Our goals are to connect grads and current students, share ideas and advice, and be inspired. #ElonEd chat brings together experienced teachers and novice teachers to discuss best practices. We see our chat as a way to mentor future teachers who are students at Elon, and anyone who wants to join us in that effort is welcome.
For the maker educators across the VaSCL divisions, if you are around the #eloned chat combined wirh #makered should be a fab learning opportunity tonight - in one minute! 8 pm ET
M1: Welcome to the #ElonEd chat! Our goals are to connect grads, current students, fac/staff, and other educators to share ideas and advice and to be inspired.
Hey everyone! Your #ElonEd moderators this evening are @MrDpasion and @MichaelAVaughn We are looking forward to the conversation! Our topic: Maker Mindset + Makerspaces
# Associated with Elon University teacher education program, but we welcome participation in our #eloned chats from any educators interested in our topics. Some participants are current preservice teachers
Ben Rogers, Senior at Elon University, Secondary Mathematics Major. Currently working on edTPA, watching Good Will Hunting, and will join in here. #ElonEd
Dayson, one of the mods tonight, Instructional Coach @gmsfalcon in @abssweb, maker at times, connected to Elon but have never had the pleasure of being a student here. #ElonEd
A1: making, to me, looks like the use of my students hands to experience and learn. It is not a successful day unless my students are covered in dirt and have something to take home to their families. #ElonEd
Hi everyone in the #ElonEd fam! My name is Franceska Karasinski. I’m a Middle Grades education major with a Social Studies concentration. Repping Elon University on twitter here tonight.
A1 it really depends on the students you have. Sharing and collaboration is crucial but it depends in the levels your students are ready for #makered#ElonEd
A1: We do #making in the #forestclassroom at Loy Farm. Students find so much value in using natural objects and building something (e.g., mud pies, small worlds, fires). #ElonEd#EDU431
A1: Making is an individual process. It looks different in each and every classroom. Collaboration between students and educators is an important part of the process. #eloned
A1: Making to me looks like my students creating something that has a purpose to them - something that enhances their life or the world around them. #ElonEd
A1: It looks like Ss having the opportunity for hands on learning and being able to create something that relates to the current content knowledge #ElonEd
A1: it’s not always the making of things but taking and creating their own ideas about their place in the world and empowering them to use their voice to make change #eloned
A1: I also think that "making" changes from student to student. One student may create something brand new, rather another student may see an idea and work on modifying/improving it. #ElonEd
A1: Making to me looks like my students creating something that has a purpose to them - something that enhances their life or the world around them. #ElonEd
A1: it’s not always the making of things but taking and creating their own ideas about their place in the world and empowering them to use their voice to make change #eloned
Also design learning experiences where students can add their own interests and values to what what they build. Builds empathy and ownership. Bring in community stakeholders and have students build something to help. #makered#eloned
Q2: Given the incredibly high demands on educators in #K12 and #highered, why should they devote time and energy to incorporating making and #makerspaces into their teaching? #ElonEd
Also design learning experiences where students can add their own interests and values to what what they build. Builds empathy and ownership. Bring in community stakeholders and have students build something to help. #makered#eloned
Also design learning experiences where students can add their own interests and values to what what they build. Builds empathy and ownership. Bring in community stakeholders and have students build something to help. #makered#eloned
A2: I think making is an important part of learning at all ages. It sustains students creativity and encourages imagination when such qualities seem to dissipate with time. #ElonEd
A2: I think that incorporating making into teaching is important because it encourages creativity amongst students. Also, it is another way to engage students in their learning. #eloned
A2: #makerspaces allow students to be creative and take risks -- also teaches them the importance of trying and failing, and that failing is ok #ElonEd
A2: We simply do not know what is ahead of us technologically and we must prepare our students to be change-makers. Makerspaces encourage students to be creative, collaborate, think critically, and communicate. #ElonEd
A2: I think #makered emphasizes what most adults WANT for children. Why is everyone so blasted obsessed with test scores? Plus, aren't there multiple ways to get students prepared for tests? #ElonEd
A2: it’s also a great way to teach collaboration, creativity and innovation in the most authentic way. These skills do not need to be forced with a #makeed mentality #eloned
A2: #makerspaces allow students to take control of their learning, be creative, make new connections, & is safe space to fail. That's what learning is all about! #ElonEd
A2: Students need to take the initiative of their learning target as well as be aware of the learning consequence out of their own efforts. They are active learners not just instruction followers. #ElonEd
A2 I wouldn’t say add making into the classroom as much as how to develop the maker philosophy. How to let students own and lead in their own learning. #eloned#makered
A2: The theme I'm seeing this time around is making supports creativity and student engagement with learning. I'm sensing some of that engagement is being framed as "nontraditional"? #ElonEd
I think #makered moves students through discrete knowledge. Or... it gets them TO discrete knowledge. There are multiple pathways to learning. Teachers need to use as many as they can! #ElonEd
A2: The theme I'm seeing this time around is making supports creativity and student engagement with learning. I'm sensing some of that engagement is being framed as "nontraditional"? #ElonEd
A2: I also think that makerspaces teach students how to work hard and be invested in something. With all the options of things to make, students can choose something that will stick with them. I also think that teach students to be precise and open to making mistakes. #ElonEd
A2: Adolescents need a creative outlet no matter what age they are. (I still do and I’m 21!) Kids need to be able to express themselves and having a #makerspace allows them to do that within the classroom. #ElonEd
To me risk and fail are words that I stay away from in making. Risk means you are guessing on what will happen. I use choice instead. A choice means you look at data and go forward. Fail will never be a positive word so I use new opportunities instead #Eloned#makered
Couldn't agree more! as @scomorrison always says we need to get Ss out of their seats and moving around and #makered is a perfect way to do that! #ElonEd
In reply to
@franceskakaras, @MichaelAVaughn, @scomorrison
you are correct. it is not a part of the vast majority of schools... neither are spaces and materials for making #eloned ... something I want to help change in my area, but need to find partners
The cool thing about making is it can be broadly defined, so there are plenty of low-barrier, low-cost entry points. The Elon Maker Hub project started in 2013, even though we didn't open our first space until Fall 2015. It's all about longterm patience and persistence #ElonEd
Making can lead to better test scores. A more memorable learning experience that applies knowledge will lead to a deeper understanding of content will lead to better scores #ElonEd#makered
But the thing is that teachers and students have always been makers. There wasn’t a global term. We use what is available to build knowledge representations #ElonEd#makered
A3: a creatively aesthetic space is the key to promoting imaginative making. Bright colors, different making materials, ideas. All key aspects of the process #ElonEd
That is why I use opportunity and choice. A choice lead to multiple opportunity paths which lead to new choices. From the new data presented, new choices can be made. #makered#ElonEd
A3: You don't need ALL THE TECH to promote making. You need to have the room for collaboration and the willingness to give your students agency and ownership of their learning and how the show their learning. #ElonEd
(A2: Shameless self-promotion, but I've written a white paper arguing for why making matters as an educational practice. It's available on my website: https://t.co/jRBMrB5qnc I wanted everyone to have a chance to respond first #ElonEd)
A3 Maker spaces can be in libraries, classrooms, CTE spaces, arts studios, mechatronics spaces - and outdoors .. important to create as a cultural shift and a learning mindset not a destination #makered#eloned
A3: i think things as simple as how we arrange desks and other spaces in our classroom says a lot about they type of learning we as teachers promote. having desks in groups shows our Ss we want them working together in contrast to having them in rows and separated #ElonEd
For too many, school is a place where students are NOT allowed to make anything. They are trained to follow directions and do what others say. The #makered movement exists in contradiction to this, no? #ElonEd
Yes but the maker philosophy puts the decision making into the hands of the students and not the teacher. It empowers students to lead with their own ideas #eloned#makered
I fall in this camp too. I made dinner tonight. Cooking is making. It's easy for us to miss that some forms of making are done out of necessity instead of leisure or economy. #ElonEd
A2 making to learn and learning to make can intersect in project work tied to curriculum or simply allow kids to pursue curiosities and interests - you’ll find both in our @TimelessLrng book narrative of educators and learners who make #ElonEd
Agreed. It was just that the traditional classroom fostered traditional forms of teaching and learning. Finding new space was helpful for rethinking and remaking. #ElonEd
A3 ignore the space. Making can happen everywhere. We are so often out of the room. The room cannot contain us. We are in the hallway, the library and even outside. Scale of activities do matter. #ElonEd#makered
Q4: The Maker Movement has had a heavy emphasis on forms of making that are very STEM-centric and male-dominated. What strategies could we use to celebrate diverse forms of making, and make every student feel welcome in makerspaces? #ElonEd
A3 try an activity that you do not know how it will end up. The learning roles in the classroom become equal. We are co-learners in the process. #ElonEd#makered
I've been floating an idea for Elon faculty and students to co-enroll in some of @AlamanceCC's personal enrichment classes. It'd level the power structure to make everyone a learner #ElonEd
A3 try an activity that you do not know how it will end up. The learning roles in the classroom become equal. We are co-learners in the process. #ElonEd#makered
A4. Look at who is enrolling/placed in your class and why. Promote your course to underrepresented groups. Get to know makers that don't look like you. #ElonEd
Like this!- making is process of trial and error, problem solving, sharing expertise and resources in a collab community to create, make, build, engineer,design. At its best it is driven by internal motivation 2 make something you want or need or 2 help another. #ElonEd#makered
A4: I will be traveling with my mentor @jennifer_eidum so I'm looking forward to debriefing and hanging with her! We are also meeting up with some awesome Wake Forest folks #NCTEchat#ElonEd
A4: in terms of engaging girls in STEM, I think that if girls can see women who are actively working in a STEM field and serve as role models and inspiration. #eloned
A4 don’t even get me started. #makered is whole brain learning. It is not STEM, STEAM, STREAM, or whatever else you want to come up with. Acronyms cause some students to feel like they don’t belong. If you are free flowing in the creative, all students learn #ElonEd
#eloned A4 painting is maker, speech is maker, video editing is maker, singing is maker, playing music is maker, writing music is maker, drawing comics is maker....
A4: We need to make activities more equal and less gender-specific. We also need to encourage ALL students to participate in STEM-related activities. No student should be included from something based on gender. #ElonEd
#eloned some research says that if you don't get that "wow this is amazing" face in kids by grade 4 or 5, you wont get it... so early access for all kids is important
A5: I think constantly asking students questions about what they're doing & why. There's so many opportunities for student reflection and for formative assessment for teachers to take advantage of #ElonEd
A5: By making reflection a regular part of your classroom. Most people naturally reflect on what they’ve done. As educators, we can explain and emphasise the importance of this to our students & create a space where they feel safe and comfortable enough to do this. #ElonEd
Agreed. I'm very much in support of dramatically broadening the definition of making to include types of making that have historically been done out of necessity rather than leisure. #ElonEd Plenty of makers are left out of STEM-centric definitions.
A5: I think reflection happens in all parts of education. With making, I think it is important for educators to reflect on how the academic space is helping and engaging students. #eloned
A5 have students write tutorials at the end of what they build. @Instructables4u is great for this. I also have students write project logs based on our 3 question model. What did you do? What did you learn? What questions do you have? #ElonEd#makered
A5; Reflection is a skill that needs to be explicitly taught and the time has to be carved out. It can't be an afterthought or addon at the end of a lesson/project. Needs to be throughout the process. #ElonEd
A4: As a final note, I found this article to be enormously helpful: Making Through the Lens of Culture and Power: Toward transformative visions for educational equity
#ElonEd
Pretty critical to engage kids in the process - as @heyasteph taught students and teachers in a portfolio process - focus on why you make decisions in the process to take one path vs another - document your process w media so you can share and get feedback #ElonEd#makered
A5: When I talk to students about skill building, I show them this and tell them it'll take all of these things to develop a skill over time. Reflection is the most important part. #ElonEd
A3: provide a variety of materials, introduce and encourage a wide array of creative spaces and mindsets, even bring in experts from diverse backgrounds and fields to talk with students! #ElonEd
Q6: Let’s end on a fun and different note: What’s something you’ve made lately that you’re proud of? Even if it was dinner 😊 Take a picture and share it with us! #ElonEd
A4: provide a variety of materials, introduce and encourage a wide array of creative spaces and mindsets, even bring in experts from diverse backgrounds and fields to talk with students! #ElonEd
A6: this semester in my #EDU431 I got to make a fire for the first time and I feel really proud that I am able to do it and constantly improve each time I build one. #ElonEd
A6: I made the leaves in my yard go away. My daughter @MaddieVirginia was making holiday cards this evening. My sons made a fire in the #firepit in the backyard. Lots of making going on today! #ElonEd
A5: Ask students to reflect in a maker journal, share their creation with another maker group, or insight critical-thinking through discussion questions #ElonEd
A5 here’s an @edutopia vid abt #acps work to develop a maker culture as a path to learning that engages, creates equity of access to experiential learning, isn’t limited to a specific space or school https://t.co/Hq204vaJBz#ElonEd#makered
A6: Recently, I recreated the Milky Way on the ceiling of my bedroom in my apartment. Unfortunately, I can’t take a pic bc it shows up better in the dark/without light. Trust me, it looks cool (at least my roommate says so!) #ElonEd
Q6: Let’s end on a fun and different note: What’s something you’ve made lately that you’re proud of? Even if it was dinner 😊 Take a picture and share it with us! #ElonEd
