Howdy Folks,
I've been getting my students to make stuff. The first project we did was making egg cars that had to withstand running into a brick wall. Exciting if you are an egg. Not too exciting if you are a worldly 14 year old though. They got to test a car, come up with new ideas, see the buzz in the automotive industry, check out each other's ideas (steal?) and give it another go with a fresh egg. It truly is difficult to tell what is going on inside their heads. Even with the most modern educational pedagogy, checking for understanding, testing, quizzing, and asking them, "Hey, what's going on?" its hard to tell. I know for myself, very few ideas make their home inside my head after the first visit. And alot of the time I've got to sit with an idea for years before it becomes part of my bag of tricks. Honestly.
It takes real patience and perserverance in order to teach even a new dog a new trick. So after the cars, we built bridges. And after the bridges we are going to build earthquake safe buildings. And after that we are going to build electronic buzzers based on the capacitors and resistors. And after that we'll make buzzers with the 555 timer chips. Then after that we are going to build Arduino bots.
Get the picture? I need to keep their hands busy making stuff and their minds busy making stuff work.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Howdy folks,
This is Mr. Murray here, ready to make a mess. A hot, homemade mess. I've been a quiet fan of the Maker Revolution for far too long and I'm gonna let this mouse roar =peep=.
I began tearing things apart since I was a kid. It wasn't until last year that I've started putting things back together again.
I guess that joke only works if you know that I've had almost 51 trips around the sun. Most of my career has not supported my crazy fascination with making stuff work, fixing stuff and designing stuff. From additions to the house to Arduino projects, bicycle trailers, telescopes, and all kinds of little projects in between, I've had to do them in secret and without being able to pass on this infectious fascination.
Until I started teaching STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Now I can come out of the shadows and share my crazies with my students.
You've probably guessed, I'm a teacher. But no ordinary teacher: I am the MOST ordinary teacher. Public high school, 14 year olds in an urban setting for 21 years has left me twitching in the corner for at least an hour after work each day. But to stop the twitches, there is nothing like a mixture of polyester resin getting hot in your hands while you are feverishly trying to keep the fiberglass from sliding down. Or an oxy-acetylene torch clogging for the 23rd time. Or a circular saw that needs it's bearings oiled because I've used it for stone cutting.
Nothing like it.
I hope you join me in my quest to bring the Maker Spirit to the Unwashed Masses, and apply good ol' elbow grease to squeaky minds.
Of course, I'm always anxious to learn about what you are doing so please drop on in!
See ya soon!
This is Mr. Murray here, ready to make a mess. A hot, homemade mess. I've been a quiet fan of the Maker Revolution for far too long and I'm gonna let this mouse roar =peep=.
I began tearing things apart since I was a kid. It wasn't until last year that I've started putting things back together again.
I guess that joke only works if you know that I've had almost 51 trips around the sun. Most of my career has not supported my crazy fascination with making stuff work, fixing stuff and designing stuff. From additions to the house to Arduino projects, bicycle trailers, telescopes, and all kinds of little projects in between, I've had to do them in secret and without being able to pass on this infectious fascination.
Until I started teaching STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Now I can come out of the shadows and share my crazies with my students.
You've probably guessed, I'm a teacher. But no ordinary teacher: I am the MOST ordinary teacher. Public high school, 14 year olds in an urban setting for 21 years has left me twitching in the corner for at least an hour after work each day. But to stop the twitches, there is nothing like a mixture of polyester resin getting hot in your hands while you are feverishly trying to keep the fiberglass from sliding down. Or an oxy-acetylene torch clogging for the 23rd time. Or a circular saw that needs it's bearings oiled because I've used it for stone cutting.
Nothing like it.
I hope you join me in my quest to bring the Maker Spirit to the Unwashed Masses, and apply good ol' elbow grease to squeaky minds.
Of course, I'm always anxious to learn about what you are doing so please drop on in!
See ya soon!
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