March 2016 Reflection
Heather D. Welch, Vanguard
Birth of a Makerspace
I am working on creating a makerspace for our media center. A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that utilizes high tech to no tech tools to create (or make). This year I became a Fulton County Vanguard member. Our mission as a Vanguard team is to build the capacity of FCS educators and leaders to provide innovative instruction which meets needs, skills and interest of all students. Vanguard members get a chunk of money to implement this vision. I decided to create a makerspace to help inspire creativity and innovation for NPE students. I will work with NPE students/staff to learn how to use and explore with these objects. After that, students can come to the media center to explore and teachers can sign up for a lesson (in or out of the classroom) with Ms. Welch.
Here are a few things I have purchased with my stipend for our makerspace:
Here are a few things I have purchased with my stipend for our makerspace:
- Sphero Spark app enabled ball
- Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit
- Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit
- Makey Makey
- Science Wiz Cool Circuits
- K’nex 35 Model Ultimate Building Set
- littleBits Electronic Space Kit
- littleBits Electronics Base Kit
- Ozmo Gaming System
- Sphero Ollie - App enabled driving robot
- Sphero Ollie - ramp
- Hummingbird circuit
(Our Makerspace will expand to include low tech activities as well.)
Roll Out!
This month I began the planning and roll out of our school Makerspace! I began by holding a Tech and Training Thursday professional development session about Makerspaces. We had some great discussions and shared ideas for expanding the Makerspace into what we thought would be best for our students. We also discussed ideas for creating their own classroom Makerspaces!
Resources
Here are some great resources I've found that are helping me further develop my vision of a Makerspace.
Follow these people on Twitter:
@DianaLRendina (librarian)
@plemmonsa (librarian)
@smartinez (Author of Invent to Learn)
@gravescolleen (librarian)
@koehnkfisher (librarian)
@BrightLibrarian (librarian)
@read4life (librarian)
Follow these hashtags:
#makered
#makerspace