Kudos to Harbor Freight for the second year to award $1 million in prizes for outstanding skilled trades teachers and high schools. Check out the details for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools here.
Category: Maker Education
Families Explore Tinkering and Upcycling Toys and Gadgets During Hands-On Workshop
Tinkering is probably one of the most powerful hands-on-minds-on experiences a teacher or parent can provide a child with. As a child takes apart a broken toy or gadget they have the opportunity to truly be engineers. Tinkering develops and strengthens 21st century skills, and introduces the child to the engineering design process and reverse engineering. Through the process of deconstructing a broken or obsolete gadget children see how the many engineering disciplines are used in creating just one gadget. It may also provide the fuel to spark their interest to pursue a career in the STEM fields. I recently had the pleasure of sharing my knowledge and passion of tinkering and re-creating with a group of families during a recent workshop I conducted for the Cocoa Beach Public Library. The workshop was entitled “Deconstruct and Re-Create”, the workshop was held in conjunction with Earth Day to bring awareness to recycling and upcycling. Families were asked to bring a broken or obsolete gadget, safety goggles and the necessary tools required to deconstruct the gadget. Participants were introduced to upcycling, reverse engineering and the engineering design process through an introductory engaging discussion and PowerPoint presentation by Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, PhD. Families were instructed to discuss their gadget prior to deconstructing. Parents guided their children as they deconstructed the gadgets, and children took notes throughout the process. If time permitted, families were encouraged to create a new gadget or art from the deconstructed components. At the close of the session families shared what they had learned during the deconstruction process, and their newly created gadget, art or structure as well. Families received a manual with information on the Maker Culture, STEM Education, and inquiry-based instructions to deconstruct gadgets, as well as children’s literature resources for tinkering, making and STEM. It was a great session, and sustainable as well. Several of the families approached me at the close of the session and stated that they would no longer throw broken items away without having their child deconstruct the gadgets first, and attempting to upcycle internal and external components for future maker and STEM projects. The following video provides snippets of the two hour family tinkering session. For more information on the Maker Ed and STEM workshops and professional staff development Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski offers to libraries and schools worldwide contact her via the contact page. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR35JAvsqYc[/embedyt]
Breakerspaces, Toy Take Apart and Deconstruction Stations Great MakerEd and STEM Centers for Libraries
Great article by Katie Darty in School Library Journal on February 6th, 2018 on incorporating “Breakerspaces” in libraries. Breakerspaces are also known as Toy Take Apart Centers, Break and Make, Appliance Autopsy, Reverse Engineering and Deconstruction Stations. I find that introducing teachers and librarians to tinkering, hacking and creating new gadgets from deconstructed gadgets is one of the most powerful training experiences teachers and librarians can experience within a STEM, STEAM and MakerEd training. It’s also low-cost, sustainable, highly engaging, educational and fun for all ages of students and library patrons. Check out the following article by Katie Darty on incorporating Breakerspaces within school and public libraries. https://www.slj.com/2018/02/technology/trend-alert-breakerspaces-library-hacks/#_
Washington Teachers Explore STEM and MakerEd Challenges During Teacher Training Workshop
I recently had the pleasure of sharing my knowledge and expertise of STEM and MakerEd strategies with elementary and middle school teachers in Washington. During the two day training teachers were introduced to the engineering design process, incorporating lessons that develop and strengthen 21st century skills, the design cycle, and methods/strategies to incorporate Makerspaces within their school library and classrooms. During the two-day training teachers were given the engineering design challenge of designing a roller coaster marble run using recycled materials, designing and creating a vehicle that was powered by air, using recycled materials, as well as designing and building a Vibrobot. Teachers were introduced to strategies on incorporating a Makerspace within their library, as well as ideas for Maker Centers within their classrooms. Teachers were introduced to a wide-array of technology, tools and kits that are commonly used in school library and classroom Makerspaces such as: Makey Makey, Snap Circuits, LittleBits, Makedo, Ozobot, Fisher Price Code-A-Pillar, Squishy Circuits and more. Additionally, teachers were introduced to incorporating tinkering/ take-apart centers within their Makerspaces. Teachers were given the task of analyzing a toy or household gadget with their group, they were then asked to take the gadget apart. They were to identify and label the parts etc. The components from the deconstructed broken gadgets can be used to create new gadgets and inventions, or used to repair similar gadgets. Students of all ages love to tinker, and I find that adults love to tinker and take part in deconstructing gadgets as well. The process of tinkering, and deconstructing gadgets indeed develops and strengthens 21st century skills, and incorporates science and engineering practices. The following photos are a sample of the STEM and Maker Explorations that were conducted during the two day STEM and MakerEd teacher training workshop. To schedule a STEM, MakerEd, or NGSS teacher training workshop complete the contact form found on the contact page.