Thing 23: Maker Spaces

Maker spaces seem to connect perfectly with 21st Century Learning Skills… And seem to be the exact opposite of what has happened to classroom teaching with APPR and Common Core! They seem to fit in wonderfully with library learning and exposure to an array of topics, interests, and materials. My first reaction to this idea includes all of the following: I would love to have one but where would I have a space for it? Would students actually be able to use it during a school day with the tight scheduling already in place or would it have to be afterschool? And, how would I manage it with all of my current demands and responsibilities?

Yet the idea intrigues me because it is what I feel still needs to happen during a child’s education and seems to be getting cut out. I think that students would love the opportunity to be able to “play” with materials in an uninhibited way to create their own objects/ideas.
I would like to pursue this idea further in my own school building and see if some kind of space might be possible. Interestingly enough, I am also the Family and Consumer Science teacher in our building (and hold an art degree) so the ideas for this space using fabrics, yarns, paper, paints, pencils, etc. are just endless in mY mind. I think starting at the elementary or middle school would be my focus, and I would start with some conversations with teachers. Posing this idea to Administration would have to be well thought out. The first concern would likely be financing. I am wondering myself, “how would I get on-going supplies for the area? How would it be funded if held after school? And… How would I create a space for students to work and materials to be stored? Adding a component with iPads and apps might make it a more attractive endeavor as we are already in the midst of a large iPad movement in our building.

Thing 21: Productivity Tools

I have revisited Evernote, and I love this tool! It is so nice to be able to put so many things together in ONE place so I can easily find them again. This is one tool I am definitely going to begin implementing immediately with students. After reading the attached articles about using this to create student portfolios and using for student research, my wheels are now spinning as to what I can do! My first thoughts… I have a grade 6 class that has been presenting monthly book chats, and we have been videotaping them with iPads so they can review and improve. This would be a great place for them to store these, as they can take notes, share notes with partners, etc. during a collaborative portion of the lesson. We can even add website links to include example book chats or tips for creating great book chats! And then there is research…. it would make student research so much more effective to organize materials this way. Can’t wait to give it a try! Oh… And using the chat feature, along with the other organizational tools, will allow me a great way to collaborate with teachers anywhere, anytime. This opens new doors as fitting collaboration in during a school day is often difficult.

I also tried delicious and feedly. I’m not sure I was getting the gist of delicious, as it wasn’t making sense to me where I was listing favorites and how to easily access them. But, it could be user error on my end. Feedly, on the other hand, was very easy to use and another great tool I will be putting to use. Straightforward is great for me, and I found this tool to be that way. I am constantly seeing blogs and other feeds that interest me but forget “what and where” so that I often lose touch with the material. Putting everything together in one place will undoubtedly help me keep up with those materials I am interested in following.