What is the Tenth Dimension?
The Tenth Dimension is the idea that beyond our perception of the universe there are infinite possibilities, encompassing everything we can imagine. Our goal as a camp is to provide a space where kids can have the opportunity to fulfill their imaginations, to design, build and create something new and exciting to them.
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Learn
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Create
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Part of our focus is on the "5Cs," a new set of core skills designed by the Virginia Department of Education to help students be prepared for their futures. The 5Cs as established by the VDOE are communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and citizenship.
OrganizeTo meet this year's challenge, the campers will have to stay organized and work as a team. We will be using the Scrum organizational framework to help keep teams meet their goals. To learn more about Scrum, see our page above!
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Our challenge for the year will be unveiled the first day of camp, but we can tell you there will be engineering, technology, marketing and videos, chemistry and so much more! Throughout the week, the campers will work on different aspects of this challenge in teams of six to present on Friday in an end-of-camp showcase.
PlayWhile the challenge is a big part of camp, that's not all! Each day we will have time to go outside, play team building games, have snacks and more. Campers will have the opportunity to explore their interests in the Innovation Studio.
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"So many things are possible as long as you don't know they are impossible."
- Mildred D. Taylor
The Hanover Innovation Institute
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this project is to connect community and schools through a collaborative initiative to promote innovation. Community professionals will mentor high school students in their field of interest and provide insight into how changes in our educational approach could better prepare students to work as professionals in science and technology related fields. These high school student leaders (HSSL) will use their field related skills to help create computer science and engineering projects for elementary students. Using the five Cs of an innovative environment; Community, Creativity, Critical thinking, Communication, and Collaboration, the group of HSSL will develop projects tailored to a group of fourth and fifth grade elementary students. These students will then work together to run a free Summer Innovation Camp. Description of Student Population There are currently 600 students in our building. All fourth and fifth graders will have the opportunity to apply for the free summer camp and approximately thirty to forty students will be accepted. The four to six high school students will be alumni from our elementary school who are interested in giving back to their home community. Statement of Rationale As an educational community, we have been prioritizing innovation in the classroom and fostering the soft skills that allow students to be successful. Throughout our growth as innovators over the past year, we have built relationships with community members and the Innovation Institute will help us access their skills and talents in order to strengthen our schools and ultimately our students. Allowing the HSSL to take ownership of the project will give them an environment in which to grow and learn. Their experiences and willingness to reflect and share about their own educational experiences could be the change agent we need to shift our educational practices. Project Timeline Spring of 2018
Objectives Our Innovation Institute objective is to make connections with community and business professionals and practices in order to allow high school students to learn more about their field of interest. We also want those HSSLs to explore that field of interest as they give back to their home community. The HSSLs will be honing their soft skills (5 C’s) through the framework for productivity and teamwork that SCRUM (tool used in the software industry) promotes. Our technology objectives are related to productivity and teamwork and are taken from the state standards of learning for computer technology.
Instructional Procedures A SCRUM boot camp will give the HSSL a framework for productivity and teamwork that will guide them through each project. Each HSSL will research, develop, and lead a project based learning experience for the elementary campers by ordering and preparing materials, and becoming experts in the technology. The elementary students will then participate in the week long camp run by the HSSLs. For an HSSL interested in landscape design or agricultural engineering, a sample project might be the engineering of a golf course hole to accommodate a sphero. Students could research grasses, plant material, and hardscapes. They could construct the hole in the outdoor classroom and make a plan to sustain plant life through a daily watering system. The watering system could connect to another HSSL team who is focused on environmental engineering. They will be creating an integrated collaborative environment where all teams are connected to one another and provide support to one another. These innovative learning experiences will prepare the HSSL and campers alike for the real world. Evaluation All parties involved, the mentors, HSSLs, and the campers will be given a survey about their experience. We will document our daily activities and post them on our Hanover Innovation Link on our elementary school Facebook page. HSSLs will be required to reflect using a rubric and a Flipgrid post on each day’s glows and grows. We will evaluate our success based on this feedback and make changes in order to improve the program next year. |
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