CLEVELAND — Children these days are tackling math, science and critical thinking in new and exciting ways.
Thursday, I was invited to Garfield School in Cleveland, part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where a new Verizon Innovative Learning Lab was officially unveiled.
The lab is where students get to work with emerging technology.
“Today we take another bold step in a world where technology is rapidly evolving and the value of education is often questioned, this lab stands as a beacon of possibility,” said principal Jake Bosley.
The lab offers opportunities to learn and explore artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, where students can build worlds and explore places like The Great Pyramid of Giza.
Second graders recently used the technology to dive into an immersive lesson on how the water cycle works.
“We are giving the students a foundation to be lifelong learners, to own their education, teach them how to think creatively, solve real-world problems with real-world technology, and take all of these skills far outside the classroom,” said Jessica Cohen, senior counsel at Verizon.
It’s the sixth lab of its kind within CMSD, made possible through Verizon and its partners Heart of America and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship Innovation Institute at Arizona State University.
Cohen said the schools and partners have a commitment to educational equity and digital equity.
“As a lawyer at Verizon right now, I work almost exclusively on artificial intelligence, and I tell my kids—and these kids know that the jobs that they will have in 10, 20 years don’t even exist today, and this lab is going to empower these kids to seize what’s possible in their future,” Cohen said.
Eighth graders at Garfield School showed me the robot they made, working with metal, motors and remote controls. The robot, named 26449 for now, will be put to the test in different challenges.
The lab also has four 3-D printers.
Jose, a sixth grader at the school, and Larry, a fifth grader, showed me how the machines work. They explained how they’ve been using software and coding to draft projects.
“When we design something, we use this special computer that we get to choose our own designs that we want, or that kids design,” Jose said. “So right now, our teacher wanted a shark. They built a shark that’s movable and flexible.”
The students said they’ve even built fidgets and other toys and handed them out to children.
The lab’s instructor, Brian Fiore, said the new lab is about imagination, innovation and pivoting when things don’t go according to plan.
“A lot of it is even handling disappointment, because things don't always work the way that you want them to work the first time, so just like problem-solving, troubleshooting different things, and just like developing grit that students need,” Fiore said.
