Thinking about all the builds during this course, I have to say each build holds a unique, special place. Heraclitus legendarily said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” By analogy, no man ever approaches the flow of builds in the same manner twice, for each build and the man are not the same. The first build was a point of pride, well because it was the first build, dusting off old ideas and flexing long disused intellectual muscles makes even a simple build a challenge that feels like a great accomplishment as the knowledge and skills come flooding back. Also, to be fair, there is always a bit of nervous energy when attempting something that one has not done for quite a while; this may be from whence the joy comes when one realizes they still can do these things.
Each successive build thereafter increases in challenge, but so does the knowledge and skill of the maker. Knowledge of components, circuits, troubleshooting, coding, and debugging grow; so, execution of builds become more workmanlike. At the same time, researching ideas and experimenting pulls the maker forward and creates awareness of more aspects of making that are yet to be encountered and ultimately mastered. In this way, each build is a triumph as it is an accomplishment relative where one is at the moment and another step on the journey to additional knowledge and skills. Hence each build stands on its own merit.
If I had to pick one build that pushed the envelope to the outer edge of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, I would choose my Weather Station project in Week 5. The use of complex sensors, library functions, LCD, and serial monitor were instructive, but more turn the crank and grind aspects of the project. When I ran into the need to calibrate the input from a photoresistor to be able to report a meaningful light level in lux, then I really had to roll up my sleeves and get creative about how to develop a meaningful calibration with the resources at hand. This aspect elevated the Weather Station project from a basic build to something that challenged my understanding and abilities forcing me to up my game or retreat.
I did learn many new things, but to be honest, I would have to say the things I relearned were more important. I relearned that I like to build and create. I relearned that I need to take time to play. I relearned that doing can be more important than intellectualizing. In short, I learned that life will quickly use the urgent to push out the important. My conclusion is, even as adults, we often tend to be more cerebral than physical. Life must be balanced, making is one form of this balance with head and hands working in concert.
A key new learning that comes out of this line of thought is that, as educators, we have to be watchful for the dangers of auguring into intellectual pursuits with our students to the exclusion of the physical aspects of acquiring knowledge and skills. This idea makes me realize something else that I learned about myself and perhaps why I learned it, the last time I did any unfettered making, I was not an educator. Now, I see making through the eyes of a teacher. Each experience I had while making this time around triggered thoughts about how my students would approach this situation, what would my students be thinking, how would this make my students feel, what knowledge and skills would my students take away from this? Yes, I brushed up on components, circuits, troubleshooting, coding, debugging, and even some mechanics, but what I really learned about me is I really want to translate what I learn into an environment with experiences that help my students become makers and learners.
So, this is the challenge of making for me – how do I become a facilitator, guide, mentor, or whatever you wish to call it for my students. The interesting thing is I came into this course thinking I needed to learn about maker spaces, and I do. As the experiences of this course pulled me forward, I have come to realize the challenge is also to know the conjunction of the space, myself, my students, and making. This is still a journey that I am only beginning, but like Heraclitus’ river and man, I have been changed by this experience and will never see the journey in quite the same way.
This brings me to what is next. Well, if I were to say I need to think about it, then I would be forgetting what I wrote about above –be less cerebral, be more physical, and strike the balance. Therefore, my plan is to act. I am going to jump in with the resources I have and those I can cobble together to make our maker space a reality. My students and I will make. We will build a core of makers. We will seek out donors and fundraise to enhance our maker space. We will invite others inside and outside our school to join us. We will show others the things we make. We will seek out other makers to build our wider community. We will leverage this activity to on-board our administration, but in the meantime, we will make.
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