Tag Archives: makerspace

by | May 30, 2024 · 1:14 pm

Playdough for Everyone

Playdough is a tactile educational tool that can be used as a way to incorporate creativity and kinesthetic learning into lessons. It is inexpensive and easy to make using available kitchen ingredients (flour, salt, water & oil).

Playdough can be used throughout the curriculum for all ages: it can be an effective form of experiential learning from the development of fine motor skills in preschool children (Rukmini et al., 2022) all the way to post-secondary students learning neuroscience anatomy (Gopal & Bhooshan, 2021). Further, having students engage in hands-on learning increases engagement and can lead to improved outcomes.

Although playdough can be purchased, it is relatively cheap and easy to make, and can last several months in the sealed bag or container before being disposed of in the compost. Here are two of my favorite recipes:

Ideas for Elementary & Middle Years Teachers:

  • Sensory math activities (playdough can be used as a manipulative). For example, matching numbers with small balls of playdough or squishing playdough balls during counting
  • Using playdough to model and learn about 2D and 3D shapes
  • Exploring fractions and equations using fractions
  • Telling or re-telling a story using playdough.
  • Students might even create play
  • Building structures or engineering (you could include other resources, such as toothpicks to create more complex structures)
  • Colour theory – students can blend small balls of colored playdough to create a colour wheel.
  • Spelling words by molding letters or by using letter cookies cutters or alphabet stamps
  • Using playdough to explore patterns (ex. colour, shape, size, etc.)
  • Learning about Earth and the solar system
    • Modelling the phases of the moon or exploring the moon’s surface and craters
  • Telling time using playdough to make the hands of the clock

Ideas for Secondary Teachers:

Higher Tech Ideas for K12 and beyond:

  • With Squishy Circuits students can learn about and create complex circuits while expressing their creativity. Concepts including conductivity, resistance, simple circuits, parallel and series circuits, short circuits and switches. The Professor responsible for Squishy Circuits at the University of St. Thomas shares recipes for both conductive and non-conductive dough.
  • Use Playdough to construct a ‘MakeyMakey’ piano or game controller. MakeyMakey is a basic micro-controller appropriate for all ages.
  • Model and sculpt characters and setting to tell a digital story
    • Stop Motion Animation is an excellent way to incorporate digital tools with hand-building and creative expression. Tools like Stop Motion Studio or iMovie can be used as they have ‘auto timing’ features that make stop motion more efficient. The example below shows how a very effective movie can be created using simple techniques.

References:

Rukmini, R., Mustaji, M., & Mariono, A. (2022). Effectiveness of a playdough game in stimulating fine motor skills and cognitive skill: Early childhood education. The International Journal of Early Childhood Learning, 29(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-7939/CGP/v29i01/1-12

Gopal, V., & Bhooshan, L. (2021). The feasibility of using playdough and household materials as an educational tool for self-learning of neurosurgical anatomy during COVID-19 lockdown. Anatomical Sciences Journal, 18(2), 92-99.

Guest post by Peer Mentor Lindsay Cunningham (Ph.D. student, EDCP), May 2024.

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by | October 31, 2023 · 11:44 am

Design Thinking & ADST

Design Thinking is a series of steps that can help people understand the nature of a problem, then consider and test solutions. These steps are part of a cyclical process: the proposed solution may not solve the problem, and then participants will have to go back to earlier steps and work their way through again. Although Design Thinking can be easily embedded in any Applied Design Skills and Technologies (ADST) project, from start to finish, it can be used as a way to think about problem-solving in any subject or classroom.

BC’s newest K-9 curriculum is Applied Design Skills and Technologies. It is interesting to consider the opportunities for teachers to integrate “STEAM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), Makerspace, computational thinking (including coding) and entrepreneurship in their teaching, and Design Thinking  fits perfectly with inquiry-based projects and hand-on learning. To learn more about the ADST curriculum, please visit the related post on our Scarfe Sandbox Blog.

The Steps

To get students thinking about the entire design process for ADST, from beginning to end, teachers can implement a Design Thinking framework. Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving and solution creation. It’s used widely by companies to promote innovation and develop new products. There are 5 standard steps:

  1. Emphasize – try to understand the need
  2. Define – clarify the problem
  3. Ideate – generate lots of ideas
  4. Prototype – build the solution you think might work
  5. Test – see if the prototype solves the problem

For more information, you can check out Stanford University’s Introduction to Design Thinking: Process Guide

Reverse Ideation

Teachers can also encourage students to try Reverse Ideation, which can help to stimulate creative thinking and get students generating ideas from a fresh approach. In Reverse Ideation, students will try to make the problem worse. This approach can take the pressure off of students from having to find the perfect solution and can get ideas flowing (it can also be a fun way to break the ice and get students talking and connecting with each other). Once the worst ideas are out, that can free students to think about possible solutions, using the worst ideas as a starting point. Check out this blog post for an example of what Reverse Ideation can look like in practice.

whiteboard showing multi coloured responses to the question "How to prepare for practicum"

Reverse Ideation in Action! “How to prepare for practicum: worst ideas only”

At a recent Scarfe Foyer session, teacher candidates had the chance to try out Reverse Ideation to help them prepare for their upcoming short practicum.

We set up a white board with our question: “How to Prepare for Practicum? Worst Ideas Only!” We provided white board markers, as well as post-it notes, and asked TC’s to generate ideas. This is a set-up that’s easily replicable in a classroom using whatever materials are on hand, such as chart paper, white/black boards, post-it notes on desks, etc. The unconventional approach to this topic, preparing for practicum, generated a lot of interest and discussion.

Greta, Lindsay and Nashwa host a Scarfe foyer session about reverse ideation and design thinking. Greta writes an idea on the whiteboard.

A Scarfe foyer session highlighting design thinking.

Edited by Peer Mentor Lindsay Cunningham (Ph.D. student, EDCP), October 2023

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by | November 2, 2022 · 10:24 am

Makerspace:

What is it?

Known also as fab labs, tinkering areas, or hackerspaces, makerspaces are generally areas where people can gather to make, create, and experiment with a variety of materials and tools.

As the name suggests, makerspaces are spaces where people can make stuff. While these creations are often physical things, digital productions can also be included. Varying in size, equipment, budget, location, and audience, makerspaces generally have one thing in common; they are places for people to gather to collaborate in the act of creating.

The term makerspace can be used to describe a whole range of spaces that vary from entire buildings and rooms to dedicated room corners, carts, and tubs. Makerspaces can be found in schools, libraries, classrooms, museums, community spaces, and even trucks and buses. The materials within a makerspace also vary quite drastically from inexpensive or free materials like recycled cardboard, to more costly tools such as 3-d printers.

Why is it Relevant?

In schools, Makerspaces can be located in libraries, dedicated rooms or spaces, and in individual classrooms. If there is not enough space for a permanent Makerspace, flexible alternatives such as carts or tubs can help alleviate challenges such as these. While Makerspaces aren’t necessarily new in schools, their popularity is growing greatly as 21st century skills becoming increasingly important in education.

Makerspaces are significant for education because when they are used to their full potential, they can help students develop critical 21 century skills such as collaboration, problem-solving skills, perseverance, and creating thinking. Makerspaces are environments that can foster meaningful and authentic learning through the implementation of STEAM pedagogical approaches.

Drawing on constructivist and constructionist theories of learning, makerspaces allow for hands-on active learning through the creation of things. Both Jean Piaget’s Constructivism and Seymour Papert’s Constuctionism emphasize learning through active construction and interaction with objects. By allowing students to experiment and play with materials in the Makerspaces, teachers can leverage these theories to encourage deep and meaningful learning.

Makerspaces offer a wide array of opportunities for creating so they can easily support valuable pedagogical approaches such as student centered and project-based learning. Additionally, a well-designed makerspace is likely to have low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls. The concept of low floors and high ceilings was originated by Papert. “For a technology to be effective, he said, it should provide easy ways for novices to get started (low floor) but also ways for them to work on increasingly sophisticated projects over time (high ceiling)” (Resnick, 2020). Resnick (2020) has suggested the addition of a third dimension to the metaphor, wide walls which enable a large variety of work to be explored and created. In terms of makerspaces, it is important that they include a variety of low or no tech materials as well as high tech materials. This will ensure the makerspace is accessible for a variety of users while also allowing for a breadth of projects.

Getting Started

  • Visit a local makerspace to get inspired. Reach out to other schools that have makerspaces to learn from them or visit a makerspace in your city. While these community spaces often charge a membership, you may be able to schedule a brief visit for free. Locate a makerspace near you
  • Start small – dedicate a table or corner in the classroom to a makerspace, if this is too much, consider a cart or tub that can be easily moved around.
  • John Spencer recommends starting with a temporary makerspace like creating a mobile makerspace with a cart or starting with a single maker project. Listen to him here https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/makerspace/
  • Your makerspace doesn’t need to be finished for you and your students to start using it. You can continue to add to your makerspace as you learn more about the needs and interests of your students. Additionally, having students involved in the design of the makerspace can help them take ownership of the space and be responsible for its maintenance.
  • Create rules and routines for using the makerspace and be sure your students know them. Some important elements to include are safely using the tools and responsibility for tidying the materials.
  • Allow your students time to play with the materials especially when you first introduce the makerspace. This is also a good chance to reinforce rules and routines.
  • You don’t need a lot of money, collect donations of materials, use recycled materials, use what is already in your school
  • If you are asking for donations from families, be sure to specify that items should be empty and clean. You don’t want old yogurt stink in your classroom!
  • Below are lists of various supplies that are commonly used in makerspaces. The following do not represent exhaustive lists, nor do they reflect the need to acquire all of these materials to run a successful makerspace. Use these lists as inspiration but do not feel limited to the materials here.

No Tech Makerspace materials

  • Cardboard (recycled from food boxes, shipping boxes, or other packaging)
  • Cardboard tubes
  • Paper, cardstock
  • Newspapers
  • Styrofoam packaging
  • String
  • Yarn
  • Thread
  • Ribbon
  • Tape (packaging tape, masking tape, duct tape)
  • Glue (white glue, hot glue, glue sticks)
  • Fabric scraps
  • Felt
  • Buttons
  • Balloons
  • Magazines
  • Bottle caps
  • Cans, bottles, and/or food storage containers
  • Milk/juice cartons
  • Egg cartons
  • Popsicle/craft sticks
  • Old cds
  • Paper bags
  • Old toys
  • Scrap wood
  • Nature items (pinecones, sticks, leaves, stones)
  • Drawing supplies
  • Paint
  • Scissors
  • Rulers & measuring tapes
  • Needles (sewing, knitting, crochet hooks)
  • Looms

Low & High Tech Makerspace Materials

  • Makey Makey
  • Micro:bit
  • Green Screen
  • Microphone
  • 3-d printer
  • Printer
  • Paper circuit materials (LEDs, copper tape, coin cell batteries)
  • Squishy circuits
  • iPads, tablets,
  • Laptops or computers
  • Cricut
  • Ozobot
  • Sphero
  • Dash & Dot
  • Lego
  • K’Nex
  • Bloxels

References

Resnick, M. (2020). Designing for wide walls. Medium. https://mres.medium.com/designing-for-wide-walls-323bdb4e7277

Credit:
Guest post by UBC MET student, Lexie Tucker. Peer Mentor 2021-23
Video by Janis Sawatzky, UBC BEd 2014, Tech Integration Facilitator, 2019

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by | December 5, 2019 · 12:22 pm

Circuitry Explorations: Tech Ed Stations

Play-based, hands-on learning activities appeal to our creativity and our curiosity. When combined with specific prompts and tasks, they encourage children by providing greater success and a more rewarding experiences (McLean & Harlow, 2017) as they learn about the world around them.

When you combine a 9V battery with a handful of playdough and a few strategically placed mini-LED bulbs, anyone can safely learn the basics of circuitry. Before long, those same people might just take the lead, and soon enough they’re speaking knowledgeably about current, polarity, and conductivity and asking great questions of their own! More advanced students can extend their learning by co-constructing their understandings of series and parallel circuits, switches and more. Design challenges can support students creating toys and electrical devices or imagine the learning that might happen when high school chemistry students are challenged to create new recipes to increase conductivity or resistence and improve the texture, colour or consistency of the dough (McLean & Harlow, p. 128).

This week with the Technology Education Secondary cohort, we played as students and considered as teachers, how stations and play based learning might help to activate the students’ prior knowledge, engage students in constructing their understandings and provide an engaging hook and scaffolded learning opportunity for developing more complex understandings of circuits.

Using inexpensive familiar materials, teachers can prepare simple, fun, yet challenging hands-on activities for their students that can also provide a footing for learning down the road. By using the squishy circuits first, students play with concepts using materials that can be re-used multiple times. Following this play, they might then design and build a circuit using a given length of copper tape thus using design thinking skills, electrical know-how and mathematics.

In our session, we explored five stations. TCs were encouraged to consider how and what they were learning and relate this learning to curriculum including core competencies.

  1. Squishy Circuits (1 set available for loan from Ed Library – all you really need is playdough, batteries and LEDs – and a battery tester to provide students opportunity to troubleshoot)
  2. Makey Makey (1 available for loan from Ed Library)
  3. Paper Circuits
  4. Micro:Bits (2 kits of 10 available for loan from the Ed library)
  5. K-8 Robot (6 available for loan from Ed Library… remember to also borrow the microbits kit!)

Slides from our session:

https://prezi.com/view/OiwUhUMmhcS2gB7yyanU/

Honey, M. & Kanter, D. (2013). Introduction. In M. Honey & D. Kanter (Eds.), Design, make, play (pp. 1–6). New York, NY: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203108352.

McLean, M., & Harlow, D. (2017, June). Designing inclusive STEM activities: A comparison of playful interactive experiences across gender. In Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Interaction Design and Children (pp. 567–574). New York, NY: ACM, https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3084326

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by | May 2, 2019 · 11:15 am

Stop Motion Studio

Stop motion animation can be created in many different ways. Today, there are some helpful apps to make the often time-consuming task more streamlined! You can, however, just set transition between clips in any slide show or movie app to 0 or .5 to create a stop motion effect (similar to a no-tech ‘flip book’ (link to Youtube example))

I have long enjoyed using Stop Motion Studio but recently came across some browser-based apps I’m interested in exploring further including Stop Motion Animator (for Chrome books).

Stop Motion Studio is an app that facilitates the process of creating stop motion animations with clay, cut-outs, LEGO, you name it! It’s a great way to explore storytelling and multimedia. There’s a free and a paid version, and this is what you can do with them:

Some of the features of the ‘free’ version:

  • Adjustable timer
  • Camera settings
  • Auto focus
  • Auto exposure
  • High definition exporting

Although any video editor can do what Stop Motion Studio does, this app narrows down the functionalities to what is relevant in creating stop motion animations and automates parts of the process for efficiency e.g. you can easily adjusts the number of frames for each still shot to suit stop motion better. The app also saves videos in high definition by default.

Creating a stop motion video might reinforce the creative thinking core competency, especially when used in a second language classroom such as French Immersion, Core French, etc. 

Alternatives: You might try using iMovie, QuickTime Pro or Camtasia (free to UBC students) to create stop motion!

It’s really simple to get started with Stop Motion Studio, you just have to download the app and start clicking away. There are a few tips that can make the process of creating an animation run smoother:
  • Use a stand or tripod, or even anything to stabilize the camera and fix the angle
  • Use the timer function, so you don’t have to push the camera buttons, and with that you’ll avoid pushing the camera out of place
  • Play a bit with the auto-focus and auto-exposure settings to see if they’re going to create dramatic differences between frames. You might want to turn it off if they do.
  • Get good lighting, videos love light and good contrast
  • Storyboard, or at least plan ahead what each scene is going to look like. That will save you editing time and make the story more coherent.

Here’s our Quick Start Guide you can share with other Teachers and Students

Stop Motion Studio Instructions One Page Handout

You may also wish to review a resource created by a UBC instructor showing how they incorporate stop motion to share lecture/class material (where they also share some tips and ‘basics’ to help you get started)

‘SlowMation’ is another term you might come across for stop motion. Slowmation.com has a series of PDF tutorials on getting started with various applications to create ‘slowmation movies’.

videopng-360x61.png

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by | October 2, 2018 · 10:47 am

Stop Motion Studios (FR)

What is it

Stop Motion peut être créée de différentes manières. Aujourd’hui, il existe des applications simples pour créer des animations !

Il y a des applications qui sont accessibles en ligne et en version application.  Stop Motion Animator (pour les ChromeBooks) ou l’application gratuite et simple offerte par Parapara de Mozilla.

Stop Motion Studio est une application qui facilite le processus de création d’animations en stop motion avec de l’argile, des découpes, du LEGO, etc. C’est un excellent moyen d’explorer les histoires et le multimédia. Il y a deux versions qui sont offertes : une gratuite et une payante.  Voilà ce que vous pouvez faire avec Stop Motion Studio :

Version gratuite:

  • minuterie réglable
  • paramètres de l’appareil
  • mise au point automatique
  • exposition automatique
  • haute définition exportation
 Version payante:

  • thèmes
  • clips sons
  • écran vert
  • filtres
  • peinture

 

Why is it relevant

Bien que tout éditeur vidéo peut faire ce que Stop Motion Studio fait, cette application restreint les fonctionnalités à ce qui est pertinent dans la création d’animations en stop motion. En outre, il ajuste le nombre d’images pour chaque image afin qu’elle corresponde mieux au stop motion, alors que cela pourrait être un peu plus complexe à configurer dans les éditeurs vidéo. Enfin, les vidéos sont enregistrées en haute définition par défaut, ce qui simplifie le processus.

Cette ressource est idéale dans une classe de langue seconde telle que l’immersion française, le français de base, etc. Elle permet aux élèves de s’engager de façon créative dans l’apprentissage du langage.

How to get started

C’est très facile de travailler avec Stop Motion Studio, il vous suffit de télécharger l’application et d’explorer toutes les fonctions. Il y a des démarches qui peuvent faciliter la création d’une animation :

  • Utilisez quelque chose pour stabiliser (un pied, un trépied, etc) l’appareil photo et corriger l’angle.
  • Utilisez la fonction minuterie pour ne pas avoir à appuyer sur les boutons de l’appareil photo.  Cela, évitera de pousser la caméra hors de place.
  • Jouez un peu avec les différentes fonctions et les réglages.  Par exemple la mise au point automatique et l’exposition automatique pour voir des créations dramatiques différentes entre les images.
  • Obtenez un bon éclairage, les vidéos aiment la lumière et le bon contraste.
  • Storyboard, ou du moins prévoyez à l’avance à quoi chaque scène va ressembler. Cela vous permettra d’économiser du temps d’édition et de rendre l’histoire plus cohérente.
Video demonstration
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by | September 9, 2018 · 5:27 pm

“Making Literacy” in LLED 350 and LLED 360

“Making Literacy” – a centers based approach to integrating Applied Design Skills and Technologies and Making in K-12 classrooms was presented in the Neville Scarfe Education Library in September 2018. During the month of September, every teacher candidate in the Bed program (elementary, middle and secondary) had the opportunity to participate in some ‘Makerspace’ stations as part of an orientation to Library and Information Literacy with your LLED 350 and LLED 360 course.

In Scarfe 155 (through the ed lib), we began with a brief overview and discussion about ‘maker ed’ and how this fits with the revised BC Curriculum including integration with the Core Competencies and the BC Applied Design Skills and Technologies Curriculum (ADST).

Following this brief overview, it was all hands on, minds-on exploration. Teacher Candidates had the opportunity to play and learn at several different stations and were invited to return to play anytime.

Here is a copy of the slides from the session:  LLED Maker Space Slides_Sept 2018

During the orientation, TCs also participated in an Augmented Reality exploration of the library. There are a number of applications that teachers can use to create their own AR experiences – HP Reveal (used in the library session), Zappar, Augment, Layar are only a few.

Our stations are organized under 4 main themes:

Storytelling (Storytelling Makerspace Sign_Sept 2018)

  • Green Screen – Tell your story as an image or video. Grab a puppet and play… select a fanciful background and transport yourself in space and time or check out the Postcards Canada project from a couple of years ago as inspiration. Remember, no fancy green screen required… use any plain wall or roll of paper as a backdrop.
  • Blackout Poetry – repurpose a library discard to create your own unique poem!
  • Button Maker (when available)– procedural knowledge is important to literacy! Creatively design your own unique visual micro-story and learn to follow the steps to create a button… ok, this one isn’t so much about the valuable learning opportunity as the sheer fun of creating a unique button! Add a little ‘flare’ to your wardrobe!

Design Challenges (Challenges Makerspace Sign_Sept 2018)

Programming (Programming Makerspace Sign_Sept 2018)

  • Ozobots – mini-robots. Code these using coloured markers, block/visual coding or javascript! So many access points and a great deal of extension potential. There are even online lessons and resources to help develop conceptual understanding in upper level sciences and maths.
  • Makey Makey – create your own game controller using any conductive material. I’ve even seen interactive posters created using Makey Makey kits! The Makey website has some lesson plans you can adapt for your own use.
  • Micro:bits – Try your hand at programming one of these micro-processors (kind of like Arduino but a little simpler and with all of the sensors built in…). Great for grades 5 through post-secondary and can be coded using visual programming blocks, javascript and python!

Computational Thinking (Computational Thinking Makerspace Sign_Sept 2018)

Also on the Maker Kit Shelf in Scarfe 155 – feel free to explore!:

Squishy Circuits – explore conductivity, circuitry and electricity as you problem solve and persevere to make a buzzer buzz, an LED light shine or a motor spin.  Visit the University of St. Thomas Squishy Circuit website for recipes and lessons ideas.

Magnet Play – what can you learn when you simply play with various types of magnets? K-7 Science curriculum includes properties of matter at most every grade level… allowing children the opportunity to free play and explore the properties of magnets helps to naturally scaffold their learning. Students will learn about polarity, attraction, repulsion and more and may even invent a new toy or device as they play!

and more….

If you didn’t get a chance to play with one of the above and would like to try it out, check out the kits available on the shelf in Scarfe 155 – (available for loan beginning September 25th with more to come – Use them in Scarfe 155 anytime or sign them out at the circulation desk)

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