To Unfold: What a MakerSpace Taught Me (Part 2)

My four major takeaways from running an elementary MakerSpace: 

1. How to answer the question, What is a MakerSpace?

           My best answer...a space with materials for students to let their curiosity and imagination
            come to life. An informal, playful, atmosphere for learning to unfold. A space where making,    

            rather than consuming is the focus. A space where transdisciplinary learning, inquiry, risk-taking,
            thinking, crafting, tinkering, and wondering can blossom.  

2. Where to find materials for MakerSpace.

           Twenty kids will go through materials quickly. The Lincoln School Improvement Team was lucky
            enough to have received a $1,000 grant from the Adrian Schools Education Foundation to buy
            many of the non-consumable materials, tools, and robotics for the space. However, what really
            makes a MakerSpace is the consumable materials cardboard boxes can be unfolded to make
            cars, boats, and Eiffel Towers. Foam pieces, tubing, and random plastic shapes become the
            lights, windows, hinges, and legs to those creations. The Scrapbox in Ann Arbor, MI was my
            saving grace for finding many of these random and odd materials. Goodwill is where we were
            able to get our free cardboard, and parents also donated materials that they had at home or work.

3. It’s not always about the Making

          Yes, the making is where all the tinkering, creativity, and innovation unfolds. But, in the end most

            of those creations will get taken apart, torn down, and remade or recycled into something new. As
            I see it, a MakerSpace is about investigation, planning, creating, communicating, personal
            learning, and reflection. It is not a place for grades, standards, test, or pressure (and should never
            be in my opinion). During MakerNIght, I watched parents, teachers, students, and community
            members creating and discovering together. What they took home (other than a cardboard
            creation) was a memory. A memory of creativity, community, and fun in their child's school
            building.  

4. To Unfold

           In a MakerSpace environment, there are no specific directions, no rules, no time limits or
            deadlines. It’s a place where ideas can be crumpled up, evaluated and reflected upon, unfolded,
            and recreated. Then repeated, over and over again...and it’s safe.

 

Shift: What a MakerSpace Taught Me

Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of running an after school MakerClub at my children's school. As amazing and rewarding as this experience was I have had a really hard time preparing this final reflection. If this Google Doc would have been a piece of notebook paper I would have crumpled it up a million times. Ironically, that is what I took away from the MakerSpace, the fact that it is OK to unfold that crumbled paper and start over. No one is watching me write this draft, no one is judging me, no one will give me a grade, and I have as much time as I need.   

Week, after week, I watched the MakerClub kids create, teardown, redo, forget, start again, ask questions, try a different avenue, smile and laugh. In this space no one was watching to make sure they followed directions, no one was judging how their project looked compared to the next kid, no one was grading them, and no one was rushing them. And I bet, you could see more determination, drive, grit, and perseverance in that one hour each week than you would see all year in the classroom. However, that was not evident the first few weeks. The kids had a hard time just being told to "make"; they were a bit lost and looking for directions. All day they are told what to do and how to do it. This "space" in the school, where they were told to do as they pleased, with lots of materials, was a bit confusing for them (and some of us parents).

It’s by no means the teachers fault, they do their best each and every day to make learning meaningful, playful, and creative for our children (and still hold to standards, testing, and evaluation expectations). This is a systems problem. A system that needs a shift. A shift away from the industrial, conveyor belt, spoon feeding system to an inquiring, planning, creating, sharing, communicating, and reflecting system. I am not suggesting that every day should (or can) be filled with cardboard, glue, and popsicle sticks. What I am driven to do is help educators, and stakeholders recognize how to make a shift and keep in meaningful.

Stay tuned...

“Classrooms could once again become places of great joy, creativity, and invention.”

-Invent to Learn

Kids help me hack the MakerSpace sign! The OCD/everything needs to look perfect person in me had to let go and just let them design. I was only reminded once that "mom, you just told me to be creative!" Ugh, they are SO right. Kids are naturally creative creatures, we need to allow it more. #lifelessons #smartucate @makerspaces @makerfaire @makershed @nmhslmc #gomaples #APSMaker

via IFTTT

Our first makedo project

Last week I purchased a set of Makedo tools along with a project kit! What a great, safe, and easy way to have fun!

Passion Talk from Jackson EdTech Kickoff

Google Slides Presentation

Slide 1: It's a popular quote from some football coach that I care less to follow, but has become my philosophy, my brand, my passion.

Slide 2: Last year on a brutally cold winter day as I stood outside Lincoln elementary waiting for my daughter; I was thinking of an excuse I could make to get inside the warm building to wait for her.   As a parent and as someone who is passionate about educational technology I looked at my daughter's school and saw a need for some type of technology enrichment. I thought to myself, “wouldn’t that be cool if they had an after school club?”

Slide 3: This was my next do something. I approached the principal, he did not say why or how, he said when?

Slide 4: Within a few weeks we had 10 kids signed up and held our first “Lincoln Tech Club” session. Little did I know how much these kids would inspire me.

Slide 5: During the first few weeks we played around with Makey Makey’s, coding, green screens, and just plain old fashion technology

Slide 6: (video).

Slide 7: As I searched for more hands on activities the kids could do I came across these cute little Bristlebots, and read the definition:

"A bristlebot is an extremely simple form of walking robot. It is one of the simplest of all mobile robots, both in its function and its construction. As a result of this ease of construction, they have become popular projects at the school science fair level."

Cool! We were going to make bristlebots. Little did I know that this “simple” walking robot would completely change how I few teaching and learning.

Slide 8: That day I laid out all the materials on the table and asked the kids what they thought we were going to make? I explained that I was not extremely successful and had tried a few different configurations with the battery and motor and I tried a few different toothbrush styles. My challenge to them was to be scientists and use the skill of inquiry to see if they could get their bristlebot to move forward on a flat surface. The kids took right to the task of making these "simple robots".

The first 5 minutes were pretty quiet as kids began to work. However, I soon learned how quickly kids will give up if something does not work the first time. I heard a few of the kids say this is stupid, it doesn't work”  and “Mrs. Smart, are you sure you know what you are doing?”I looked around the room and saw one kid crying, two arguing with one another, one throwing his stuff on the ground, and Mr. Jackson the student teacher helping strip wires and trying to keep the peace. My own daughter standing on a chair cheering everyone on telling them that “WE CAN DO THIS” because she can now see the frustration on my face and knowing how excited I was about this project.

This was hard for me to hear, I spent SO much time planning this and was SO excited for them to make the bots.  I thought to myself “I should have had a plan, I should have had more directions, this is chaos!”

But then I looked around again, those tears were not “I hate this tears” they were tears of “I am going to make this work dang it!” the boys arguing were actually arguing over the trash can with a pair of scissors and a toothbrush on how they thought the toothbrush bristles should be changed. Tape was flying across the room and kids were running with scissors... because they had an idea they thought would work and were eager to try. My daughter was still standing on her chair cheering, not making a thing.

Slide 9: (video)

Slide 10: By the end of the hour we did have a few successful bristle bots, and the kids were stoked. They all gathered in the gym to watch the working bots go. I realized Griffen was not in the gym. As I walked back to the computer lab I found Griffen stuffing left over batteries, and motors into his pockets, he asked if he could take some tape home. I asked him why. He said, “I am going to make this work Mrs. Smart” he wanted to take the materials home to keep trying. I said, “here Griffen, take the whole role, do you need some toothbrushes?”

As the kids left that day and we looked around a room that had stuff everywhere I looked at Mr. Jackson and said “what the hell, just happened?” His response “I guess that was inquiry based learning”

Slide 11: He was right, but it was also much more. For me it was a huge game changer in how I view education and how our students learn. Before this day I thought I had a good idea of what good instruction felt like and looked like. But I was missing a few pieces. Kids and... more importantly teachers need to take risks, explore, play, question, create, and fail.

Slide 12: As educators and parents we need to do more to make things like these happen for our students. Yes it may be outside your comfort zone, yes, it make take up some of your free time, yes, you may not get paid for it but remember...

Slide 13:

Blame No One

• Even with all the negatives in education (AKA testing), we are still responsible for how and what our student learn, how they perform, and who they become. We are the ones who need make it work. I get sick of hearing teachers make up excuse after excuse about why they can’t do this because of that, we are professionals, our job is to make it work! Have you reached out to others for help? Have you thought outside the box? Have you teamed to work with other to solve the problem?
  

Slide 14:

Expect Nothing

• No one is going to do it for us (Unless maybe you have a teachers pay teachers account)
• Set high expectations for yourself and your students and remember, you get what you expect.

Slide 15:

My challenge to you is to

Do Something.

• Be the change.

I have traveled 463.7 miles in the past 4 days. I still have to drive back to Adrian from Grand Rapids but winning a Chromebook (which I will give to Grace) and connecting with SO many great educators from across the state made it worth every mile! #miched #smartucate #gomaples

via IFTTT

Open Education and the iiE

Open Education

Over the past seven weeks, I have been learning more about open education through cases of connected learning in the UofM-Flint course "Investigations in Open Education". We looked at open education through three lenses: tools, communities, and interest-driven practices. The term "open" is not new to education; educators and students have always openly shared, communicated, and learned with others. However, technology in the 21st century has given "open" an entirely new meaning. Open education now means freedom. Freedom to learn when and where we choose, and who we chose to learn with. So, how do we implement this new idea of open learning? 

http://connectedlearning.tv/infographic 

Connected Learning

Connected learning gives us the framework for open education in the 21st century. In the connected learning framework teachers are no longer the “gatekeeper” of information and shift their schools and classrooms to a more student-centered approach where students become “connected” to social networks and learn to become responsible for their own learning.

"Connected Learning is an educational approach designed for our ever-changing world. It makes learning relevant to all populations, to real life and real work, and to the realities of the digital age, where the demand for learning never stops." (connectedlearning.tv)

iiE

This all came together during my three days on the UofM campus at the Institute for Innovation in Education (iiE). Day one was interest and academic driven with workshops offed for participants to attend. I had a great time learning more about gamification from Tim Saunders, Amanda Pratt, and Winona Tinholt's workshop, Playtesting: Remixing Off-the-Shelf Games for Your Classroom (gameful-learning.org). Classroom gamification is something that has really interested me over the past year. In the afternoon, I lead a session on instructional coaching. The session focused on best practices in instructional/technology coaching, from knowledge and skills to supporting innovation, to building relationships and trust. We discuss the role of both the coach and the coached, problem-solved, and network with other coaches. The session was open to current coaches or aspiring coaches, administrators, or anyone who wants to learn more about the role of coaching. (session notes)

Day two focused around educators and business leaders having a shared purpose for innovation in education and networking with one another to make that innovation happen.
Hearing from Richard Sheridan CEO of MENLO Innovations and author of Joy Inc. speak about how a positive work culture and space can help "reintroduce learning, so you can stop teaching" was very powerful and inspiring. The afternoon gave time for some with special projects to share their ideas, needs and wants to help strengthen their projects. I was proud to share the Lincoln Technology Club at the afternoon poster session. During that time, I networked with people in the education, STEM, and technology field to help further my ideas for the club. The un-conference sessions allowed P-12 educators, higher education, non-profit and private sector participants to collaborate, share, and inspire one another around topics fabricated by iiE attendees.

Day three and four was production centered with collaborative project work days. Day three simply allowed participants to produce, create, experiment, and design along with collaborate, share, network and receive feedback from peers. I spent the day working on designing the Lincoln Maker and Technology Club for the fall of 2015. During the breakout jigsaw sessions, I was able to review my work and discuss roadblocks I was having and help I needed to further the project. I left day three feeling that I got a lot accomplished!

Having such great experiences like the iiE and having it help me understand what open and connected learning sounds like, looks like, feels like was very powerful. What if more teachers could have this same experience? The experience to learn more about what interest them. To share, collaborate, and network with others of the same interest. To produce meaningful and innovate work and receive feedback and help from peers.

What would our schools, classrooms, and students look like then?
I imagine much differently.

Two Things I Recently Found That I Love

Ok, from the moment I learned about MakerSpace I have loved them. However, I REALLY love that Lincoln Elementary will have a MakerSpace in the 2015-2016 school year! What will make it even cooler...we get the grants we wrote for to supply the space. 

I recently found emaze-amazing presentations and I love it! What a fun way to spice up your presentations. So I took the two things I LOVE right now and combined them. 

Enjoy! 

https://app.emaze.com/@ALLQROWF/presentation-name

Ann Smart's Photo on Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Trying Out Blogger Jr

Students can also type using Blogger Jr! So cool!

Trying Out Blogger Jr

Trying Out Blogger Jr

Step 1 in Active Teaching and Learning: Classroom Layout

The first step to any active learning environment is to make sure the seating arrangement matches the activity. This may mean that the seating arrangement in your classroom changes daily or during the course of your period. If you choose to have a seating chart in your classroom you may consider numbering or writing students names on the desk so as they enter the classroom they can find their seat quickly. One creative way I have seen this done is using numbered cards or simply a deck of cards. As the students enter the classroom they are given a card and are to find the seat with the matching card in the classroom.
The following arrangements are presented in order of the Adrian Instructional Model, obviously arrangements are not limited to the ones shown here.

Connect to Prior Knowledge, I do/Model, We Do: Visual and Verbal. Metacognitive Demonstration

Students are arranged for direct instruction. The teacher is explicitly modeling or presenting new information.

Note that students can still easily pair for think-pair-share.

You Do with Support: Guided Practice

Collaborative seating is important in this step of the lesson. Seating should be arranged so they can quickly turn and talk/work with a partner or multiple partners, but also allow the teacher easy access to each student for one-on-one opportunity. Options #1, 3, and 4 would also work during this step.

You Do Independently/Collaboratively: Demonstrate Learning  

The following arrangements are ideal for collaborative learning, student discussion, teams/debate, or Socratic style. The You Do with Support arrangements would also apply during this time.

Use these arrangements in large common areas for collaborative learning.

Adrian High School-B100

Adrian High School - Global Learning Centre

Adrian High School-Global Learning Centre

Resource: Silberman, Melvin L. Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject. Print

MACUL Hangover: Conference Day 3

For the definition of MACUL Hangover please see Day 1 post

The MACUL MakerSpace was the place to be Friday! I will let you read Mike Kaechele

explanation of how this space came to be and why spaces like this are important for engagement, innovation, creativity, and reflection.

Wednesday at the EdTech Rally I was asked to lead a roundtable discussion on how to start a MakerSpace (a topic I proposed to be discussed because I want to learn more). One of the questions that came about in our discussion was; How do you explain what a MakerSpace is? It’s a great question, how do you explain what a MakerSpace is without it sounding like “just summer camp” as Sylvia Martinez stated in her MACUL session; A Global Revolution Goes to School: The Maker Movement. At that time, I understood that a MakerSpace was a space to give students a place to play, be creative, and experiment with different materials and technologies. Sylvia Martinez explained it as a “Learning Manifesto” (I like her definition better)

But was this a good enough argument for skeptical administrator, board member, or parent?

That afternoon I attended Rushton Hurley presentation Projects Students Will Never Forget. Rushton discussed different types of projects in which students will...

   

       participate actively

creatively discover something new

leave the realm of predictable

show excellence

produce something meaningful

Flash forward to Friday morning at 6:45 AM as I am walking, in the dark, alone, down Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, to get to the COBO center, to help set up the MACUL MakerSpace, WITHOUT having any coffee!  Obviously my subconscious was in charge, telling me that something special was going to happen this day.

After the space was set (and I had had my brain juice, a.k.a coffee) I was able to play (participate actively). I made buttons with Erin Mastin, circuits with Lauren Villaluz, tinkered with Tara Maynard and Kerry Guiliano. As people started to leave for their first sessions I found myself over at the huge scrabble board (creatively discovering something new). I thought it would be fun to spell out selfie and take a pick in front of it to submit to the MACUL selfie contest that was taking place. However, I suffer from long torso-short arm syndrome so this is what I got.

This problem however, gave me an idea, “I NEED A SELFIE STICK! But wait, I am in a MakerSpace, I can make one! (leave the realm of predictable) I automatically found myself on this charge to make a selfie stick. As I rushed around looking for materials I heard someone mention cardboard. Great idea! I found the pile of cardboard and actually found a box that at one time held some sort of electronic device. Perfect! I now needed a handle for my stick. More cardboard and tape, duct tape, of course. So as I wrapped the Kentucky Chrome around and around I realized I needed more stability in the handle. RULERS! Earlier we had found this bag of rulers that nobody could quite figure out what we needed them for, so I grabbed a few for my handle. As I put the finishing touches on my hand made selfie stick I realized that I was in a zone. I would equate this MakerZone to the same zone I get when running in a race. I block out what is around me and focus on what I need to keep the pace and finish (water and chocolate usually help). Then I thought about what this same feeling would mean for one of my own children like when my daughter (7) is her zone, writing a book that “WILL go in the school library”. Or my son (5) is in his LEGO zone to build the ultimate “bad guy catcher vehicle”. That zone where you want to show excellence in a finished product. THIS is what a MakerSpace can do for our students! Give them a zone to: participate actively, creatively discover something new, leave the realm of predictable, show excellence, and produce something meaningful.

Yes, I made a cardboard selfie stick that lasted about an hour before the Kentucky Chrome could no longer hold my mess together. But for a few minutes that “stick” allowed me to capture pictures with people that inspire me on a daily basis (produce something meaningful), like Rachelle Wynkoop who took a man through the space to help him get into his MakerZone and create an activity he could take back to his school and implement only a few days later, to Kit Hard who I am not sure ate anything all day because he spent his time engaging visitors in activities or jumping in to release others, or Jeff Bush who spent his time capturing the event with photo and video to entice conference attendees to the space. 

Kudos to Mike, Kit, Jeff, and Ben for pulling this off. Kudos to all the wonderful volunteers! I now have an answer to what a MakerSpace and MakerZone truly is.

MACUL MakerSpace 2015!