Projects
Independent Project Spotlight: Gray
Mar 10th
6th grader Gray recently finished an independent project using the Phun 2-D physics engine. His goal was to “make a magnetic accelerator cannon or a railgun sort of thing to fire very fast destructive projectiles,” and “it was achieved through balancing properties of mass and density.” Nice work, Gray!
Independent Project Spotlight: Rowan
Mar 5th
My name is Rowan, and I am a 6th grade student doing an independent tech project about important issues around the world. My website has links to other websites that are helping to solve these issues.
Check out my website to see how you can help too. You can leave comments right here on the tech blog. Thanks.
OK GO followup
Mar 2nd
On Monday, the 7th grade talked about the band OK GO and their inability to post embeddable videos due to the record contract they have in place. State Farm Insurance stepped in and gave the band money to make a new video that falls beyond the EMI agreement. Enjoy this massive Rube Goldberg machine:
Apple iPad testing
Feb 26th
Students got their hands on an Apple iPad today – weeks before the product has officially been launched! We did some testing and compared the size of this new device with an iPod and a laptop. Overall impression was that the screen seems small for web surfing, but it is a fun gizmo.
If you are interested in trying out the iPad for free, follow this link for access 
Billings Middle School iPhone app released
Jan 20th
Billings Middle School has released an iPhone/iPod Touch app – available free from the iTunes store. This app contains news and information gathered from various parts of the School’s digital identity: the public news feed, the Head of School blog, the Tech Lab blog and our YouTube channel.
Special thanks to Annaliese (8th grade student), who assisted with icon selection, RSS-feed inclusion and color palette.
This app was created with the new AppMakr.com service. Hopefully we’ll follow up with an Android app in the near future!
Smoke is heavy
Jan 2nd
Reyna, Rachel & Lewis put together this film that explains how to use vinegar and alka-seltzer to make smoke stay inside an open-topped glass:
Water balloons and air pressure
Dec 28th
Isaac, Dani and Aranza demonstrate how temperature affects air pressure using only a balloon, a bottle and some water:
8th grade project spotlight: Cillian
Dec 18th
8th grade student Cillian is working on an independent project with Passports with Purpose, a fundraiser that is using online donations to build a school in Cambodia.
Cillian is using his skills as a programmer to help out with this project, which was recently featured online by the New York Times. Take a moment to enjoy an interview with Cillian:
Thank you world
Dec 17th
To all the teachers, students, alumni, parents, trustees and supporters of education everywhere, thank you for supporting technology in the classroom and for recognizing our efforts!
EduBlog nomination impacts our digital community
Dec 17th
There was a lot of excitement this week around the EduBlog “Best Class Blog” nomination that the Billings Middle School Tech Blog received. Students, alumni, faculty and board members all sprung into action – leveraging social networks (both real-world and digital) to spread the word.
Did the nomination have an affect on our web traffic? Absolutely! We received visitors from 25 countries, as far away as the Philippines and New Zealand. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to learn about technology integration at our school!
