The Wire

Announcing the D.I.Y. Contest Winners!

On June 6th, 2011 Naomi Says
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It's been an incredible year for MOUSE Squads from all around the country, and nothing proves it more than the amazing bunch of D.I.Y. Projects that were submitted! In these outstanding projects it's easy to see how smart, creative, and hilarious MOUSE Squad students are--which made it very, very difficult to pick winners.

However, there were a few projects that stood out as even more amazing than all the rest, from Squads that went above and beyond to create tools that teach with talent and humor. So without further ado, here are the 2011 D.I.Y. Contest winners!

Grand Prize

The Grand Prize goes to the CHIPS Squad at Kipp Summit Academy in San Lorenzo, CA, for their video Computer Time Travel, which does a thorough and hilarious job teaching how to use Microsoft Security Essentials. Watch it on YouTube here--we'll post a SchoolTube version soon!



rightarrow_0.pngThe Fabulous Prize: CHIPS Squad has the choice of getting either a Lego Mindstorms NXT kit, a $250 gift certificate to the Maker Shed, or a $250 gift certificate to B&H Photo, Video & Pro Audio!

First Place

First Place goes to The MOUSE Squad at Berta Dreyfus, at Berta Dreyfus Middle School in Staten Island, NY, for their video blog Nerd Advice, which offers life advice for teenagers from a nerd's perspective, starting with a video called "How to Make Someone Listen to You." Check out their blog here!




rightarrow_0.pngThe Fabulous Prize: The Berta Dreyfus Squad has the choice of getting either a Lego Mindstorms NXT kit, a $250 gift certificate to the Maker Shed, or a $250 gift certificate to B&H Photo, Video & Pro Audio!

Runner-Ups

There are a few other projects that are definitely worth mentioning:

  • The Gateway Academy Squad from P.S. 256Q in Queens, NY, for their fantastic Repair Manual, which includes instructions for setting up a Smartboard, fixing a frozen computer, and more!
  • The Paul Revere Squad from Paul Revere School in San Francisco, CA, for their very informative series of how-to videos on adding RAM to a Mac, using Fontself, and updating system settings on a Mac!
  • The MS131 Tech Tigers from M.S. 131 in Manhattan, NY, for their video--including a great help-desk role play!--on re-imaging laptops!

    • rightarrow_0.pngThe Fabulous Prizes: Each runner-up gets a full set of MOUSE Squad mouse pads for their school's computer lab, and a Papa John's pizza party!

    Here's a HUGE round of applause for all the Squads that created awesome DIY projects this year! Thank you for sharing your slice of genius with us!