabitnowofasking studentsandteachersfor feedbackthroughout.”

Virtualinstructiondefinitelyhas itsrewards,includingbeingin morethanoneplace atatime.Students arefindinganew norminreachingout forhelpvirtually. Somethingthatthey aretaking advantage ofmorefrequently. JeffHennigaragrees, “Not allofmy sessionsareledby me,sometimesI’monaGoogle Meettoworkwithasmallgroup ofstudents,or forstudentsto “dropin” toaMeettoask specific questions.Whatever supporthelpsteachersneedto reachtheirteachinggoals,it feelsgoodtobeableto offerthat.” Eventhoughvirtual instructorsmaynotbe

physicallypresentforstudents, theyarestillabletofeel rewardedwhenstudentsstart makingthosecurriculum connections.Jeffdescribesbeing onlinewithstudents whenthose ‘aha’momentsstartto happen:“Forthis particular project,themomentwhenthe wireswereconnectedthenthe motorsstartedturning,Icould heartheelevatedexcitementin theroom.Theyhadbeencoding foraboutahalfhour,andafter attachingthreewirestoa Microbit,alltheirhardworkhas paidoff.Anythingthatwas frustratingordifficultdidn’t matter anymore,becausethat tinymotorwasspinning.” Denise Lefortbelievesthetime waswellspent.Theconnection thatshemadewithJeffHennigar hassparkedinterestinthe studentsandideastotakewhat theyhavelearned further. “This wasarewardingprojectboth fromtheteacherandthe students’pointofview” says Denise. “I woulddefinitelydoit again.Studentsareinspiredto makemoreconnectionsbetween curriculumand technologyand havetonsofideasforthefuture. Ithink thisprojecthasthe potentialtochangetheway studentsthinkabouttheirown learning.Oneveryreluctant studentsaidhisfeelingabout theprojectintheendwaspride

MAKING COMMUNITY

IT’S MORE THAN STARS. EVERY YEAR, POLLY MAKES JOY, HOPE AND COMMUNITY FOR HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN.

Polly Carr is a maker. Although, Polly prefers to be called by any of the other titles by which others know her: greatgrandmother, incredible baker or perhaps most common in her local community of Geary, New Brunswick -Aunt Polly. It is difficult to encapsulate the annual holiday magic that Polly bestows on the more than 200 recipients of her hand-painted stars in a short magazine article. However, this heartwarming story of community making deserves all of the attention it receives.

POLLY'S STARS

At Brilliant Labs and across maker culture it is common to hear someone say “We are all makers!” This is something with which we vehemently agree What helps affirm this statement is seeing the incredible artifacts that makers make. The Holiday Season is great for many reasons, but the one that we really love is seeing all of the holiday makers showcase their holiday creations Like many makers, Polly Carr is humble, but around the holidays her embodiment of the maker spirit is shared with a growing audience across Canada

The 84-years young great-grandmother from Geary, New Brunswick began the tradition of Polly’s Stars 29 years ago. Always wanting to challenge herself with another project, in 1991 she asked her husband Medley to make her a single star so that she could give it to the child of a close friend for Christmas What began as a simple undertaking of a single start cut from a scrap of pine board has turned into an annual woodworking triumph as Polly’s stars are distributed to over 200 recipients all across Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. When asked about what motivated her to begin this project so many stars ago, Polly said “I just wanted to share a little joy of the season and make someone smile -- even if I’m not there to see them smile when they receive their star.” The joy that Polly describes has been powerful throughout the almost 3 decades that she has hand-painted the individual stars. However, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely add some significance to her 2020 star. This year, Polly chose black as the colour for Santa’s suit. She admits that it wasn’t her first choice of colour, in the past the colours have ranged from classic red, to lime green, and even a sparkling silver for the year 2000 However given that it was the only colour on the shelves at the local craft store and so many of her recipients have asked for that colour over the years, 2020 seemed like the year that black just made sense

Brilliant Labs Magazine

We think that this is just great as it complements one of our favourite dimensions of this project: community Polly’s Stars is a powerful example of the significant power making has on community empowerment. Simply by sharing one’s passion and interests invites others to consider how they feel about materials and their world. Making does not need any particular tools or technology In fact, many maker projects lead to wonderfully intangible artifacts that can sometimes last longer than the tangible For instance, over the years, Polly’s Stars were received by hundreds of individuals. We have no way of knowing how receiving that gift inspired feelings of joy, love, connectedness or empathy

Particularly during the holiday season, these feelings can become as tangible as the hand-painted star itself I’m often reminded by the words of Peppler and Bender (2013) when they said “maker activities organically invite crossgenerational and cross-cultural participation [ ] ”This year, Brilliant Labs thought they would help spread the word of Polly’s Stars a little further by inviting classrooms across New Brunswick to help Polly. There was something incredibly special about dropping off a box of more than 150 stars to Polly, knowing that the process of making has grown to inspire students from 5 different communities Each with their own techniques, dozens of students from École-Notre Dame, Ridgeview Middle School, Oromocto High School, Devon Middle School, Nashwaaksis Middle School and Nackawic High School are now part of the Polly’s Stars story. Each student began with the same template This may sound uncharacteristic of making since individuality is something that maker culture embraces However, consistency is a trademark of Polly’s Stars as the template each student used was based on the 2015 series.

The 2015 star design is extra special to Polly as it was the last year her late husband Medley was able to cut her stars himself This is yet another intangible emotional element that is shared across stars and throughout the community the stars have created Even though the box of stars dropped off to Polly all appear to look the same, each has been shaped by students touched by the story of Polly’s Stars. The edges of each star have grooves left by the student maker as they worked to refine their skills on the saw. Like any maker project, it is impossible to separate the intangible from the tangible. We have no way of knowing which of our small ideas will grow to connect generations of communities across our community, throughout our province, our country and our world. Thank you Polly for reminding us to keep making. Polly would like to sincerely thank all of the young makers who helped make her 160 2020 stars!

Please use the information on the following pages and template if you would like to contribute to our Polly's Stars campaign for

A SHORT HISTORY OF POLLY'S STARS

Polly has lived in Geary, NB all her life. When they began in the early 1990s, Polly's husband, Medley would cut each star in their workshop as Polly painted the intricate details. What began as a special project for their grandchildren has grown into a community tradition of over 200 stars. All lovingly signed on the back by their maker, Aunt Polly Geary, NB

POLLY'S STAR TEMPLATE

This is the template for the 2020 edition of Polly's Stars. You may be curious about how similar the final wooden stars need to be to this template. The outline of this template is actually from 2012--the last year Polly's dear husband Medley was able to cut them himself. While slight variations are expected, attention to consistency allows for an incredibly sentimental tradition to continue.

CAMPAIGN INSTRUCTIONS

Inspire students

As a society, we thrive on stories of community. Share the story of Polly and her Stars (more information below) Help them understand Polly's maker identity: she is making much more than just wooden stars.

Polly hand paints each one of the stars. It is important that we know as soon as possible how many you are willing to take on This year Polly needs 200 stars by November 20th.

Polly isn't very picky when it comes to the wood for her stars--as long as it is 1" pine boards. Knotty pine will work as long as you watch out for the knots when cutting on a band saw If you need some delivered, please contact jacob@brilliantlabs.ca

On the next page, you will find a full scale template The finished star should measure as close to 133 mm x 130 mm (HxW) as possible. Check your printer settings to make sure that you are printing the page at 100% without scaling to the printer paper.

The outer edge of the stroke is the cut line Take some time to consider maximizing the surface area of your board. You will quickly develop an assembly line How can you be as efficient as possible?

This is where the magic happens Assist your students in cutting the stars You will likely find using a band saw to be the most efficient tool. Please ensure students are properly supervised during this process Remember to post some photos. Feel free to tag @Brilliant Labs in your tweet.

LE CONCERT VIRTUEL DES FÊTES

P a r M a d i s o n M u l h e r i n

Chaque année, les étudiants du studio de musique de Broadway Productions travaillent fort pour organiser un récital de Noël. Cette année, en raison de COVID-19, ils n'ont pas pu organiser leur concert annuel. Claudie et moi sommes des étudiantes du studio et avons récemment commencé à travailler avec Labos Créatifs. Lorsqu'il est venu le temps de décider d'un projet pour Noël, la première chose qui nous est venue à l’idée fut un concert de Noël virtuel. Nous en avons parlé avec Irma Mulherin (ma mère), la propriétaire de Broadway Productions, et elle a accepté de s'associer avec Labos Créatifs pour rendre quelque chose possible pour les élèves

Beaucoup de travail a été consacré à la préparation du concert Comme nous ne pouvions pas réunir tous les enfants dans le studio, nous avons planifié une semaine où nous enregistrerions chaque élève pendant leurs cours pour ensuite faire un montage vidéo pour en faire un seul concert Pour que la journée d'enregistrement ressemble davantage à un concert, nous avons décidé de faire des décors avec de l'artisanat. Quelques enfants de la garderie Les amis de Madi ont fabriqué des flocons de neige avec Claudie et JP Bouchard, et sa famille a fabriqué des arbres de Noël avec des palettes de bois recyclé et des restes de peinture

Au cours de ce projet, j'ai eu la chance de travailler avec Dax Dubé, un élève de 5 ans atteint d'autisme qui montre un grand intérêt pour la musique. Il a créé son propre piano que nous avons ensuite connecté au Makey Makey présenté lors du concert Nous avons également eu beaucoup de plaisir à connecter le Makey Makey avec des cuillères et des bananes.

Pendant le concert, nous avons décidé d'intégrer un défi pour les élèves, leur famille et leurs amis Ils avaient une semaine pour fabriquer un ornement à partir de matières recyclables dans la maison. Chaque élève ayant créé son propre ornement a vu son nom inscrit dans un tirage au sort pour gagner un Makey Makey

À ce jour, le concert a reçu plus de 750 visites et a été très apprécié par les élèves et les familles.

Merci à Labos Créatifs et Broadway Productions pour avoir rendu possible ce projet incroyable.

Students and families watching the virtual concert

Madison Mulherin working with Dax Dubé. (Makey Makey)

Jace Caron from Madis Friends daycare making snowflakes

Casey Bouchard participating in the recycled ornament challenge

Claudie Ladouceur editing the concert.

Unintérêtgrandissantpour l’enseignementennaturese faitressentir.

Ledébutdel’annéescolaire 2020connaîtune transformation particulièrement intéressante,apportantdes modificationsaumodede fonctionnementdesécoles,à lastructuredesclassesainsi qu'auxmesuresdesécuritéà implanteretàsuivre.Avec cela,cere-nouveauapporte égalementuneouverture d’espritversl’exploration d’idéesetd’innovationen termedepratiques pédagogiques.Danslebut d’appuyercetteréflexionet d’explorerlespossibilités avecleuréquipe,ladirectrice ainsiqueladirectionadjointe del’écoleNotre-Dame(Josée BernieretChristineLong)se lientàl’équipeLaboscréatifs naturelsafindeplanifierune demi-journéed’ateliersen pleinairdanslebutde répondreàcesintérêtset besoins!Voilàquele8 septembre2020,lepersonnel enseignantdecetteécole participeàdesateliersen natureauParcduJardindela RépubliqueàSt-Jacques.

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débutamusantpourtousqui futsuivid’unetransitionau lavagedesmainsavecune approcheamusante,soitcelle d’unserpentinpermettant auxpersonnesdesesuivreet s’entrecroiserpourarriverau postedelavagedemainstout enrespectantsa distanciation.

Etc’estparti!

Certainespersonnesontpu explorerlabiodiversitéainsi quelaqualitédel’eaudansla rivièreMadawaskaavecla biologisteAmélieTremblay.

D’autresontdécouvertet expérimentédesactivités liéesàlathéoriedespièces détachées(Looseparts)avec MichelleThibault,spécialiste desEspacescréatifsnaturels avecLaboscréatifs.

InspirésparÉtienneBélanger, animateurdescampsd’été MakersNaturels,les enseignantsontexploré l’applicationStopMotionet discutédespossibilités d’activitéspédagogiqueset d’interdisciplinarité.

Tandisqu’unautregroupe s’affairaàmarcherle curriculumetàfairelesliens aveclesobjectifsde développementdurableen plusd’explorerleplandes EspacesNaturelsCréatifsde l’écolepropicesaux apprentissageavecKathleen Rice,spécialistede programmeschezLabos créatifs.

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d’idéesqu’ilseraintéressant devoirgermeretgrandir.

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• uneforêt

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• unécosystème

• unjardin

• unparc sansoublierdesoiseaux,des insectes,desanimauxet autres. Eneffet,lapossibilité d’utiliserunevariété d'espacesextérieurspour vivredesexpériences d’apprentissageauthentiques permetauxenseignantsetau personnelscolaired’explorer laPédagogiedulieu(Place basedlearning)danslebut demettreenvaleursles petitstrésorsnaturelsqu’on retrouveàchaquelieu,deles explorer,lesprotéger,les amélioreretmêmeles transformeravecleursélèves.

Appréciationetpartagesdu

personnel.

Cetavantmidideformation professionnelleauJardinde laRépubliquedeSt-Jacques seclôturaavecdebeaux partagesdesenseignants, directionsdel’écoleNotreDameetleurappréciationdes ateliersdanscet environnementnaturel! Quellebelleoccasion d’exploreretdevivredes activitéspermettantdevoirle potentieletlesbienfaitsde l’apprentissageetdela créativitéàl’extérieur,ainsi quededécouvrirlavariété d’activitésMakerNaturelet technologiquesoffertespar Laboscréatifsetaccessibles surlesiteweb.

Joignons-nousàl’équipede l’écoleNotre-Damecette annéeetsortonsdehorsavec nosélèves!Toutununivers d’apprentissageseretrouveà l’extérieurdesportesde l’écoleetquin’attendque d’êtredécouvert!

CREATIVELEARNINGIN NATURE

Thereisagrowinginterestin teachinginnature.

Thestartofthe2020school yearhasbeenparticularly interesting,bringingchanges tothewayschoolsoperate,to classroomstructures,andto thesafetymeasures implementedandfollowed. Withthis,comesthere-birth andanopennesstoexploring ideasandinnovationin pedagogicalpractices.In ordertosupportthis reflectionandexplore possibilitieswiththeirteam, theprincipalandviceprincipalofNotre-Dame SchoolinEdmundston(Josée BernierandChristineLong) joinedforceswiththeBrilliant LabsNaturalMakerteamto planahalf-dayofoutdoor workshopstomeetthese interestsandneeds!On September8,2020,the teachingstaffofthisschool

participatedinnatural makingworkshopsatthe ParcduJardindela RépubliqueinSt-Jacques.

Underabeautifulmorning sun,thedaybeganwithan icebreakeractivitywherethe largeteamhadtoholda knottedropeandmakethe knotmovequicklybynaming theirfirstnameastheknot passed.Agreatfunactivityto gettoknoweachotherand alsotocollaborateto completeatask!Afunstart foreveryone,followedbya transitiontohandwashing withanamusingapproach, thatofaserpentineallowing peopletofollowand intertwineeachothertoreach thehandwashingstation whilerespectingthephysical distancebetweenthem.

Fun,Exploration,Discovery, andLearning.

Laughter,smiles,discussions andexchangesenlivenedthe

naturalenvironmentand createdasocialandserene music!Thedaywasplanned insuchawayastocultivate andnurturecuriosityandthe desiretolearn.Discussions wereengagingandleftroom forinspiration,questioning, creativityandimprovisation.

Importantly,whilehavingfun, theseeducation professionalslearnedagreat deal. Choiceofworkshopsoffered. Groupedtogether,the teacherstookpartinthe activitiesaccordingtothe choiceidentifiedatthetime ofregistrationattheschool. Thegoalwastoexperience theworkshopandthenshare theirlearningwiththeircycle groupafterwards.

Let'sgetstarted!

Someteachersexploredthe

biodiversityandwaterquality intheMadawaskaRiverwith biologistAmélieTremblay.

Othersdiscoveredand experimentedwithactivities relatedtotheLooseParts TheorywithMichelleThibault, specialistinNaturalMaker SpaceswithBrilliantLabs.

InspiredbyÉtienneBélanger, NaturalMakersummer campsmonitor,teachers exploredtheStopMotion applicationanddiscussed thepossibilitiesof pedagogicalactivitiesand interdisciplinary.

Whileanothergroupwalked thecurriculumandmade connectionstosustainable developmentgoalsSDGs,and alsoexploredtheschool's NaturalMakerSpacesfor theirlearningplanwith KathleenRice,Program SpecialistatBrilliantLabs.

Allinall,theseactivities createdabuzzandplanted smallseedsofideasthatwill beinterestingtowatch germinateandgrow.

Thepedagogicalpotentialof theschoolyard,natural spacesandnearbyparksto exploreanddiscover

Whatifthecourtyardandthe naturalmakerspaces surroundingtheschool becameextensionsofthe classrooms,easilyaccessible andofferingawholeworldof possibilitiesforthe developmentofeducational projects?

Nearaschool,or2kmsaway fromit,whatwouldwefind? -aforest -ariver,stream,lake,the ocean -anecosystem

-agarden -apark -notforgettingbirds,insects, animalsandothers.

Theabilitytouseavarietyof outdoorspacesforauthentic learningexperiencesallows teachersandschoolstaffto explorePlaceBasedLearning pedagogy(Pédagogiedulieu) withthegoalofhighlighting thesmallnaturaltreasures foundineachplace,inorder toexplore,protect,enhance andeventransformthese spaceswiththeirstudents.

Appreciationandsharing fromthestaff

Thisprofessional developmentmorningatthe JardindelaRépubliqueinStJacquesendedwiththe wonderfulideasthatwere sharedandtheappreciation oftheworkshopsinthis naturalenvironment!Whata greatopportunitywasoffered toexploreandexperience activitiesthatallowteamsto seethepotentialandbenefits oflearningandmaking outdoors,andthevarietyof NaturalMakerFunand Technologicalactivities offeredbyBrilliantLabsthat areeasilyaccessibleonthe website.

Let'sjointheNotre-Dame Schoolteamthisyearand let’stakeourstudents outdoorstolearnandmake! Thereisawholeworldoutside theschooldoorsjustwaiting tobediscovered!

(ENGLISHarticlefollows)

Etsilaconnexionémotiveétaitlaportedes apprentissagesauthentiques?Etsiles petitsmakersnaturelsdétenaientsansle savoirlaclédesérieuxproblèmessociaux etenvironnementaux?Etsiletempspassé ennatureétaitdirectementreliéaumieuxêtredelapersonne,delacommunauté?Et silesapprentissagesextérieursétaient facilités?

Etbienvoilàlemandatduprogramme NaturalMakerNatureldeLaboscréatifs. Inspirésdeplusieursgrandspédagogues ennatureetdenospropresexpériences, voicicinqconseilspratiquesquivous aideront,onlesouhaite,àtrouverplaisiret réconfortdansvossortiespédagogiquesen natureavecvosélèves.

Lesapprentissagesen natureseproduisentdès qu’onmetlepieddehors Si votreécoleauneporte,vous avezunespacecréatif naturelintégré. Çapeutêtre lacourd’école,dansun sentiertoutprès,dansun parcmunicipal,prèsd’un coursd’eauousurlaferme d’unvoisin… Tousles espacesnaturelsàproximité devotreécoleméritentd’être explorés.Rangezvotre matérieletceluidesélèves dansdesseauxquiserviront detransportmaisausside bancs,tablesetdetableaux blancs,etpartezàl’aventure. Lapremièreétapeest d’observerlesespacesà proximitédel’écoleen utilisantunlogicielcomme Googlemapetensuitede marcherleslieux.Aucune infrastructuren’est nécessaire,lesseaux suffisentsouventmaisles élèvespourraientvoirdes possibilitésdeconstruction decabanes,bancs,jeux Ce sontdesoccasions d’apprentissageformidable enautantque çasefaitdans leplusgrandrespectde l’environnement.

2-Planifiezselonlamétéo

Touteslestempératuressont propicesauxapprentissages ennature… Maissivous voulezprendreplaisiren vousinitiantaux apprentissagesextérieurs,je voussuggèredefairecomme M.Kevin,enseignantau Centred’apprentissagedu Haut-Madawaska,etde planifiervossorties

extérieuresselonlamétéo. Cesontlesélèvesde6e annéedeM.Kevinqui analysentlesprévisions météorologiqueslelundi matinafindeplacerau moinsunejournée d’apprentissagesennature àleurhoraire hebdomadaire.Cette planificationgagnantea assuréauxélèvesdeM.

Kevindevivredes expériencesennature touteslessemainesdepuis ledébutdel’annéescolaire, parfoismêmedeuxoutrois sortiesvousdiront-ils. Donc,placez “Labocréatif naturel” àvotrehoraire maischoisissezlajournée avecvosélèvespour permettreàchacundevivre uneexpériencepositive.

3-Impliquezlesparents/ élèves

Ens'initiantàcette magnifiquepédagogieen nature,ilestimportantque lesparentsetélèves prennentconsciencede l’importancedes’habiller convenablementafinde profiterpleinementdes sortiesextérieures.La marquedesvêtementsa trèspeud’importance. L’idéaleaufondc’estde s’habillerenpelures d’oignonsetd’avoirun survêtementimperméable encasdepluieetdes vêtementsderechangeà l’école.Unelettre d’autorisationdesorties aveclesessentielsànepas oublierendébutd’année peutfairel’affaire.Une rencontrevirtuelleou extérieureaveclesparents

peutaussiêtreunebellefaçon d’impliquertoutlemonde.Vous pourrezaussivouspréparerdes petitsensemblesdesurplus pourlesoublis(mitaines,bas, tuques)encollaborationavec lesparents.

4-Planifierunesortieselon vosintérêtsàvous

Lesélèvesonttoutplein d’intérêts,vousallezytoucher encoursderoute.Toutefois,il estimportantquevotre premièresortievousressemble. Pourvivredusuccès,ilfaut sentiruneconnexion,ilfaut avoirduplaisir,ilfautvivreune passion.Quecesoitaussi simplequesortirdîneravecles élèvesoudeliredehorsou mêmedesimplementmarcher pourécouterlessonsd’oiseaux; laplanificationd’unepremière courtesortiequivous ressemblevousdonnerala confiancedontvousavezbesoin pourallerplusloin.Vouspouvez aussiimpliquerlesparentsetla communauté,vousn'êtespas toutseullàdedans.Lesgensde lacommunautésontsouvent fiersdepartagerleurexpertise, etcommeondit, çaprendtout unvillagepouréleverunenfant.

5-Prendreletemps

Jesaisquec'estplusfacileà direqu’àfaire.Laréalitéestque lesapprentissagesennature prennentdutemps,commetout apprentissageauthentique d’ailleurs.Justepourserendreà unespacecréatifnaturel ça peutparfoisprendre30-45 minutesdemarche.Mais attention!Ceprécieuxtemps n’estabsolumentpasperdu.Je vousinviteàlirelelivrede GillianJudson,TheWalking

Curriculum,adaptation françaiseApprendrepasà pas.Lesobservations, discussions, questionnementsqui ressortentdecetempsde marcheennatureoumême envillesontdeprécieux outilsdeconstructionde savoir.

Recommencezl’étape1et ajoutezlastructure pédagogiquequivousparlele plus.

Jerecommandela planificationàreboursqui consisteàpartirdes observations,intérêts,projets desélèvesafindelesrelierau programmed’étude.Par exemple,silesélèvessont fascinésd’assisterendirectà lamigrationdesbernaches lorsd’unesortie,vous pourriezorientervotre planificationvers l’observationdesoiseauxdu quartier.Vouspourriezaussi inviterlesélèvesànoterles différentesespèces observées,tenterdeles identifier,faireuntableaude dénombrementouparticiper àunbioblitzduquartier, enregistrerdessons d’oiseaux,créerdesmélodies etfabriquerdesnichoirs.

Pourunepanoplied’idées, allezvisiterlesite fr.brilliantlabs.ca/ naturalmakerspaceou inscrivezvousauréseau NaturalMakerNaturel (Facebook)pourpartager etvousinspirer.

HOW TO BECOME A NATURAL MAKER IN 5 EASY STEPS

What if emotional connection is the door to authentic learning? What if young natural makers unknowingly hold the key to serious social and environmental problems? What if the time spent in nature was directly related to the well-being of the person, the community? What if outdoors learning was facilitated?

This is the mandate of Brilliant Labs' Natural Maker program. Inspired by several great nature educators and our own experiences, here are five practical tips that we hope will help you find pleasure and comfort in your outdoors learning initiatives with your students.

1- We go out but where do we go?

Learning in nature happens as soon as you set foot outside... If your school has a door, you have an integrated Natural Maker Space. It could be in the schoolyard, on a nearby trail, in a municipal park, near a watercourse or on a neighbor's farm... All natural spaces near your school are worth exploring. Pack your equipment and that of the students in buckets that will be used for transportation but also for benches, tables and

whiteboards,andsetoffon anadventure.Thefirststep istoobservethespaces neartheschoolusing softwaresuchasGoogle mapandthenwalkaround thearea.Noinfrastructure isnecessary,bucketsare oftenenoughbutstudents mightseepossibilitiesto buildshelters,benches, games...Thesearegreat learningopportunitiesas longasitisdoneinan environmentallyfriendly way.

2-Planaccordingtothe weather

Alltemperaturesare conducivetolearningin nature...Butifyouwantto havefunwhilelearning outdoors,Isuggestyoudo asMr.Kevin,teacheratthe Centred'Apprentissagedu Haut-Madawaska,does andplanyouroutdoor outingsaccordingtothe weather.ItisMr.Kevin's Grade6studentswho analyzetheweather forecastonMonday morningsinordertoplace atleastonedayof outdoorslearningintheir weeklyschedule.This winningplanhasensured thatMr.Kevin'sstudents havehadoutdoor experienceseveryweek sincethebeginningofthe schoolyear,sometimes eventwoorthreeoutings, theywilltellyou.So,put "NaturalMakerspace"on yourschedulebutchoose thedaywithyourstudents toalloweveryonetohavea positiveexperience.

3-Involveparents/ students

Whilelearningaboutthis magnificentpedagogyin nature,itisimportantthat parentsandstudents becomeawareofthe importanceofdressing appropriatelyinorderto takefulladvantageof outdooroutings.Thebrand ofclothinghasverylittle importance.Theidealisto dressinlayersasonion skinsandtohavea waterproofsuitincaseof rainandachangeof clothesatschool.Aletterof authorizationforoutings withtheessentialsto rememberatthebeginning oftheyearcandothetrick. Avirtualoroutside meetingwithparentscan alsobeagreatwaytoget everyoneinvolved.Youcan alsopreparesmallsetsof extrasforforgetfulness (mittens,socks,toques)in collaborationwiththe parents.

4-Plananouting accordingtoyourown interests

Thestudentshavealotof interests,youwilltouch themalongtheway. However,it'simportant thatyourfirstoutinglooks likeyou.Toexperience success,youhavetofeela connection,youhaveto havefun,youhavetolivea passion.Whetherit'sas simpleasgoingoutfor lunchwithstudentsor readingoutsideoreven justwalkingtolistentothe

soundsofbirds,planninga shortfirstoutingthatyou enjoywillgiveyouthe confidenceyouneedto takeittothenextlevel.You canalsoinvolveparents andthecommunity,you arenotaloneinthis.People inthecommunityareoften proudtosharetheir expertise,andastheysay, ittakesawholevillageto raiseachild.

5-Takingthetime

Iknowit'seasiersaidthan done.Therealityisthat learninginnaturetakes time,likeallauthentic learning.Justtogettoa naturalmakerspacecan sometimestakea30-45 minutewalk.Butbeware! Thisprecioustimeis absolutelynotwasted.I inviteyoutoreadGillian Judson'sbook,TheWalking Curriculum.The observations,discussions andquestionsthatemerge fromthistimespent walkinginnatureoreven inthecityarevaluable toolsforbuilding knowledge.

RepeatStep1andaddthe educationalstructurethat speakstoyoumost.

Irecommendbackward planning,whichisbased onthestudents' observations,interests, projectsandlinkingthem tothecurriculum.For example,ifthestudents arefascinatedtowitness thelivemigrationofgeese onafieldtrip,youcould

directyourplanning towardsobservingthe birdsinthe neighbourhood.You couldalsoinvite studentstorecordthe differentspecies observed,trytoidentify them,makeacount board,participateina neighbourhood bioblitz,recordbird sounds,create melodiesandmake birdhouses. Forawidevarietyof ideas,visit brilliantlabs.ca/ naturalmakerspaceor jointheNaturalMaker Naturalnetwork (Facebook)toshare andgetinspired.

BrilliantLabshasbeenhelping schoolsandcommunitycentres transformlearning environmentsintomakerspaces sincedayone.Sixyearslater,we havehelpedmakemorethan 200spacesthroughoutAtlantic Canada.Eachoneisdifferent thanthenext.Somehave materialsdedicatedtothe creationofimmersivevirtual realitieswhileothershave sewingmachinesalongside their3DPrinters.Wearethrilled tocollaboratewiththemaker leadersofeachschoolto carefullyconstructaspacethat isreflectiveofthecultureofthe communitysurroundingthe makerspace.Ithasbeenan incredibleexperiencetoseethis networkofmakerspacesgrowto addnewperspectivestoarich storyofmaking.

Wewereinspiredbythisworkto createourownresourcefor anyonewhoiscuriousabout startingamakerspace.Partof thisprocesswastounderstand thedifferentperspectivesof makingamakerspace.

Storieshavethepowerto transformpeople'smotivations andactions.Usingthepowerof storytelling,canweinspire peopletobringachangein children'slivesthroughcreative, meaningful,andhands-on maker-centeredlearning experiences?

Hereisacollectionofstories withideasandinspirationto startmakinganddesign makerspacesandcornersat home,schoolandcommunity spaces.

Parentsperspectivebook1 (independenthomesetting). ByKhusbooJain3rdYear B.DesCreativeEducation, SrishtiInstituteofArt,Design andTechnology,Bangalore.

Parentsperspectivebook2 (urbansmallspace apartmentsetting).By HimaniKumawat.3rdYear B.DesCreativeandApplied Computation,Srishti InstituteofArt,Designand Technology,Bangalore.

Parentsperspectivebook3 (ruralsetting).ByKavya Sabin.3rdYearB.DesCreative andAppliedComputation, SrishtiInstituteofArt,Design andTechnology,Bangalore Studentsperspective.By ManyaSingh&Parth PradeepKulkarni.3rdYear B.DesHumanCentered Design,SrishtiInstituteof Art,DesignandTechnology, Bangalore

Teachersperspective(Indian andCanadiansetting).By SrinijaGhantasala,LisaPinto, GayathriMenon.3rdYear B.DesHumanCentered Design,SrishtiInstituteof Art,DesignandTechnology, Bangalore

TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, LEARNING,ANDDESIGN

Whenthinkingabout timelesslearningand technologies,weneedto reflectonwhatcreative tools,spaces,and interventionshaveexisted 100yearspriorand envisionwhatwillpersist forthenext100years.In thiscreativeexploration, wewillinvestigatewaysto designmeaningful learningtools, environments,and experiencesforyoung peopletomeetthe demandsofthecurrent evolvingeducational landscape.Weareateam ofcreativetechnologists anddesignersexploring theroleofnew technologiestotransform traditionaleducational practicesbyfostering creativelearning, meaningfulpeer interaction,andintrinsic motivation.Weinviteyou tojoinusinexploring constructionistlearning experiencesthrough technologiessuchas ArtificialIntelligence, VirtualReality,and TangibleComputational Media.Throughour collaboration,weaimto designnovellearning ecosystemsconsistingof CreativeToolsand Manipulatives,Dynamic LearningSpaces,and FacilitationInterventions.

CourseInstructors:

AlishaCollins,Akshay Nagarajan

Theabovestorieswere createdasresponsetothe followingAssignment: Designingvisualnarratives topromotemaker-centered learning

Storieshavethepowerto transformpeople's motivationsandactions. Usingthepowerof storytelling,canweinspire peopletobringachangein children'slivesthrough creative,meaningful,and hands-onmaker-centered learningexperiences?

ReviewBrilliantLabs’ DesigningforMaking Guide

Thisguidepresentsan overviewofhowtosetupa makerspaceandprovide youthwithmaker-centered learningexperiences.

Workinteams.Thinkfrom thereader'sperspectives. Chooseoneofthe followingscenarios:

• Youareateacher curiousabout makerspaces.Youmay haveneverheardabout maker-centered learningorhaveheard thetermbutnotsure whatitis.Your colleaguessaythatitis justaboutusingfancy expensivetechnologies. Asadesignertryto shifttheperspective

andcreateanarrative wherethisuser eventuallyfindsaway toimplementmakercenteredlearningin virtualorphysical classrooms

• Youareaparentwho caresaboutyourchild's wellbeingandlearning. Duringthepandemic, youhaveseenthevalue orhand-onpersonal experiencebutstill worriedwhetherthis willhelpyourchildget goodgrades.Youwant tounderstandthevalue ofmakingandlearning andcreatingat-home maker-centered experiencesforyour childandtheirfriends. Asadesigner,tryto understandthe constraintsand opportunitieshereand provideapathwayfor theparenttoexplore makingathome.

• Youareacommunity/ socialworkerand passionateabout children'scuriosity.You wanttobridgethe learninggapand provideawaytoengage youthinhands-on inquiry-basedlearning thatappealstotheir livesandprovidethem withcreative confidencetolearn almostanything.But sometimesyouaren't sureifitistheright way.Asadesigner,try toeliminatethis

confusionand expressthevalueof makingwith practicalapproaches. Provideapathwayfor thecommunity membertoexplore makingintheir community

• Youarethelearner/ student/makerwho wantstotrymaking activitiesbutnot surehowtoconvince adultsaboutyour needs.Youenjoy making,butadults havetoldyouitisnot important.Asa designer,support thislearnertobring maker-based approachesintheir lives.

• Generateastoryline buildingonthe selectedscenarios. Createastoryboard

• Worktowardsa coherentvisual narrative.The outcomecouldbea visualstorythat couldbeintheform ofacomicstrip,an illustratedbook,or ananimation.

MAKERSPACESTOINSPIRELEARNING

Technologyisomnipresent inourdailylives.Weonly havetothinkofour"smart" phoneinourpocket,our connectedwatchthat wrapsaroundourwrist,our wirelessheadphones transmittingourbest musicviaBluetooth,our microchipatthebottomof ourshoethatcalculates thenumberofstepsorour connectedcoatthat automaticallyadjuststo temperaturevariations. Andforthosewherethe connectedcoatisnotan option,let'ssuggestthecar thatcannowbestarted remotelywithaphone!

Thesetechnologiesare real,theyarethere,weuse

themandwetransmitalot ofdata.Dataaloneispretty harmless.Ontheother hand,whenwegatherit,it becomespossibletoobtain muchmoreprecise informationaboutwhoyou areandwhoyouwillbe.

Thequestionisnolonger whetherornotweshould usethesetechnologies, sincetheyarewell entrenchedinourhabits. Weusethem,andwewill usethem.However,how canwelimittheimpactof thisdatatransmission whilestillbeingableto continuetousethese technologies?Howcanwe actsecurelywithour technologies?What

behaviourscanweadopt? Whatattitudesshouldwe aimfor?Theseareall possiblequestionsthat cybersecurityoffersafew possiblesolutions.

Latechnologieest omniprésentedansnotre quotidien.Nousn’avons qu’àpenserànotre téléphone « intelligent » dansnotrepoche,ànotre montreconnectéequi entourenotrepoignet,à nosécouteurssans-fils transmettantnotre meilleuremusiquevia Bluetooth,ànotrepuce électroniqueaufondde notrechaussure,qui calculelenombredepas ouencoreànotremanteau connectéquis’ajuste automatiquementaux variationsdetempérature. Etpourceuxoùlemanteau connectén’estpasune option,proposonsla voiturequipeut

maintenantêtredémarrée àdistanceavecun téléphone!

Cestechnologiessontbien réelles,ellessontlà,nous lesutilisonsetnous transmettonsbeaucoupde données.Àellesseules,les donnéessontplutôt inoffensives.Parcontre, lorsqu’onlesrassemble,il devientpossibled’obtenir uneinformationbeaucoup plusprécisedecequevous êtesetdecequevous serez.

Laquestionn’estdoncplus desavoirsinousdevrions oupasutiliserces technologies,puisqu’elles sontbienancréesdansnos

habitudes.Nousles utilisons,etnousles utiliserons.Cependant, commentpeut-onlimiter l’impactdecette transmissiondedonnées toutenayantlapossibilité decontinueràutiliserces technologies?Comment peut-onagirdemanière sécuritaireavecnos technologies?Quels comportementsadopter? Quellesattitudesviser? Voilàautantde questionnements possiblesdontla cybersécuritépropose quelquespistesde solutions.

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PhotoCredit:Federico-Beccari

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