The METS Group: March Newsletter
Michigan Educational Technology Specialists
Happy Maker March from the METS Group!
Idea Slam
We are excited to announce the Pitch Lineup for our Idea Slam 2017 in Detroit on March 15, 2017! Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity to support a statewide initiative - get your tickets today!
#MICHED-METS
Finally, someone clarifies what hashtag we use on social media!
Maker @ MACUL
Your exclusive inside look at the Makerspace at MACUL brought to you by our own Kit Hard, Director of the METS Group. If you've never visited the Makerspace at MACUL, this is the year to do it!
Lake Orion HS Media Specialist, Melissa Middleton: METS Member Guest Post!
Our featured article this month is by METS member Melissa Middleton. Melissa recently hosted her first Maker Faire at Lake Orion High School. She writes about her experiences, and includes tips and tricks to help you make your own Maker Faire successful!
MACUL Zone METS Meetup Deets!
Join us on Thursday, March 16th at 3:00 pm in the MACUL Zone (inside the exhibit hall) for a 30-minute METS Group meetup!
Check out the Google Slide Presentation below to view our Pitch Lineup for the Idea Slam, then get your tickets today!
Four Pitchers will each have five minutes to present their IDEA to the crowd - audience members will then vote on their favorite idea. The winning project will receive up to $2,500 towards their innovative educational idea and a GoPro camera! The rest of the evening is an informal meet-up with fun conversations and delicious offerings at the Elizabeth Theatre inside the Park Bar in downtown Detroit. Attendee tickets are $20 and all ticket sales directly impact the total money given away at the Idea Slam!
A fast-paced "pitch fest" and networking event for educators
- When: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 from 7:00 - 10:00pm
- Where: Elizabeth Theater at The Park Bar Detroit (2040 Park Ave. Detroit, MI 48226)
What in the world is the METS hashtag, anyway?
One of the coolest parts of MACUL is the Makerspace that will take place on Thursday and Friday at the conference. Many people do not know that Kit, our Director-extraordinaire, helps to put on this Makerspace, and that this is his third year of being involved.
How did the Makerspace idea come about in the first place?
In July 2014, a group of #MichEd educators decided to host an “unplugged” summer event in Evart, MI with the intention of having “tech free” conversations. One morning after breakfast, while the group was gathered in the living room brainstorming and daydreaming, someone suggested that we look for a way to bring a new type of collaborative hands-on experience to the MACUL conference. The driving question was “How might we provide a new learning experience for conference attendees that gives people time to explore and discuss new ideas in an open-ended inquiry-based format?” We really wanted to carve out a time and place for attendees to think and process all of their new learning, make new connections, and have fun. This led to a discussion about Makerspaces and the Maker movement in education. We felt that the Maker ideal of tinkering and “play as learning” would provide the right backdrop for facilitating open-ended, collaborative conversations. The Makerspace and the Maker activities are actually secondary to the desire get people talking and connecting. Mike Kaechele, Jeff Bush, and I were particularly excited by this project. We each have backgrounds working in Project Based Learning schools where Making is an integral part of the learning process and decided we would approach MACUL with a proposal of the Makerspace.
What was it like to be in charge of such a growing and successful event at MACUL? We'd love an insider's look into the planning, and behind-the-scenes action.
I’m not actually in charge anymore (thank goodness!). Joe Rommel from Berrien RESA has taken the helm for the past two years, but I’ve continued to be part of the planning and implementation. It has always been a group effort. In the first year, Mike, Jeff and I met weekly for months and spent countless hours brainstorming Maker activities and ways to facilitate conversation in-person and virtually. We had to work with MACUL to pitch the idea, locate space, secure materials, and find volunteers. To be honest, we had no idea what we were doing or how massive an undertaking it is to create a new event like this within a conference the size of MACUL. MACUL is a massive event and has a lot of complex systems in place that the everyday attendee never sees. Everything from making sure there’s power in the right place, to having volunteers ready to facilitate stations takes a lot of planning.
How do you find ideas for what you'll have for attendees in the Makerspace?
Makerspaces are an interesting mix of low-tech and high tech materials mixed with high doses of curiosity. There’s no formula to picking what activities and ideas to show. My personal exploration into Making led me to electronics like Spheros and MakeyMakey. But I also love the low tech tools like the button maker and the giant letter board photo booth. I got the idea of the letter board from my cousin who lives in Detroit and who let us borrow his during the first Makerspace. As the Maker movement has continued to grow, new ideas that include simple robotics and 3D printing have become part of the space. We crowdsource the ideas and resources from our planning volunteers and let them take the lead. Most ideas are coming from the classrooms now.
What is your favorite part of helping run the Makerspace?
I enjoy talking to people who are new to the Makerspace concept and introducing them to a simple activity that lets them tap into their inner creator. It’s fun to take away a small creation or take a break from the firehose of information at MACUL by creating something or playing with a robot. But the best moments come when someone makes a connection to their classroom and their curriculum, and the excitement of thinking about how a particular Maker activity would engage their students.
What do you find challenging when running a Makerspace of this size?
The Makerspace requires a ton of STUFF. The logistics of getting everything to Detroit or Grand Rapids, storing it, setting it up, having volunteers to facilitate, and tearing it down is monumental. The amazing thing is that there are dozens of people every year who step up to make this happen. The friendships and opportunity to collaborate make it all worthwhile.
What advice would you give to METS Members who would like to run their own Makerspace?
It’s not all about the latest and greatest gadget. Tech is fun, but it’s more important to have lots of raw material for constructing and ideating. Make sure you have fun props for a photo booth. And make sure you have some quick links to resources that explain the tool or activity and provide examples of how to apply these to the classroom.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Making is nothing new. The idea of a Makerspace isn’t revolutionary. What is unique right now, is the intersection between low-tech materials for creation and design with the high-tech tools that make the creations move, interact, and connect to the internet. If you are looking for a good primer on what Making is all about, be sure to read, Invent to Learn by Slyvia Martinez and Gary Stager.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
If you'd like a chance to win the book Invent to Learn by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager, please fill out this form by March 31st. One winner will be announced in the April newsletter. You MUST be a METS Member to win (sign up here)!
After ten months of planning, Lake Orion High School hosted its first Maker Faire on Saturday, Dec. 3rd. We invited boys and girls in grades 3-8 with high school students serving as mentors. There were three sessions available at an hour and fifteen minutes each. Students were required to sign up ahead of time but paid $5 at the door. Using grant money, we were able to hire The Great Maker Race. We were also able to have Foundry in a Box (Susan Manyen is the contact). Their services are provided free of charge. The remainder of our stations were run by Lake Orion Community Schools staff and National Science Honor Society students. The funds for these stations came from money collected at the door, some district funds, and some building funds.
What worked:
The students had a fantastic time. Students and parents alike were raving about the offerings and wanting to know when we were going to do it again.
High schoolers as mentors were fantastic. In my opinion, they learned more from the day than the participants did.
Community outreach – the positive press that was generated for our school was a huge bonus.
The age of the students seemed just right.
The time-frame worked well. Even though many wanted to stay past their time, the workers needed a break after an hour and 15 minutes of constantly being “on.”
Using our National Science Honor Society students was a huge plus.
The people from The Great Maker Race and Foundry in a Box were fantastic.
What I will change for next year:
I will use a site like Eventbrite so that parents pay up front. There were about 35% no-shows from our sign up. I had counted on that money and had to do some begging after the event to pay all the bills.
Now that I have a video of this year’s event, I will ask the elementary and middle schools to show the video ahead of the event as a promotion in the future.
I will look for more outside donors and partners.
The METS Group: MACUL Zone Meetup
Thursday, Mar 16, 2017, 03:00 PM
MACUL Zone (Exhibit Hall)
A big THANK YOU to our Steering Committee Members Stacy Sanders and Amy Dirlam for helping put our newsletter together this month.
Interested in making a difference in our great Mitten state with the METS Group? Contact us today to join the Steering Committee! It's always open to all METS Members.
The METS Group is sponsored by the REMC Association of Michigan