Friday, May 29, 2015

Be a "Maker" all summer!

We are making plans for our first official "Back to School Maker Faire" in September.  The students are encouraged to build things (independently or with their families) during the summer, post to our Facebook page, and then bring the projects in for display on our Back to School night in August so that we can share them during the first few weeks of school.  I'm hoping we will see lots of fun and creative projects!

This is the information going home to families.

Happy Summer Making!!!

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

2nd Grade Vehicles



Our 2nd Graders just completed a very long and challenging Makerspace project! In science, they were studying force and motion.  They conducted experiments with toy cars and ramps and then wrote lab reports to share their findings.  In the Makerspace, we took the ideas of force and motion and challenged our students to make a vehicle that traveled FASTER or FURTHER than the toy cars in their experiments.  After creating their cars, testing them, fixing them, and testing them again, students made a video using the Explain Everything app on the iPad.  This project was difficult for all but it truly taught our students the importance of planning, testing, and trying again.  They learned that THEY WILL FAIL but each failure was just a chance to make their projects even better.  We often saw students working together to make their vehicles work and collaboration proved to be a very important component in their design process.


Friday, May 22, 2015

Not just for STEAM!

Recently our third graders finished their persuasive writing unit - a unit they've done for years.  This year, however, the teachers decided it was a great opportunity to integrate technology, the Makerspace, and the Design Process into their writing time as well!  Each student was a part of a "cause group" - working to communicate a message about an issue that affected lives outside of their classroom (for example, protecting the environment or being more physically active).  After completing their research, they wrote a presentation to deliver to an audience of families and students at our Celebration of Learning night.

Most groups opted to use technology to help in delivering that presentation (recording a video on the green screen, using the iPads to create a stop-motion animation video, or creating a presentation in Google Slides).



Then they spent some time in the Makerspace, creating a promotional product to convey their message - we talked about, and looked at, lots of logo items that we get at conferences, businesses, etc. that they might use as inspiration (lanyards, bookmarks, brochures, screen cleaners, mugs, pens, and bags, to name a few).  Each group voted on a product and design, then worked furiously to mass produce something that they could hand out to audience members who listened to their presentation.

 Some groups also opted to make wearable items for themselves, so they could further communicate their message - I saw t-shirts, bracelets and bags.

It was a wonderful culminating activity for them - to take all they've learned in the classroom, in the Makerspace, and on the tech devices this year and put them all together for a purpose!  And I LOVED watching the classroom teachers, who a year ago had no idea what a Makerspace was, thinking about ways to integrate both high-tech and low-tech "making" into every part of the school day.

Bird Nest Challenge

"Bird's Nest"   by  Rugged Lens  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0  Nothing says "Spring" like birds making nex...