I seriously love Donor's Choose!! Generous donors funded another grant for our media center - this time for four Makey Makey kits! What is a Makey Makey? Watch this video to find out: Now that you've seen that, you REALLY want one, right?? Because they are so much FUN! It's an invention kit that allows kids to make basic gadgets and gizmos using simple alligator clips and an interface. There are tons of programs out there, including Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man, a piano program, bongos, and much more! The best part is that you can use Scratch to program your own ideas, too! We have just scratched the surface of using the Makey Makey kits, but check out some of the fun things my kids created within just a few minutes of busting the kits out: Banana bongos. For real. It's hard to see, but this is a remote control to play Super Mario Brothers - made out of aluminum foil! These girls were using themselves as a human synthesizer! Being the nerd that I am, I got in on the fun too - I made a water piano using some petri dishes, water, and the Makey Makey kit!
We have since experimented with playdough, other fruit, and office supplies. Pretty much anything that conducts a low-level electrical current can be used... the possibities are endless! What would YOU make-y with a Makey Makey kit? Comment below!
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Webster's Dictionary defines tinkering as "to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner". I love to tinker! Even as a kid I used to tear things apart just to see the insides, and sometimes to put them back together. The idea behind a Makerspace is to allow kids to make and explore... I had found some ideas on Pinterest about putting in a TinkerSpace in the Makerspace. The idea is to take old electronics that are headed for recycling and let the students explore them. But where would I get old equipment? Turns out one of our awesome 8th grade teachers was planning on recycling her personal computer from her house. She asked me to take the hard drive out of it, and where she could recycle it. I asked her if I could keep it for the students, and she said YES! Woohoo! The Tinkerspace was born! I set it out on the table with a box of tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers) - it wasn't long before a couple of students asked me what the computer was for. When I told them, they dove right in! Within minutes they had the box opened up and were removing pieces. The best part is that they also grabbed another working laptop and were researching what the parts were called and what their functions were. It was a completely student-directed learning experience. YES. Now that the Tinkerspace is up and running, I am full of other ideas... how about old radios? Flashlights? Speakers? YES! Let's tinker!
What would YOU pull apart if you had the chance? Comment below! A few weeks ago, I went on a Donor's Choose posting blitz and posted a bunch of projects that I'd had floating around in my head. Just a few days later, there was a flash-funding event and several of my projects got picked up at the same time! It was amazing! One of my favorite projects included 6 Google Cardboard virtual reality headsets. If you aren't familiar with Google Cardboard, it uses a variety of apps on your smart phone to create a virtual reality experience that is totally immersive and very, very cool. Click HERE to read more about Google Cardboard direct from the source! You can get them on Amazon.com for $10-15 per headset... I bought the ones that are actually made from cardboard, but they do have plastic versions that are more durable (and more expensive). So how can Google Cardboard help us in the classroom? One of the apps that Google Cardboard supports is Google Street View. Street View is a free app that uses pictures to show the streets of famous places. Additionally, users can upload photos. It's PERFECT for virtual field trips! Upon unpacking and watching a YouTube video on how to fold them (because my spatial reasoning skills are HORRID), the first place we went was Paris, France. We walked around the Eiffel Tower, looked up and down some streets... it was amazing. With your phone in the front of the cardboard, it feels like you are standing right there! Our 7th grade ELA team is reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. In the story, Percy visits a variety of places around the world. The students are going to hop from place to place and take a virtual tour of the landmarks in the story! Our 8th grade ELA teachers have discussed looking at Anne Frank's house and Edgar Allen Poe's grave, among other places. One of our science teachers wants to use the cardboards to look at different biomes and environments... A social studies teacher is going to have her students visit the camps at Auschwitz, and another one wants to visit the pyramids. The students who use our Makerspace have toured the volcanoes in Hawai'i, the peaks of Mount Everest, the snowy tundra of Antarctica, Cinderella's castle, and more! As if that isn't enough... check out what Google is releasing soon: Google Expeditions! How amazing is that? Teachers will have the ability to interact with their students and take them on a guided tour using Google Cardboard sets. Wow. The SPMS Makerspace has 10 Google Cardboard headsets available for student and staff use - we are looking to purchase more for the future! So... where would you go with Cardboard? Comment below, I'd love to hear your ideas! |
About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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