On March 27th, the maker club started its new programmed robotics unit with the Sphero platform. This week, Jennifer led the girls in some orientation activities to show them how to use the robots. At the next club meeting, the girls will be working their way through several stations, completing different activities with the Spheros (e.g., navigating a maze, bowling, search and rescue in water). Since the club only has eight spheros, the girls were divided into two groups this week. Half of the club worked with Sphero, and the other half started working with felted objects. The two groups will flip and work with the alternate platform in a few weeks. For the group working with felted objects, the club mentors explained how wool fibers pull together when heated, pressed, or manipulated, using the analogy of a shrinking wool sweater. The girls will be manipulating wool with felting needles, pulling their fibers tighter and tighter as they form shapes. Most of the girls are following guides posted on this Web site with step-by-step instructions for felting a wool animal. Next week, there will be no club meeting because the club will be taking a field trip to Washington, DC, for the USA Science and Engineering Festival. Almost the entire club will be traveling to the festival--more than 20 girls.
3/13/2018. After a three-hour snow delay this morning, the maker club did manage to fit in our weekly meeting where students continued working with the TinkerCad software program to design 3D models for 3D printing. Several students worked with the LulzBot 3D printers in the library, and others saved their designs to our shared folder for printing at a later date. The club will be off next week for spring break, and then back in a couple of weeks to start another programmable robotics unit with Sphero.
3/6/2018. This week in iNEST, the girls set up new accounts on TinkerCad and started working with a set of "basics" tutorials that show them how to complete basics steps in the program such as punching holes in objects, layering objects, and combining objects. The outcome of work in TinkerCad are 3D models that get pushed to the club's two LulzBot 3D printers. This week seven students submitted files to the club's shared drive to place in the cue for 3D printing. Two other students printed 3D models this week. Several parents came in this afternoon to hear about the club's upcoming overnight field trip to the USA Science and Engineering Expo in Washington, DC. After Mary Clay and Deborah went over trip logistics, the parents joined their child in the club meeting room to see what they were working on in TinkerCad. We will continue with the 3D printing unit for a few more weeks, and then will transition to another programmable robotic platform--the Spheros.
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Purpose:Dr. Oliver's weekly update of activities in the iNEST Maker Club. Archives
April 2019
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