IQALUIT
Just as the sounds of a throatsinging require momentum, tech giant Google hopes its partnership with science education charity Actua will develop a love for technology in school children across Canada, starting with those at Iqaluit's Nakasuk School.

Actua outreach and training manager Jace Meyer assists Nakasuk Grade 1 student Geena Veevee-Kootoo at the Codemakers launch. - photo courtesy of Google

"It was really cool," said Grade 5 student Talia Armstrong, discussing the partnership's Codemakers launch event, where members of the school's throatsinging club learned how to merge their skills with technology to record and create songs.

"It was cool that we got the opportunity out of all the people in Iqaluit, that we got to do it."

Google invested $1.5 million in the fall to help Actua create its new Codemakers program offering and take it to schools, including 13 in Nunavut, with Nakasuk being the first in Canada to access the expertise.

Google is funding the program for three years, enough time for 100,000 children in urban centres and the North to be engaged in science and technology education. Among these, 8,500 will be girls in all-girl programs, 20,000 aboriginal children, and 11,500 Northern children.

Actua has done some tests of its curriculum, but the two-day workshop in late March gave the club's members a taste of what Codemakers will teach.

In addition to audio recording and mixing, the Grade 1 to 5 students also learned how to make video games, tell stories digitally, and 3-D print Inuit art.

Beatboxer Nelson Tagoona of Baker Lake worked with the students to remix their audio tracks.

"Throatsinging is only done between two women, but you can be creative, you could throatsing and beatbox (for example)," club coach and Grade 1 teacher Elizabeth Ryan said, adding the Google-Actua visit made their work "that much more creative, integrating traditional throatsinging with modern technology and creating something unique."

Google public affairs manager Aaron Brindle was in the city for the launch, and said the club had a great opportunity to put technology to use.

"Computer science and coding is a language that opens so many doors, that allows you to pursue all kinds of passions that aren't ostensibly in the technology field," Brindle said. "Nelson Tagoona was saying how great it would be to have access to this technology to build on his skills and to use coding and computer science to make his art better."

Educators are also impressed with the initiative.

"They're directing their own learning," said principal Tracey MacMillan, who noted that Google and Actua are working with the school's technology committee to ensure they have the software needed to continue the learning started by the workshop.

"It's one of the best examples of getting youth moving from consumers of technology to producers," said Actua CEO Jennifer Flanagan.

"All kids use Google, they all have experience with it. Most of them have no idea that thousands of engineers work to make Google work. It's a great hook for us to get kids thinking about computer science and technology in a different way.

"Computer science is impacting all aspects of our lives, and we need to make sure youth are prepared, not only to interact with that technology, but also to be the ones that innovate," Flanagan said.