Maker Spaces Course Retrospective

Maker Spaces Course Retrospective 

What was the build that you are most proud of and why?

I think I am the most proud of the electronic dice project.  The wiring was probably the most complex of all of the projects we completed.  Additionally, when my number distribution was uneven after 100 rolls, I was able to successfully troubleshoot and discover that my circuit was wired incorrectly, although it was functional.  That was one of the few times I felt competent while learning this new way of thinking.

Go back to your first week and read each week’s submission with an eye for personal growth. Where were you when you started and where did you end up?

My growth during this course has been more about my mindset than my intellect.  As I look back through my blog posts, the common denominator is that my set ups rarely ever worked on the first try, but I had to push past the initial failure towards the unknown.  I learned a lot about how my students must feel every time I give them an engineering challenge.  I discovered that failure truly is part of the process and that there is always help on the Internet. 

What did you learn that you didn't know before?

I learned many new things about the maker spaces movement and how those ideas are being translated into the classroom.  I also discovered that public libraries are beginning to take on the movement and provide spaces for their community members to come create.  I also learned how to plan and implement a maker space for our school.

How did you actually come to learn this new knowledge?

I learned this new information through research required to complete our classwork assignments and by doing a bit of extra research when I came across information that was of interest.

What did you learn about yourself?

This class reinforced that I have a fear of new things, but it also helped me to push past that fear. Grades are definitely a powerful motivatorJ. 

Look at your words for each week and see how they might read if one of your students turned in that submission. What were you telling yourself about yourself?

I seemed to become a little bolder each week.  The first few weeks, I stuck to the shore.  After that, I attempted to push myself past what was easy and dive in for (relatively) harder tasks.  In my engineering classes, there are always those compliant students who are not particularly interested in the activity, but who push through to completion anyway.  That is how I would describe myself if I read my post as a teacher reads a student’s assignments.

Where did you say your challenges where?  Did these challenges change over the time of the class?

My biggest challenge from the beginning was programming and that was still my challenge at the completion of the class.  It would take me an entire semester at the minimum to feel like I understood the modified version of C++.  Additionally, I lacked the interest and motivation to push myself beyond the compliance phase.  Even when we were able to choose our own circuits to build, I still did not look forward to the challenges, so I also have learned that I’m not super interested in computer programming.

As you entered the world of the maker, what do you see as your next adventure in the world of making? It can be anything.

This class has inspired me to want to pursue projects at my house that I’ve been too afraid to try, like making wooden cornice boxes for my bedroom windows.  I’ve been putting it off for years and now I’m ready to at least try. 

What are your next steps?

Next, I’m going to have a bit more empathy for my student’s struggles during our engineering challenges in class.  I need to do a better job of awarding them with grades at each step so I keep my compliant students motivated.  I also need to provide some scaffolding as they attempt to independently increase their knowledge.  I also want to fundraise to get a set of NXT robots that are solely dedicated to our library so that students can get a taste of making.