We'd like to announce the recipient of our $500 EdTech grant for the month of October! We have awarded the grant to Shirley Dickey, a librarian at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas! Shirley has one area of her library designated as a Transformation Space that changes every few weeks. For their next project, she will be challenging students to build a 9-12 foot wall keyboard. They'll use the materials she'll receive from us, including Bare Conductive Electric Paint and a Bare Conductive Touch Board Kit.
Shirley’s library has evolved into a hub of invention and innovation but she always tries adding experiences for students. Kids in the school are always working within the makerspace, especially in the Transformation Space, which, as its name implies, changes every few weeks to allow them to try something new. After she receives her Bare Conductive materials, Shirley and her students will paint the keyboard on one of its walls. And, this will immediately add elements of art and interactivity to the room’s appearance.
Not only does Shirley intend to give students opportunities for creating, she wants them embracing other Maker Movement principles, too. She'll have children working together from the start while highlighting the importance of collaboration while students are in their makerspace. She also wants this project to highlight accessibility and sustainability—key Maker Movement elements found in the real world. As they progress, students will also embrace the planning, execution, revamping, and correcting phases of the project, which also tie in to the maker experience.
Shirley had seen Electric Paint in a bunch of MakerEd projects before, but she’s never seen it used in this “vertical” way like what her students will be doing with their keyboards on the wall. This got us thinking and we’re not sure we’ve seen a project like this either! She wants her students to consider how these electrical elements will come into play as well as how to access their creative ingenuity to ensure the project remains functional and sustainable.
The possibilities for this project are very exciting and we can’t wait to see how it turns out! We believe it's a creative way for Shirley to get her high school students working together, innovating, and ready for the next step in their lives—whether it’s a trip to college, the beginning of a real-world career, or something else! We also love the fact that Shirley has embraced the Maker Movement in their library. It helps her to transfer the development of a maker mindset to her students, which is fun and important today.
With this Transformation Space, Shirley has helped to develop the school library into a true innovation hub, where students are constantly collaborating and tinkering. She wants them growing into true makers while experiencing the road from concept to completion—a goal we're certainly behind! To keep up with updates on Shirley's project, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram. If you want to apply for our EdTech grant in November, the application will remain live through Nov. 20. We especially encourage you to apply if you have not yet done so!