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An Inspiring Weekend at Stanford's FabLearn Conference

10/29/2014

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Many attendees were jealous to hear we live within an easy drive of Stanford's Center for Educational Research, the venue for the FabLearn Conference. Making and digital fabrication is truly a world-wide movement in education, and the conference attracted people from a bewildering number of states and more than a few countries! No matter how close or how far we had to travel to attend, we were all there to share our experiences in, and best practices for fostering learning through making.

Between workshops on the latest online tools, or presentations on research papers, we had some time to tinker with some projects. In the picture below Mr. Greenleaf holds his contribution to a lighted sculpture made of unique circuits invented each crafter. Projects like this infuse a light and fun energy into the process of understanding circuits!

--David St. Martin


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Paper Circuits in IDEA LAb

10/17/2014

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Today, I introduced the concept of an electric circuit and led students through an activity where they built a paper circuit using copper foil tape, coin cell batteries, and LEDs.  I covered most of the concepts found in this YouTube video.  Students used their iPads to scan a QR code they had added to their journals in order to visit this blog.  In the IDEA Lab tab at the top of this blog, there is a link to the Paper Circuits Instructable I created for students to follow if they had difficulty with any of the steps I demonstrated.
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After completing these practice paper circuits, students will have the opportunity to add a paper circuit to their journal covers in order to make them light up when a switch is pressed.

— Tatian Greenleaf
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Everyone...to the drawing board!

10/6/2014

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We have a room full of tools. We've spent the last weeks learning to use them. We have an exciting challenge to create a portable, efficient and nearly smokeless wood burning stove and we have learned some lessons from our early rough prototypes, so we think we know what we're doing! All that knowledge isn't worth much unless we can plan out our next steps and prepare to make more refined prototypes though! 

Today we broke up in to groups and drew our design ideas on our workbenches, then translated those into cardboard. We have some work to do as you can see, but I always draw my ideas too, so the students can see the level of refinement and detail they'll need to add to their designs. Next week each student will get a 1.5 gallon plain paint can as the starting place for their design. We'll have 10 class periods to take that paint can from raw metal can to efficient working stove. Wish us luck! --David St. Martin

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Inspiration

10/3/2014

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Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching If You Build It, an inspiring documentary about Kent Middle School graduate Emily Pilloton's (and her partner, Matthew Miller's) work to teach design and building skills to high school students in rural Windsor, NC.  I won't give away the ending which is quite stunning but the students design something to help support their community and learn much from the process.  Emily answered questions from the audience after the screening.  She and Matthew are now working at Realm Charter School in Berkeley teaching 275 students these same skills as part of Studio H.

If you can't catch the film, check out Emily's Ted Talk:
And tonight I attended the Lawrence Hall of Science's Educator Night.  Growing up in Berkeley, I loved going to the Lawrence Hall of Science as a kid and now enjoy taking my sons there as a parent.  Tonight was a chance for teachers to experience hands-on exhibits that allow for design and testing of everything from marble runs to automata to hydraulic machines.  I definitely came away with some great ideas for student projects at Mark Day School. 

— Tatian Greenleaf
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Tools and Skills

10/1/2014

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I'm excited to say our tool wall is growing! Having the right tools for the job can mean the difference between a successful project and a frustratingly difficult one. I love showing students how to use a tool properly, and being able to point them toward a tool that will help them make what they have in mind.

The spot welder created a buzz of excitement. It's our first power tool, and we're learning to use it safely and effectively as we start our design/build portable cook stove project!--David St. Martin
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    Authors

    Tatian Greenleaf is the Design, Tinkering and Technology Intergrator at Mark Day School.

    David St. Martin is the Tinkerer in Residence at Mark Day School.

    Bonnie Nishihara is the
    Assistant Head for Educational Design and Innovation at Mark Day School.

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    Mark Day School website

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