CSER – AHS Makerspace

Portfolio Task 6

Goals of makerspace rotations:

Increase engagement in ICT to improve attitude of girls to ICT
Increase enrolments in ICT in later years
Increase exposure to wider range of ICT and more recent developments
Encourage innovation, problem solving and creativity skills

Learning objectives from the Australian Digital Technologies curriculum.

Implement and modify programs with user interfaces involving branching,iteration and functions in a general-purpose programming language (ACTDIP030)
Design the user experience of a digital system, generating, evaluating and communicating alternative designs (ACTDIP028)
Create and communicate interactive ideas and information collaboratively online, taking into account social contexts (ACTDIP032)

Portfolio Task 5

As can be seen in posts, we have been working on improving instructions for Lego Wedo robots, to make them more challenging, increase independent learning and iron out IT barriers. The new lessons are at:

https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/this-week-in-tech-land-better-lego-wedo-lessons-and-some-motivation/

Still need to develop lesson plans to challenge students more once they get the basics. See: https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/lego-scratch-reflection/

Portfolio Task 4

Instruction: Prepare a short lesson or professional development session idea that looks at an aspect of developing and implementing solutions for maker projects. Consider which tools the learners will be using (to focus your lesson) and build your session around that.

Task: For this task I and another teacher developed a makerfaire with another teacher for 58 Year 8 ICT female students for 7 lessons.

Room setup can be seen here: https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/06/13/set-up-for-makerfaire/

Photos and the rotation schedule can be seen here: https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/first-makerfaire/

Activity details can be found at:

Each activity went for 1 lesson of 45 to 50 minutes. There were a further 3 rotations within Station 6 of about 13 minutes each, by the time they moved on. Following each activity, students posted a forum entry on moodle reflecting on what they had learnt, using the Visible Thinking Routine: See, Think, Wonder. They also had to comment on the forum entries of other students.

Learning objectives of the Years 7 & 8 Australian Curriculum: Digital technologies, included computational thinking skills and programming skills, through involving the following steps:

Define and decompose problems (ACTDIP027)
Implement and modify programs or products with user interfaces (ACTDIP030)
Evaluate how the solution meets the requirements of the design brief (ACTDIP031)
Create and communicate interactive ideas and information collaboratively online, taking into account social contexts (ACTDIP032)
Plan and manage projects, including tasks, time and other resources required, considering safety and sustainability (ACTDIP033)

Other objectives were to introduce students to a wide range of engaging technologies to encourage positive attitudes to studying technology in later years. These rotations followed a unit of 19 lessons where students used Scratch to make a 30 second animated music video. Students had 3 lessons per week, in total, over a term of about 10 weeks.

Designing Solutions in Makerspace AKA Portfolio Task 3

Investigated using Piktochart and Easel.ly to make infographic that described algorithm used to problem solve getting Neurosky Mindwave headset to work. As I was seeking free tools, easel.ly had template that best suited this. Was completed very quickly – would have been better to improve text size and colours with more time.

Week 2 “Defining Problems for Makerspace”. AKA Portfolio Task 2

Great makerspaces resource using makey makeys, Scratch and infographics from Kay Oddone https://linkinglearning.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/creating-interactivity-when-an-infographic-talks/

Thought this was great from course: alignment with the Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum Makerspace projects can meet a number of the learning objectives of the Years 7 & 8 Australian Curriculum: Digital technologies, including computational thinking skills and programming skills, through involving following steps:

Define and decompose problems (ACTDIP027)
Design for the user experience (ACTDIP028)
Design algorithms represented diagrammatically and in English (ACTDIP029)
Implement and modify programs or products with user interfaces (ACTDIP030)
Evaluate how the solution meets the requirements of the design brief (ACTDIP031)
Create and communicate interactive ideas and information collaboratively online, taking into account social contexts (ACTDIP032)
Plan and manage projects, including tasks, time and other resources required, considering safety and sustainability (ACTDIP033)

https://csdigitaltech.appspot.com/nextsteps_maker/course

Good makerspaces webinar https://mix.office.com/watch/ao95qm13r3tg up to 2.3

Doing launch of STEAM and makerspace at assembly next Friday. Made video for this of current STEAM activities, grabbing photos and video from Science, Technology and Library Departments. Planned scripts with students for the assembly to explain what is STEAM and promote the makerspace room – coming next term.

Ordered materials for LED bookmarks with conductive thread and also ordered Spheros- great to see they have app for Windows 8 tablet.

Spent quite a bit of time looking for QR code reader for Surface Pro 3 with no success.

Came across this on Jackie Child’s blog http://anniemurphypaul.com/2015/05/when-kids-engage-in-making-are-they-learning-anything/ from (http://jchild.edublogs.org/).

Goal to have Squishy circuit kit and tested this. Have now ordered kits and have a plan https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/squishy-circuits/ Have borrowed BCE squishy circuit kit from June 4 https://resourcelinkbce.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/running-a-maker-faire-good-hard-fun-at-st-joachims/

Have found some kids and 1 teacher who might teach us minecraft, so need to program this and find out about minecraft edu. Have some students already suggesting ideas for the makerspace. One wants a creative writing group, so came up with the idea of hangout lunchtimes for groups with specific interests to gather.

We had the idea of passports so students could get stamps when they completed a makerspace activity and then a certificate when they achieve a certain number. However, will explore next week if we can do this via moodle and set up a course and students submit a photo as evidence of completed project, then they get badge, And the students get certificate with levels after so many badges… Know this sounds contrived, but would help with collecting evidence…

Portfolio Task 1

I am doing the CSER Years 7-8 Digital Technologies MOOC https://csdigitaltech.appspot.com/cser_nextsteps/course so this blog will serve as my eportfolio, as I have chosen the makerspace stream.

So, makerspace progress this week… I organised 10 flip tables that were in storage and not being used (?) to be taken to the makerspace (to be) room and the adjacent library space. We already have light Sebel chairs, and are keeping a few of the old tables. This means we just need more storage. We already have some library shelving in the room. Year 5 and 6 robotics will be easier, as they use a large sheet of paper and draw and make bridges, roads etc and then program the Lego Mindstorms to follow the road. So, now moving the furniture will be easier.

I had great success with one group using conductive thread last year, then not so good with another group. So, today I persisted and found the LED light worked if the thread was cut after the LED light. So, will have students make a circuit bookmark with one LED light in 8 ICT rotations beginning June and also offer lunchtimes in library in Term 3 http://sewelectric.org/diy-projects/bookmark-book-light/understanding-your-circuit/ Lynette ordered some sticky circuits. http://bunniefoo.com/chibi/sketchbook-en-v1.pdf We are substituting some items to reduce component costs. http://chibitronics.com/resources/ I had a Year 8 student doing some library service, so I got her to trial the Lego Wedo lesson plans: https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/term-3-2015-program/ Worked brilliantly in a short time frame, and she was able to code a program of her own very quickly. Other teaching staff are developing littlebits and makey makey activities. I am trying to get Arduino software installed.

We want to start a Hall of Fame of past pupils for our coming open day. We want to hang their photos, then people can scan the QR code to find out more about the person. The idea is to change the photos throughout the year. I used Quickmark for PC on our old netbooks, but need to see what QR code reader and generator will work best on our new Windows 8 devices.

The library had Special FX Make-Up sessionshttps://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/special-fx-makeup/ , Tues to Fri, at lunchtime. We need to check when school events are on at lunchtime more carefully in future; we want to expand school activities, not compete. We are now done with formal makerspace sessions for the term (offer them first 4 weeks of each term), as assessment takes priority. However, we will still offer boardgames. Lynette has made a wonderful movie for Open Day of our makerspace activities for our library digital screens. Here is the version without sound that was on the library digital screens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssojr7UrSos The first 3 terms have been about working out staffing and how the program can work, so has been more craft based, but for Term 3 we are planning to focus on coding, electronics and robotics, so we are busily planning activities and setting up the technology requirements, such as software.

Our rationale as to why we think makerspaces are important is summed up here in our budget proposal https://ahsmakerspace.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/term-1-2105-program/

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