MakerEdTheWhy

There are a myriad of reasons to implement
                    Maker Centered Learning - MakerEd - MakerSpaces.
Different reasons speak to different people.
Here are some...though I might need a part 2.

It is not a new thing that you are going to add to what you are currently doing. It is a shift in how you are doing things. It is an approach to learning, with making at the focus and lots of discussions around it. These discussions allow the student to come at it from their perspective, so it is naturally student centered. It allows them opportunities for voice & choice, since there are so many materials and tools that can be utilized and integrated. Making and the discussions around it help us get to know each other better, our passions and talents and wishes.

It also easily lends itself to PBL and being trans-curricular, a mashing up of the disciplines so you dont know where one starts and the other leaves off (we need to get rid of silos). It very easily weaves ideas together in real life context. Measurement never really means much until you have to build something that has to go/stay together or fit somewhere. When they master something, they want to share that new found skill. In a Maker Centered environment, everyone is a learner and everyone is a teacher. Kids love creating things to help others and make the world better. 

MakerEd is a mashup of ideas from some education icons :
-Montessori : Child-centered, Individualized learning, Integrated curriculum, Hands on learning, Multi age groupings
-Dewey : classroom democracy, learning relevant to lives , learning by doing, practical life skills
-Vygotsky : collaborative nature of learning, social interaction
-Papert : using computers (technology/tools) as instruments for learning and for enhancing creativity and innovation , constructionist theories
-Piaget : children build their own knowledge, mistakes are used by children to discover errors and self correct

And skills that we want kids to have to thrive in life...Maker Centered Learning helps those :

Curiosity

Critical thinking

Collaboration

Communication

Creativity

Community

Innovation

Entrepreneurship

Persistence in problem solving

Personal Agency

Flexibility & Adaptability

Productivity & Accountability

We are all born makers.

MakerLearningEcosystemCohort

Digital Promise wants to help K12's and community organizations form a tighter Maker Learning Ecosystem. They are starting a 6-month collaborative learning and regional development experience in order to create and support opportunities for maker educators and learners 

https://digitalpromise.org/initiative/maker-learning/establishing-maker-learning-ecosystems-cohort/ 

Application deadline is June 30th.

Virtual Information Session is Wednesday June 16 form 7-8 pm EDT. 

FabPlay21

FabPlay is back in person for 2021. 
https://sites.google.com/view/fab-play-institute 

FabPlay is a Northeast Ohio Maker Educator workshop/conference/networking opportunity.
It is 4 days of expanding ideas about Maker Centered Learning and FabLabs/MakerSpaces.
There will be many opportunities for hands on making with the whole gamut of tools and materials.
There will be lots of networking and social time.
And food, there will be food

It will be held at Hawken Schools in Gates Mills from August 3rd through the 6th.

The cost is $400.

OLED

I bought a 0.96", 128x64, OLED for $7  to use with my micro:bit (price ranges from ~$4-10 based on quantity). It is tiny, the display is about 2.5 cm x 1.25 cm. It is an I2C device that needs 3.3-5 V. You connect it to the micro:bit via pins 19 (SCL) & 20 (SDA). Some extension boards have grove port connectors (white 4 pin jacks) already set up for this to make it easier to connect (1 cable 4 wires)

There are a couple of options for makecode extensions. The first and third by Tinkeracademy, with the third seeming to be an older version. The second is by "author: shaoziyang" and gives you  more control over what and where things go.

The first block that has to be used is an "initialize"or "init". I tend to put this block in "on start", but it just has to come before using other blocks. The default address for the device is 60. 

The next thing that is good to know is that there is a zoom mode which enlarges things to make it easier to read, but also shifts this to a 64x32 pixel resolution (zoom=true in the code ; tinkeacademy defaults to this). This means that with zoom=true, you have 4 lines of text (vs 8) and 12 columns of text (vs 24). You need to know this because you can choose where to start text. Likewise, if you are drawing lines or pixels, you have 64 (0-63) for x position and 32 (0-31) for y position

The third thing is color. Some blocks allow you to pick color, with your choices being 0 or 1. 1 is "normal", black screen with color text (mine is yellow on top line and blue on other 3 in zoom = true mode...double that for zoom=false). Color 0 is inverted, black text with color highlighting it.

The obvious use for this device is to display sensor or variable data. This can be easily done with the makecode blocks (example code) 

Here is me using the BitBooster from lectrify to make connections to pin 19 & 20 via their designated I2C grove port.

I believe graphing and displaying images/icons/bitmaps is possible, but you will have to use micropython to accomplish this. The blocks are just too limited. More exploration is needed
Some possible places to read further
https://www.littlebird.com.au/a/how-to/81/0-96-oled-screen-with-micro-bit
and
http://www.suppertime.co.uk/blogmywiki/2019/11/microbit-oled-display/

upcomingNEOMakerEduEvents

There are several events in the next half year that you might want to plan for. 
I am sure there are more, and if you let me know I will pass the info on as best I can. 
(paul@paulshircliff.org)

NEOTech March 16 & 17 John S Knight Center
16th is more for admin/leaders
17th for in the classroom people, implementers

Remake Learning Days May 4-17 all around NEO
Events and activities at various places, like libraries and science centers. You could hold/sponsor an event. They are about showing how learning CAN & SHOULD be (hands on, interactive, creative, fostering curiosity...)

Akron 3T : Teach Tech Transform June 16 & 17, Firestone CLC
An Akron area educators conference.

ChatFab20 June 15-17 , Chattanooga Tennessee
Excellent FabLab MakerSpace workshop. 3 days of designing & building projects with all of the tools at Chattanooga area school FabLabs. Lots of collaboration.

FabPlay20 June 23-26 Hawken School
Awesome 3 days of making and learning about making utilizing the FabLab at Hawken. Excellent collaboration time.

Maker BootCamp Akron ???? early planning stages
Trying to get this together for Summit County people to start networking better.
Get hands on with FabLab/MakerSpace tools and talk about making across the curriculum

MakerFaire Detroit July25 &26 at the Henry Ford Museum
go see Makers of all ages and all kinds.

SPARCC Tech Conference August 7 at Stark State College
Nice conference for Summit & Stark & Portage County (they do let others come also)

Teach Better Conference October 2 & 3 , NIHF STEM Middle School
I know it is early, but better to plan ahead




Yes, I am still contemplating how to do a Mobile Maker Space (Maker Van) for Summit County. We will help teachers incorporate more curiosity, creativity and innovation into lessons, as well as get access to some tools and try out some tools before purchasing. All ideas and input is welcome...
{paul@paulshircliff.org} even if it is to tell me "we dont need it".