Launch and birds and such

Two posts in two days because I'm all fired up.

After a lot of "reflecting," which was really just a form of procrastination, I finally have done something tangible. I made a website! Now, all of you design gurus (my husband, specifically), lower your expectations somewhat. I profess no profiency in this area--merely enthusiasm. But in a comment on a previous blog post, one of my former students asked if I had ever read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I think the reason why is the following passage, in which Lamott explains her title:

The home page of my website. Fancy.

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my  brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy.  Just take it bird by bird.'"

I had to stop being paralyzed by the intimidating big picture and just start tackling one task at a time. Lo and behold, I actually got a lot done. So, thanks, Jackson, I've been muttering "bird by bird" to myself like a crazy person for the past couple of days, but it's been working for me.

Now onto the promised Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring out the Maker in Every Student review. Launch was recommended to me by a friend who works in instructional technology in another school that does a lot of Project-Based Learning. I really appreciated this recommendation because up until I read Launch, I had been focused on a "Maker Space," but really, I  need to be focused on "design thinking." Design thinking is something kids can carry with them throughout life in any situation. Launch has some very practical applications. The questions and sentence stems John Spencer and A.J. Juliani provide for students to ask themselves to generate ideas are great. Similarly, they provide lesson plans and a notebook for students in the back in order to learn about the "Launch Cycle," which is their version of the design process. Spencer and Juliani have really great resources on their website, as well, and John Spencer has a fantastic blog/vlog.

All that being said, I don't know if I am going to use the Launch Cycle specifically in my class because LAUNCH is an acronym that might have too many letters for my purposes: It stands for 

• Look, Listen, and Learn
• Ask Tons of Questions
• Understand the Information
• Navigating Details
• Creating
• Highlighting and Improve the Product

I think there is a lot of overlap between the LAUN that makes separating them out into different steps confusing. But, I am going to think about it some more. My department chair, at my recommendation, ordered copies for the whole English department, so I'll have some people to bounce ideas off of soon.

Hello again...

So it's been a while since I lasted posted. In the time that has passed, I've attended the Midwest Education Technology Community Conference, learned that at least 13 kids have signed up for the class next year (!), moved into a house (generating tons of cardboard for them to work with), and read two books for inspiration and encouragement: The Nerdy Teacher Presents: Your Starter Guide to Maker Spaces by Nicholas Provenzano and LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani.

Although I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend METC, it really reiterated the need for more design-oriented classes at the secondary level. Perhaps I was bad at choosing sessions, but I struggled to find content that was geared toward high school kids.

Because I am struggling to find models for what I am trying to do at the secondary level, I really appreciated Nick Provenzano's background, especially because he, too, got his start as a Language Arts teacher. He writes, "Let's get rid of the idea that Making and Makerspaces are for STEM classesor programs only. That's not the case. We need to add the "A" (for arts) to STEM and create STEAM. There is so much the "A" can bring to Makerspaces it's crazy to suggest that the "A" does not belong." Although, my Maker Space is not for my English classes, I'm glad to see this Making focus originate from a non-science source.

Provenzano also believes what I had previously learned at the Maker Faire Education Forum in New York: That although people sometimes get fixated on the cool gadgets that often come in a well-funded Maker Space (3-D printers, robots, etc.), Making is a state of mind, not stuff. He says, "Making is a way of thinking. A spirit that is larger than any gadget that can be brought into a room. Handing students paper and crayons can lead to amazing creations in a Makerspace."

Of course, he talks about the cool gadgets, too, and makes some good recommendations. I was glad to see things that I already put on my wish list, like Little Bits, Makey Makeys, and Raspberry Pis, as well as some new things to look into.

For a teacher just starting out and dabbling with the idea of a Maker Space, I think Provenzano's book would be helpful and unintimidating.

I'll review LAUNCH in my next post!