The Closing Event of the Kids Inspiring Kids For STEAM (KIKS) Erasmus+ project in Finland was held on September 29, 2017, in the framework of the University of Jyväskylä’s European Researchers’ Night program.
The event had two main parts. The first part primarily addressed children and their teachers and offered opportunities to the Finnish KIKS Teams to provide inspiration to students and teachers from schools, which have not participated in the KIKS program.
The second part was addressing mainly professionals and academic people, who became interested in KIKS-methodology and our project’s technology-related contents, such as the micro:bit.
In the first part of the event, the Finnish KIKS Teams met with children from non-KIKS schools and run workshops for them. These workshops were based on the projects which they have developed in the KIKS program. During the workshops the students were discussing with each other and the KIKS students provided inspiration for learning to other students, and also got direct feedback from other children to their work.
In addition to the experience of running programs to previously not known children, our KIKS students could enjoy the personal meeting and conversation with the international guest of our event, Micro:bit Education Foundation’s CEO, Zach Shelby, who has also worked together with the KIKS children in the KIKS Multiplier Event on micro:bit related projects.
Risto Paju, Jyväskylä-based fractal artist (http://algoristo.com/) has joined to our event too: together with the Viitaniemi KIKS-team, he held an exhibition tour in the Viitaniemi KIKS Student Math-Art Exhibit of fractals created by programming.
The Jyväskylä Contemporary Theater Association’s OFF-Humanity Project (https://offhumanity.wixsite.com/offhumanity) organized a science&art theater workshop for the children, related to robotics.
The first part of the event took place from 9.30 AM to 11.00 AM, under the title of “KIDS INSPIRING KIDS FOR STEAM – Erasmus+ Multiplier event”. Three non-KIKS schools have participated in the event:
• Kortepohja School, Jyväskylä with 16 kids and their teacher: Saana Karjalainen
• Halssila School, Jyväskylä with 20 kids and their teacher: Minna Suikkari
• Christian School, Jyväskylä with 6 kids and their teacher: Timo Koljonen
The following KIKS schools has participated in the event:
• Laukaa School, Laukaa, with 5 kids and their teacher: Mirka Havinga
• Viitaniemi School, Jyväskylä, with 10 kids and their teachers: Merja Sinnemäki, Leena Kuorikoski
• Palokka School, Jyväskylä with 1 student and her teacher: Jarmo Laaksonen
The second part of the KIKS Closing Event took place in the afternoon of 29 September 2017, from 14.00 to 15.00, organized jointly with University of Jyväskylä, Faculty of Information Technology’s prestigious Agora ICT-forum.
In the framework of the program, KIKS researcher, Kristóf Fenyvesi has introduced the KIKS project in general and the Finnish KIKS team’s contributions to the project. Zach Shelby has also greeted the KIKS project and made his lecture under the title of Get Creative, Get Connected, Get Coding! Micro:bit in Finland and around the world. Watch the full video of Zach Shelby’s talk here: