Day: 9 November 2023

Coding is not just with computers. You can code with red, black, blue and green markers, white paper and little robots. Little robots called Ozobots. The Ozobots we had, had little faces on them or were designed to look more robotic. They read the code that is drawn on paper using the coloured markers. The main path is drawn is black. These markings move the Ozobots around. You can make it spin, go faster slower, backwards, forwards and turn left and right. Many people created designs to for their path. My group did a infinity sign for it, there was also a Christmas tree done. Thanks to the Exploration Place we were able to enjoy and experience these materials. Having these resource outlet helps us as teachers be creative and engage our students rather than just a worksheet. Making connections with coding and creativity without computers. Coding can look and be done by many things. When I thought of coding I thought of computers but this post and the next will show you as well it can be anything. Learning activities can look different and be fun.

Working with Ozobots connects to the 7 Principles of Learning:

1. Learners at the Centre– We were able to create our own path with our own trial and error.
2. The Social Nature of Learning– Working in groups
3. Emotions are Integral to Learning– Being connected to the little Ozobot and being patient in creating the path
4. Recognize Individual Differences– All of our paths were different and which codes were used were different
5. Stretching all Students– All of us had to think and take the time to create our paths
6. Assessment of Learning– Creating our paths and following the criteria of using 5 different codes and continuing movement
7. Building Horizontal Connections– Cross connecting/cross curricular with coding, art, and design

The art gallery tour was a really cool experience. There were two art installations “Nonreturnables” and “Dismantled Worlds”.

“Nonreturnables” had multiple artworks from different artists using plastics and commenting on the use and destruction of plastics. The one that stood out to me was the one by Carlyn Yandle, called Scaffold. Long pieces of plastic weaved together scoffolding onto each other. It was very tempting to touch but of course we were not allowed to.

“According to the Government of Canada, more than 30% of all plastic waste comes from the construction industry. Included in that category is the building wrap material of polyethylene fibers commonly known as Tyvek.”

carlyn yandle

In “Dismantled Worlds” artist Jude Griebel created artworks commenting on the climate crisis and how we treat our world. There were three artworks that stood out to me. One was a sculpture of a pile of animals intertwining with each other. It is Jude’s idea of the food pyramid. There is even a butterfly included because he ate a butterfly as a child. Which takes something that looks and means so powerful and adds a little bit of humour to it. I took it as how we eat everything not thinking of where it come from. Especially meat and other proteins we tend to forget where they come from unless we hunt for them ourselves.

Meticulously crafted figures personify overconsumption, dissolving the boundary between landscape and anatomy.

Jude Griebel

Another one was a dismantled and burnt city with a giant plant in the center. We were told to look at a piece for longer than 10 minutes taking it all in. Imagining ourselves in it and really looking at the details. I chose the plant city one to look at. It was powerful. To me it shows how we destroy our land but the plants still thrive and grow. Or after we leave how the earth can regrow again. Plus on a non serious note it reminded me of the Lorax how the city around him was taking the earth fro granted.

The last one by Jude that stood out to me was a creature made of shells on top of plastics and garbage. This one was right in the middle of the room, so when you walked in that’s the first thing you see. Which can be taken as the creatures that once lived on the ocean floor now have to work together to ge through the garbage below.

The final activity of the day was creating our own creature out of play dough that had its own purpose in the world. Which was fun to see everyone’s creations and which ones would fit into the themes of the instalments.

For teachers this is a good place to bring your students because they’ll get exposed to different kinds of art and different installations as they move them around. They’ll learn different ways to experience art and how powerful art can be. Plus an activity that connects them to what they’ve seen so they too can be the artist.