Welcome to the HDCH Grade 9 MegaBloc's MegaBlog!

Hello Parents and Guardians!  

We will be using this blog to communicate with you about what is happening in the HDCH MegaBloc course.

First, a little bit about MegaBloc.

The MegaBloc is our fun code name for the Integrating Technologies (TIJ1O) course at HDCH.  This course combines Communication Technology, Design Technology, and Manufacturing Technology.  Aside from a technology focus, MegaBloc is an opportunity for one half of the grade nine students to gather together every day of the semester.  Each day we gather with over 60 students and 5 teachers and educational assistants to share devotions, hear upcoming school events, share prayer concerns, and to develop community. 

MegaBloc is organized in a rather unique way.  As HDCH has been using Project Based Learning, MegaBloc is equipping students to better understand their own learning in a Project Based Learning environment (more about that in a future post). With each student having access to the various resources available in our school (3D printers, woodshop, video equipment, laser cutters, etc), we are extremely excited about how the future might look and what these students will create to represent their learning in their later grades. 

In the core group of 60+ students, we have home groups of approximately 20 students with one teacher. (Mr. Brink, Mr. VanderWier, and Mr. Blyleven) Each teacher is leading a separate "block" or component of our course.  These components are 5 days long and then the home groups rotate to another block.  You might notice that MegaBloc does not use Edbsy that much.  We have decided to use Google Classroom as it ties in so well for the collaboration and team work that we hope to accomplish in this course. So, check out this blog regularly to catch-up with what is going on in MegaBloc.

Mr. Brink - Communication Technology
In Communication Technology, the students are discovering how to use the computer systems, their school issued Gmail accounts, and how to collaborate effectively using various Google Drive functions. We will be focusing on slideshows, spreadsheets, and also some minor photo editing. 

Mr. VanderWier - Manufacturing Technology
In Manufacturing Technology, the students have been looking at shop and tool safety as they learn how to use the scroll saw, drill press, band saw, belt sander, jig saw, and the spindle sander.  To help learn how to use these tools, the students have each been making a set of salad claws. 




Mr. Blyleven - Design Technology
In Design Technology, the students have been working in a website called TinkerCad. TinkerCad is a design tool that lets the user create and develop items to be printed on 3D printers.  


Students create their designs using shapes that they can drag, turn, transform, group, and make hollow.  The students started out with making small name tags. Students  are then challenged to plan and create their own design in the 3D Mini Project.  One big requirement for their design is that it must be at least two pieces that are connected with a working and movable joint.  Students are currently working on these and they will be shared in the next post.


A little bit about homework and assessment
As this is a very hands-on course, it will be rare for students to have homework, however, there may be the occasional time that students will need to work before school, at lunch, or after school to complete some of their work.  The first part of the course will only have formative assessment with lots of feedback to help students learn.  On the Midterm report there will not be a mark provided.  The second part of the course will still have lots of formative assessment and a mark will be provided on student work. Here is a copy of our course outline to help you see what the semester will all cover.

We look forward to working with your children throughout the semester, to communicating with you about the MegaBloc through the MegaBlog, and to seeing you in person at parent-teacher-student interviews, our Celebrations of Learning, and our class presentations. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact any one of the three teachers. ~ Mr. B.