Assignment 1 - Part A
Now that I have learned how to change the picture at the top of my blog (Congratulations Madame Putman… you are on your way!!), it is time to get on with the steps of Assignment #1.
The Middle School where I teach grade 8 French Immersion is poised to start a Makerspace headed up by our Teacher Librarian and a couple of interested staff members. I have jumped at the chance to be on the committee and will use this opportunity to blog about the process as we move forward with it. For now, we have a space reserved for it and we have compiled a list of what we currently have. We received a grant of $3000 that we can use for it and have begun to toss around ideas for purchases we would like to make towards it.
I’m interested in this project for a number of reasons. Primarily, I think I just love fun art projects and imagine that kids will like the same. I’m doing a pottery class right now and my favourite part is that it is in a fully stocked studio. I just have to show up and everything is available to me to play around and create what I want. My only limit is my own imagination (well, and my skills, which are improving with practice.) I have seen with my own eyes the way certain kids gravitate towards technology, robotics, lego, etc. I know that this is something that I can’t offer in a teaching environment without the tools to do so. I don’t necessarily have the skills either. So, to imagine a space where things are available to kids in a studio type setting where their imagination is their only limit, feels like such a gift.
Questions I have are logistical in nature; how best to manage a Makerspace, how to ensure that expendable supplies are consistently replenished, and how to avoid what I can see could very quickly turn into a giant unusable mess of bits and pieces that no longer work. I am excited about the possibilities and the project ideas this opens up as a classroom teacher and as someone who truly understands the value of experiential learning in all of its various forms.
Some key words I can think of at this point are:
Makerspace
STEM
STEAM
Digital Makerspace
Learning Commons
Applied Skills, Design and Technology
Collaborative learning
Fablab
Hackerspace
Techspace
3D printing
Coding
Robotics
Digital tools
Digital creativity
I look forward to digging into this topic in this course as well as on a practical level at my school. There is much yet to discover, but I feel as though, with a little research and some elbow grease, the payoff will be massive for my school community.
This is a strong first post. I appreciate your narrative structure and the connection to your personal context. You have identified strong themes for further investigation. I am interested to see where your learning takes you. For your next post, you may want to include some multimedia elements such as images, links, or videos. These add another layer to your post and further enhance the reading experience for your audience.
ReplyDeleteMakerspaces are exciting. I've been slowly building ours up from a self-service stationary cupboard with various craft supplies and tools by adding a rolling tool chest with butcher block work surface (about $500) for the less self-serve tools etc. We also added a Cricut maker CNC cutting machine (about $350) and now have one 3D printer (district supplied). Supplies are a consideration as they will have to be budgeted for. In our case, we are using the SLLC budget for supplies at the moment, but may have to start charging departments and/or advocate for a budget increase as usage increases.
ReplyDeleteIf you are at elementary don't overlook the value of lego. Maybe you could find some cheaply on the second hand market or by donation.