Saturday, August 24, 2013

Maker Station: STEAM Grant

LearnLaunch Link
Our STEAM WPSF grant is beginning to take shape.

Susan Cherwinski, @SusanCherwinski, and I found a time in the schedule, requested approval, started a crowdshare idea/links collection doc, and are now beginning to reach out to our PLN near and far for links and information.

Matt Arguello, @Matt_Arguello, an educator from Los Angeles was the first to answer our call with the following links:
Also, our grade-level colleagues, Trang Aronian and Kor Rogers, have decided to join the pilot. A pilot that will combine STEAM exploration tools and activities with Google's 20% time intent to provide students' with a self-directed, teacher-guided research, creation, invention, and exploration time.

The next stage is lots of reading and research to get the project going.  Then at the start of the year, we'll query the students and parents for more ideas about materials and activities.

We've also scheduled a LearnLaunch event as part of our research.

There are many events that can take your attention away from what's important at the beginning of the school year, but planning an initiative like this places you right where you should be--planning for optimal, student-centered learning and innovation.

If you have ideas or links for us, please let us know.  As my son recently stated about a job prospect, "It's great to be a part of something new, the process of building and creating a positive endeavor."


Resources:

Pitsco
Plastic Bottle Creations
Paper Roll Furniture
Motorized Toy
Take apart station
Hacking Toys and Machines

Related Posts and Ideas
Rationale
Self-selected, research, invention, explore choices.
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