E. Apathy 677 Robotics

this week I had a lot of fun researching materials that could be put in a Making space. I enjoyed looking more into the ones I was more unfamiliar with. I did find myself overwhelmed with the high cost of getting all the materials I think make a Making space a success. I wondering how some schools in lower income areas can possibly afford to have a making space. This is a very sad reality because it puts students in those schools at a disadvantage. This week was also the week I did my presentation of my project. Honestly I was so frustrated with the project I choose. I am proud of myself that I was finally able to get the project to work. I think it's interesting how I found myself amazed that even after learning so much about technology there is still so much I don't know. I am blessed that my dad, who once worked as a computer coder, was able to help me. Turns out the main reason for my frustration was a problem with the connection between the board and my computer, but beca...

What stuff will you stock your making space with, what’s the cost, and how will you fund it? list of materials that my making space will need basic materials 1. Legos- 484 pc $27.99 2. Playdou- 10 pack $8 3. Cardboard- Free 4. Batteries- $25 5. K'nex- 1000 piece set $50 6. construction kit like Keva Structures ~$50 7. Engino-$25 8. Qubits- 84 piece for $70 9. Pencils-$25 10. Paper- $25 11. cleaning supplies- Varies cost of basic  materials~$305.99 materials or kits 1. Ozobot- $99 per bot 2. VEX robotics- starter kit $279.99 3. Arduino- $99 4. RaspberryPi- $35 5. Mindcraft- $26.95 6. LittleBits- $99.95 7. Cubelets- $148.76 8. MakeyMakey- 1 kit $70 Cost of other materials and kits~795.65 I am assuming this space will be quiet expensive, around $1,200. As I was doing the math I remembered that it would be more expensive that the original estimate because I only took into consideration one Ozobot. If I got enough for an entire class ...

This week I really struggled with the essential question. I think I am realizing that maybe taking a summer class and working 50 hours a week (plus being a mom)  is a bit of a challenge. The biggest take away from this week is that there is a huge connection between teaching and learning. It relates to teachers taking continuing education classes to ensure their are up to date with the latest educational research. It also means that teachers experience what it is like to learn from a instructor to be reminded what it's like for their students. I am feeling anxious about my project. Yesterday I was finally able to figure everything out with my computer so now i can finally start exploring the kit and finding a project to do. Right now I think I am going to do project 3 which is Love-O-Meter. It will be an interesting time attempting this project because I haven't done anything remotely similar before. Wish me luck!

What is the relationship between teaching and learning? As a teacher we expect our students to learn what we are teaching them everyday. We expect them to sit and listen to our lesson and remember all the materials. This for many students is very difficult. I remember growing up having trouble sitting still during my teachers lesson.  As teachers we need to make sure we allow each student to learn the best of their ability. That may mean we need to change how we approach teaching. This for many teachers may be challenging because it means accepting that something we are doing isn't working for a particular student and we need to find a new approach. While this maybe hard it is vital for the learning of all our students. I think the ability to look at a students performance and understand that we act teachers have a direct affect on their learning is a form of learning for our selves. It is important to realize that we need to learn how to teach in an effective way that allows al...

As I worked on this weeks question I thought I had a solid idea of what I wanted to do, but now that I have had a bit of time to reflect on it I am thinking about all the other ideas I can do. I think it's so fun to see how much I am learning and changing how I was thinking about technology in the classroom. I think so often when technology is used in the classroom it is a smart board, maybe a computer. But with the materials I have already gotten to explore I can't wait to have the chance to incorporate more into my own lessons.

What project could help me integrate my content with making? As a Kindergarten teacher I teach all subjects. Taking this in mind I think the best way to integrate making into my content would be to use it as an enhancement on an already established lesson.  I think it would be fun to somehow use making during our weather or human body unit. It would be something they are already learning about in their daily content but the making would be an opportunity to expand on their learning and expose them to another fun way to explore the material that is more hands on.  At this time I am not sure what the making would look like to accompany my unit ideas, but I am definitely excited to explore more.  In an article I read on renovateqdlearning.com they mentioned the option to have a passive maker program. I hadn't thought of that idea and how that might be a better option for teachers who may have a hard time regular incorporating making into the...

This week focused on how much we should allow our students to figure out things on their own. I think this is such an interesting topic. As I was working to write my main blog post for the week I had a lot of conflicting thoughts about letting kids not succeed at something. I think so often as teachers and students we are taught that when we aren't successful at something we are somehow at fault and that we are not smart. I think this is a harmful thought to have. We need to support our students as they explore throughout their learning and when they do not succeed at something we need to have a real conversation about why didn't work, what they can try differently next time, and what they learned from it not working. As teachers who are often evaluated on the success or failure of our students through test scores I think we are less comfortable to allow our students to figure out things on their own with out at least a little guidance. I understand the conflict, but really wi...

To what extent should we allow students to figure things out for themselves? This week focused on the idea of when and how important is it for students to struggle in class. In an article written by Valerie Strauss she talked about how as teachers we are so focused on meeting our goals or getting kids up to a certain score on a test we often feel it's not ok to let students struggle because to may that may mean we are bad teachers.  This idea is one that is challenging because often time we are teachers tend to like to control the learning that happens in our classrooms. We don't want our students to struggle with something because we want learning to be fun for all our students. I think it's important to let kids struggle to a point. There is definitely a time when teaches need to step in and give assistance to students who may be really struggling. The articles I explored this week in particular the one written by Tovia Smith on Grit was very interesting. I learned a...

This week was a very fun topic. I think the idea of letting kids fail is an idea that to many teachers is scary since we are so often evaluated on the success of our students. Teachers need to find a balance where they allow students to foster a growth mindset but make sure it does not interfere with the classes learning. During this week I thought of how I interact with my son. He is almost 4 and I really try to incorporate he ideas and approaches I have learned taking classes to raising him. I think it is harder teach my son that it's ok to fail than my own students. I find this because I see how my son acts when something he is trying to do doesn't work and how angry and frustrated he gets. As a teacher I hope that parents don't stop letting their kids fail, because as a parent myself I work really hard to help him find a different way to approach a problem. When he sees a new way that actually works you can see his excitement, and he does that new way overtime he appro...