MakerCon!!!

So I was extremely fortunate this past Wednesday and Thursday to attend MakerCon in NYC.  It is a conference for Makers by Makers.  It is a place where there are new product launches, information about creating MakerSpaces in cities, looking at new startups, and learning from people who have successful startups.

One discussion was how 3D printing is starting a third industrial revolution. That isn't about mass production but mini manufacturing where people are producing themselves.  It has allowed for rapid prototyping as well.  It was amazing to see some big business: AutoDesk, Intel, and GE, that were all for embracing Makers and small business, not trying to shut them out.  I love to see that they want to work with the little guy not against them. That they are thinking about how big companies need to embrace this major change in production.  That people want to MAKE things!

As I am typing I have so much running through my head SnowShoe Stamps , Greenbean, Modio, Apollo.. Oh and this:

Me with the 3D Printed Car

 I see my role in education changing, I see education changing.  How can we get students working on this quickly, teaching them how to utilize boards like Arduino, how to program various items, and learn what is needed?  It's about blending and moving away from traditional classrooms.  Its about letting them play and then teaching in the moment.  Why does the Makey Make need to be grounded?  How do you complete a circuit? Why do you need a resistor, and how big?  How much would you sell that for if you need to produce it?  What are your costs? How to advertise and make it look good? I would love to see more standards based and more project based assessments.  I am hoping to have the shift in my classes.  Most of my classes are project based, where they are assessed on the projects and their reflections. DET I am hoping to be able to have them create the processfolios where they are documenting their process as well as the final product.   I want all my students to know they are MAKERS and the possibilities are endless.

As I said my mind is all over the place and I look at the schedule from this MakerCon from the last and as I reflect.  In May in the Bay Area, the conversation was about the Maker Movement.  I was talking to Binka from MAKE and I called it a Maker Revolution.  She smiled and said she liked it.  I said I see so many changes happening so quickly,  how mindsets are shifting.  I know I wasn't the only one to call it that, but this MakerCon everyone called it a Revolution.  I like to think I have a part in this Revolution.


Check out the archive videos of MakerCon here!

One more week to go

It has been a crazy week.  I worked with the Biology classes to create climatograms and with the Juniors to start their poetry blog. In addition, yesterday I utilized advisory's study hall in order to check in with all the 8th grade students before they left today on a field trip to NYC.

The majority of the games are progressing nicely.  In fact two of the games are completed.  They now are adding sound and other animations to make it look nicer but they have the programming done.  Most others should be done by next Friday.  Others... well, there were a few who worked consistently but focused more on the splash page and not on the game and won't be done.  I am not disappointed though.  The majority of the girls worked on the games, and learned some programming.  I am impressed on how hard most of them worked on learning how to program when they had zero programming knowledge when we started.

I did give those who I don't think will be done the option to enter the writing competition.  They felt relieved and said they would write the 1500 word essay.  I am still proud of them they did learn some programming, but also learned about time management.  Many re-arranged their programs to fit within the time constraint.  Others added as they figured out one level and found ways to expand. We started to register.  Now I have to figure out how to upload them to a website, for the competition.

Eureka Eureka Eureka!

Well it's not that they are running down the center of town like Archimedes supposedly did, but there has been lots of WHOO, high fives and YES! in the computer labs lately.  It is wonderful to hear the successes and see the perseverance that the teams are demonstrating to get the programs completed.  We are now in overtime and the girls don't seem to mind that I have taken their study halls for two weeks to finish the games.

The thinking and cooperation that is happening in the class is outstanding.  I love watching them discuss and try different ideas.  They are really starting to develop skills that a programmer needs when working collaboratively.  In addition, many can tell you something about objects, loops, if-statements, parameters (indirectly through messages), and variables.

The best thing I see happening:  those students who thought they could never never learn programming are actually enjoying programming.  Most of the girls (regardless how capable they felt they could be) are really working with their teams to build the games.   Most everyone is offering some suggestions to try when debugging and it is great to hear the passion in their suggestions and the brainstorming that is happening when the debugging doesn't work.  They keep trying; keep rearranging the code and then EUREKA!!  I can't wait to see the finished products.