Innovation Space
Birds Come to Life in Middle School
There are birds in the science wing of the Middle School. To be more specific, there are 3D models and drawings of finches, hawks, bluebirds and flickers. They do come to life, however, as passersby hold an iPad in front of each one. A student-made video launches describing the bird through visuals and voice narration, thereby creating an Augmented Reality experience.
“Students really enjoyed this creative outlet,” said sixth grade Science Teacher Margaret Mackey. “They picked a medium that appealed to them, either a fine art like drawing and painting or 3D printing which allowed students to build on their Maker skills. They are also facile in iMovie and put their video editing skills to work.”
“We had a lot of freedom to express ourselves in this assignment,” said sixth grader Waverly Walters who created both a drawing and 3D model of a red-tailed hawk, in addition to a video. “We also got to share our work with others which made it more interactive.”
Students learned about birds through the lens of both ecology and adaptation. In addition to the exhibit, students designed and conducted experiments on bird feeding behavior over the course of the winter. They reported their findings in lab reports which will be submitted to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdSleuth K-12, a publication for and by students across the country. Country School students have been pleased to be selected for inclusion over the years.
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
