My goal for the Makerspace area was to inspire creativity. After putting up the tan LEGO wall, I thought I really needed some color on the off-white walls. I found this poster online which originally sparked the idea. I easily could have bought the print, framed it, and hung the poster up in the Makerspace. However, I felt it would be more powerful to MAKE the posters myself. -I bought six canvases from Wall Mart (12" x 16") -I bought some acrylic paint (Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and White) -I used a Circuit and some white card stock paper -1 jar of Modge Podge First, I used the circuit to cut out the words words Dream, Invent, Make, Question, Learn, and Design in different fonts. I made sure that each word fit on the canvas appropriately. Then, I painted each canvas with acrylic paint. Once I let that dry, I used Modge Podge to stick the words on top of the canvas.
While these first six paintings are all my own, I am excited for school to start and get some new canvas ideas. I can envision having students create their own backgrounds and adding canvases that say words like Collaborate, Discover, Explore, and much more! This burst of inspirational color makes me excited for the school year to start and kiddos can finally start using this space!
0 Comments
Now that I have an area created for my makerspace, I can really start creating work spaces. Due to the fact that I'm trying to work with what the library already has- I ended up with three different sizes and shapes for tables. Two circular tables (one short and one tall) as well as one long, rectangular table. Furthermore, each of these tables were different shades of brown. I wanted to make these tables work in my space, so I added some Dry-Erase contact paper on the top of them! The contact paper was really easy to put on the tables. I used the Duck Brand Deco Adhesive Laminate. I am so excited for the kiddos to use these to show their thinking!
I decided to spruce up the bulletin boards with some fun messages. View my bulletin board transformation below!
Last week I set out to put a LEGO wall in my Makerspace. I contemplated a lot about where to put it. My principal had originally bought 50, 10" x 10" LEGO baseplates. My first thoughts included, "Does it make sense to put LEGO baseplates all the way up to the ceiling?" We tried to decide how to put the LEGO baseplates up so that they would get the most student use. Because I am in a K-6 building, I needed it to be closer to the ground for my younger students. Step One: Tape out the dimensions of the LEGO wall and decide if it makes the most sense for student use and for the space. Step Two: Buy your materials. There were several things we needed to buy in order to successfully put up our LEGO Wall:
Step Three: Use the concrete screws to drill your plywood to the area on the wall where you would like your LEGO Wall. Step Four: It is the most important that the first LEGO baseplate that you put on is level- If it's not, the entire LEGO wall will be crooked. Take your LEGO baseplates and put Liquid Nails adhesive on the back of it, then put adhesive spray on it as well, and then place it in on the plywood. Note: When you are placing LEGO baseplates, make sure the little LEGO logo is facing upright. Continue placing the baseplates on the plywood until the wall is complete. Make sure you place LEGOs over the spaces between the baseplates, so there is the appropriate amount of space in between and it creates a cohesive wall. Give the LEGO wall at least 24 hours before using. This should be enough time for the glue to dry. Then you can take off the LEGOS and give the students freedom to play and create structures off your new LEGO wall! Here's what our LEGO wall turned out like: Special thanks to Diana Redina and her blog post about an Epic LEGO Wall that helped guide our process.
I feel it's safe to assume that this question probably stops most people from beginning the process of creating a Makerspace or STEM Lab. But please... Don't let it stop you! Try not to be scared of the idea just because you went to visit a school with an unlimited budget to building their STEM Lab. Your students still deserve a space to explore, invent, and create. You can fund a Makerspace or STEM Lab! Here are some ideas to help you along the way:
1. DonorsChoose Start by picking one or two pieces of small technology that you think students would really enjoy and teachers can make a clear connection to curriculum. Put these items into your DonorsChoose project and email it out to all of your family and friends. I know, it seems annoying, but it's also a tax-deductible way of people to support education. Some of your friends and family will be happy to contribute to a good cause. Here's my example project. 2. Grants Look into some grant opportunities that would support the development of a Makerspace or STEM Lab. The TeacherGeek website compiled a list of possible grant options for STEM, STEAM, and Makerspace areas. They are worth looking into and finding out of these grants could fund your vision for a Makerspace/STEM Lab at your school. 3. Reach Out to Community Businesses / Organizations Connect with some owners or managers of businesses within your community. Some businesses are happy to support education if they see a value in your vision. I was lucky enough to get connected with a manager at a local cellular town who let donated 25 refurbished phones and virtual reality goggles to our school. I had to pilot the program and sell him on the benefits, but because of his generosity our school was able to travel virtually all around the world and really live our learning! Some other businesses that may help support your Makerspace or STEM Lab vision could be Walmart, Kmart, Ace Hardware, McDonalds, Hardees, movie theaters, ice cream shops, or local coffee shops. 4. Ask for Donations from Parents/Guardians At the beginning of my Makerspace project, the first thing I did was create a poster that we could send to parents asking for any old or unwanted supplies. These could be a great (free) start to your space. There's so much you can do with just cardboard! 5. Create a Fundraiser Be creative! Think of ways that your community can help support your Makerspace or STEM Lab dreams. Some ideas that come to mind include...
Be Okay with Starting Small You will never feel completely ready to start your Makerspace or STEM Lab. If you're beginning the journey with materials that students can use to create and invent- You're on the right track. Take your time and research the items that will best fit the needs of your students, teachers, and school. Remember, this is all about doing what's best for kids! My goal is to have my elementary school Makerspace fully developed within three years. To be more specific about my definition of a 'fully developed' Makerspace, here is what I envision...
This Thursday I was lucky enough to visit a Makerspace and STEM lab that has been successfully running for over a year. Dain (@DainElman), 'STEM Lord' within his district, showed me around these unique spaces. The rooms were both strategically developed last year after the entire library was cleared out and redesigned. The Makerspace created at Dain's school came from a space that was previously the librarian's office. The newly designed area gets digitally checked out every day by teachers. This space been used to create models of cells by science teachers, recycled art by art teachers, and even rock climbing holds by the gym teachers. I grew intrigued to hear how each different subject area in the middle school had used the space in a unique way. The area Dain used for his Makerspace definitely didn't have a shortage of supplies to spark creativity for students or teachers. When I first walked in, I noticed the piles of cardboard, recycled materials, wood, beads, glue, tools, and tiles. Anything you could imagine that could be used to create something was in this space. Dain had acquired many donated materials from an outside organization, but he mentioned supplies was also regularly dropped off from teachers after they were done cleaning their basements. I couldn't help but feel like this Makerspace was basically a workshop. The area exuded the possibility of creating anything- What a great space for students to create inventions and projects in their own personalized and creative way! The STEM Lab was across the library and filled with technology and creative spaces for students to produce work. This area stored Makey Makeys, Spheros, LEGO Mindstroms, a Green Screen kit, 3D Pens, LittleBits, a 3D printer, and so much more! Dain shared with me that the space doesn't get used as much as the Makerspace, but the technology classes regularly use this space and give students time to explore new technology. I loved the amount of space that students have within this room to collaborate and work. Dain also had a neat display of older technology (pictured below) that students could observe. There's an old Macintosh computer, dial-up phone, older televisions, and typewriters. I gained some great ideas from my visit and started to contemplate if I want a hybrid -Makerspace/ STEM Lab at my school. My visit to Dain's school gave me a much clearer vision of what I think I'd like at our elementary school. The feedback and reflective data that Dain had accumulated over the course of the year was powerful to consider while continuing on my journey.
As I work through redesigning and rethinking the library space, there are times when I need some motivation. In order to get some library space inspiration I look to my PLN to give me some drive. Here are a couple of blog posts and websites I've used to keep thinking outside the box:
Looking for some library furniture inspiration? These sites made made my furniture wish list quite a bit larger:
I've also put a lot of time into reading peer-reviewed articles on collaborative learning spaces and libraries. The Teacher Librarian journal always has some great reads.
Learning about other teachers/schools and how they renovate their library space to intentionally fit the needs of students gives me high aspirations for the new developments at our school. I hope these resources can help you as much as they have inspired me! Hyman, S. C. (2014). Planning and creating a library learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 41(3), 16-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.cuw.ezproxy.switchinc.org/docview/1504427625?accountid=10249 Steele, R. (2015). Learning commons or maker space?: Don't forget the library.Teacher Librarian, 42(5),19-20.Retrievedfrom http://search.proquest.com.cuw.ezproxy.switchinc.org/docview/1701883683?accountid=10249 Photo by Unsplash. In order to find a sufficient spot for the makerspace, I really had to rethink some of the areas in the library and how they were currently used. One corner of the library was used to store professional texts for teachers. My before pictures aren't the best, but it does show how the area is closed off from the center aisles of the library. Goal: My goal for this area was to make it more open and conducive to student learning. Secondly, I wanted to put the professional texts in a different location that was out of student's reach. Furthermore, I thought it was important to move the shelving to create a makerspace area and leave room for a LEGO wall. Assessment: I had to assess the library and find a new spot for the professional texts to go. I was lucky enough to find an empty built-in shelving unit for the books to go. I thought this would be a better place for the professional texts because they could be closed off from students, but still open to staff members. Once I was able to move the professional texts into this built-in cabinet, I was left with TWO empty book shelves... We had a TON of professional texts. Some of them were outdated and need to be started through, but for now the goal was to find a new area for them. This shelf was not being used and solved my space problem. As soon as I cleared off the shelves, we were ready to move the space around. Here are some pictures of our moving process: The Finished Space: These books and DVDs were previously on the front and backside of this shelf. I put all of the contents of this shelf on one side. This saved space on the other side for makerspace materials. We are planning on putting our LEGO Wall in this space. There was an outlet on either side, so I am still thinking around how we want to deal with that. Overall, I am estatic with how the makerspace area turned out. I'm also impressed with how much room we have for technology and makerspace storage. However, I'm starting to realize that redesigning the space may have been the easy part... I still have quite a bit more to accomplish with this library. Here is what's left on my goal sheet:
Thanks again to my husband and his extremely strong friend for their heavy lifting! In order to truly develop new library spaces I had to get the all of the books off of the shelves and strategically think about this redesign. I cleared out the books and just looked at the shelves to help give me an idea of how I could move them to best fit the needs of the students. Goal: My goal was to create open spaces for students to read and collaborate in this area of the library. Assessment: I assessed how many desktop computers were in the space and how they were used. There were previously seven desktop computers on one edge of this area. The staff and principal confirmed that these computers were rarely used, considering their is a lab right next to the library. I also had to assess how the plugs and ethernet cords could be stretched to create a new design. In addition, I created several open layout designs that would fit the students' collaboration needs. Problem: These shelves proved to be extremely HEAVY. I thought that my husband and I would be able to move them, but I grew to learn that I wasn't nearly strong enough to move those shelves. Solution: Luckily, my husband has extremely strong and kind friends. His friend showed great patience while I came up with a plan based on how the shelves looked when they were moved. Problem #2: I also ran into a problem when I found out one of the shelves was bolted to the wall. Solution #2: I had to redesign a space and keep that shelf where it was originally. Here are some of my 'before' pictures: The picture below was taken once I stripped all of the bulletin boards and posters. This was the original layout of the Easy Fiction section of the library. The picture below shows the original fiction shelving layout. This is one of the first places library-goers see when they walk in - The back of a shelf! My goal was to open this area up and have it be used for a reading area with flexible seating and an area that promotes collaboration. The slideshow below shows the process in which we moved these shelves. We had to clear off all the books and I had my super strong helpers do the heavy lifting! I left the library feeling more accomplished than I have throughout this whole library redesign process... We rebooked the shelves with the new library design layout for fiction books. It looks PHENOMENAL. I even had some teachers come in and compliment how open and inviting the space looks from the doorway! Here are some pictures to show our progress: After finishing the redesign of one section of this library, I have to say... There is a reason these shelves have not moved for so many years... They are SO EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to move- mostly because of their length. The double sided shelves were nearly impossible to move without having scooters and strategic thinking. Overall, I'm so happy with the way these shelves have been moved to create an inviting feel while you are walking into the library.
A special thanks to my husband and his friend for their help moving these library shelves and make my vision come to life! |
AuthorMy name is Christine Perkins. I'm a technology specialist/librarian and a passionate lifelong learner. Archives
December 2017
Categories |