CIS hosts middle school students for classes, high-tech fun

About 50 students from Crestwood Middle School in Kentwood visited the Allendale Campus March 8 to learn about computers, coding and careers in computing and information systems.

Faculty members from the School of Computing and Information Systems taught classes in Adobe Photoshop and Scratch, a free programming language used to create animated stories.

Sara Maas, outreach coordinator for the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing, said the spring break week presented a good opportunity to expose students to a college campus and give them a taste of working with different technologies.

The group also visited the Atomic Object Technology Showcase in the Mary Idema Pew Library. They were introduced to various devices like the Ozobot, used to teach basic programming, and the Sphero, an app-enabled ball controlled by an iPad, used to enhance classroom learning.

Eighth-grader Brooklyn Brown said she enjoyed the hands-on approach of the day's activities. "I would like to be a singer and I'll have to know all this technology to be able to give better presentations," she said.

Nancy McKenzie, Kentwood Public Schools STEM coordinator, said she appreciates opportunities that take students outside their school.

"Any opportunity we can find is wonderful for our students as they're not only learning about technology but some may not visited a college campus before," McKenzie said.