CAY HILL – The C-TEC organizing committee is gearing up for the 2016 conference that will take place in the Hillside Christian School (Asha Stevens Campus), and the adjoining NIPA building, on October 23-25.
The initiative for the C-TEC conferences springs from the activities of the Foresee (4C) Foundation, a project organization aimed at bringing 21st century learning to St. Maarten classrooms.
Throughout the conference, more time and space will be dedicated to exploration and creativity. The concept of a ‘Makers Lab’ is introduced, where students work hands-on with different technologies to learn, to explore and to create. Gamification, the packaging of educational content in games, digital storytelling and digital tools to enhance writing skills are part of the program as well.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library, in collaboration with Foresee Foundation, is excited to introduce the DigiWorkz Makers Lab. The enthusiastic DigiWorkz team will show 3D printing, the use of a laser cutter, 3D pens, Works with Arduino, Littlebits, MakeyMakeys and their green screen.
DigiWorkz prepares St. Maarten to be ready to handle the challenges of the world in the 21st century, by making learning more creative, innovative, fun, hands on and practical for the technological world of tomorrow. Mathematics, science and engineering are the building blocks for the technological and digital age that the world is experiencing.
DigiWorkz will have a Makers Lab at the C-TEC 2016 conference. A Makers Lab will be established at the conference in an area designed to nurture the creativity and innovation of a student who is building a technology-based project.
The Makers Lab will have the island’s only 3D printer, mini-computers programmed to illuminate with a sequence of lights, a self-drawing robot, and a simple marble machine.
The public will have the opportunity to witness computer coding being done. Computer coding is a key element that is required in the Makers Lab. Computer coding, better known as programming, is how computers know what action must be taken after it receives the code. Coding has become an integral part of education worldwide because coding is the foundation within all computerized technology.
DigiWorkz is here to guide all local schools into the area of coding so that St. Maarten can be a part of the technological and digital revolution.
The public will also get to see the way a simple 3D image can be designed, and then created through the 3D printer. At the end of the C-TEC conference the public will feel more comfortable embracing technology no matter the level of their education. This is the purpose of DigiWorkz showcasing a Makers Lab at C-TEC 2016 conference.
The St. Maarten government has agreed to make it possible for all teachers to attend by closing the primary and secondary schools for a day each. Furthermore, local communication companies have pledged to provide the venue with the kind of internet bandwidth needed for such a technologically ambitious event.
More local and international businesses, as well as publishing houses and providers of educational materials will attend than last year. Funding agencies and sponsors from the private sector have committed their support.
These favorable conditions, taken together with the positive feedback from last year’s event, give the C-TEC organizers the confidence to look forward to yet another successful conference.
Persons and businesses who are interested in being part of the Expo or being a presenter during the conference can send an email to info@ctec-conference.com or call 581-5050 (J. Sommers). More information will become available through the C-TEC conference website: www.ctec-conference.com.
