From Support Squad To Innovators, Andover Weekly Article / Zachary Griffin

   Before the big February vacation, we at the Andover Innovation Lab had the honor of being interviewed by Dustin Luca at the Andover Townsmen regarding our class and where it fits into Andover High School. This was a great opportunity for the students and Mr. Downs and I to show off the potential a tech-based Help Desk class can have for its environment, and also a chance for the classes students to expose their amazing projects to the town of Andover.

    The interview was done at the end of the day during a fourth block, and we had a total of six students that are either a part of the Help Desk currently or where involved with us during the prior semester. Among those students were Eli Gukovsky and Viabhav Patel, who were both previous students, and current students such as Crispin Dowell, Peter Banta, Parth Valecha, and John Makiej. Each student was given the opportunity to present their projects to Dustin Luca along with their opinions on the Help Desk and its usage at Andover High among the faculty.

    The article was published on the Andover Weekly February 27, and was met with good reception by both the Andover community and the high schools faculty. As we continue to push technical support at the Innovation Lab, we will continue to give students opportunity's to learn more about their field and where they want to go after High School. The Help Desk exists to serve both the community and its students, and with the tech-savvy Mr. Downs and his knowledge on the direction technology is going, the Help Desk couldn't be in better hands.

If you want to see the article, you can view it on the link below:
http://www.andovertownsman.com/education/x1196458307/From-support-squad-to-innovators

Why Minecraft is Useful for Teachers and Students / Viabhav

I had a lot of fun this month working with the new crew at the Andover Help Desk. Since the new Intern, Zachary, came in to provide a helping hand to Mr. Downs, things have been able to progress a lot more smoothly. The calls for help by teachers were decreasing this month, which is understandable due to the upcoming vacation. I started working on a few projects this month, teaching Mr. Downs Minecraft (he failed at it), making videos that explain why Minecraft is a good teaching tool, and brainstorming down ideas for my final project, which is going to be about developing a Minecraft mod, how much time it takes, and tutorials of a few codes that can help along the way. I think my project will inspire people to use Minecraft as a unique method of understanding design like it did for me.

My projects are mainly focused on Minecraft as I believe Minecraft gives people the potential to do anything. Minecraft has inspired people to learn about animations, coding, music, and even starting a business. Minecraft is not just a game but a huge learning tool for anyone with the passion to further their goals. Minecraft has changed many lives, including mine. I would've never known how to code or animate if I hadn't played Minecraft.

Andover Innovation Lab Student Experiencing Virtual Welding At MassCUE 2013!