In October, I attended the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Creative Constructor Lab. ISTE inspires the creation of solutions and connections that improve opportunities for all learners by delivering: practical guidance, evidence-based professional learning, virtual networks, thought-provoking events and the ISTE Standards. I learned about the current and trending technologies used in K-12 classrooms and the evolving roles of educators and students interacting with technology. View my full report.
Programming
Girls Who Code 6-week program at Cascade Park wrapped up on 10/22. 10 of the original 12 girls completed all six weeks of the program and were excited for another round of programming. The weekly projects for Girls Who Code were determined using feedback submitted by the girls at each meeting. CP’s program completed the following projects:
Week 1: GIF and website build using Made with Code (language: blockly) and Trinket.io (language: HTML)
Week 2: Generating art using Trinkiet.io (language: Python with Turtle Module)
Week 3: Custom website using Trinket.io (language: HTML/CSS)
Week 4: Creating music using Incredibox and Earsketch (language: Python). Earsketch lost the songs generated by the participants. When I contacted Earsketch they said there was an issue with their server.
Week 5:Free Design. Students worked in the environment of their choice. Several chose to complete projects within Earsketch, Incredibox, Made with Code.
Week 6: celebrate with friends and family
Project website: https://gwcclub-wa15574-2019.weebly.com/
The coding program in Goldendale wrapped up. The group consisted mostly of boys. Participation increased when we moved our project to the Teen Area. Anywhere from 3-8 kids participated in weekly projects. Since we didn’t have a consistent group week-to-week, I focused on one-off programs.
Week 1: GIF and website build using Made with Code (language: blockly) and Trinket.io (language: HTML)
Week 2: Chatbots using Trinket.io (language: Javascript)
Week 3: Game Design using Make Code (language: blockly, Javascript)
Week 4: Creating music using Incredibox...Internet died...we then played Uno
Week 5: Game Design using Unity (language: C#)
Week 6: Coding with Arduino and Wink Robots (language: C/C++)
BG’s Girls Who Code program wraps up the first week of November. 7 of the original 10 girls attend weekly. Our club was also featured in the local newspaper!
District Partnerships
I covered Stevenson’s STEM Wednesday program on 10/9. 25 children and their adults built circuits using Program Services’ circuit blocks.
I covered Cascade Park’s Preschool Story time on 10/22. 42 kids and their adults participated in a monster-themed story time where we sang spooky versions of normal story time songs. I pulled out the watercolors and let the kids explore this medium to design a spooky landscape. Many adults and children commented that this was their first time exploring watercolor art and they enjoyed the activity.
I worked with Three Creeks to fix their broken 3D printer. The printer stopped randomly during prints. Elizabeth tried to hook the printer up to her laptop, but the printer continued to fail. Aaron took a look at the computer when the printer initially broke. I took VA’s staff printer and tested it on TC’s computer and the printer worked, ruling out an issue with the computer. I left VA’s printer and brought TC’s printer to program services to work on it. I was able to fix TC’s 3D Printer by flashing the firmware through my Macbook. TC’s printer and VA’s printer have been swapped back.
I worked with several branches in Clark County to create a schedule for the digitization scanner at the branches. One of my goals is to create some in-depth training documentation.
Community Partnerships
Clark County Juvenile Detention Center: 12 students built scribble-bots using components scavenged from a Dollar Store electric toothbrush, cardboard, and masking tape. The initial plan to use Unity had to be changed due to the lack of a sufficient quantity of laptops and inability to set up the laptops and have them retain their settings before heading out to the center.
I attended a makerspace librarian meetup on 10/28/19. The group includes Theresa Misenti from Hillsboro, Amy Petit from Portland Community College, Nicole Alger and Sarah Vandehey from Beaverton Public Library, and Desiree WOlcott-Cushman from Multnomah County Library. We discussed working with laptops, machine maintenance, implementing new technology, and the challenges of driving interest in a physical space.
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