Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Creation Station Tinkering

There has been a steady flow of activity in the our makerspace, now officially named the Creation Station, by first and second graders here at ESH. In order to provide students with additional opportunities to participate in maker-centered experiences, I've been having a couple of students from each classroom come into the maker space together during their lunch/choice time to tinker with all sorts of gadgets and electronics. They have been tinkering with and taking apart tems such as computers, videocameras, iPhones, keyboards, alarm clocks, and VCRs. We've been exploring how the individual parts and pieces make up the whole gadget, their purpose, and asking questions about how they interact with the other parts. Often times, the challenge has just been trying to figure out how to take something apart. Students have been very determined and resourceful in the disassembling of their gadgets using a variety of tools such as screwdrivers, wire cutters, pliers, awls, and a paint scraper.

I watched one student captivated by the variety of sounds he was making, as he curiously plucked away at the coils of wire in a battery enclosure that he had just removed from an alarm clock. Another student was trying to estimate the length of tape in a VHS cassette that had been stuck in a VCR she was taking apart. Others have discovered that the buttons on a keyboard make great projectiles when popped off at just the right angle with a screwdriver, hence the use of goggles. Others want to wear the goggles just because they look cool.

It's been great to see to see our first and second grade students working together, playing together, and helping each other.

 

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