Edmonds School District students invited community members to see their work during the second annual Digital Learning Fair last weekend. The event was hosted at Alderwood Middle School and invited K-12 students to present classroom work from Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) classes, including robotics, coding, student video production, 3D printing, engineering and more.

Instructional Technologies Coach Brian Fulmer said the event is meant to show meaningful support for students and teachers.

“We really want to put a spotlight on ways that technology and digital learning are showing up in classrooms,” he said.

In a digital presentation, a class of fourth-grade students from Martha Lake Elementary presented research about local birds they observed from their second-story classroom window. The project taught the students both research and writing skills as well as fun facts about native birds, said fourth-grade teacher Anna Walter.

“They’re coming away with a lot of information,” she said.

Also presenting were sixth-grade students from Terrace Park Elementary School’s Challenge Program, who used coding and dioramas to retell the short story The Veldt and also used coding to create an educational true-false math quiz game.

A class of Meadowdale Elementary School second graders presented Ozobots — small, toy color-coded robots — which students controlled by drawing lines with different color markers. The robots can also teach kids about programming and sensors, said second grade-teacher Laura Schultz.

“They’re fun and phenomenal,” said Neal, a second-grader.

Other presentations included Bricks 4 Kidz, which taught students about robotics with motorized Lego models; a station where students learned the benefits of 3D printing technology; and one where they could build their own LED frisbee.

The event was also open to other community organizations. Sno-Isle Libraries made a presentation using an Oculus Rift Headset. Members of the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering showed students how to make prosthetics with art supplies. The UW’s Biomedical Engineering Society demonstrated how ultrasound technology uses high frequencies to see beneath skin. And UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering showed how programming robots are engaging tools for teaching computational thinking and computer programming in a hands-on way.

“We wanted the atmosphere to be fun and inclusive,” Fulmer said.

The event included a give-away drawing for fair participants with prizes including Chromebooks for students, sensor robots for teachers to use in classrooms, and books and other prizes.

–Story and photos by Cody Sexton