I wanted to share a note I got on the morning of my last show (Portable Fuel Cells):

Hi. I teach computer studies at Leamington District Secondary School. I listen to the radio show each week on my way to work. I just wanted to let you know that I use a lot of your ideas in the classroom. My computer engineering class is busy building paper computers to learn the internal components of the computer. Next week, one group will be looking at future technology. This morning's show came at exactly the right time. Thanks for the interesting program. Linda Soulliere

This is my favourite kind of note to get!

Writing to Linda, I learned that she is one of the true classroom innovators. I wanted to hear more about her paper computer project, so she sent me a few pictures, with the students' permission, and a bit of insight into how they applied this project in the classroom. If you're interested in taking a look and learning more, check out the pictures and explanations below.

Ron's Paper Computer

Sue > "Wow! I can't believe the detail in these projects! What inspired you to do this?"

Linda > "I must admit I got the idea from another teacher. The computer teachers in the province have developed a strong network. Since we are usually the only computer teacher in a school it is hard to brainstorm on your own. We have a yearly conference, a summer institute, a website to accumulate resources etc. www.acse.net

Sue > How long has it taken the students to construct these on average?

Hard to say but 4 -5 classroom periods is good. I also have them do a sales pitch for their machines ... usually something interesting pops up. Today, one group had added combination key to their laptop so the Alt+Ctrl+Delete could be done with one button.

"The students had to build a working model of a traffic light, construct a parallel interface and write a program to operate the lights. This one is great. One of the girls has designed a Barbie Intersection". -- Teacher, Linda Soulliere.

Working Traffic Intersection

Thanks Linda, and to the students in your class, for sharing this inspiring example!