As our new online summer camp progresses, teachers and staff look for new ways to meet the evolving needs of the students.
System Updates and News: Weeks 1-2
Our programming team, Ben and Alex, have been hard at work on a slew of stability updates for our Jitsi platform to keep things running smoothly. Most notably, they have modified the website, making each room and applet it’s own coding component. These components will be managed externally, allowing for much greater flexibility and the ability to change things up on the fly. They will also be using a dynamic typing system for their coding, allowing them to try out new components or applets without affecting any of the other page functionalities. Lastly, they are also working on implementing a few extra features for the lobby and the different classrooms for a more intuitive and immersive learning experience.
Here is a quick list of thing you can expect:
- Integrated music applet
- Fixed message/update bulletin boards
- Popups or sticky note messages when joining a room
- Integrated YouTube video sharing
- DropBox on request for recording classes and activities
- Integrated OBS software for added camera functionality
New Projects in the Works
We’re working on adding a few new classrooms and a ton of new activities for the participants to try out.
Games room
A virtual games room is under construction where everyone can come hang out and play tabletop games, old-school video games or just come and chat about whatever they like. There may also be chess and other planned activities hosted there, so keep up to date with the latest news! It’ll be a great place to meet new friends and pass the time between classes or during lunch break.
Préville Virtual Library
If a quieter space is more to your liking, Préville’s virtual library will be the best place where students can come to discover books, audio-books, videos, and movies curated by our team. We will be starting up a literary and movie critics club where participants can discuss the stories that captivate them and share their thoughts and opinions.
Summer Camp Supplies
Préville will also ensure a consistent learning experience by providing our students with quality supplies for the arts, robotics, and song writing classes. Amazon Fire tablets will be available for those needing them, if a home computer is not readily available. This will be available both for new and returning students on request.
BandLab
This week marks the start of our latest pilot project, songwriting with BandLab! For this class, an Akai MPK Midi controller will be sent out to every student enrolled. These devices hook up to computers directly and work like programmable keyboards. Participants will be able to edit their creations using the digital audio workstation (DAW), BandLab. This gives them access to hundreds of different sounds to work with, and the ability to edit and record their songs as they go along.
