Video and Reflection

So, here I am at the end of one part of my journey and the beginning of another.  I'm feeling really excited but also really nervous.  I have spent countless hours cleaning and prepping my school's new Makerspace.  I am very excited to be able to share the space with students, but nervous that I won't be able to get students in and Making.

I experienced first hand that students really enjoy the Making process when I made Jitterbot videos with two of my classes.  The feedback was that they really enjoyed the process and they liked doing something hands-on.  I've reached out to the teachers in my school and several of them have asked how they can have their classes access the Makerspace.  In particular I am very excited to have the Band teacher have his music composition class in to use the space to create their own musical instruments, he is equally excited as well!!  I have touched base with some of my former students and they would like to access the space as well.  I'm really hoping to work on the sense of community in the Makerspace and students teaching each other new things as well as teaching adults!

My first week of school involved a lot of STEM activities in small groups with my classes.  Including the paper tower challenge that we participated in on the first day of the Institute as well as designing a container to catch and hold a golf ball made out of straws and tape only.  I love these problem solving activities and watching groups of students come up with different designs!!

I really want our school's Makerspace to be a place that is fun but where students are held accountable for their actions.  My administration has been wonderful in pretty much letting me do what I want with the rules and requirements for students accessing the Makerspace.  Developing the Makerspace Agreement was definitely a challenge but I found that once I sat down and wrote it out it wasn't so bad.  I have a very clear vision of what I would like the Makerspace to be and I'm not sure if that is helping me or hurting me at this point.  It took a lot of time to set up, organize and the roll out has been equally time consuming.  I did not plan to have everything set up for the beginning of this school year but I am doing fairly well.

The Makerspace Hook Video that I showed to the entire school this past Friday left some students a little confused.  I think that I should have included some examples of what they can make in the Makerspace.  I have not gotten any responses on my Google form, which is disappointing but part of me thought that might happen.  So, my plan of action now is to reach out to the faculty and see if they can show a different video that shows more about Making to their AT's this week.  I'm hoping this might generate some more interest.

Overall, I think that I accomplished a lot this summer (way more than I was expecting to), but I think that my journey is just beginning.  There is a lot more work that needs to be done and I want to make certain that all of my hard work does not go to waste!  I know for sure that I will have some of my students Making this year, it might just be a little harder to find those Makers than I thought it would be.  I am optimistic that once I get some students into the space and Making that they will be sharing their experience with their friends and hopefully this will help bring more students into the space!!

Here is the video that I created because I will not be able to attend the Hangout this evening!!

Birth of a Makerspace- EFHS

Makerspace Hook Video

I've been stressing about finishing up this video for quite awhile.  I am super worried about missing my chance to hook students into the Makerspace.  So, here is the first draft.  Please let me know if you have suggestions, I really want this to make an impact with students!

Progress!!

Today was the first day with students at my school, how quickly we will be in the thick of things.  I can never believe how fast fall goes by.  I did make some progress today and am feeling like I am nearing completion of my final project.  I worked on the Makerspace Agreement and the Maker Application for our school today, here is the link EFHS Maker Application and Makerspace Agreement .  I would love some feedback on them, any suggestions for improvement are welcome.  I am also working on the Makerspace hook video which will be shown to the entire school on Friday, I'm about halfway done.  It will have pictures of the space before, after, a brief explanation of what a Makerspace is, what tools/equipment are in the Makerspace and how students can access the space.  After the assembly students will be sent a google form (below) that they will need to fill out in order to sign up for a Makerspace Orientation.  

I will then be running Makerspace orientation sessions over the next two weeks (2-4 times based on how many students are interested).  During the orientation students will learn more about what Makerspaces entail and what it means to be a Maker as well as be able to get their hands dirty on a project of their choosing (I will give them an option of several different kits to choose from).  At that point if they are still interested in accessing the space they will fill out the Maker Application and bring home a Makerspace Agreement to sign and share with their parents.  

I'm still waiting on a computer and the 3D printer for the Makerspace but I finished cleaning up the odds and ends in the room and got my hands on a Sewing Machine!!  I also set up our vinyl cutter!

Slacker

I'm slacking big time, I had such good intentions to get my Makerspace application, agreement and rubric done this weekend.  What happened was, I decided to take a break and do some Making and that turned into a much larger project than I was anticipating.  I ended up entering my Automoton into the Champlain Valley Fair and totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product before I dropped it off.  But I do have some progress photos:

Essentially what you are looking at is the box which is a small shadow box (about 6" x 6") that I painted black on the inside.  There are two wooden circles for the cams of my automaton, and the wood dowel which will be cut into two pieces.

Here are the pieces after being spray painted.  The two circles now have holes in them, one was painted yellow the other was painted blue.  The dowel has been cut in half and painted, one yellow, one red.  I also painted the outside of the box white to prep it for the stripes that I will be putting on it.  I also drilled three holes into the box so that the dowels will fit appropriately.  I've got the moving mechanisms that will go inside of the box, now I need to make the part that will move outside of the box.  

I decided to draw my dancing dog on paper first, color him in, glue the drawing onto a lightweight cardboard, then cut out with an xacto knife (by far the worst and most annoying part of the project.  I had to make a front and back of the dog because he will be mounted onto a dowel that will stick out of the top of the box, he will move up and down as well as round and around.  

Here's where I really slacked because I didn't take a picture of the final automoton....grrrr.  I'm so mad at myself, as soon as I get to the fairgrounds I will be sure to take a picture and upload it here.  

Anyway, tomorrow is the first day of school so I've been scrambling to get all of the little things done that I didn't get done over the summer.  I'm hoping to devote some time tomorrow afternoon to at least get a first draft of my agreement done.  I also really need to create a short hook video to show to the entire student body to get them interested in using the Makerspace.  I was planning on taking some video of the space and then show some potential projects.  If any of you have suggestions I would love to hear!!

What is a Makerspace?

So, I've been at inservice all week and there has been mention of our Makerspace several times throughout the week.  Finally the question came up.... What is a Makerspace?  What a question!!... it's so difficult to answer quickly and simply.

But first let me back track, I first started playing around with the idea of creating a Makerspace at my school after I attended the Create, Make, Learn Institute last summer.  When my neighbor offered up a space to put our green screen, I accepted and even spoke to him about developing a Makerspace for the next school year (this year).  The opportunity to take over the perfect space for a Makerspace came up and I jumped at the chance.  When I attended the institute this summer I wasn't really anticipating to have my school's Makerspace up and running for this school year.  However, after attending Create, Make, Learn this summer I knew that I had to, the institute is so inspiring and motivating and passing along this opportunity to my students became a priority.

To be completely honest I wasn't expecting the cleaning and organizing of the space to take quite as long as it did.  I've had a lot of positive feedback and already some requests for teachers to either collaborate with me to use the space or to use the space on their own.  It's actually quite exciting, the band teaching is hoping to access the space to have his class make their own instruments!!  The other cool thing that came up this week is that one of the English teachers asked if she could borrow some pliers and wire, both of which I have plenty of.  I was happy to lend the tools to her which got me thinking that I should start my own tool library (like in Zero to Maker) for our school.  I was able to pass along this information to the faculty and am looking forward to everyone being able to take advantage of our Makerspace!!

So back to the question at hand.... What is a Makerspace?  I guess my initial answer is that it is a place to make, but it's not just that!  A place for people to try out new ideas, have access to equipment as well as access to people who can help, a place to fail but also to succeed!!  I'm getting ready to start putting together my Maker Application, as well as the contract (probably tomorrow).  But in the meantime, I think that I need to do some making myself.  Today I will be working on improving my ongoing Automoton project, this time I am going to use wood pieces instead of cardboard & foamboard which I have done in the past.  I will be sure to keep you update on my progress!!    

Makerspace?

This has definitely been the biggest project that I have taken on in my seven years of teaching.  It's been incredibly time consuming and frustrating but also incredibly satisfying.  I have officially gotten to a point where my school's new Makerspace is almost complete.  It took me about two weeks to completely clean and organize just this room.  I uncovered so many wonderful tools and materials that have been shoved away and have not seen the light of day for years.  It is awesome to know that all of these resources will be used for Making and helping students learn!!  Here is our new Makerspace!!

  

I still have some decorating to do, we have a wonderful frame hanging from the ceiling that we will be able to hang projects from.  The tables that are underneath the smaller windows will be home to a computer station with a vinyl cutter and 3d printer.  I also hope to gain a sewing machine, since our sewing classes are no longer offered and the machines are in a closet not being used currently.  

So, what's next?  I'm very excited to make this space available to all of the students in my school and this is where the challenge lies.  How exactly can I make the space available to all students and ensure that they are using is appropriately and respectfully?  Luckily my school has what is called an AT (Academic Time) period every day of the week.  Students essentially choose where they would like to go to during this period so they can meet with specific teachers and get help when needed.  I think what I would like to do is first present the idea of the Makerspace to the entire school at our first school wide assembly.  This will be a brief overview of what the space is about and hopefully hook students (I'm still figuring out how to hook them! if anyone has ideas I would be happy to hear!).  Once students are aware of the Makerspace they will have the opportunity to sign up for a Makerspace orientation which I will offer 2-3 times a week over the course of the first month of school during AT period.  

What will the Makerspace Orientation look like?  Essentially I will be showing students what the Maker Movement is all about and how they can get involved in Making.  Students will then be given the opportunity to apply to be a Maker, they will need to express their interest in making and explain to me what they might be interested in pursuing.  Students who do not have an idea in mind will be given the option to come and tinker with the kits that we have available and then decide if they would like to continue.  Once students have been accepted as a Maker they will then have the option of coming to Maker Fridays which I will run every Friday.  Students will need to maintain their grades in all classes and will also sign an agreement to respect the Makerspace and each other while using the space.  If students do not follow the rules and agreement they will no longer have access to the space.  

I am in the early stages of developing an application for interested students, an agreement, as well as a rubric for the use of the space.  I'm hoping that I will have a group of students interested in using the space collaboratively and learning not only from their own explorations but also their peers.  

Cleaning: Kits, Clips, Controllers.....Controlled Chaos!!

So I've been super busy (I feel like I keep saying that)!  Over the weekend (after my kinetic sculpture exploration) I picked up my copy of Zero to Maker.  I purchased this book back in the spring and just haven't had the time to read it.  Now is the perfect time!  This book is amazing and it has given me new drive to push myself to prepare my space for Making for the school year.  As you may already know this is a huge task, however the benefits of having a space for the students at my school to Make has become almost mandatory for me!!  

So, my first step was to start cleaning out the back room where I am hoping to set up a permanent Makerspace for students to use.  I am taking over this room from a Physics Teacher and before that it was used as a Physical Science room (which was a very hands on class with drafting and woodworking).   I can hardly begin to express to you the amount of "stuff" that was in that room, it was difficult to even move around.  I unearthed some wonderful treasures!!  The amount of kits that I found is crazy.... solar kits, solar car kits, wind mill kits (with and without motors), mousetrap dragster kits, trebuchet kits, circuity kits, electricity kits, balloon buggy kits, Mindstorm Lego kits... the list goes on!  After reading about the value of kits in Zero to Maker and how they can help us as Makers build our basic skills, I was absolutely thrilled to stumble upon all of this!!!  Some of the other great things that I found were a huge amount of hobby motors, alligator clips, Attack remotes (with servos!!!) and a huge amount of hand and power tools!!  

This is all very exciting, so many awesome materials and tools to work with and I don't even have to pay for them!!  One of the biggest motivations for me to take over this space (besides creating a Makerspace) was to start using the tools that have been laying unused for YEARS!!  The added bonuses were the kits and materials that I didn't even know where back there.

I'm still working on the cleaning up the space, but here are some before and after pictures:

It's kind of difficult to tell (taking the before pictures was very difficult because there was so much stuff!) but I have cleared out a massive amount of the clutter.  In total, I removed 7 cabinets from the room, a desk and a nasty old couch (thank goodness!).  I was able to clear out  a nice space in the middle of the room for a work table as well as a table (which you can't see in these pictures) to go against the wall which will have a computer work station with a vinyl cutter, printer/scanner and 3D printer! 

I think that I pretty much dove into this as my final project!  I am so excited and cannot wait to finish cleaning and put the final touches on the space (for now, it will definitely be an ongoing process).  Next up, cleaning and setting up the front classroom and figuring out the logistics of making the Makerspace available to all students in the school!!  So much to do, but feeling driven to get it all done before the start of the school year!

Kinetic Sculpture exploration

I was busy over the weekend trying to decide what I should put my efforts toward for my final project and decided that I just needed to start playing.  I took out some of my crafting and art supplies and starting working on a prototype for a kinetic sculpture.  The idea for this project was prompted by my work with Servos and how I might be able to incorporate this into an art project/sculpture.  My idea is loosely based on a pinwheel-like structure that would be attached to a Servo motor, going first in one direction and then in the other.  At the end of each arm of my structure there would be another smaller pinwheel-like attachment that would move in reaction to the larger arm.  Here is a video of my initial prototype which I created using thumbtacks, popsicle sticks, beads and hot glue.  I attached it to an awl to help simulate the motion of the servo motor.

As you can see things didn't go quite as planned (nothing new), I had a really hard time getting all three of the smaller pinwheels to move.  I was really only able to get the green one working.  I would say that I messed with it for about an hour and a half and wasn't able to get all three moving the way I had envisioned.  I'm not entirely sure that I have the kind of patience to pursue this type of project at this moment in time.  With school starting in less than two weeks I have a lot of work setting up my classroom and Makerspace! 

Final Project 2015!!

After digesting some of the amazing things that I learned last week at the Institute I am toying around with some ideas for my final project.  The first idea that I had was to create some sort of kinetic sculpture using an arduino and servo, I was hoping to 3D print some of the components as well as use traditional art means.  My second idea was simply just to dedicate some time to finishing up the projects that I started last week and figure out how I am going to incorporate them into my curriculum this year.  My last idea is to devote the next month documenting the process of setting up my new classroom to be more Maker friendly and set up an actual Maker Space in the back room attached to my classroom.  Here are some photos of my old classroom, the constraints of teaching a class in the computer lab were that I do quite a bit of hands on work with my students and there simply was not enough space to do this.

My next door neighbor (the physics teacher) has taken a new job and left at the end of the school year.  I took this opportunity to move into his classroom and hopefully set up a Maker Space for my school.  With PLP's just around the corner a Maker Space is ideal for our students!!  Here is the new space, there is room for computer stations and also work tables in the middle of the room (which were not moved in at the time this picture was taken).  As you can see I have a lot of work ahead of me!!

These are pictures of the back room, I'm hoping to move quite a bit of the stuff out so that I can set up work tables and the beginnings of a Maker Space. We have some woodworking equipment which has not been used for years and plenty of tools available so it is an ideal place for a Maker Space.  I am planning on purchasing a 3D printer and setting up a computer and 3D printing station in the this space as well.