Reality is setting in. The excitement and thrill of having a Makerspace in our school is giving away to reality in that it's hard to drum up business, cultivate lessons, and convince key personnel that the Makerspace and Making are important tools for learning. Then too, just how the heck
This week saw 2 sixth grade Math teachers, Amy and Amanda, borrowing iPads to use for Plickers, (SUCCESS!! - great assessment!). Our counselor, Brittany borrowed 3 laptops to register students for Crosby Scholars during lunch for two days. Dave, 6th grade Science got his Google cardboard devices, (SO VERY COOL - and come time for taking a walk on Mars in the spring... all I can say is WOW!).
The biggest actual Makerspace use this week came on Friday, 6th period, (the proverbial 11th day, 11th hour) when 7th Grade ELA teacher, Chris brought his students to the Makerspace to create setting plays. While part of the group stayed with me in the Makerspace to learn how to use the Green Screen app by Do Ink, the others went on to the Auditorium where I had set up 5 screens, (4 makeshift with green bulletin board paper tacked up over the dry erase boards after my blue and light green fabric screens (with materials purchased from Goodwill - see earlier post) failed. Why? Don't know..
So, all good - trained my 5 small groups and headed over to join the others in the Auditorium. When time came to record... 3 groups didn't push the RECORD button! - And they complained the makeshift screens were too small, several "screens" ripped from the activity. So many, many problems, BUT the final products were successful! The students were pleased and left having accomplished what they came for. And to Chris' view it was wonderful! I guess I need to re-think my definition of accomplishment/success.
On the bright side, Victoria, Life Skills and Christina, UNCG are communicating about fabric circuitry. The WS Makerspace is getting ready to open! Mixxer it's called, here's the link, http://wsmixxer.org/. Looks exciting! I've reached out since Sage, UNCG told me she'd met someone affiliated with MIXXER and shared my name.
The 3D Printer is building my tinkering skills (that's a euphemism for aggravating the daylights out of me). I now know what Jason Lineberger, @teachertechccs meant by the Forge Creator Pro is a tinkerer's 3D Printer when he told me that this past summer at NCCAT, North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. So frustrating! Still waiting on the extruder fan to be shipped from CA.
Here's hoping I make a better week next week! Here are two pics showing our school sign for this week, and yes, I purposely tied in the Maker mentality, thank you very much.
do we integrate it!!?
This week saw 2 sixth grade Math teachers, Amy and Amanda, borrowing iPads to use for Plickers, (SUCCESS!! - great assessment!). Our counselor, Brittany borrowed 3 laptops to register students for Crosby Scholars during lunch for two days. Dave, 6th grade Science got his Google cardboard devices, (SO VERY COOL - and come time for taking a walk on Mars in the spring... all I can say is WOW!).
The biggest actual Makerspace use this week came on Friday, 6th period, (the proverbial 11th day, 11th hour) when 7th Grade ELA teacher, Chris brought his students to the Makerspace to create setting plays. While part of the group stayed with me in the Makerspace to learn how to use the Green Screen app by Do Ink, the others went on to the Auditorium where I had set up 5 screens, (4 makeshift with green bulletin board paper tacked up over the dry erase boards after my blue and light green fabric screens (with materials purchased from Goodwill - see earlier post) failed. Why? Don't know..
So, all good - trained my 5 small groups and headed over to join the others in the Auditorium. When time came to record... 3 groups didn't push the RECORD button! - And they complained the makeshift screens were too small, several "screens" ripped from the activity. So many, many problems, BUT the final products were successful! The students were pleased and left having accomplished what they came for. And to Chris' view it was wonderful! I guess I need to re-think my definition of accomplishment/success.
On the bright side, Victoria, Life Skills and Christina, UNCG are communicating about fabric circuitry. The WS Makerspace is getting ready to open! Mixxer it's called, here's the link, http://wsmixxer.org/. Looks exciting! I've reached out since Sage, UNCG told me she'd met someone affiliated with MIXXER and shared my name.
The 3D Printer is building my tinkering skills (that's a euphemism for aggravating the daylights out of me). I now know what Jason Lineberger, @teachertechccs meant by the Forge Creator Pro is a tinkerer's 3D Printer when he told me that this past summer at NCCAT, North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. So frustrating! Still waiting on the extruder fan to be shipped from CA.
Here's hoping I make a better week next week! Here are two pics showing our school sign for this week, and yes, I purposely tied in the Maker mentality, thank you very much.