Page 9 - THE Journal, March 2017

Students in Brebeuf Jesuit’s robotics class complete challenges with Lego Mindstorms’ powered vehicles.
furthering the act of learning. In short, the maker space, while informal, should not be a completely teacher-free zone.
Geography of the Mind
Additional maker space tools for design and creation are on the Brebeuf wish list, and Ferris-Rowe reports that the “laser cutter falls under that area in terms of being able
to etch or cut designs into materials rather than creating them out of the plastic filament that the 3D printer gives.” Additional new gadgets include more equipment for video and film production.
Students have already been using 360-degree cameras throughout the school, and they are discussing ways
that 360-degree video can be edited and experienced by students through virtual reality. “We’re actually going to do a test with a teacher in a classroom where we are going to set the 360-degree camera
in the center of the classroom and let the round table discussion happen in the 360 camera’s range, so that when the students do a reflection, they are re-experiencing that conversation,” Ferris-Rowe said. “We’re also beginning to talk about what kind of drones we would want to bring into the school — mainly flying drones with cameras so that we can start taking aerial shots of the school and design some overhead maps of the school.”
With maker spaces literally taking to
the skies above, Samantha Edwards and Parkland School District colleagues Tracy Smith (assistant superintendent) and Lauren Will (instructional technology coach) have been brainstorming about the possibility of decentralizing their maker spaces.
“We want to be able to create more opportunities for teachers and students to utilize these items in all content areas,” Edwards said. “Right now we have them in our media center, so students are only getting these items every four-day cycle. We want to do something with mobile maker spaces.”
For now, students at Fogelsville
are researching famous buildings and using the Lego Architecture Set to
build structures of their own. They can design their building with 3D printing
and eventually create a multimedia presentation. The recent addition of Keva Planks to the maker space has also led to model buildings. Added Edwards: “We also incorporated the Padcaster, which
is basically like an iPad docking station
on a tripod. It has wheels so you can roll
it around and make movies and/or do storytelling. Dash and Dot Robots from Wonder Workshop are huge favorites
in our maker space.... We also have the Code-a-Pillar from Fisher Price that allows students to code.”
When it all works, 3D printing projects and maker spaces can be enriching learning experiences for students. The problem at many schools is a lack of time for maker spaces. Last year at Fogelsville, students routinely had only about 10 minutes at the end of every class to explore the robotics and creativity tools in the maker space. Edwards, Will and Smith came up with a personalized learning approach for the fifth graders that so far has solved the problem.
“I was able to create an online class via Schoology, and I have all of my curriculum on there,” Edwards explained. “Now the students can actually go on at their leisure, at home, in class or during free time and complete the curriculum. If they complete all the assignments in the unit, they can move on to additional time in the maker space. Instead of having 10 minutes at the end of class to explore the maker space, if they have all their badges, they can have the entire class period to explore and work on any projects that they are passionate about. It is successful.”
Marketing and More
Wendy Robichaud teaches marketing
at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Norway, ME. The maker space at Oxford Hills has come to encompass marketing in what Robichaud describes as a “shark tank-type of atmosphere” where students pitch their ideas to see if someone will support them in making the product.
“My students are really building prototypes that they would bring out to market and sell,” Robichaud said. “It’s half based on what the product is, and
the other half is based on the marketing principles like selling, feature benefits and what needs the product is fulfilling.”
Robichaud favors more of a low-tech approach that challenges students to use their creativity. She explained: “I have a lot of plastic containers, toilet paper rolls, cotton balls, colored masking tape, duct tape, wooden dowels, so we don’t use a lot of fancy materials. We don’t have any kits. Students are allowed to bring things from home. We have scraps of cloth from the
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