Summer Tech Camp

For the third year in a row, students from 4th to 8th grade joined us at Waimea Middle School for a Summer Tech Camp in collaboration with Utah State University. Focused on building computational thinking and culturally relevant technology, students learned how to create apps for plants and the Waimea area, program electrical circuits that tell the story of their family’s history, code microprocessors to help collect environmental data, and go on huaka’i to our Kohala Watershed. Ms. Zoe’s group focused on the “Kilo Companions”, a handheld weather station that students learned how to program based on what data they wanted to collect. Students came up with driving questions that all related to our central question: How can we build deeper pilina between ourselves, our community and our environment by using technology? Students gathered data on wind, temperature, soil moisture, humidity, and more depending on their interest. The Kilo Companions were also used to compare data from areas in the Kohala Watershed and the Culinary Garden.

Mahalo nunui to our Utah State team, and especially Zoe’s lead teacher Tyler Hansen, who designed the lessons around the garden and took into account the ecological and cultural perspectives of our community. Our goal is to continue using the Kilo Companions with students this year!