#YYCLC Day 172: Sketching Kali

Kinders and grade 1 students sketching what the see in Kali into their sketchbook - so many colours, shapes and patterns to see!

#YYCLC Day 171: Exploring Kali

Grade 6 students taking turns exploring Kali before completing a free write on where the perfect home for Kali should be.

#YYCLC Day 170: Welcome Kali!

Welcome "Kali" the kaleidoscope to Keeler School. Kids are exploring this life-sized invention created by a Calgary lawyer.

#YYCLC DAY 119: Celebrating Maker Stations

Chris Akkerman Maker Stations to date

It has a been a blast introducing Maker Stations to the Akkerman LC. We have had so much interest from students and that interest just keeps building. We will continue to introduce new maker stations and also focus on moving some of that work/resources into the classroom as it fits the curriculum. So far the lego has been the biggest hit and it will be amazing to see that move into the classroom.

#YYCLC Day113: Lego is awesome!

 

The students at Chris Akkerman are loving the Lego Maker Station. The next thing will be combine lego with something else. What will be use? Stop Motion? Little Bits? SO many choices!

#YYCLC Day 103: Learning about chairs

Classroom teacher, Mr Wobst, explaining the parts of a chair to his students.

We are involved a with the #wikiseat Project and recently won a scholarship for a class set of steel catalysts to build our own wikiseats. I am working with a Grade 5 class to design and build our own Wikiseat. The focus of the project is to build a chair that solves a problem for someone else. Learn more about our project on our blog - http://akkermanlc.weebly.com/wikiseat-project

#YYCLC Day 102: New Lighting Studio

We just received a new lighting studio that we ordered from London Drugs. Looking forward to doing some stop motion with this!

#YYCLC Day 100: Busy lunchtimes in the LC

At Chris Akkerman, the learning commons is often a busy place at lunchtimes. Today there various things happening - Lego maker stations, teachers planning, students editing an iMovie project on iPads, and doing online activities to name a few.

#YYCLC Day 54: Pulley Maker Station

Grade 4 students trying the Pulley Maker Station out for the first time. Great hands on learning challenge!

#YYCLC Day28: Failing to Succeed

Kindergarten failed forward with big smiles as we attempted to create a maze while practicing those important fine motor skills we will need for writing.

#YYCLC Day 19 - Rainbow Looms

Learning to make different rainbow loom patterns during our Maker Movement Club at Keeler School

Maker Stations are Open!

Today, our first 2 maker stations are open. Now the fun part begins of inviting kids in to interact with it. In my school, this will be the challenge but I believe it will slowly spread. The teachers seem really excited about the maker space.

The idea at this point is that I will open the Maker Stations up to all students. The younger students may need some guidance at first but our grades 3-5 students should be able to work through the stations. I'm thinking I might train some leaders in each class to help the other students. Then they can pass on the leadership to others' in their class too.

I will also make it known that students can come in and experiment at lunchtime.

As for what students will take photos of, we will link it to the curriculum somehow. We will slowly build a collection of artefacts and/or subjects for students to focus on.

 

I'm really excited to see where this will take us. I'm not expecting it to take off over night but will continue to work on getting students to come and explore!

Maker Stations are Coming!

In an effort to create some interest around some of the technology we already have in our building, I am introducing some maker stations to our learning commons. At this stage, our first maker stations are going to be set up around digital photography.

Students will come into the Learning Commons in small groups or independently to work through stations. Printed instructions will help students work through the station and learn something new.

Watch this space!

Maker Stations coming very soon!

Stations being set up