2B Makes Electronic Music

2B has been visiting the Fabrication and Media Studios for the past few weeks exploring circuits and electronic music.  With a focus on The Art of the Drum, this project was a natural extension of the deep learning taking place inside their classroom.

Mrs. Kollender started thinking about making drums with her class last spring when Fall Project planning began as a division.  We brainstormed together envisioning a great deal of experimenting and testing to see what sounds could be generated and what materials would work best. 

We eventually realized we could really expand the students' options for building while adding meaningful science and music connections if we introduced the idea of electronic music.  Do you need a physical instrument to make music?  Can it be done digitally?

Using the Makey Makey Inventor's Kit and the great instrument apps on its website, teams partnered up to test their circuit boards while learning to control the digital instruments.  

They tested everyday materials to find conductors that could be used to build custom circuits.  Foil, playdough, utensils and paper clips were popular and successful.  Seltzer cans worked fairly well.  Students were encouraged to generate their own ideas for materials that might work and to test out their predictions.  Larger metal items seemed to only work when touched close to the alligator clips, generating authentic interest in the "why" behind what we observed.  

Those moments are beautiful to witness - proof of the power of Maker Ed!  It was so fun to conduct electricity ourselves as a necessary part of the circuits.  We brought high fives and hand holds to the next level of cool! 

Students were encouraged to think outside the box and to share ideas.  Some teams decided to use feet instead of hands to complete their circuits; others used full body movements to make connections.

Once teams mastered circuit-building and felt comfortable controlling the instruments, we took the time to plan our designs.  They chose a digital instrument and conductive materials.  They discussed what type of music they wanted to make, choosing descriptors to convey the emotion they hoped listeners would experience.  Each partner also drew their design separately so they could compare and agree before moving forward.

Our final session is coming up.  Teams will complete their design plan and record their music.  We will also take time to reflect on whether our final music captures the mood we set out to create.

We are looking forward to sharing our final compositions and reflections when they are ready.  While the product is always cool to see, the learning is so evident in the process.  

Happy making!

Ed Camp Maker Promise

Last Saturday morning, Friends' Central's Lower School campus was buzzing with the excitement that comes along with great professional development.  Maker Ed, Digital Promise and Ed Camp Philly all came together to kick off of a new educational partnership called Maker Promise. 

Check out Maker Promise for free support and resources in Maker Ed. 

This event was the perfect opportunity to make the Ulmer Family Light Lab studios and resources available to the wider community. We welcomed teachers from a variety of public, charter, and independent schools in the Philadelphia area and beyond, as well as participants planning summer camps, building partnerships, and tech enthusiasts interested in trying new skills.

The Ed Camp model is characteristically an "unconference," meaning participants are encouraged to put up suggestions for workshops and discussions they are interested in facilitating or attending.  The session board was populated that morning while attendees networked, snacked, and perused the fantastic Mobile Makerspace set up in the gym.  

We had some old friends (also Light Lab Advisory Board members) from Maker Ed and Digital Promise sharing the awesome ways they are helping ensure maker resources can get into the hands of more teachers and students.

Digital Promise also offered an easy inexpensive circuit-building activity for testing and feedback. Their "yes and" improv project planning cards were also a big hit - a fun way to push your ideas by using other awesome maker minds to brainstorm.  The registration table was filled with great maker swag.  Educators love free stuff!

Maker sessions took place in all four studios of the Light Lab and expanded out into Lower School classrooms.  Discussions included how to start up a makerspace, how to assess projects, and how to create buy-in from faculty.  Other sessions zoomed in to allow teachers to try specific tools like micro:bit, a vinyl cutter, or a specific type of robot.  

When wrapping up the day, attendees shared their favorite take-aways.  Here are a few:

• Maker Ed doesn't have to be expensive (so important!)
• Trying out Wonder Workshop with Dash and Dot robots
• Exploring micro:bit
• Creating paper roller coasters
• Sharing effective forms of assessment
• Networking with other makers
• Making a vinyl sticker

When the tables were cleared, chairs folded, and bags packed, I stopped to chat with a colleague.  She shared that she overheard a NYC teacher saying on her way out, "My soul has been fed." 

That's what good PD does.  It's why we, at FCS, were thrilled to play a part in Ed Camp Maker Promise.

This event marked the first (definitely not the last) time we have leveraged our new facility to help provide professional development to a large number of educators beyond our immediate community.  

Big thanks to Maker Ed, Digital Promise, and Ed Camp Philly for asking us to host this amazing event.  And to the army of makers who came with mobile materials, can-do attitudes, and muscle power to set-up/clean-up: You rocked it!  We are grateful.

Are you ready to make the Promise and commit to being a champion for making?  We are!

Our Littlest Makers, Fall Projects, and Pumpkin Fair 2017

The Light Lab Studios have been full of children in all grades making cool things that connect their learning to Fall Project with their homeroom teachers and specialists.  

It's wonderful to see our littlest makers in the Light Lab so often.  Nursery classes have enjoyed using the learning kitchen in the Natural Sciences Studio to make applesauce and pumpkin muffins.  They are practicing measuring correctly, mixing ingredients, and being brave enough to try new foods.  They've also had valuable time building with open-ended materials and listening to great stories during cooking time.

We had a fun Mini Maker Morning from Nursery A and Pre-K A and B when our Upper School Service friends joined us for the day.  Since our Fall Project theme in the Lower School is "The Arts," we decided to make food art.  Beautiful and yummy!

3A and 3B have been in almost every week.  I love seeing how deeply they are diving into their fall project themes and just how varied their maker projects are as a result: cooking southern food, weaving sweetgrass baskets, making ragtime instruments, hand sewing different stitches for Robin Hood hats and satchels, and learning to use the sewing machines - among many others!

The wind tunnel at Pumpkin Fair was a big hit for makers of all ages - even adults!  It was great to see everyone experimenting with everyday materials to make parachutes, gliders, hovercrafts, and cool flying inventions.  I was delighted to witness so many "aha" moments.

Monday's Maker Club started the first fall session by making insulating playdough, building squishy circuits, exploring robots, and using the laser cutter to craft moving cardboard props for animation.  

Squishy Circuits is a product of FCS alumna, AnnMarie Thomas, '97.  How cool that our current makers get to learn from a former FCS maker by using her invention!   AnnMarie is also a member of the Ulmer Family Light Lab Advisory Board, using her expertise and love of FCS to help guide our program as it develops.

World Maker Faire 2017

Working with students is the very best part of my job.  I get a chance to see the joy, frustration, humor, and serious learning that take place every time students are in the Light Lab, but I struggle to share that broadly enough with others.  I was delighted when I received word that we were selected to present at this year's World Maker Faire.  I know firsthand that our FCS students have plenty to share about the positive impact of Maker Ed. 

On September 24, Friends' Central students traveled the NY Hall of Science in Queens to present. I moderated our small panel of FCS teachers and students on the Make Education Stage.  Our goal was to share the power of increased student choice on engagement and learning in the context of two incredible fourth and fifth grade projects from last school year.

Panelists introduced themselves and shared a brief description of their projects.  Last year's fourth graders studied United States geography.  They each chose a state to research and brainstormed a unique maker project they would complete in order to demonstrate their learning for the community.

Students had full access to the Light Lab Studios and equipment.  More importantly, they were given a Maker Mentor - a community adult with a skill set that could support their personal project's development.   Mentors included faculty and staff members: art teachers, our technology integration specialist, science teacher, homeroom teachers, and our librarian. In one student's case, we tapped the expertise of an Admissions Staff member who just happened to be a professional musician and performer.

This shift to a more personalized approach to the fourth grade state project came in response to the homeroom teachers' desire to expand the range of projects.  Although given some choice in the previous years, students tended to gravitate toward models and a few digital productions.  

Adding Maker Mentors allowed for more one-on-one interaction and guidance through project development.  Conversations were deeper because each Mentor held relevant experience in the area a student was exploring.

Last year's fifth graders shared the projects they made while reading If the World Were a Village in Math.  Using global statistics about education, age, religion, and other subtopics, each student developed a project plan that would both demonstrate what they learned and point towards solutions to global challenges and inequities.  

Maker Mentors were again utilized in this project model successfully, and the range of projects was extraordinary.  From a model of a multi-generational community center to an interactive language translation board to a working water wheel, students created, shared, and developed with a new confidence in their ability to make a positive impact on the world.

Both projects culminated with a Community Expo - a chance for student makers to share their process and product, seeking feedback and reflecting on their learning.  This time reserved for feedback and reflection is not just an integral part of Maker Ed but also happens to be in complete alignment with our Friends' Central Quaker values.

I was especially taken with how our students shared the setbacks in their maker projects.  Each student came alive while reflecting on what was truly hard.  They smiled and laughed about how things kept falling apart or didn't work as planned, how they ran out of time or how they learned not to wear green in front of the green screen.  

Their failures didn't feel negative and they couldn't wait to tackle them a new way.  

This project model combined the best of any teacher's educational goals; our students grew socially and emotionally while also engaging in highly academic content.   

I am in awe of my students' bravery in sharing this experience on the stage at NY Maker Faire.  I hope their message inspires others to explore Maker Ed and encourages teachers to increase the amount of choice students have in creating things which demonstrate deep learning.