STEAM Art Teacher Inservice

This summer I've been participating in an amazing intensive 5 day steam boot camp. Here are some of the fun things we've gotten to try:

Creating Circuits with Makey Makey using play-doh and graphite

3D printing using tinkercad

After about 3 hours on the 3D printer I was able to take home my coded geometric design. This could have some fun printmaking applications.

3D lasercutting with dremel and beamo

Coding with "The Artist" on code.org and block coding with scratch

I've been working on an idea for my contemporary crafts class this fall. They would design a piece of jewelry using the 3D printer or the laser cutter. Here is me failing forward with a cuff bracelet design.

There was an extra "line" that connected all the way across, which cause 1/2" to break off so I fixed the design and also tightened up the curve radius by placing the lines closer together. This was done in google drawing and lasercut on a Dremel Digilab.

The bracelet is placed into steaming hot water and then inside a mold (this time a tin can). Once the shape is stable, it was removed from the can and this binder clip was used to maintain the desired shape until it dried. Because of the living hinge it stays flexible so it can easily slid into place on the wrist.

Next, I designed a book cover. The cut path (spine and shape of book) was drawn in google draw. The pattern was created in procreate and exported as a jpg. This was my first attempt and the last day of class. I would definitely made some edits, but overall I'm loving it. This tiny post it note sized book took 40 minutes on the Dremel Digilab Lasercutter.

We had a fun day inservice provided by CodeJoy on hummingbirds by Bird Brain Technology. Working in groups we illustrated a poem using lights, motors and sensors. Our group chose "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish."

We did some collaborative warm ups prior to any group projects to help understand group dynamics. 

This rubber band cup activity was fun. We finished early so decided to try differentiating it by using two members with 2 hands who worked blind while two of us coached.

We ended the week with some lesson sharing. Can't wait to get some of this tech into my students' hands.