makerspace | Expect the Miraculous A few weeks ago, Gretchen Thomas, UGA instructional technology teacher, emailed me about a possible collaboration on the UGA campus. She wanted to bring her Maker Dawgs class to the UGA Tate Center Plaza to host a popup makerspace. The idea would be to have a variety of maker tools available for UGA students to try on the spot. She wondered if I had students who might join them. Our school is about a mile from the UGA Tate Center Plaza and our students have walking field trip forms on file so it was easy for me to create a field trip. Students had a little bit of time to explore the maker tools that Gretchen brought before we prepped all of our supplies for UGA students to explore. Students connected Spheros to iPads through bluetooth, setup a wireless network with Justin & Greg from Flipgrid, and made a playable piano with Playdoh and MaKey MaKey. Then, we waited. Several students started driving the Spheros right into the paths of walking college students. Like this: Like Loading...
Change By Design at IDEO Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, shows how the techniques and strategies of design belong at every level of business. The myth of innovation is that brilliant ideas leap fully formed from the minds of geniuses. The reality is that most innovations come from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realized as new offerings and capabilities. This book introduces design thinking, the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people’s needs with what is technically feasible and a viable business strategy. In short, design thinking converts need into demand. Design thinking is not just applicable to so-called creative industries or people who work in the design field. Listen to Tim’s interview with Brian Lehrer on design thinking and Change By Design here.
Makerspaces – Library Learning & Creation Center “Anyone working in a library today … knows that we are so much more than just books. Libraries are places of community engagement. Recently many libraries have begun to develop spaces for design and activities that both teach and empower patrons. The learning in these spaces varies wildly–from home bicycle repair, to using 3D printers, to building model airplanes. Fittingly, they are called makerspaces.” Setting Up your Makerspace for Success Webinar Incorporating new technology such as 3D printers in libraries can bring unique risks and challenges, but designing makerspaces to focus on access and education can help reduce risk to your library while increasing benefits to your community. Resources: Free tools Examples of Library Programming Creative Programming Looking for ideas about maker activities? Funding Ideas and opportunities for funding your library’s makerspace. Digital Creation Software 3D Printing 101 All about 3D printing, printers, modelling, scanners, and more. Partnerships
15 under 15: Rising stars in cybersecurity Kids born after the year 2000 have never lived a day without the internet. Everything in their lives is captured in silicon chips and chronicled on Facebook. Algorithms track how quickly they complete their homework; their text message confessions and #selfies are whisked to the cloud. Yet the massive digital ecosystem they inherited is fragile, broken, and unsafe. As they brace for an even more connected future, there’s a growing community of kids dedicated to fighting off the threat of cyberattacks. Passcode traveled across the country to meet 15 of these rising stars who are under 15 years old. They are hunting software bugs, protecting school networks, and helping to safeguard electrical grids. After all, adults who laid the internet’s insecure foundation, have so far been unable to patch the security holes or stem the tide of cybercrime. These are their stories. But she has a secret identity: CyFi is one of the most prominent young hackers in the country. Mr.
Collab Lab | Learn Deep Milwaukee We get some pretty interesting people joining us at Collab Labs as our featured participants. Here’s who we’ve had so far: Collab Lab 10: Building Resilience REDgen – Brooke Talbot,Vice President/Director Schools; Barbara Moser, Board Member; Bill Henkle, Director Schools REDgen is an advocate for mental health and well being of all youth. REDgen was formed out of a duty of care. REDgen’s Schools Group consists of professionals from schools that serve students and families within metro Milwaukee. Donald Byrne – 4th and 5th grade Social Studies, Science, and Health teacher at Humboldt Park School. Humboldt Park is an MPS K8 School that is home to a student body with close to 20 different primary languages. Humboldt Park fourth graders researched the UN member countries of the Caribbean and South America, including various aspects of their assigned country’s people, history, geography, cultures, etc. Susan Lubar Solvang – Growing Minds Greg Herker – Fab Lab Manager Gateway Technical College
Beginner’s Guide to Maker-ize An Elementary Classroom – HonorsGradU When most penny-pinching, time-crunched, and exhausted teachers hear about lofty ideas like the MakerSpace movement in education, they are likely to dismiss it as another passing and impractical fad. However, the more we investigate, the more convinced we are that there are practical–and profoundly meaningful–ways for teachers to implement its ideals, even in an elementary school classroom. Benefits of Maker Spaces “Makerspaces come in all shapes and sizes, but they all serve as a gathering point for tools, projects, mentors and expertise. They cultivate creativity. (Remember Caine’s Arcade? They provide an opportunity for students to take the lead. They make for a much more productive fast-finisher. They develop essential characteristics. They can “Create a physical laboratory for inquiry-based learning” MakerSpaces are designed to make students wonder, question, and experiment as they work to make sense of the world around them. 4 Realistic Tips to Maker-ize Your Room Like this:
Design thinking Processes by which design concepts are developed Design thinking refers to the cognitive, strategic and practical processes by which design concepts (proposals for new products, buildings, machines, etc.) are developed. Many of the key concepts and aspects of design thinking have been identified through studies, across different design domains, of design cognition and design activity in both laboratory and natural contexts.[1][2] Design thinking is also associated with prescriptions for the innovation of products and services within business and social contexts.[3][4] Some of these prescriptions have been criticized for oversimplifying the design process and trivializing the role of technical knowledge and skills.[5][6] As a process for designing[edit] resolve ill-defined or 'wicked' problemsadopt solution-focused strategiesuse abductive and productive reasoningemploy non-verbal, graphic/spatial modelling media, for example, sketching and prototyping.[8] Wicked problems[edit] Empathy[edit]
Maker & DIY Programs - YALSA Maker enthusiasts: anyone can edit this page. Please share your resources here! You may also be interested in our STEM Resources page and our Teen Programming Guidelines from YALSA (.pdf) Activities Congressional App Challenge (for teens)Digital Learning DayDo Now (weekly activity for teens to do via social media from KQEDHour of CodeMaker Party (hosted by the Mozilla Foundation)6 Second Science Fair (create a Vine video showing off your science project & use the hashtag #6secondscienceTeen Read WeekWeek of Making, June 17 - 23 (sponsored by the White House) Resources Makerspaces & ongoing maker programming Have a makerspace, pop-up maker space, mobile maker lab or ongoing maker programming at your library, school, museum or youth center? Funding Organizations Research & Reports