Exploration Name: Tech Support
Exploration Dates: November 24th to February 6th
Essential Questions:
a) How can we use technology to improve our learning and help others learn?
Number of Students: 12
Our Exploration was about technology and we made a group called Tech-U-UP. We made this group in Singapore and we made this group for helping NGOs that have problems with their technology. We started our Exploration for a second time because we had a lot of work to do. The first Exploration we had a lot of things to do, for example, fixing Tiny Toones computers and helping Green Umbrella with their website and so on. Tech U-Up has helped a lot of NGOs in Cambodia and mostly we helped Tiny Toones. Tiny Toones had a problem with their computers. Then they gave us the broken computers for us to fix. We took a long time to fix it. When we fixed the computers we didn’t have enough materials. So QB had broken computers and they gave them to us. At that time we took QB’s computers apart. Then took those parts to fix Tiny Toones computers. Then we gave them back all the computers and we taught them how to use computers too. We did not just help Tiny Toones only, we also helped Green Umbrella with their website and taught the kids how the computer works. In this class we had our own expertise, and my expertise was Arduino. Arduino is an object that controls all electric things. Example: it controls the LED lights, motors and so on. In this Exploration my favorite lesson was making a computer by our own group. I believe that technology can improve our learning because technology is global and has a lot of information. If we don’t have technology we can improve our learning too, but our learning is very slow. Example: If we don’t know the word system mean, we can check the dictionary in the book. So it take long time to find that word means, but if we just search in dictionary in computer. It will come up very fast. So that how technology can improve our learning very fast.
Our Exploration is about technology and we have made a group call Tech-U-UP. We have been helping a lot of NGOs in Cambodia and mostly we help Tiny Toones. We started our Exploration for a second time because we had a lot of work to do. The first time we had a lot of things to do, for example fixing tiny toones computer and helping Green umbrella website and so on.
Sharation: At the Sharation my highlight was sharing an idea that I had with other people. I liked people that asked me a lot of questions. When I presented to Trevor, he asked us some questions: “What temperature does each computer need?” and “How many CPUs does each computer have?”. Vuthy, Sophat, Meng Huoth and I didn’t know the answer so we didn’t say anything because we didn’t want to give a wrong answer to other people.
Expertise Windows 8.1: In this Exploration I wanted to learn about Windows 8.1. Now my goal was achieved with Kimseng. Now I still learn about it a little bit and I want to learn more about updates from Windows to another OS, how to fix the printer and so on. Then Kimseng and I can help them about all those problems. I know about Windows 8.1 so I will teach Liger students by writing a document then sharing with them. If some students have a problem and if they want to learn they also can learn from me and Kimseng. I have been solving problems about Windows 8.1 like losing the mouse, hearing annoying sounds when restarting and so on.
Trip to Singapore: We went to Singapore because we wanted to go to UWCSEA. The full name of UWCES is United World Colleges South East Asia. We went to learn about computers and make more friends; we also made a group that helps Cambodian NGOs. When we arrived at UWCSEA we ate lunch there with Jeff. Then we started to walk around UWCSEA. After we walked around UWCSEA we went to eat dinner at the food court. Then we came to UWCSEA to watch a movie named Puss in Boots until 9:00pm. Then we went to sleep with our friend’s family and my friend named Saransh. Saransh’s family was so kind and they said if I’m hungry I can take food from the refrigerator. Every day they gave us food to eat and took us to school with Saransh. We only had two days to live with them and the last day, me, Kimseng and Saransh’s family went out for dinner. Then me and Kimseng gave them a thank you gift and in the morning we ate breakfast, then we went to school. When we were at school we played Minecraft with UWCSEA students and we had fun together. After that we were learning about computers and we were breaking computers to look inside them. Then we ate pizza together. After that we camped in UWCSEA school. Then I played football with Liger students. In this trip I knew three people’s names: Saranch, David and Justin.
Arduino: My expertise is about Arduino. Arduino is an object that makes other things work. For example: LED lights, motors, colored LED lights and so on. If we just take a battery and connect it with a motor then the motor will work. To do that is very simple and easy, but Arduino can do that too. Did you know that the special point about Arduino is we can control it by programming it in our computer? You can make the motor work using the battery and can choose to program it or not. I chose this expertise because I love programming things and making something new. I made the sound work, made the LED lights work and also made the LED colors work too. I used Ardublock to program it and it is easy because I didn’t needed to learn the language of Arduino. Working with Arduino made me feel a little bit faint because the letters are very, very small and it is difficult to see. I consulted with Max to make this Arduino work. I love to play with Arduino and program it, even if it is very hard, I still love it.
