Technology students prove it’s easy to be green

London - Every year, The University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Education trains 30-40 technology teacher candidates who come back to school after years in the workforce.

The candidates have previously worked in such sectors as trade, hospitality and transportation.

With practical skills under the proverbial tool belt, Western education students learn how to teach their future students using instructional methodology.

Today at 12 noon, the Faculty of Education Education’s Technology Studies program unveils the 2009 Technology Showcase, a culmination and celebration of their year’s work.

Included in the display is a biodiesel processor that converts ordinary recycled cooking oils into industry standard diesel fuel, a parabolic solar cooker that looks like a large wok, warms up in sunlight and cooks everything from soup to hot dogs, and a model of a green home that uses solar panels, a wind turbine, geo-thermal heating and energy efficient landscaping.

“Each project has an educational component attached to it,” says Professor Ron Hansen. “For example, the biodiesel processor showcases the use of alternative energy and how relatively simple it is to utilize readily available materials to create a green alternative. The green home model, with all of its alternative energy components, looks ahead to a time when homeowners can be ‘off the grid,’ no longer dependent on public utilities.”

Like an art show or a theatre production, the Technology Showcase is put together by a group of professionally trained people who come together to create projects that exemplify what they have learned and what they will teach. The criteria for the technology projects are broad but all are meaningful and contemporary.

The Technology Showcase takes place on the last day of the academic year for teacher candidates.