Maker Monday - Creating a Makerspace Environment

The WGS library is getting a Maker Makeover this Spring. 
Consider this, the school library was built in 1989.  My mind boggles at the tremendous shifts in libraries during those 26 years, and even more at the changes to come in the next 5 years.  It won't happen all at once, but I am slowly transforming our space to allow for more collaborative, multipurpose, and flexible use of space. 

With limited funding, I have agonized over how to prioritize my vision for updating the library.  This has been a very successful grant year that has included over $3,500 for new books and over $9,000 for technology needs.  I expanded the Maker style learning in our library to include semester long projects that span a variety of STEM and non-STEM topics.  But, we have definitely felt the pain of not having a designated "Makerspace" in our library if only for storage and easy access to materials. 

Libraries=Sharing
One of my main tenets of libraries is that they are places for collaborating with others.  Therefore, the large footprint of a 9-seat individual study carrel behemeth in the back of my library was always a provocation to my senses.    In fact, I loathed it so much, I guess I never even took adequate pictures of it.  Here's one from our library showcase a few weeks ago.  Note the tall partition walls and the cramped work space consumed by the CPU. 

Then, there is this picture of two boys trying to collaborate on a video game software they are using.  See how one has to lean around the partition to see the other person's screen? 

Maybe if the library was twice the size, I would want individual study areas, but we are just too small and too well behaved :) for that much space to be used in this limiting way.

Thank you School Library Journal and LEGO
Thanks to a generous grant from School Library Journal and LEGO, I was able to purchase these updated computer tables.

My favorite features:  no partitions, smaller footprint, and the monitor, keyboard, and mouse can all be lowered into a secure cabinet below when we want more table space.  The flow of the library is no longer obstructed by a giant piece of furniture meant to separate us from each other.   In the past, I avoided putting anyone on the back wall of the computer carrels because it was so hard to see if they needed help, or get to them when they did.

Makeover in Progress
This maker makeover is still in progress.  The green screen will be moved to the end of the cabinet by the exterior door.  It will be installed on a curved rod that will allow us to extend it when needed and tuck it discreetly between the  counter and cart when we don't. 

A wall of cubby storage is purchased and planned for the space where the green screen is temporarily placed now.  Having access to our Maker projects and tools without needing to go to the back office, or pile everything on a cart will be such a luxury and a benefit to our learning process. 

Beyond Makerspaces...
The update to this area also makes it possible for me to dream of how the remaining space can be updated to accommodate more collaborative and comfortable learning spaces. 

I'll be looking for funding over the next year to bring these updates to the library:

Node Seating - flexible, collaborative, and tech-ready 


steelcase.com

I sat in these chairs at an Edcamp in Birmingham and LOVED them. The seat was comfortable, the arm rests were cozy, and the tray was large enough to hold plenty of materials.  That's an iPad holder at the front of the tray and they come with optional cup holders perfect for the cups I already use at library tables for miscellaneous supplies like pencils, crayons, glue sticks, scissors, etc.  I especially love the flexible configurations of seating this will allow.



steelcase.com

 

Reading Lounge

It may seem to some that I am all about the technology, but I still love to read and promote reading in my school library.  A reading lounge would be my next big library makeover project. I'm a little less clear about what this area would look like, but I know that it would include functional and comfortable seating that would be easy to move and encourage sharing.

Some of the contenders:

 



Opposing Lounge Seating from The Library Store

Updated Egg Chair from Creative Library Concepts

More than a footstool from Creative Library Concepts 

Highway Modular Seating from Demco

Arcadia Serafina from Demco

 



Eleganza Sofa from School Outfitters



I dream big, but what's the point of dreaming any other way?

What's in the News Wednesday: State of the State Address

source: al.com

Alabama Governor, Robert Bentley, delivered the State of the State address last night.  You can read the entire speech on al.com.  Good news for education:

• Expanding Alabama's First Class Pre-K
• Restoring the Education Trust Fund to increase K-12 education funding by as much as $300 million
• Tuition scholarships for foster children attending 2-year colleges and universities

There was also a statement of praise for the Alabama Workforce Council for "building and maintaining high quality partnerships between industry, education, and workforce training institutions."  

If I were a high school teacher, I would definitely have my students read this primary source document.  There are lessons in math, persuasive writing, drawing conclusions, and more.  Students could also research and write responses in support and opposition to the ideas expressed in the address.  

Technology Tuesday: The Internet of Moving Things

Just when I was beginning to get my head around teaching my students about The Internet of Things, here comes the Internet of Moving Things. 

This week, NPR's All Tech Considered aired a story about Wi-Fi enabled buses in Portgual.  Wireless routers  and fiber access points are stashed all over the city - on traffic lights, atop lampposts, etc.  Citizens stay connected as they ride in wifi enabled buses around town.  The reporter was even able to make a Skype call with streaming video!  Now, that's robust!  They pay for the service by using data collected from sensors attached to the access points to reduce other city costs. 

School districts, including our neighboring district, Huntsville City, have experimented with wifi enabled buses in the U.S., too.  I've even read about districts that park their buses in neighborhoods to act as hotspots where students don't have access to the Internet in their homes. 

There's also a movement to create completely connected cities.  For example, several years ago Chattanooga became the first "Gig City" with the city-financed fiber optic network that can transfer one gigabyte of data per second. Today, much of Chattanooga is covered by publicly available, wifi access points.  Again, the city used attached sensors to various public utilities to help offset costs with reductions to other services that are now available through remote monitoring.

While I love my rural lifestyle, these kinds of advances do make me worry a little bit about how to make sure our students aren't left behind.  That is why I am always advocating for better infrastructure for all of our schools.  

Maker Monday: Cardboard Attachment Pieces

The WGS Library Makerspace has a heavy technology emphasis.  In spite of this, we still use our fair share of cardboard in projects.  Last week, I featured my cardboard Math Operation game that runs on the MaKey MaKey.  The fifth graders used it as a model for the games they were creating. 

The motherboard for the game has to be raised off the bottom of the box, so I used other pieces of cardboard which I taped together to create a platform to hold up the motherboard.  One fifth grade boy told me after class, "I improved on your design for the platform.  Instead of just taping the pieces together, I created slots to fit the cardboard together.  I think mine is going to be more stable when people start playing the game."  I agree!  He'll be showing his design to the girls who are still working on that part this week.

Meanwhile, our conversation made me realize we need more posters and resources for construction and making in the library.  I love this one:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a0/71/05/a071050ecf99acbb10364d892f8721b6.jpg


I have also placed a purchase order for several sets of these MakeDo kits:



https://mymakedo.com/shop/product_detail/toolkit-starter

The saw is a kid safe way for them to cut the cardboard, and I love the screws for holding the pieces together, too.  I think these kits could even let me expand the making to some of my lower grades.  At least for one or two projects!

The only problem is this product is from Australia.  It's on Amazon though, and I have an amazing bookkeeper at school.  If there's a way to get these kits for us, she'll find it!

Maker Monday: Custom Operation Game with the MaKey MaKey

I'm loving trying all the projects that my students are creating with the MaKey MaKey.  This week, I made the Scratch Operation game.  I used the project plans at the MaKey MaKey guides site.

Students are making an elephant and panda bear version, but I decided to make a math themed game.  It works, too!  I need to find a better set of tweezers.  All of us made holes that are too small for the chopsticks called for in the design. 

We'll also need to get creative about how to run the cords from the MaKey MaKey to the motherboard and outside of the box to the computer.  I hope one of the teams will spend some time modifying the Scratch game to work for generic Operation games.   

Here's a look at the motherboard that's inside the game.  It's the part that goes buzz! if you hit the aluminum foil instead of just grabbing the piece.  I have all of mine hooked up to one trigger.  That means I only need one alligator clip hooked to a live key on the MaKey MaKey and corresponding Scratch program. I may be having a little too much fun!

Tech Tuesday: Take 10 to be a Tech Advocate

AETA/SSA

Integrating technology into my library instruction and helping teachers identify ways to integrate technology in their classroom are at the heart of what I do. We are fortunate at Walnut Grove to have 1:1 iPads, laptop carts, a computer lab, and computers in every classroom.  We also have a dedicated staff that eagerly seeks opportunities for students to be engaged using digital tools for creating projects and accessing online learning tools.

So, what is missing?  INFRASTRUCTURE  
School systems across the state do not have the infrastructure to support online learning.  We especially need better wifi and bandwidth to support mobile devices. 

For the past year, a committee from the Alabama Education Technology Association has been working on a plan to get funding to upgrade the networks in all school systems in Alabama.  You can watch the first half of this board meeting with a presentation from Susan Poling and Bruce Ellard.  It's a very thoughtful, clear explanation why this is needed and the positive impact it will have.  

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

Now that you are informed, take 10 minutes to advocate for this much needed technology support.  Contact your legislative representatives and ask them to support AETA's WIRED initiative as part of Senate Bill 1.

Who to contact:
Find Your Legislator - enter your zip code and find your legislator.
Contact Governor Bentley - this page has email, snail mail, and phone numbers to contact the governor's office.

Maker Monday: Musical Jars with MaKey MaKey

Several teams are working on MaKey MaKey projects.  The Jar Jar Piano keys stumped a few teams last week.  I enjoyed reading their progress notes though. Some observed that they should have read the directions more carefully. Others decided they needed to divide the work up so they could get more accomplished in the limited time.  See, there is a lot of learning that occurs in a failure.

This weekend, I tried the experiment and created a short video of my final product to share with them.  I hope they will observe that while I did follow the directions, I also made some adjustments based on what my project needed. Most obviously, there are only 3 jars in my final product instead of the called for 8.  

I'm expecting them to make the project visually appealing, too.  It's a little difficult with all the wires, but I'm not sure the straws are necessary in this project. I may challenge a few to remove them and give their project a little less clutter!