I have to begin by saying I don’t know who had more fun — the students from PS 503 or me.
Today, I was able to facilitate/organize a field trip of 22 third graders from PS 503 who visited Silverline to learn more about the world of technology. This event was comprised of multiple events that included: an intro to Silverline and what we do from Gean Martinez, an office tour (of course I made sure to show them all of the Legos), a Shark Tank activity, and a Kiwi Krate building exercise. Oh… and did I mention the multiple snack breaks?
Silverline employee recognizes and responds to educational need
A couple of months ago, Gean and his wife (who was the teacher involved) had the brilliant idea of planning a field trip for her class so the students could get exposure to the world of technology and to demonstrate what life is like at a technology company. They also wanted to have a learning/interactive component so the experience would be even more beneficial to the students.
I really felt like this event was able to spark interest in these students in regards to working in technology. We were not only able to show them how fun our office is, but what you can do with a career in technology if you go for it. A lot of the students are the first generation in America, and English is a second language to some. Gean talked about how English wasn’t his first language when he came to America, so he was able to show these students how he was just like them and how if they pushed hard enough, they could make it.
Students compete in Shark Tank challenge
Of course, this wasn’t the only great part about the field trip — we also had a Shark Tank activity. The students were paired up and given information beforehand so they could start thinking about what they wanted to invent. When they did their presentations, we were all really impressed. We had some great ideas, such as waterproof phone cases, a charging device that charges different types of phones at the same time, and many more! It was great to see the creativity flow out of these students, and needless to say, all of their products were funded by at least one shark!
I will definitely be setting up another field trip with PS 503. I really enjoyed having the students come to our office to learn what it’s like in the technology field and inspiring them to push themselves if they also want to be in this field.
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