Maker Faire Bay Area 2015

It was our first year attending the Maker Faire, and we were all excited.  Unfortunately, we were not able to bring a group of students to the special Education day on Friday, but definitely next year.   The plan eventually is to have our own booth for our students to showcase their work.  

It was hard getting our bearings at first: so many things to do and see.  As overwhelming as it all was at first, it was still so much fun!  Our goal was  to not only see gadgets to buy and projects we could try out in our own space, but also to get exhibitors/companies to come talk about all the cool things they do with our students. 

Some of our favorites included the Carousel of Physics because students were explaining Physic concepts through their own projects,  the fire-shooting giant sculptures because it warmed the air, and the talking Dalek because one of us is Whovian :-).

Some photos from our time there:
Happy Making!

1st Annual MCHS Maker Faire

Nine months after the MCHS Maker Lab opened, we celebrated the first annual MCHS Maker Faire on Thursday, April 16th. It was a sight to see! 

Maker Faires inspire individuals from all kinds of different backgrounds, all interested in learning from inventive and creative projects. Some companies (e.g., tech companies especially) require their employees to attend Maker Faires as professional development. It is hard to leave a Maker Faire without getting one idea to use in your personal or professional life.

Four weeks prior to the MCHS Maker Faire, we invited all students, faculty, and staff to submit projects for the Faire. 

Over 20+ diverse submissions were accepted; some fully complete, some works in progress, and all very creative.

Pictures and a list of what was included are below:  

Decorate Your Own Book Ends

Needle Arts Table

Homemade Jewelry

Pillow light (using the LilyPad)

Swallowtail Butterfly Habitat

Portable Raspberry Pi

Braided Bracelet

Space Saver Mobile

Water Gardening

Henna

Anatomy in Clay

Stuffed Animal/ Crochet

How to Build Your Own Computer

Flash Videos

Biome Projects

Stair Climbing Robot

Polymer Clay Charms

Stained Glass Art

Make-Your-Own Parfaits

3D printing Model Presentation

String Paper Mache

Origami

 

Eager to check-out more Maker Faires before our second annual MCHS Maker Faire in 2016? San Mateo hosts the Bay Area’s largest Maker Faire May 16-17, 2015. Check out the website here. And start thinking about projects you can submit for next year's MCHS Maker Faire!

Making at SXSWedu

I was lucky enough to attend SXSWedu in Austin last week.  There was an array of topics on all aspects of education, but to support our Maker Lab program, I went to a lot of the DIY, Maker, & Hacker sessions. 

There were short sessions (Future15), where presenters had only 15 minutes to present.  Some of the sessions I went to included: 3D printing models to help demonstrate mathematical concepts and learning coding with drones.  We are considering purchasing a drone as part of next year's budget, and think that coding would help make it more than just a new gadget for the kids to see.

My favorite sessions were the workshops where we actually got to make something.  At the "Makerspace Mash-Up: New Literacy from AR to Z" (
Jacy Edelman,  Kreg Hanning, Sue Cusack, Lesley University) turned the room into a makerspace, where each table had some sort of equipment (both high tech and low tech), with a project idea on what you could do with the equipment.  I wanted to play with the LittleBits, and the project at that table was to make a DIY Satellite Dish that sensed light.  My table was quite focused  on this task and we were actually successful in making it work:

DIY Satellite Dish using LittleBits

In "Exploring Environments for Maker-Centered Learning" (Edward Clapp and Jessica Ross, Project Zero/Harvard Graduate School of Education), we had the opportunity to design our ideal makerspace and worked in groups to make chairs that could hold our own weight out of cardboard, box cutters, and ties. 

The finished "chairs"

We intend to incorporate this activity in our admission tours for next year (most likely substituting scissors for box cutters).

Several sessions focused on the purpose of and guide to creating maker labs in schools. In "What Are We Making...and Why Are We Making it?" (Basil Kolani, Dwight School) focused on having students make with a purpose (to solve a problem they see, etc).  I really enjoyed the collaborative spirit of "Makerspaces & STEAM Labs: Creation and Programming" (Colleen Graves, Leah Mann, Lewisville Independent School District), where everyone (not just the presenters) shared ideas about the whole process of starting a makerspace. "Schools' Vortex: Innovative Library Makerspaces'" (Britten Follett, Follett Learning; Darcy Coffta, Berwick Academy; Dottie Smay, Shorecrest Preparatory School, Patrice Bryan, Maplewood Richmond Heights High School) addressed makerspaces in libraries, which was of obvious interest to us, having a maker lab in our Library and Learning Commons. 

There were several STEAM-focused sessions, which were very informative for our work with the dance department.  In one of the Playground Hands-On sessions, we got to record haikus and make boxes that when opened would play them. In "Real World STEAM: SoCal Industry and Educators Unite" 

(David Delgado, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Kim Richards, KDR PR/STEAM-Connect; Saura Naderi, Qualcomm), we got to see how STEM companies/organizations incorporate arts both internally and externally, as a means to reach out to students.   I particularly enjoyed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's examples of artwork/designs used to explain their scientists and engineers concepts/projects in a visually engaging manner.  The session was also hands-on.  After using random supplies to make something that represented ourselves, we worked in groups to create something out of all our own creations incorporating LED lights:

My group's creation

I came back with a lot of ideas for ways to change/add to/improve our own space, and I look forward to trying them out.

Happy Making!

 

Friday Afternoon Yarn Session

Ever since Ms. Stanton crocheted the famous guinea pig (inspired by Ms. Simon's late guinea pig, Bumblebee) and students crocheted Christmas tree chains and ornaments, there has been  increased student interest in MAKING with yarn. Remember, making is not always about gadgets.

Expert knitters Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder picked up on this interest and volunteered to host a Friday afternoon yarn session in the LLC during collaboration where students could learn/practice knitting and crochet. 

In preparation for the session, one of our IWEs created balls of yarn to make them more manageable for students to handle compared to the regular yarn bundles.
Students arrived at the Friday afternoon yarn session in the LLC to find a variety of patterns Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder printed as well as knitting needles, crochet hooks, and lots of yarn! 

While Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder focused on teaching students how to knit, Ms. Stanton taught students to crochet. A good way to begin is to crochet a chain like these two students are doing. Next you could make something like a washcloth. Ms. Stanton crocheted this beautiful red one.

Some students skilled at knitting helped others learn. It was an activity collaboration full of learning and fun. Several students have already inquired as to when we will hold the next “Friday afternoon yarn session”.

Remember yarn is available for check-out at the circ desk, as well as crochet hooks and knitting needles!

Designing in 3D with Tinkercad, 123D Sculpt, and PrintShop

We have been using Tinkercad for awhile now for student 3D design projects.  Despite the technical log-in problems the site was having for awhile, with  instruction, students were able to successfully create designs for various class projcts.

Anchor representing Holy Cross themes

On their own several students used AutoDesk's iPad apps 123D Sculpt and 123D Creature to make all sorts of creatures and objects. 

A dog in 123D Sculpt

A dice for a game in a Theology class

A student showing her dinosaur designed in 123D Creature

 

Recently we have been playing around with MakerBot's PrintShop app for the iPad, which provides templates for bracelets, rings, medals, vases, etc that you can customize.  For students/faculty new to 3D design, it allows you to create your own original designs without much instruction.

A customized vase

A bracelet

Both took minutes to create and you can even start the print job right from your iPad within the app(as long as your account is synced to the 3D printer).  A fun and simple introduction to 3D design.

Happy Making!

Making Christmas: 3D Printing and Crocheting Ornaments

Every year, we have a Christmas tree in the Library and Learning Commons. In honor of our Maker Lab, we decided to offer students the opportunity to make ornaments.  The selling point was that right before Christmas break, students could then take the ornaments home to keep. 

Mrs. Stanton teaching students.

 















 Mrs. Stanton offered to teach students how to crochet star ornaments and make chains.  Students then hung them up on the tree.  It proved to be very popular, with students coming at lunch and after school to work on the chain or make ornaments. 

 
Due to finals coming up and the requirement that students actually design their own ornaments, there weren't as many 3D printed ornaments. 

Student designed and printed.

 We also made several examples from Thingiverse.

On Thingiverse

On Thingiverse

 And there were a few staff examples designed in Tinkercad:

As more students become familiar with 3D designing from the instruction we provide in class, we hope there will be more student examples to share.

Happy Making and Happy Holidays!

Hour of Code

On Friday, we celebrated Computer Science Education Week by undertaking an Hour of Code in the Library and Learning Commons. The purpose of an Hour of Code is to demystify computer science and help students experience the fun, challenge, and satisfaction that comes with learning how to code. Anyone can learn how to code and as of this blog post, 75,920,797 people have done the Hour of Code according to code.org!

Many different programs offer an Hour of Code including but not limited to code.org, Kahn Academy, Tynker, and Scratch. These programs teach coding by playing; participants use logic to solve puzzles and/or make interactive games run. The games and puzzles students program to run look similar to the apps you play on your phone. 

As you solve the puzzles, you are writing lines of code. The games and puzzles keep you so engaged that you forget you are learning a really important skill while playing. You might write 90 lines of code in one hour! Some of the Hour of Code programs give you a certificate after completing an Hour of Code.

To introduce the Hour of Code at MCHS, Christopher Hitchcock ‘16 and Michelle Vasquez-Aleman ‘15 spoke about why coding is important to them. Christopher mentioned how it is a skill used in so many different fields and Michelle shared how coding can be used to create art and she gave the example of Pixar Studios.

Participating students then immediately got to work with the Hour of Code, first by selecting an Hour of Code program on the MCHS Maker Lab website.

There are 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, 672 hours in a month, 8,064 hours in a year. Why not use one of these hours to learn a skill that will set you apart in the years to come? Start with an Hour of Code! Visit the MCHS Maker Lab’s Hour of Code page to learn more.