E. Apathy 677 Robotics

This week I liked how we focused on a more real world application of what we have been discussing. I think everyone in our class understands and knows that every school should have a makerspace, but how do you get the schools administration to have one. They need to know how it will benefit the students. They want to know that the resources in the makerspace will be an addition to students education. It needs to be a place where students want to go. I think it would be a good idea to present the information I learned this week into a more concise manor in order to present to the an administration. It was a lot of fun looking at all the benefits to a makerspace all at one time. It is amazing to me that even with so many known benefits the teachers at my school did not utilize the space. It is a shame even more to me now because I have learned how much students get from a maker space.

Why does Baranof Elementary School need a maker space? The simple answer to this question is because they are a fun and beneficial space for students, but to convince administration I need to dive deeper. According to a recent report by the New Media Consortium Horizon Report for 2015 "makerspaces are increasingly being looked to as a method of engaging learners in creative, higher-order problem-solving through hands on design, construction, and iteration." This report also  discussed that makerspaces address the skills students will need to possess in the 21st century. Taking this into account I would approach my administration with this information. Powerful and empowering ways to learn When schools have makerspaces it provides students with a powerful context and opportunity to learn and develop new skills. Makerspaces can provide students with a outlet for students, fuel engagement, and curiosity. Makerspaces also empower students and help them shift from passive co...

I think I am getting why people are not commenting on my posts. I do apologize they are late. I never thought it would be so difficult for me to work 60+ a week and take care of my son and spend time working on homework. I do appreciate the people who do check out my posts, so thank you for that :) Anyways back to the topic. This week I had fun looking at what makes a maker space day a success. I think it has a lot to do with making sure there is interest in the even, and the activities are planned out, Students should know where to go and where things need to be put back. Tying back to past weeks when we talked about maker space rules, those are going to be very important during a maker space day. In my original blog post for this week I talked about having a outline or plan for the day. In looking back at that post I think that may be something that is important for me personally because I love lists and knowing exactly when things are happening. I would be interested to know what...

For my maker space I think the most important thing would be to make sure it was a place students wanted to come too. It would be fun to have some students volunteer to make posters and work on advertisements to put around the school. We want as many students to experience the space as possible. What I would be worried about with the experience I have had in my own schools maker space is that it wasn't used very much. This is also why there is no full-time maker space teacher. The room just wasn't being utilized enough to keep a full time position (gotta love budget cuts). After the advertising was done with help from students around the school I think the next big thing would be to talk to all the teachers in the building and get any questions or concerns they have. I would also ask for help setting things up and get as many teachers involved as possible. Without them a maker space day would not be a success. In researching other maker space days it seems like a huge part ...

This week we focused on whether you can teach more than you know. I think this is a very important question for teachers to remember because as teachers we are not focused on learning new ideas or practicing how our students learn, but this is a very important. After doing this post I am wondering why I am not getting responses on my posts. I haven't gotten any since week 4. I know I am a few days late, but I feel people should go back and post responses. Next summer I am going to reevaluate taking a class and working full time. I feel I am really struggling to stay caught up on homework.

The first article I looked at this week was Do Your Students Know More About Technology Than You Do. This discussed big technology is in the lives of students. It was interesting when the article discussed that kids want to bring what they're doing outside the classroom into their lives at school. Some ideas include mobile learning, collaboration, and social networking. Some see the potential of smartphones, and mp3 players. It brought up how banning smartphones may hinder the implementation of digital.  In order to meet students need to have technology in their daily education we need to ask students what that means. They are the ones that will understand best how they can effectively use technology. It needs to be used in a way that enhances their learning.   The next article I looked at was Three Trends That Define the Future of Teaching and Learning.  This article focused on three trends the are defining way te...

I had a lot of fun looking at the rules of other MakerSpaces. It seems like there is quiet a variety of rules in different schools. I liked the ones that are more simple. I think students would have an easier time following them. This seems especially true because they are coming into a different room and environment than their typical classroom. With this in mind I need to remember they will be excited and may forget that the rules are different, so a simplified list will make everyones experience in the Maker space easier. I think every maker space will have a different need when it comes to rules. Every teacher will need to evaluate the age of the students they will have and work to come up with rules that fit their needs.

This is a fun topic this week as I think rules are a very important aspect of any functional space. I think the most important aspect of the rules is that students work together to come up with a set of rules they think will allow for the space to clean and fun to work in. I would help students brainstorm a list of as many rules as they can think of. Then we would work to pair that list down to make it easier to follow. In doing research I liked the idea of having two big rules ex 1. create, tinker, and engineer 2. be respectful, responsible, and respectful and then breaking down rule number two more into more precise rules Respectful and responsible Don't be afraid to explore & tinker Ask for help if you need it work together  share materials and tools ask permission to touch or move someone's project ask permission to remove tool or material from room clean up put materials and tools away report all injuries Follow Makerspace rules Safe wear pro...