3D printers for libraries are on many wish lists, but could you build your own? That was the idea behind a series of weeklong workshops recently held in Pennsylvania. Joe Cilli, who runs the online school’s STEM program, turned the tables and had the students build their own 3D printer. “Each of the 24 participating students purchased entry-level 3-D printer kits for a discounted price of $200, which they assembled and were then able to keep.” The program utilized the Printrbot Play, an all-metal-body 3-D printer. Building their own tools has students using a makerspace to create a makerspace!
“The program exposes students to hands-on STEM opportunities where they meet peers from around the state with an interest in science and engineering,” Joe Cilli
Nominations for the 28th Annual Minnesota Book Awards are open now through December 4, 2015! Visit the nomination page for more information or to nominate your favorite book of 2015! Keep in mind that the book must be written by a Minnesota resident, published in 2015, and fit into one of eight categories: Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature.
Sometimes you just need an idea to get you started. Are you looking for Makerspace ideas? Then look no further than CMLE’s new Makerspace LibGuide! We’ve worked hard over the summer to finalize the lists and format them (not to overwhelm). Divided into 9 different categories, we’ve create lists of ideas that will hopefully get you and your library started! From Food to Programming its time to let the ideas flow!
Did we miss a great Makerspace idea? Tell us about it! On the Libguide, just click on the green plus sign next to the Submit link in the Description box. Then we’ll add it to the list!
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/l92kuy3, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
What happens when educators in a state can be part of a larger conversation about education? From NewsOK.com the benefits seem to only be positive. In an effort to tie together education-related posts, two superintendents started using the #OklaEd hashtag on Twitter. Soon after, during a breakout session at a local EdCamp, the idea of a weekly chat caught on. Now held every Sunday evening, the Twitter chat “has allowed educators to collaborate and share information in real time.” Kimberly Blodgett, a 5th grade Oklahoma teacher, said “it’s great every Sunday evening to watch everyone share their ideas back and forth. It’s inspiring to me. It makes you excited about what you do.” Read the whole article now!
Locally we’ve got Twitter chats of our own! ITEM holds them using the #mnitem hashtag. Their next one is on Tuesday, September 15 at 7pm CST. So login and lurk or jump in and participate!
The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Paul Moe, Instruction Technology Specialist at Sartell Schools.
Thank you very much for funding our trip to Chicago for the Schoology conference. Sam Jarnot and I drove out for the 3 day conference and had a wonderful trip. The conference provided us with an opportunity to connect with teachers, administrators and others from around the country who are using Schoology in many different ways. We are looking forward to passing along several things we learned through attending various sessions such using discussions to promote critical thinking, create better assessments and expanding professional development. During the upcoming school year we also hope to connect a few of our classrooms at Oak Ridge with classes from California to give students an understanding of what students are experiencing in other places and provide them with an opportunity to communicate with technology. Finally, we were allowed to provide input on future updates and enhancements the Schoology developers are currently working on. It is truly impressive how much Schoology listens to its users and makes changes based on that feedback. Minnesota may be the location for next year’s conference and I hope we can send a few additional staff the opportunity to see how others are making Schoology a vital part of their classroom.
Thank you for your support. It was an excellent experience.
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
3D printers for libraries are on many wish lists, but could you build your own? That was the idea behind a series of weeklong workshops recently held in Pennsylvania. Joe Cilli, who runs the online school’s STEM program, turned the tables and had the students build their own 3D printer. “Each of the 24 participating students purchased entry-level 3-D printer kits for a discounted price of $200, which they assembled and were then able to keep.” The program utilized the Printrbot Play, an all-metal-body 3-D printer. Building their own tools has students using a makerspace to create a makerspace!
