News from TechTerra
Makerspaces for Today’s Students
Camp TechTerra and TechTerra Training were inspired by the Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Maker Ed and Maker Culture movements, coupled with the desire to see even our youngest students truly engaged in meaningful work. The exciting digital opportunities of today, and my own commitment to digital tools as vehicles for meaningful engagement in the real world, led to a STEM-focused, science-centered, and maker oriented curriculum. For the last four years our students and teachers have been engaged in doing authentic work in the lab and in nature through research, exploration, and experiments enhanced with digital tools.
Of essential importance to success in a maker-oriented curriculum is an effective Makerspace – An inviting place set aside for students to work collaboratively and cooperatively, to think critically, and to function creatively.
Here are some of the essential elements of a good Makerspace:
- Students are kept at the center of learning objectives and activities
- The interaction of students’ individual experiences and ideas results in their construction of new knowledge
- Content is integrated for high engagement and powerful opportunities for learning
- Students are given authentic opportunities to do meaningful and personally engaging work
In their article, “The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces, Part 1 of Making an Educational Makerspace,” in Teacher Librarian (June 2014), authors R. Steven Kurti, Debby L. Kurti, and Laura Fleming describe their vision of “the ideal learning environment of an educational makerspace, including its “feel” and “guiding principles.” Summarizing the importance of a good makerspace environment, they state, “There is no amount of bright, shiny new technology that can take the place of inspiration, and inspiration is a direct result of the environment created by the space.”
At Camp TechTerra , we couple bright, airy and well-proportioned indoor Makerspace with inspiring out of doors locales. Whether indoors or out, we ensure that students are provided with:
· Exciting and appropriate tools, both digital and hands-on
· Digital apps and devices designed for learning, exploring and creating
· Books and other written materials geared to enhance learning and engagement
· Pens, paper, paint, markers, and arts and craft materials of all sorts
· A themed and planned curriculum to help guide students’ learning
· Knowledgeable teachers who can foster students’ engagement, creativity and growth
Cornerstone of Makerspaces Tools -- Your Maker Book Collection
Making is all about inquiry and hands-on exploration. Tools that provide those physical opportunities are the understood “go-to” for building makerspaces. But not to be forgotten are physical books, books you can hold in your hands, flip back and forth in, pause, bookmark, hold open to a favorite page.
Books will always be a critical source to build understanding, to learn at one’s own pace and to be inspired. As you begin to build your collection of makerspace resources, start with a book collection. The books below are a great start to maker collections.
For my full list of recommended books for a makerspace collection, contact me at wellssusans@gmail.com or camptechterra@gmail.com.
Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary S. Stager (2013).
One of the first comprehensive books explaining the history and pedagogy of the Maker Movement in education.
The Art of Tinkering, Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich (2014).
Examples of maker projects for inspiration as makers merge traditional and digital tools.
Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School, Laura Fleming (2015).
A quick read for planning, implementing, and maintaining a school makerspaceMake: Paper Inventions: Machines that Move, Drawings that Light Up, and Wearables and Structures You Can Cut, Fold, and Roll, Kathy Ceceri (2015).
All paper-based projects, all levels of imagination and inspiration.
Cubetto Playset
Cubetto is a playful wooden robot that helps young children ages 3 to 6 to discover programming through storytelling, adventure and collaboration. It’s the first coding toy of its kind to work without a screen or digital interface, and lets children learn to code before they can read or write.
Cubetto is Primo Toys’ first toy. A Cubetto prototype raised over £56,000 through Kickstarter in 2013. Following three years of beta testing, countless iterations, and a string of upgrades, Cubetto 2.0 is now ready for a worldwide launch via Kickstarter
I have been using the Cubetto prototype in Camp TechTerra over the last year, and have found it be extremely engaging for preK and primary learners. Campers like Cubetto because it is easy to access immediately. Once they place a block and watch Cubetto move on the board they simply get it. Learners become more sophisticated in their play and understanding of programming and create coding challenges for the Cubetto and for each other. The Cubetto Playset offers play value and inventive self-directed learning opportunities to kids from 3-10.
The Cubetto Playset is exclusively available on Kickstarter until April 6, 2016. Buy yours today at http://cubet.to/21ePamy.
Camp TechTerra 2016 Summer Sessions
Star Wars, Force and Motion
Make Droids and Star Wars themed stop motion animation short clips. “The Force” at work with forces of nature science!
Farm to Table with Tech
Explore creatures in the garden with hands-on tech exploring, enjoy chemistry in action!
Mini Beasts, Imagine That!
Hands-on designing, building and computer programming with bugs and other beasts!
Carnival STEM, Physics Fun
Design and construct carnival rides, create unique robots, have a blast learning physics!
Robots are Everywhere
Work with and construct a dozen unique robots and program your own micro-controller!
See below for locations, dates and registration information.
Week 1 -- Star Wars, Force and Motion
Ages 5 to 14 6/13/16-6/17/16 9:00am-3:00pm
Week 2 -- Farm to Table with Tech
Ages 5 to 14 6/20/16-6/24/16 9:00am-3:00pm
For registration, see the form at www.camptechterra.com.
Week 1 -- Mini Beasts! Imagine That!
Ages 5 to 14 7/5/16-7/8/16 8:30am-3:30pm
Week 2 -- Carnival STEM and Physics Fun
Ages 5 to 14 7/11/16-7/15/16 9:00am-3:00pm
For registration, see the form at www.camptechterra.com.
One Week -- Robots Are Everywhere!
Ages 6 to 9 7/18/16-7/22/16 8:30am-3:30pm
For registration information, see www.camptechterra.com.
About TechTerra
The TechTerra curriculum, inspired and informed by Maker Education and Project Based Learning, was developed by Susan Wells, a national leader in mobile-integrated education and public school educator.
In addition to offering a professional development training, Susan Wells’ Camp TechTerra, held during fall, spring and summer sessions, offers programs for students ages 5 to 14 that bring together the seemingly disparate elements of technology and nature to help young people better understand the natural world through coding, storytelling, and digital devices.
Contact
Contact Susan Wells at:
919-627-4207
Follow Susan Wells at:
www.facebook.com/camptechterra
@wellssusan
@camptechterra
Copyright © 2016 Camp TechTerra, LLC.