EVANSTON — Uinta County School District No. 1 hosted an innovation showcase on Monday, Feb. 12, at Davis Middle School, to display the myriad ways technology is being used to foster student learning in Evanston schools. 

Every school in the district was represented, and students were on hand to demonstrate the technology and how they were using it to help with learning in any number of different subjects and classes. 

Evanston High School students involved with producing the daily Red Devil News showed off examples of their broadcasts, while students in family and consumer science classes decorated cupcakes and cookies for attendees to sample. The FACS students even have access to a licensed kitchen that allows them to do catering for public events. 

EHS students also had a couple of trucks outside to highlight the work of the automotive classes.

Students from both middle schools explained some of the ways they use technology. Davis Middle School students talked about their experience with parenting simulations. The students take home an electronic “baby” for one weekend a year. The lifelike infant cries on a schedule based on an actual infant, and the students need to respond to its needs with feeding, burping, rocking or changing, all done while wearing a specific waterproof bracelet that is programmed so that the baby only accepts care from the student, and not the student’s parents or anyone else. 

Students from Evanston Middle School demonstrated the way they use technology in music class with “Smart Music” software. Designed to work together with the music books, the software can count off beats, play along with the students or record the students playing so they can listen to it later. 

EMS also showed off some of the innovative tools they get to use in technology class, including a 3-D printer and an IntelliCarve tool. Both take what is designed on a computer and make it into an actual three-dimensional object. 

Students from both EHS and the middle schools had an area set up to provide a demonstration of their work with robotics, with remote-controlled and computer-programmed robots set up to stack cones and weave through obstacles.

Elementary school students were present to explain some of the programs they have available to use both in class and at home, to help with everything from math to reading. Every student has a specific log-in on each program, so they can save and track their progress, and parents are also able to log in to see how their students are progressing and monitor time spent in the program. 

There are also tools available to provide help for special needs students, such as the use of a tablet to enlarge work for a student with visual impairment. 

The various games, gadgets and programs on display at the Showcase had the DMS commons area actually buzzing with chatter and excitement as students shared their knowledge and expertise with real technology that was only a dream not so long ago.