The Making in Education Community of Practice met at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum on April 27, for our third official on-site Meet-Up (and 5th Meet-Up overall)! Participants learned how to create a Zip-Line Racer, received information about the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum’s Be A Maker space, the Making in Education Community of Practice.
Maker Faire Milwaukee, and the Museum’s outreach and maker initiatives. Additionally, educators from local school districts, informal educational institutions, non-profits, and even our friends Pete and Joost from Learn Deep stopped by to participate and chat about STEAM education.
Bill worked with educators to make Zip-Line Racers. This program connects all parts of STEAM and really gets kids (and adults!) thinking about how to best design something with intentional tools. You can check out the results in the photos below!
We had a great turnout of local educators, administrators, and informal educators! Thank you to all for participating, and we look forward to continuing the conversations at our next Meet-Up:
Thursday, May 25: 5:00pm – 6:00pm – Bay View High School.
Educator, artist, and Program Implementer Steve Vande Zande is hosting this COP Meet-Up (along with we here at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum) to showcase the great work going on at Bay View High School. The inclusive nature of Bay View High School lends itself to being a great hub for many cross-curricular student projects. Join us to check it out, and socialize a bit afterward!
The COP hosted many local educators and interested makers on July 27 to talk about all things STEAM! We had a great conversation prior to getting our hands dirty and helping local maker and friend of the Be A Maker space, Mike Krueger, make some beer, hard cider, lacto-fermented pickles, and sauerkraut! DJ Mind Fluxx (aka Jennifer Zamora) provided some great tunes so we could tap our toes while learning about all things fermentation!
We also talked about the Making in Education Conference at Maker Faire Milwaukee. We are excited to host panels and workshops at this conference, sponsored by Rockwell Automation. Early bird tickets are still available (until September 1) so reserve your spot soon! We would love to see you there!
On June 29, the COP took a field trip to Marquette University to meet with local educators and innovators in the 707 Hub. Housed in the Office of Research and Innovation, Marquette University’s 707 Hub is a beautifully renovated space that originally was home to a bank. The new construction allows for some of the old to shine through.
It was great to learn about all of the work that the 707 Hub does with students, the physical space and resources available, and the engagement of Megan, Kelsey, and Kaivahn were gracious hosts, gave us a great tour, and encouraged networking, conversation, and questions all about innovation, student-led challenges, and STEAM education.
