What does a green screen, solar paneling, Spanish, wood engraving, and 3D printing have in common? These were just some of the projects that Edmunds Middle School students showcased at their Digital Learning Day on Tuesday.

Students were excited and willing to share their innovative work and we were lucky enough to learn plenty from them!

The green screen was an instant crowd pleaser and one student was kind enough to demo its features to giddy onlookers. I even saw a man bring his ski helmet to the exhibit, so he could fool his friend into thinking he had taken a ski day. Check out our post sharing more information on the green screen.

Looking to learn Spanish? How about German? Two students walked me through a website that they are using in their Spanish class to help them master the language and chart their progress.

Using Duolingo (shown at right), students create a profile and set personal language goals, testing their knowledge and creating an overall engaging learning experience. These two students were eager to show me examples of how the site works and shared their own language profiles and learning goals. They even pulled up the mobile version on one of their phones… learning on the go. Best of all, Duolingo is free, so go ahead and learn a foreign language on your own!

At another table, students displayed model buildings complete with solar paneling on the rooftops. The students had built the models and had insulated the interior of the structures with bubble wrap. They tested temperature change and heat retention: first, they took the temperature within the interior of the building, then by shining a light on the solar paneling, they recorded the temperature within the structure over the next seven minutes, charting the temperature change and heat retention.

Speaking with some design and tech students, I learned all about wooden sign engraving and 3D printing.

With the engraving, students design the work on their laptops, sifting through many images to find just the right one, creating the composition and language of each sign.

They then adjust the width of their lines within the design, choose the appropriate bit for engraving, and send their work electronically to the engraving machine. Once the engraving is complete, they paint the lines by hand to really create the contrasting effect.

Also in the design and tech class, students provided a live demonstration of 3D printing.

Using SketchUp, students create a design and send this to the 3D printing machine. They then essentially thread the printer with the color of spooled plastic of their choosing.

And voila! Their design becomes a reality! They explained the entire process and even had Edmunds Middle School souvenirs for folks:

Thank you Edmunds design and technology class for my new 3D printed keychain! See you next year!