Wake County students build innovation kits for fifth-graders
RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- More than 150 students from 13 Wake County middle schools spent Monday morning creating innovation kits at the Raleigh Convention Center. The 14,000 kits will be given to fifth-graders in the district.
"The kids are putting together an artbot, which is a goofy little robot that makes art," said Cody Coltharp, of the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access. "It's really small. It fits around a cup and as the motor runs, it shakes and the cup moves and makes art."
Coltharp led the students in the exercise, held during Lenovo's Annual sales kickoff at the Raleigh Convention Center. Some kits include educational cards.
Lenovo and Intel are funding the kits, costing more than $50,000.
Students said they enjoyed building the robots. But more importantly, they say fifth-graders will learn from them.
"I didn't know what was going to turn out of it but it was pretty cool," said Salome Keza, Wakefield Middle School Student.
"They'll learn that engineering is a big part of our world today and these machines are just smaller versions of what computers really are," said Justin Cristinziano, Wakefield Middle School Student.
"It's very cool that they're doing something that really makes some of the next generation coming in feeling just a lot more comfortable," said Matt Zielinski, President, Lenovo North America PC and Smart Devices Division.
