For this post, I am going to go from the end to the beginning of how this happened. I wanted to start out with the interviews that the mentors recorded of the young designers with their completed bubble wands. Please click below to be able to hear different young designers sharing what they learned. Today was the culmination of several weeks of collaborative learning where both 7th and 8th grade designers helped their kinder partners create both their first 3D printed bubble wand as well as an Infusible Ink Bag for each young designer. It was an adventure of learning together.
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Glowforge TutorialsGlowforge Application Video
I applied to become a Glowforge Educational Ambassador. Check out the impact that this powerful tool has provided my designers through the InfyMakers Award.
These last few weeks have been a serious struggle for me. At times I feel like what I could do and what I am doing are so far misaligned that I become frustrated and question what I do. I am not always able to see what is working when it feels like everything is not working.
In 2021, I started reaching out to my colleagues from my former elementary school because I wanted to continue to build on the technology experiences that I had been doing in my previous role as an Educational Technology Coach at K-5. I wanted to continue to collaborate and learn with educators who had trusted me to work with their students when sometimes I didn't know what I was doing. Our first mentoring with 7th or 8th grade and kindergartners started in the spring of 2021 when we still needed to sit 6 feet apart. Using yoga rugs and meeting outside, the kindergarten team was willing to work with me and provide my 7th and 8th graders the opportunity to mentor. This was the start of the mentoring program that our 7th and 8th grade technology students do for our K-5 school. In the past year, the Infysys Maker grant helped immensely to provide more technology like the Glowforge. While our local Verona Area Educational Foundation provided two different grants to help cover the cost of 3D printing, Infusible Ink, and more. This year we have been continuing to work through both the highs and the lows because when older learners and younger learners connect magic can happen. Sometimes I've had to slow down and just watch what is happening instead of what I think should be happening. Today was one of those days.... a 7th grade group that has been struggling transformed into the most amazing group of thoughtful and caring mentors. To be able to see the connections and the impact that both the older and younger learner are having on each other's life is truly the "why" of mentoring. Thank you to Jessica Reed for capturing these moments today and always being willing to navigate this crazy path of collaboration! Using Cricut Design Space to create an infusible ink bag designed for their kinder buddy to hold their 3D printed bubble wands, designers shared the first Morphi designed bubble wands that have been printed. They also created together using the Micro:Bit. Fridays rock with mentoring!
Next Week's Plan
Flip MixtapeComing Next Week
In this mentoring, mentors were paired together and then worked as a team with 2-3 kindergartners. This has helped with the anxiety that many of my mentors experience at first when starting to work with a younger buddy. Coming next week.....As the 8th grade designers learn more and more about circuits, servos, sensors, and LEDs, they share even more ways to create with their partners from Ms. Knoll and Ms. Prathivadi's 5th graders. Designers continue to share via Flip what they are learning together. Click on the image below to hear some of the designers sharing their learning about Hummingbird robotics, Snap Circuits, and designing with the Glowforge.
I need to trust the process and the designers to navigate the uncertainties of collaborative cross age learning experiences.
2022 InfyMakers AwardsWhile reading my twitter feed during the spring of 2022, I found information about the InfyMakers grant and decided that it was worth a shot to apply. I never realized that this would be the start of a much bigger journey with Infosys, making, and computer science for both me and my students. Link to Blog Posts About InfyMakers ImpactInfosys Pathfinders Summer PDDuring the summer of 2022, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in 4 different virtual professional development opportunities with Pathfinders. I started with Chibitronics, Micro:Bit, Hummingbird, and Makey Makey Scrappy Circuits. I spent the summer learning about different ways to incorporate circuits, making, and coding to create learning opportunities for my students. It was for me one of the most transformative summers of my career. I loved learning in the morning and making in the afternoon while connecting with educators around the country. Link to Infosys Pathfinders Summer PD Blog PostsCrossRoads 2023Link to Blog Posts About CrossRoads 2023I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have been provided to get both training and resources for myself and my designers.
Thank you Infosys Foundation!
Ms. Moll captured beautifully the work that our first semester group of 8th grade designers made happen for our 3rd grade buddies. I love seeing the joy that my designers created by mentoring in 3D printing, Glowforge laser designs, and Makers Empire.
Thank you to the InfyMakers grant and VAEF grant for supporting this project!
This week was the start of semester 2 and the opportunity to reintroduce the Glowforge to my designers. This time I created an Edpuzzle introduction (an edited version is below without our login).
Glowforge Design Challenges
Previous challenges include acrylic jewelry, leather bracelet, wood ornament, and a name snowflake. Below is the youtube playlist that will continue to be developed.
Mixtape of Student Learning about Circuits and Makey MakeyMentoring
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