education KIDS& FEBRUARY Kids can rise to printing challenge BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] Learning art will be three dimensional for some Queens students. The Rego Park Green Alliance, a group that fosters art and technology in the borough, will host a 3D printing pilot contest for children on May 4 at P.S. 175. Nearly 100 students between third and sixth grades will learn how to use 3D printing applications and create their own designs for the competition. “The 3D printing tool is very interesting, because it doesn’t just teach math and engineering. It also teaches art,”said Yvonne Shortt, executive director of the Rego Park Green Alliance. The organization has been working with the Queens Library to teach students and adults how to use 3D printers since last year. Now they are taking it directly to schools. The group trained teachers in several local public and private schools, which will educate their students about 3D printing and design for the pilot challenge. The children are tasked to design play sets on the computer and use 3D printers at school or through the Alliance. The winning designs will be chosen from three categories; innovation, collaboration and presentation. The students can create play sets from any theme that they like, as long as it fits in a 6x6x6 inch box. The challenge comes from the idea to teach kids about emerging technology and incite creativity. Shortt and her group believe that by introducing 3D printers to children, which is relatively new technology, it will help parents learn more about it. Also, after learning how to make their creations from scratch, students will value their toys and other items more. “This little toy is not going to end up of the floor, because it would have taken about 10 hours to design,” Shortt said. “It creates value after making it by hand.” Photos courtesy Rego Park Green Alliance The Rego Park Green Alliance will host a 3D printing contest for local students. Kids can win up to $1K in scholarships BY MELISSA CHAN [email protected] A total of up to $9,000 in scholarships is on the table for some community-minded Queens students. School District 26 scholars, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, have until March 28 to enter a contest to compete for $250 to $1,000 in prizes. Elementary youngsters are asked to draw pictures of their favorite school activity, while high school students from Benjamin Cardozo, Francis Lewis, Bayside, Queens High School of Teaching and Martin Van Buren write essays, describing inspirational, fictional characters. “Some of the essays that come in are really moving,” said Mary Vaccaro, the district’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT) representative. “And in the elementary grades, we’ve seen some truly gifted people. We’ve seen some really amazing things.” This is the eighth year of the contest, headed by the UFT and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA). It is judged by a panel of 30 district parents, teachers and principals. In the last two years, 1,450 students applied and $15,500 in scholarships were given away, Vaccaro said. “When this started, we felt we really wanted to be involved in the community,” she said. “We thought it would be a good idea to honor those students who are really trying hard.” Applications and rules can be found at www.uft.org/ news/district-26-scholarship-application-available. Those interested can also call 718-275-4400 for more information. Checks will be distributed May 22 to winners, during the district’s annual scholarship dinner dance.
SC01302014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above