Author Archives: iwonakowalik

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About iwonakowalik

I am a teacher of mathematics and computer science at the School and Kindergarten Complex No. 16 in Wrocław (Primary School no 16 in Wrocław). I am the founder and coordinator of several eTwinning projects awarded with the National and European eTwinning Label. I was a winner of the 2019 European Competition for the SNOPP project. I have also carried out international projects on Edmodo and iEARN platforms. I am a Scientix Ambassador and EU Code Week Leading Teacher for Poland. I am a mentor at Academy of Creative Civic Initiatives, operating under the Wrocław Educational Concept. I am also a school coordinator of the UNESCO Associated Schools program. Passionate about the use of modern technologies and global school cooperation.

HUMAN & ENERGY in Wrocław by Iwona Kowalik

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Last year, together with PhD Wiesław Wróblewski – a scientist from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, we started organizing an event promoting STEM science in connection with the 60th anniversary of the first human flight into space. The event HUMAN IN SPACE, to which many scientists and teachers were invited, turned out to be a success. The organizers of the project were the Wrocław Center for Social Development, the School and Kindergarten Complex No. 16 and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. It was attended by over 1,000 primary and secondary school students, as well as students and adults. We decided to continue our activities as part of the HUMAN & STEAM project.

This year we have planned activities related to energy, including renewable energy. We managed to invite more scientists and universities, such as the Polish Academy of Sciences. University of Economics, Coventry University Wroclaw. As part of this year’s HUMAN & ENERGY event, many online lectures and stationary workshops, quizzes, computer workshops and a competition for an animated renewable energy advertisement have been planned.

The organizers also included companies operating in Poland: Collins Aerospace and Ecobean, which produce clean energy from coffee grounds.

Classes were also conducted by mentors of the Academy of Creative Civic Initiatives from Wrocław primary and secondary schools.

Our event is traditionally held in April (this time between April 1 and 29, 2022). Most of the classes are in the form of online events. We broadcast via the zoom platform. The event was preceded by interviews in local Wrocław radio stations, announcements on the organizers’ websites and in social media.

Human & Energy
HUMAN & ENERGY – WROCŁAW 2022
Przedmioty ścisłe są proste!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063695574208

The participants of the event, mainly students of Wrocław schools, had the opportunity to meet scientists and see that STEM subjects have a huge use in everyday life. They could also find out that these items are extremely interesting and not necessarily very difficult. They had the chance to test their knowledge in quizzes and develop new skills during numerous workshops. Importantly, all the classes were free for the participants.

Our event is coming to an end, but we are already planning next year’s event. Its main subject remains a secret for the time being. See you next year!

Simple Smart Home Design in Scratch App by Iwona Kowalik

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Scratch is one of the students’ favorite applications to learn coding. It seems to be a great proposition to use when organizing the celebration of many events, such as the EU Code Week, Earth Day or Water Day.

Scratch is one of the students’ favorite applications to learn coding. It seems to be a great proposition to use when organizing the celebration of many events, such as the EU Code Week, Earth Day or Water Day. I used it for the next edition of the HUMAN & STEAM event, this time entitled HUMAN & ENERGY. I invited students of Wrocław schools to the workshop “Simple Smart Home Design in Scratch App”.

During the workshop, which took place on the evening of April 25, 2022, we jointly created a house project in which electrical devices were turned on using commands given from the computer keyboard. For example, we turned on the TV with the T key, and the lamp with the L key. The participants got to know the extension “Tekst into speech” and if, repeat until loops.

The classes broadened the knowledge of coding in Scratch app and allowed for the joint creation of a project that can be modified in the future by young students. They were also an opportunity to develop their own creativity and look for other solutions to solve the problem of switching on and off other electrical devices.

I have posted an example instruction in Polish on my website: https://ikowalik.wordpress.com/human-steam/