The Learning Partnership Blog

Canada’s future in good hands - Talent on show at the Invention Convention

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This blog posts from Edmonton showcases the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

Canada’s future is in very good hands. That was the impression of everyone who took a look at some of the dozens of contraptions, devices, gadgets and gizmos at The Learning Partnership’s Annual Invention Conventions in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto at the end of April.

The Invention Convention is the culmination of I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! program, an integrated science and technology program for Grades 7 and 8 students. The sheer creativity, imagination, determination and intelligence on display were impressive. This year we saw a portable pocket, a bicycle equipped to charge your cell phone or iPod as you rode, a cupcake protector, an adjustable hockey stick, a hygienic toilet seat closer and many more innovative solutions to everyday products were demonstrated.

Calgary was the first to host a Invention Convention of April 19. The day began with a live interview with a teacher and six students on CITY-TV’s Breakfast Television. The students demonstrated their inventions and the BT interviewer was visibly impressed by their work. Later that day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., more than 450 students from 15 schools and two school boards gathered at Calgary City Hall to show the public what they had created.

   Invention Convention students from Calgary

Edmonton’s Invention Convention was next on April 20 and it garnered a great deal of media attention. CITY TV’s Breakfast Television, CBC and CTV evening news, Shaw Cable and the Edmonton Journal all reported on event, much to the delight of the young inventors. More than 700 enthusiastic students from 11 schools and three school boards took part and proudly presented their projects at Edmonton Public School Centre for Education or St. Joseph’s High School.

  Invention Convention students from Edmonton

 On April 26, 1,100 students from 26 Toronto area schools displayed their inventions at seven venues across the city. Many students produced brochures, business cards and websites to promote their products and passersby commented on the students maturity, poise, ingenuity and presentation skills.

  Invention Convention students from Toronto

“This is amazing,” said one executive at a Toronto Bay Street location. He echoed the thoughts of convention visitors across the country when he said, “What a great way to inspire creativity in kids and build their business skills. I’m really impressed.”

We are so proud of this program because it successfully instills a passion for science, mathematics and technology in elementary students. The ability to innovate, think creatively and problem solve effectively will be essential skills in tomorrow’s economy, and I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! program fosters those skills.  

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.  

See more from this year's  Invention Convention by visiting:           

 facebook.com/thelearningparntership

The Learning Partnership

Open House . . . Time To Show Off Our Work and Find Out What People Think About It

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This blog posts from Edmonton showcases the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

At last, Open House … the night we finally get to show off our hard work to the teachers, students and parents. It’s when you have to push your limits and you get to find out what everyone actually thinks of the product. You just have to hope that everyone likes you tri-fold and they that think your business card is nice enough for the big-time.

When our teacher opened the door a rush of people poured in. I didn’t think I would get nervous in front of them, but when the first family came in I could barely speak. I was relieved when the presentation was over. When I snapped back into reality I heard parents commenting on my invention …they liked it!

When the next group came by I was very confident in myself and the project. I realized that the people liked it and wanted to use it. From that point forward I didn’t even care if I made it to the finals – I already was a winner because people liked my product, and in business that’s all that matters. Open House was a huge success!

By Ashley R, Grade 7

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.

Sharing Invention Projects at Open House is the Best Part of Invention Convention

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This is a blog post from Edmonton  that will showcase the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

Inventing and designing our product for the Invention Convention was fun … but sharing our projects with our peers and their parents was an amazing experience!

Our invention projects were due about a week before the presentation. After finishing our projects, we were given the remainder of the week to work on revision, editing and presentation improvements. This period was immensely helpful as many had rushed to have their projects finished on time. It also gave us a chance to practice presenting, during our class time. Those who had finished their projects (some kids did not) helped to critique, analyze and offer improvements on others’ projects.

But the presentation day was by far most fun! The presentations were held during our school’s open house, about 7 p.m. We had a chance to set up our project before any viewers arrived. Once they were set up, we waited until the first viewers came. Also circulating during this time was an actual judge of I³. We presented our projects to him and he then gave us feedback including his analysis of our projects and suggestions for how we could improve them. The open house was one of the most enjoyable parts of participating in the Invention Convention!   

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.

I3 and Invention Convention give Calgary students a unique experience

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This is the first in a series of blog posts that will showcase the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

The Calgary Invention Convention was truly inspiring – the student inventors showed off some really unique ideas, from Convertible Heels (flats for walk to work on sitting in an office that convert to heels for meetings or evenings out), to the Zipper Unsticker (a handy tool – just insert it into the fabric caught in a zipper, and pull the zipper free!). Then there were environmentally friendly chocolate candles, an attempt to use the candles as well as the cake.

This year, 332 students showed off 117 inventions at the convention. The display of student inventions was excellent. In total this year, more than 1,200 students from 12 schools across two school boards participated in I³.

This year’s inventors were inspired by everyone from teachers, to parents and family friends, to the Dragons on CBC-Televison’s Dragon’s Den.

There’s a lot of great feedback about I³ from students, teachers and school administrators alike.

Students love the program and look forward to days when I³ is scheduled; they like the peer evaluation, and the chance to talk with other students and guests at the Invention Convention.  It helps them learn about team work and problem solving, and some said it gives them a chance to develop a solution to a need they were experiencing.

Teachers say I³ is easily integrated into their class curricula, and gets students actively engaged in authentic learning activities. They’re able to demonstrate their understanding in real-life applications, in an awesome experience.

Senior people from both the public and Catholic school districts continue to feel the I³ program is valuable for their students.  They would like to see more schools involved and have indicated that could happen, with their help next year.

There’s a lot of important support that’s crucial to creating the I³ experience for students in Calgary, from the help and support of the The Learning Partnership’s Calgary program managers; to Imperial Oil; to municipal government, for allowing use of City Hall (a very corporate setting) for the culminating Invention Convention; to both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic Separate School District.

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.

Edmonton’s I3 and Invention Convention was ‘awesome project’ that helped students develop unique solutions

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This is the first in a series of blog posts that will showcase the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

What the students in Edmonton really liked about the whole I³ program and the Edmonton Invention Convention was that it was about them, and they were very enthusiastic about “selling” their inventions. Their problem-solving skills and perseverance were the things that developed the most through the program. They questioned, “How do I solve my problem?,” and then applied themselves to the old adage, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Twenty-two schools from three school boards – Edmonton Catholic, Edmonton Public and St. Albert Catholic – participated for 2011. Some schools held their own Invention Conventions, as not all their students were able to go to City Hall and TELUS Plaza for the main public event; their inventions were viewed by the larger school community. Aside from the people that viewed the event, there were several local television channels shooting footage and interviewing students at the public Invention Convention. As well, on May 4, the Edmonton Journal ran a picture and story of the event on the front page. The front-page photo was of The Pocket Bra, which lets women keep their cellphones in a handy place.

There were other unique, interesting inventions, too. One, the Flat and Heel, a shoe for women that converts from heels to flats, was featured in an interview on Breakfast Television.

There was also The S Pillow (speakers built into a pillow so kids can fall asleep listening to music without needing head or ear phones); The Fan Bag (airs your sports/gym bag by plugging the built in fan into an outlet), and one by a junior high girl, The Peel a Pad (a multi-layered menstrual pad that eliminates the need to carry extra pads in your backpack), "So when the boys go through your back pack you don't get embarrassed."

The feedback was very positive; all were impressed by the inventiveness and enthusiasm of the students.

"Our students were so proud of themselves – what an awesome project! Thank you so much for everything and thank you to The Learning Partnership. What a wonderful experience!,” said one of our principals.

"Wow, that was truly amazing! We spent our lunch hour walking around and talking to your students. I loved their amazing ideas and creativity," said one teacher at the Invention Convention held at City Hall.

Another principal commented that teachers thought there were good I³ resources, they liked that students were engaged because they were developing solutions for their own issues, and there was a good curriculum fit especially for skill and attitude outcomes.

We are grateful to the folks at City Hall and Dr. Bob Westbury for sponsoring the event at TELUS Plaza. We are also grateful to Tonko Realty Advisors Ltd., which manages TELUS Plaza. I also want to thank the teachers for believing in the program and engaging their students with “Invention.” And of course the students themselves without whose inventiveness and enthusiasm none of this would've been possible. Finally Dajana Fabjanovich from Communications at Edmonton Public, who was most helpful in getting the word out to the media.

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.

I3 - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! “The Wonderbrace”

I³ - Investigate! Invent! Innovate! is an integrated science and technology program for elementary school students in grades 7 and 8. The goal of the program is to instill passion in all students for learning about science, mathematics, and technology and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit from within.This is the first in a series of blog posts that will showcase the journey of school kids as they go through the process of investigating, inventing, and innovating.

Having an older brother, I had heard of the I³ earlier than most of my classmates.  In grade four I was already excited and anticipated an interesting and fun project.  Now in Grade seven, I³ wasn’t what I had expected, it was even better.  I was in a group with my best friend, but at times we still struggled to cooperate.  We started brainstorming the first day we began our invention, we came up with numerous ideas, but we soon found out that others had already found solutions to problems we were attempting to solve.  So many ideas seemed promising, but as we constructed them, they did not quite fulfill all our visions.  One day, my group finally decided on one idea, “The Wonderbrace”.  It solved a daily problem encountered by two of my group members.  Excited with the prospect of our new idea, we quickly sketched a quick design.  The project wasn’t like other assignments - I really wanted to do this.

This project challenged us in key subject areas; math, science, language and most importantly life skills like cooperation.  Cooperation and communication were the key to our success in this project.  Working with friends sometimes proved to be a challenge.  We had difficulties with cooperation, certain members including me at times, didn’t agree with our ideas and didn’t always participate.  Near the end of the project, we had learned how to cooperate and communicate with each other for the “best” results.  This was an important lesson for all of us and the value of this alone will help us as we grow older and work on even bigger projects.

I³ will always be a memorable project in our Grade 7 year because it gave us an opportunity to express our opinions and ideas freely and most importantly allowed us to execute them.

This project has been an unforgettable experience and had taught s extremely important skills that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

To receive information about the I³ program, please visit The Learning Partnership website or send an email to Mr. John Reynolds at jreynolds@thelearningpartnership.ca.