The Maker and the Glean
I love the word Glean (definition: v. extract from various sources, collect gradually and bit by bit.) The reason I love this word is that it really applies to the education within a Makerspace. Every second of each day, if we are not tuned in, we could miss bits of information that just pass us by. We have to be mindful to GLEAN through the information overload. This takes WORK.
For me the month of October was ripe for a Maker Harvest. There was just so much to glean.
First there was the World Maker Faire that was held from 10/1 - 10/2, in Flushing Meadow Corona Park Queens.
Second on Wednesday 10/12, there was a wonderful lecture by renowned urbanist Richard Florida at Penn State University, Middletown for the PNC Thought Leaders Lecture Series.
Lastly, on Monday 10/17 very Child Matters.org hosted The Children's Opportunity Forum hosted as well as a Town Hall, which included a Lecture by the renown Political Scientist, Writer and Professor, Dr. Robert Putnam.
In my eyes the three of them tie together extremely well through the Maker Process / Maker Attitude. It is having the ability to adapt and then create from one's stored experience. From the moment we begin to speak and have the motor skills to function in a 3D world, the next step is to make. Many times it is a remixing process of what one sees from something else that exists. This is okay because learning is about replication and then on to mixing/processing/making in one's Mind's Eye.
I'll talk more about this idea and how Makerspaces and STEAM subjects reinforce this process in 3 distinct areas in and out of the classroom.
STEAM Making @ Camp Curtin Academy Middle School
SCIENCE:
Trout in the Classroom
During the first week of November the eggs will be arriving for Trout in the Classroom. This program allows students in Ms. Christine Estright's Class to monitor the health of Trout from the egg to fingerling. From November until March Ms. Estright will be working with students before school to track data about the tank. Students learn about conservation and PA Waterways. The trout will be released into the Yellow Breeches Creek. The goal is to connect to the other participating schools: Downey, Marshall and SciTech.
TECHNOLOGY:
Robotics Club
In the area of Technology, a Robotics Club started at CCA on 10/19. During the fall, Community Coach Glenn Williams is working with students to teach them the basics about robotics. The four workshops focuses on Lego Mindstorms NXT systems. The first set of meetings focus on knowledge and experience building. The second set focus on problem solving and motion design. The goal is to link this effort to the STEM Lab and an ongoing focus of robotics from middle school to high school.
ARTS:
AV Studio Morning Broadcasting
The making process at Camp Curtin Academy has been in the form of Digital Arts & Media. Ms. Jenn Monaghan and I have been working hard to develop a top notch production. Four 7th and 8th Grade students work together to bring the morning announcements to the entire school. Since the lab started they have been practicing. In the process, each day they have been creating a script, setting up the images and video, and recording the talent. They have also planned out the shots sequence for an intro reel and helped to collect the daily images. All of this for a 3 minute broadcast. On the first day of the Second Marking Period (10/27) the production went to live web streaming through the school's internal IP address.
The students have enjoyed the process and the Foundry is expanding this out to a weekly Digital Arts & Media club. This allows more time in the Third Space and connects to visual thinking and a deeper discussion of the topics they work on for the morning broadcast. The Foundry will be connecting this club to a Community Coach, which will provide more applied real life scenarios.
STEAM Making @ SciTech High School
TECHNOLOGY:
Scibots Robotics Team
The Scibots Robotics Team is working towards their goal to participate in the 11/19 Scrimmage in Ambler, PA. The group of about 16 students and four teams has sorted itself out into two teams with different design objects to solve the FIRST Tech Challenge. There were a couple of setbacks during the month as the XYZ 3D Printer became clogged with a strand of ABS plastic. During my first attempt I tried using acetone to dissolve the plastic. When that didn't work I disassembled the extruded nozzle and worked the piece loose with a 0.4mm jewelers drill bit. The irony of it was that Jon Wheat, our Community Coach, also had his newly purchased Delta Go 3D Printer jam on him. I helped him to unclog the nozzle on that printer. It was amazing to see the Delta Go at the Maker Faire and then watch it up close in some of the demonstration prints at the Foundry on 4.
The printers are working fine now. I am working to print a better phone bracket to better hold the phones on the robots. We've noticed that the Micro USB connections are weak and they loose connection frequently. We are going to work on uploading the part to Thingiverse.com for other FTC Teams to use.
Towards the end of the month we held a Drive It event on 10/29. This involved our two teams meeting up with another team from Covenant Christian Academy to test out the current robot builds. The students enjoyed talking about the design and build challenges that they have had over the past two months. We were grateful to have Tom from the Delaware Valley FTC visit to see the facilities and our approach to provide a place for students to meet in the events. He was interested in our approach and also discussed the wonderful opportunity it is to have the State FTC Challenge at John Harris High School on February 25th, 2017.
Making within the Foundry
Camp Curtin Academy Middle School: Leader in Me Banners
After the 9/9 United Way Day of Caring, I've been working to layout the banners in the East Hallway of CCA. I was showing students how I built a 3D model using Sketchup. The purpose is to plan out the best location for all the banners. We hope to work with Building Maintenance to finally hang the banners in November.
SciTech High School: Foundry Makerspace
It has always been a goal to create a Third Space on the 4th Floor at SciTech. We created a 3D model in Sketchup to understand the layout and use of the space. During the rest of the year we will be working on giving the Foundry on 4 a presence. Something distinct. This has already been happening as students have borrowed our Foundry banners and signs to hang them in their spaces. It has become an identity for them.
