In other news, I've managed to survive the first week back to school. Shaping up to be a decent, albeit extremely busy, year. Hoping I manage to survive it!
Motorcycles, metal working, sheet metal, welding, TIG, MIG, education, cafe racers, old trucks, mendelmax 2.0 3D printer, vintage, technology and design, custom hand made Hot Wheels, old John Deere, stationary, hit and miss engines. A little bit of everything in the garage.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Sunday, September 07, 2014
I've hit the BIG TIME!
I entered my Worlds Smallest Flying Merkel in the Eastern Idaho State Fair, and hit the jackpot! Took "Second Premium", whatever that means... Apparently, it comes with a monetary reward, although I don't know what I'll do with all this money!
In other news, I've managed to survive the first week back to school. Shaping up to be a decent, albeit extremely busy, year. Hoping I manage to survive it!
In other news, I've managed to survive the first week back to school. Shaping up to be a decent, albeit extremely busy, year. Hoping I manage to survive it!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Why teach?
I was recently asked why I was a teacher. Here is my response:
I kind of fell into teaching- The classes I was taking in college were not leading the direction I wanted them to go. A lot of the classes I took were in a building shared with part of the education department, and I noticed THEY got to do all the things I was hoping I would get to do. I had visited with my adviser once about it, then gone back in a second time with some follow up questions. She was working on something while we talked, and at the end of our conversation she said something along the lines of "You're all set!"- she had already transferred me and changed my major.
That was the moment I became a teacher. While it may sound like the decision was made for me, I already knew that was what I wanted to do and here's why. All too often I see and hear people say things like "you will never be happy with your job, just pick something you can stomach that pays good money and do it". From what I had seen and later experienced this did not seem to be the case with this bunch of educators. They (we) truly loved what we were doing. Suddenly homework was FUN. Class was FUN. I was learning all kinds of things and really enjoying it. Then came student teaching, and while I may not have left from that every day from school with a smile, I was always excited the next morning to be back at it.
So there's the why: because I truly love what I get to do for "work" every day. Why do I love what I get to do for work every day? Easy- its awesome to see students working at developing a new skill- to see the failures and the successes, and to be a part of something that will hopefully be useful for the rest of their lives.
ON THE OTHER HAND... I did NOT become a teacher to listen to the lady in front of me at the checkout whine about having to buy pencils and papers for her students. "Isn't the TEACHER supposed to supply this stuff?!" REALLY!? Must've touched a nerve because I had to say something. I'm pretty reserved and as my wife says avoid confrontation at all costs, but I couldn't let it slide. I very politely struck up a conversation with her, during the course of which I was able to let her know how much money has come out of my own personal pocket (and much, much more out of my wifes pockets) on things that I'll never be able to get refunded for.
Thats part of teaching, it seems. Sad that it has to be that way, but it is. The tax deduction doesn't even begin to cover the out of pocket expenses I think most teachers incur the first couple of years of teaching. I get the feeling that the "pendelum" is starting to swing back, that there is hope on the horizon. Things are going to get better. Its going to take a few years, but if I've made it this far through the worst of it, I can make it a few more, right?
Here's to a new year, starting on Tuesday. Hoping it will be a great year, excited for new things, sad for losses from last year, but ready to get busy and do my thing!
I kind of fell into teaching- The classes I was taking in college were not leading the direction I wanted them to go. A lot of the classes I took were in a building shared with part of the education department, and I noticed THEY got to do all the things I was hoping I would get to do. I had visited with my adviser once about it, then gone back in a second time with some follow up questions. She was working on something while we talked, and at the end of our conversation she said something along the lines of "You're all set!"- she had already transferred me and changed my major.
That was the moment I became a teacher. While it may sound like the decision was made for me, I already knew that was what I wanted to do and here's why. All too often I see and hear people say things like "you will never be happy with your job, just pick something you can stomach that pays good money and do it". From what I had seen and later experienced this did not seem to be the case with this bunch of educators. They (we) truly loved what we were doing. Suddenly homework was FUN. Class was FUN. I was learning all kinds of things and really enjoying it. Then came student teaching, and while I may not have left from that every day from school with a smile, I was always excited the next morning to be back at it.
So there's the why: because I truly love what I get to do for "work" every day. Why do I love what I get to do for work every day? Easy- its awesome to see students working at developing a new skill- to see the failures and the successes, and to be a part of something that will hopefully be useful for the rest of their lives.
ON THE OTHER HAND... I did NOT become a teacher to listen to the lady in front of me at the checkout whine about having to buy pencils and papers for her students. "Isn't the TEACHER supposed to supply this stuff?!" REALLY!? Must've touched a nerve because I had to say something. I'm pretty reserved and as my wife says avoid confrontation at all costs, but I couldn't let it slide. I very politely struck up a conversation with her, during the course of which I was able to let her know how much money has come out of my own personal pocket (and much, much more out of my wifes pockets) on things that I'll never be able to get refunded for.
Thats part of teaching, it seems. Sad that it has to be that way, but it is. The tax deduction doesn't even begin to cover the out of pocket expenses I think most teachers incur the first couple of years of teaching. I get the feeling that the "pendelum" is starting to swing back, that there is hope on the horizon. Things are going to get better. Its going to take a few years, but if I've made it this far through the worst of it, I can make it a few more, right?
Here's to a new year, starting on Tuesday. Hoping it will be a great year, excited for new things, sad for losses from last year, but ready to get busy and do my thing!
Tuesday, April 01, 2014
That time of year.
Yup- Mother Nature messes with our heads and the rumor mill starts churning 'em out. Seems like every year about this time whispers of "change" start trickling out from somewhere. REALLY hoping the changes made work out for the best. We learned today that almost every single administrator in our district has been moved around. I honestly have nothing to say on the matter- I don't see the big picture and don't have any idea what the plans are for the future.
Really going to miss some of the ones that are leaving. In addition to the administrative musical chairs, we are loosing a few good teachers to a well deserved retirement, which is good. Just sad to see them go, especially the ones who weren't invited back.
On a more interesting note- the district also announced that they are planning on creating a "Vocational High School" in the next year or two. Whatever that means. I'm definitely interested in seeing where that goes and being a part of it, albeit from my position in the middle school as a feeder program. Have I mentioned that I *love* my job?
Also had a chance to talk to our superintendant about the possibility of an option to getting a masters degree. Had an idea, or maybe someone gave it to me in my search (man, my memory is getting as bad as my Dads!) that maybe I could take classes at a technical college or the like and get certified as a journeyman in some specific trade. He (the super) seemed intrigued by the idea of petitioning somehow to get the journeyman's certificate to count AS a Masters degree! I would still love to take additional education related classes- can always learn how to be a better teacher- but I think the experience and skills I would learn would be a WAY bigger benefit to my students than a degree in Educational Technology. We'll see how that pans out.
Now, if we could just GET RID OF THE STINKIN SNOW... Finally managed to get the new tires on the ST- just in time to have it sit in the garage and wait. Had beautiful weather 2 weeks ago, spring break last week was decent enough that I got all the trees pruned, the tiller on the tractor, and the garden spot rotovated. Then Sunday we wake up to 5" of the white gunk.
Really going to miss some of the ones that are leaving. In addition to the administrative musical chairs, we are loosing a few good teachers to a well deserved retirement, which is good. Just sad to see them go, especially the ones who weren't invited back.
On a more interesting note- the district also announced that they are planning on creating a "Vocational High School" in the next year or two. Whatever that means. I'm definitely interested in seeing where that goes and being a part of it, albeit from my position in the middle school as a feeder program. Have I mentioned that I *love* my job?
Also had a chance to talk to our superintendant about the possibility of an option to getting a masters degree. Had an idea, or maybe someone gave it to me in my search (man, my memory is getting as bad as my Dads!) that maybe I could take classes at a technical college or the like and get certified as a journeyman in some specific trade. He (the super) seemed intrigued by the idea of petitioning somehow to get the journeyman's certificate to count AS a Masters degree! I would still love to take additional education related classes- can always learn how to be a better teacher- but I think the experience and skills I would learn would be a WAY bigger benefit to my students than a degree in Educational Technology. We'll see how that pans out.
Now, if we could just GET RID OF THE STINKIN SNOW... Finally managed to get the new tires on the ST- just in time to have it sit in the garage and wait. Had beautiful weather 2 weeks ago, spring break last week was decent enough that I got all the trees pruned, the tiller on the tractor, and the garden spot rotovated. Then Sunday we wake up to 5" of the white gunk.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Big bucks for our Library
So last year our school librarian and a few other teachers organized a
big shindig to compete for a LARGE chunk of money. Check it out here:
http://follettchallenge.com/video.cf...0#.UxzdVpm9LCQ
and be sure to VOTE!!! You can vote once a day PER email address...
The Follet Challenge awards $200,000 to participating schools. I think the grand prize is something like $60,000- I can't tell you what we could do in our library with that money- considering I think she gets a lot less than a grand a year.
http://follettchallenge.com/video.cf...0#.UxzdVpm9LCQ
and be sure to VOTE!!! You can vote once a day PER email address...
The Follet Challenge awards $200,000 to participating schools. I think the grand prize is something like $60,000- I can't tell you what we could do in our library with that money- considering I think she gets a lot less than a grand a year.
The project involved every single student in the building. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher and students were studying the book Treasure Island. They involved the entire school in research about various islands, the foods classes cooked a "pirate" themed meal complete with hard tack, the woods classes build treasure chests, my classes built Rain Gutter Regatta's , and everyone had a grand old time. Check out the video, and help us out by VOTING! Every day, every email you've got!
Saturday, March 01, 2014
Speedy Delivery!
Wow, that was FAST. My Donor's Choose project was funded just a few days ago, and the vices showed up yesterday. So glad I can get the old ones out of the way. We have still been using them as anvils, and I've been worried that the one would just fall off the table. Could do some damage to a foot if that were to happen. Don't have to worry about that anymore!
They're a little smaller than the old ones because I basically just picked the cheapest ones I could find. If I'd known that I would have so much support, I would have tried to get some fancier ones. These'll do great though, glad we got 'em!
They're a little smaller than the old ones because I basically just picked the cheapest ones I could find. If I'd known that I would have so much support, I would have tried to get some fancier ones. These'll do great though, glad we got 'em!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Reading List.
So I've been adding to my metal working library over the last couple of months. Here's the latest editions.
The Backyard Blacksmith has a great wealth of information for a total idiot like myself. I recently inherited a sorta rough hand crank blower / forge, and have been wanting to try blacksmithing for quite some time. This summer I'm hoping to get a few new legs on the forge, figure out the blower, and try pounding some metal. Still looking for a post vice and a big anvil though.
Metalworking, Doing it Better seems like it'll be a GREAT book. Only made it through the first couple of pages but wow, lots of cool stuff. Can't wait to get into that one!
The practical fab book is kinda lame... More of a reference but not a lot of "metal working" in it. Looks like some guy was building a race car, decided to take pics along the way, and sorta slapped some information in there. I probably didn't give it a real fair shake, and it does have some good info so it'll stay. Honestly, having any book with real information in it is like having a good tool- if you use it once, it's paid for itself.
Really liked the Sheet Metal Fab book too. Lots of cool projects and info on how to get started with different process.
The Home Machinist looks more geared to much smaller hobby type stuff, but haven't really looked through that one yet.
Machiners Handbook makes me feel like an idiot. Wonder if our math teacher could make any sense of it- almost looks like its written in a different language, but again TONS of great info that I will surely refer to in the shop.
Now if I just had not only the time to READ them, but to DO all the fun stuff in them!
The Backyard Blacksmith has a great wealth of information for a total idiot like myself. I recently inherited a sorta rough hand crank blower / forge, and have been wanting to try blacksmithing for quite some time. This summer I'm hoping to get a few new legs on the forge, figure out the blower, and try pounding some metal. Still looking for a post vice and a big anvil though.
Metalworking, Doing it Better seems like it'll be a GREAT book. Only made it through the first couple of pages but wow, lots of cool stuff. Can't wait to get into that one!
The practical fab book is kinda lame... More of a reference but not a lot of "metal working" in it. Looks like some guy was building a race car, decided to take pics along the way, and sorta slapped some information in there. I probably didn't give it a real fair shake, and it does have some good info so it'll stay. Honestly, having any book with real information in it is like having a good tool- if you use it once, it's paid for itself.
Really liked the Sheet Metal Fab book too. Lots of cool projects and info on how to get started with different process.
The Home Machinist looks more geared to much smaller hobby type stuff, but haven't really looked through that one yet.
Machiners Handbook makes me feel like an idiot. Wonder if our math teacher could make any sense of it- almost looks like its written in a different language, but again TONS of great info that I will surely refer to in the shop.
Now if I just had not only the time to READ them, but to DO all the fun stuff in them!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
FUNDED!
My first Donor's Choose project has been FUNDED! Donors have bought me 2 new vices to replace the 2 that literally fell to pieces at the beginning of the year. They put up a great fight, and like Atlas have held the weight of the world (okay, the weight of several million hammer strikes) for probably the last 40 years. Time for some new ones.
And just for fun, a picture. Apparently, John Deere Green is a pretty bad drug...
1967 John Deere 110 "RF" (round fender). Came with a snowblower. Been sitting in a garage for the last 28 years.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Donors Choose.
So a week ago I posted this tool box one of my students made in a forum I frequent. If you ever have a few hours to kill, you should check out the "Show us something you made" thread here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=523072 Be prepared to see some cool stuff and spend some time- there are 256 pages worth of great stuff there.
This was made by one of my 8th grade students in my Metals & Engines 2 class. Turned out pretty darn good. At the beginning of the tri, I asked them what they wanted to make / do. Most of them wanted to do a sheet metal project and the majority of them settled on a tool box. We designed it on the fly as we went- they have had a little exposure to this in my Metals 1 class.
The main reason the box is this size / shape is due to my bench tools. Our max bend or cut is 24". Wish I could get a 36" shear and brake.
He made some modifications to the tray, and if you look close you might see a few of his mistakes but it all worked out pretty well in the end. Hoping to get about 10 more finished in the next couple of days.
Anyways, someone on the forum asked why we used rivets instead of spot welds. I've got a decent spot welder, but the timer is toast. It costs over $400 to replace, so we've been using it without. That means lots of burnt holes and not pretty welds. A few guys offered to put up some money, which led to Donors Choose. Teachers can post projects they need money for, and donors can choose where they want the money to go.
Got a Donors Choose account set up. Unfortunately I have to get a few complete projects using their "vendors" first before I can set up a project to buy a spot weld timer so if anyone want's to help me fix THIS:
Then go to my donor page here: http://www.donorschoose.org/dorkpunch
and donate!
This was made by one of my 8th grade students in my Metals & Engines 2 class. Turned out pretty darn good. At the beginning of the tri, I asked them what they wanted to make / do. Most of them wanted to do a sheet metal project and the majority of them settled on a tool box. We designed it on the fly as we went- they have had a little exposure to this in my Metals 1 class.
The main reason the box is this size / shape is due to my bench tools. Our max bend or cut is 24". Wish I could get a 36" shear and brake.
He made some modifications to the tray, and if you look close you might see a few of his mistakes but it all worked out pretty well in the end. Hoping to get about 10 more finished in the next couple of days.
Anyways, someone on the forum asked why we used rivets instead of spot welds. I've got a decent spot welder, but the timer is toast. It costs over $400 to replace, so we've been using it without. That means lots of burnt holes and not pretty welds. A few guys offered to put up some money, which led to Donors Choose. Teachers can post projects they need money for, and donors can choose where they want the money to go.
Got a Donors Choose account set up. Unfortunately I have to get a few complete projects using their "vendors" first before I can set up a project to buy a spot weld timer so if anyone want's to help me fix THIS:
Then go to my donor page here: http://www.donorschoose.org/dorkpunch
and donate!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Where do I go from here?
So I wrote this a while ago not really to anyone specific. More of a chance to get all my questions and ideas about a masters degree that might suit me down in one place. While writing it kind of morphed into a letter to Mike Rowe- I've been kinda hooked on his profoundly disconnected website. Absolutely *love* the S.W.E.A.T pledge- but more on that some other time.
I truly am open to suggestions as to what I could do for a masters degree. Our band teacher is working on a masters and I love the way it works- He spends 3 weeks at a university in the summer. They do a bunch of stuff there, and then he has all kinds of assignments to do during the school year with his class. Ideally that is what I'd like to find- a school I could go to for a couple of weeks in the summer to get the hands on experience, and then do the "online" portion during the school year using my students as "lab rats". :)
I'm still looking...
I sent the letter to the address provided on the website. Didn't really
expect a response, and didn't get one so here it is for all y'all's
reading enjoyment.
Dear Mike (or whoevers reading his mail today)...
I'm looking for a little advice.
I've been teaching
at a middle school for almost 5 years. Its a hoot. I *love* my job. I
get to spend all day with a buncha kids and basically goof off in a
fairly well equipped shop- we do sheet metal, welding, small engine
repair, bicycle repair, leather working, and a whole slew of tech and
design related things- 3D printing and CAD, robotics, flight, catapults,
and gobs of other things.
Here's my problem. I've
managed to teach myself a ton of new things over the last 5 years. I've
also realized there are several more tons of things I want to know more
about. I'd like to get a Masters degree for a couple of reasons- one,
to make me a better teacher, two, to help me understand my students
better, three, to learn new skills (metalworking, blacksmithing, and
more tech type jobs are high on the list), and four, to increase my
salary.
I've done a cursory search and talked with a
few of my old professors and some other friends I've found along the
way. I haven't really found anything yet that fits me. See, there are a
few more problems. First and foremost, most non-education masters
degrees are going to require me to quit my job (and possibly leave my
family for a while) and devote all my time to the program. For me,
that's not an option. Quitting my current job to get a better
education, then hoping to find a similar job where I get to play in the
shop and get all greasy, and then the same day go over to the computer
lab and run projects off on the 3D printer? Jobs like this don't come
along very often.
Wait, you might say. Non-education
masters? Why not get a masters in an education related field? Well,
that is an option. It would even get me 2 or 3 of my 4 reasons
fulfilled, but I really, REALLY want to learn more about the science
behind the vocational type stuff AND get some actual shop time to build a
little skill in those areas.
Sure, I could (and
would love to) take some night classes at a local community college.
Heck, I'd even be able to get credits that way that may or, depending on
who's doing the review, may NOT count as credits to help increase my
salary. Problem is, the difference between the top of the payscale with
a masters and the top with a bachelors is fairly substantial,
especially if you get your masters degree early on in your career.
Is
it only about the money? Well, I have to pay for a masters degree
somehow... and lets be honest. My family income now is just barely
above what I used to make in the private sector- by myself. My wife is
also currently teaching, and between the two of us we bring home just
barely more than I could make myself. 'Course, everyone will
automatically wonder why I'm a teacher instead of being out in the real
world, making real money. We'll save that can of worms for a different
day.
Wow. I'm really all over the map here. Maybe you
can sense some of my confusion. I would love to make myself a better
teacher through continuing education, and plan to. Is a masters degree
the solution? If so, do I settle for a standard education related
masters degree and hope I can pick up the vocational skills on the
side? Is there another way that I'm missing that can help me help my
students succeed without costing me my sanity and my family their needs?
Anyways,
there's a peek into the scrambled thoughts of a crazy middle school
shop teacher. I would love to hear any ideas, even if its just pointing
me in the general direction. I'm pretty good at picking up some pieces
and building something useful out of it.
Thanks,
aka Mr. T.
And an obligatory picture because too many words is boring...
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Think first...
I *love* this picture. I remember finding it when I was maybe 15 in a book about airplanes. The man had invented a helmet to help protect pilots in the event of a crash. What better way to prove how it well it works than to run full tilt into the side of a BUILDING!? LOVE the looks on the spectators face.
Some of my students finally found it again for me a year ago while working on their flight history research.
Made me stop and think. Sometimes, you might have to do something stupid to prove your point. Part of the design process, as I'm always telling my students, is EVALUATE. You can't know if something works unless you test it. Hopefully you can find a little safer way to do it though.
In other news, we are already halfway through the 2nd trimester. Sheesh, time flies. I dropped off Dan's Chariot at the powder coaters last week and they already have it ready! Need to figure out how to go pick it up, our hours don't make for easy access.
Lots of new projects to bring in the new year. Got "Dad's Fiero" to get on the road, planning a motorcycle sidecar build, hoping to finish a couple of my truck projects, do some (little more) serious gardening with the John Deere, and with some luck installing a CNC plasma cutter in the school shop. Still hoping to figure out a way to do a Masters degree. Thoughts have been percolating on that a fair bit lately- more to follow I'm sure.
Have a great 2014, y'all!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Mendelmax 2.0: Tech and Design's latest 3D printed cars.
Finished last trimester's Tech and Design car prints. Little over 50 of
them, and there are 10 or 15 more that had some manifold issues so they
wouldnt print properly. If the students come back in and fix them,
we'll get them a print as well.
Works in progress. Gluing wheels.
3 classes worth.
1st hour's.
2nd hour's.
and 5th hour's.
Here's a few of the more interesting designs. This one was named the "Hippy Bus" by its owner.
Love the lightning pattern on the side of the one, and the truck on the far right I didn't think was going to print because he hollowed it out. Actually turned out pretty decent! May start letting them do that a bit more!
The convertible is pretty cool, the interior adds a lot of detail to the car.
In another month or so I should have some Tech 2 projects done- they usually are a little bigger and more detailed. Harder to get them to work the way the students envision, but thats part of the purpose of the printer- to let them create something and see if it actually WORKS!
Still impressed every time I see the designs these kids come up with. Most of them are only 12 years old, and these were the simplified versions of their designs. The full size models had waaayyyy more details. Some days (okay, most days), I really love my job.
On a related note, there was a great writeup in a neighboring cities paper about a rural library near me that recently also got a 3D printer. Great to see these popping up close to me. REALLY wish I could get some locals around here interested in doing some sort of a community class / makerspace... I'll keep trying. Hoping to offer another class starting February, so if anyones interested, let me know!
Works in progress. Gluing wheels.
3 classes worth.
1st hour's.
2nd hour's.
and 5th hour's.
Here's a few of the more interesting designs. This one was named the "Hippy Bus" by its owner.
Love the lightning pattern on the side of the one, and the truck on the far right I didn't think was going to print because he hollowed it out. Actually turned out pretty decent! May start letting them do that a bit more!
The convertible is pretty cool, the interior adds a lot of detail to the car.
In another month or so I should have some Tech 2 projects done- they usually are a little bigger and more detailed. Harder to get them to work the way the students envision, but thats part of the purpose of the printer- to let them create something and see if it actually WORKS!
Still impressed every time I see the designs these kids come up with. Most of them are only 12 years old, and these were the simplified versions of their designs. The full size models had waaayyyy more details. Some days (okay, most days), I really love my job.
On a related note, there was a great writeup in a neighboring cities paper about a rural library near me that recently also got a 3D printer. Great to see these popping up close to me. REALLY wish I could get some locals around here interested in doing some sort of a community class / makerspace... I'll keep trying. Hoping to offer another class starting February, so if anyones interested, let me know!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Mendelmax 2.0: Misprints and Experiments.
Ramping up the printer for this and next tri's student projects. Been messing around some more, tried a few things out with ABS and
decided to experiment with PLA a bit. This means I've got LOTS of
misprints from my experiments! Here's a few.
Students just finished their cars, which means printing about 300 wheels, at 80 a batch. Its SPOSED to look like this:
'sept when you experiment with hairspray instead of the ABS goop and the prints don't stick, and you leave for 2 hrs to a class in a different room. Then it looks like this.
Next up was a larger print with ABS and the hairspray stick 'em. Looks not half bad...
Until you look a little closer.
The bottom warped really bad because I forgot the fan was on... Joy's of using ABS. Then I tried pulling it off while it was still warm and the bottom stuck so hard to the glass (hairspray) that it "bubbled" when I pulled it off.
Pretty sure I have the hairspray figured out and it seems to work great. Finally, the kids believe me when I say it's for the printer and NOT my hair!!!
This one is just icky. Switched back to PLA and was experimenting with temps, speeds, etc. Finally discovered a partially plugged hot end and solved this little problem.
This is new for me: tried printing a hollow "shell". Came out okay, and with a few tweaks I'll be doing this for all of the students cars with a twist.
Here's what the inside looks like:
And some students cars printing. Notice the .05 infill density honeycomb pattern.
2 cars down, 73 more to go.
Classes finish up tomorrow (we spend every class all day long giving the shop a deep clean) and the new tri starts Monday. Will be starting right of the bat with Tech 2 on the printer, so in a few more weeks I should have some more cool projects to post. I'm impressed with what these kids come up with, as you'll see when I get all of these cars done!
Students just finished their cars, which means printing about 300 wheels, at 80 a batch. Its SPOSED to look like this:
'sept when you experiment with hairspray instead of the ABS goop and the prints don't stick, and you leave for 2 hrs to a class in a different room. Then it looks like this.
Next up was a larger print with ABS and the hairspray stick 'em. Looks not half bad...
Until you look a little closer.
The bottom warped really bad because I forgot the fan was on... Joy's of using ABS. Then I tried pulling it off while it was still warm and the bottom stuck so hard to the glass (hairspray) that it "bubbled" when I pulled it off.
Pretty sure I have the hairspray figured out and it seems to work great. Finally, the kids believe me when I say it's for the printer and NOT my hair!!!
This one is just icky. Switched back to PLA and was experimenting with temps, speeds, etc. Finally discovered a partially plugged hot end and solved this little problem.
This is new for me: tried printing a hollow "shell". Came out okay, and with a few tweaks I'll be doing this for all of the students cars with a twist.
Here's what the inside looks like:
And some students cars printing. Notice the .05 infill density honeycomb pattern.
2 cars down, 73 more to go.
Classes finish up tomorrow (we spend every class all day long giving the shop a deep clean) and the new tri starts Monday. Will be starting right of the bat with Tech 2 on the printer, so in a few more weeks I should have some more cool projects to post. I'm impressed with what these kids come up with, as you'll see when I get all of these cars done!
Friday, November 15, 2013
How to survive a day in a middle school metal shop...
How to survive a day in a middle school metal shop:
Plug yer ears and put your angry eyes on.
Seriously though, Mr. Grumpypants the teacher isn't good for anyone. Glad I work with people that understand that! Wore these glasses in one class, and one of my students looked at me for about a minute with a goofy look on his face, and finally said, "Mr. T, I just can't take you serious with that look on your face."
Been a rough week, but lots of fun. The trimester ends next week, so of course everything associated with that - grades, finals, new rosters, new units, new classes to teach, end of tri activities, etc.- is driving teachers and students buggy. Throw into the mix 3 days worth of subs for my classes while I attended a PLC conference in SLC. Ironic, eh?
The conference was GREAT. I (we) learned so much stuff our heads hurt, but we came away with a ton of great ideas, and wishing that everyone in our school could have been there to see the big picture of what could be possible. For those of you who don't know- PLC is an education acronym for "Professional Learning Communities" (sorry Dad, it doesn't mean programmable logic controller...). Rick Dufour has written several books on the subject, as has his wife Becky and the rest of the folks who presented at this conference.
Pretty hard to condense 3 days worth of excellent presentations, but I think if you could simplify it all down to a main idea it would be something along the lines of: Working together with other teachers as a TEAM is better for all involved- teachers and students, and you will get more done with less work and get better results.
If only it were that simple! Too often (and I'm super guilty of this) I think teachers prefer to do their own thing in their own room- or teach in isolation as the Dufours put it. They have this whole idea of "Loose and Tight", where there are strict and rigid guidelines put in place, but the teacher is left to determine the HOW. This mean the teacher can still practice their "art" while STILL working as a team towards a common goal.
I came away with a much better understanding of a lot of basic principles of education- both on the WHY and the HOW. Formative assessments, summative assessments, guaranteed curriculum, essential elements, when you see why it needs to be done and the knowledge / data that can come out of it, you see why it's so important.
The best part of all of this?! It's LESS work for the teacher, and the students get MORE one on one time if it's needed. The downside, of course, is that it only works if everyone is willing to do it.
I could go on but I've had all of this stuff bouncing around in my head for the last 4 days and I'd really like to change gears to something a little more... mechanical? Time to unplug and enjoy the weekend, but here's a start for y'all:
This was on top of a post near the convention center. It had maybe a 4 foot wingspan, the props spun in the wind, and it acted like a wind vane. Would LOVE to build something like this, and I don't think it would be too super hard. I'll add it to my list of stuff to do, right after surviving a school year, finishing Dan's chariot, building a sidecar for one of my bikes, figuring out what to do with the old Dodge's, and on, and on, and ....
You can find more info on the Dufours and PLC's at allthingsplc.info or http://www.solution-tree.com/
Plug yer ears and put your angry eyes on.
Seriously though, Mr. Grumpypants the teacher isn't good for anyone. Glad I work with people that understand that! Wore these glasses in one class, and one of my students looked at me for about a minute with a goofy look on his face, and finally said, "Mr. T, I just can't take you serious with that look on your face."
Been a rough week, but lots of fun. The trimester ends next week, so of course everything associated with that - grades, finals, new rosters, new units, new classes to teach, end of tri activities, etc.- is driving teachers and students buggy. Throw into the mix 3 days worth of subs for my classes while I attended a PLC conference in SLC. Ironic, eh?
The conference was GREAT. I (we) learned so much stuff our heads hurt, but we came away with a ton of great ideas, and wishing that everyone in our school could have been there to see the big picture of what could be possible. For those of you who don't know- PLC is an education acronym for "Professional Learning Communities" (sorry Dad, it doesn't mean programmable logic controller...). Rick Dufour has written several books on the subject, as has his wife Becky and the rest of the folks who presented at this conference.
Pretty hard to condense 3 days worth of excellent presentations, but I think if you could simplify it all down to a main idea it would be something along the lines of: Working together with other teachers as a TEAM is better for all involved- teachers and students, and you will get more done with less work and get better results.
If only it were that simple! Too often (and I'm super guilty of this) I think teachers prefer to do their own thing in their own room- or teach in isolation as the Dufours put it. They have this whole idea of "Loose and Tight", where there are strict and rigid guidelines put in place, but the teacher is left to determine the HOW. This mean the teacher can still practice their "art" while STILL working as a team towards a common goal.
I came away with a much better understanding of a lot of basic principles of education- both on the WHY and the HOW. Formative assessments, summative assessments, guaranteed curriculum, essential elements, when you see why it needs to be done and the knowledge / data that can come out of it, you see why it's so important.
The best part of all of this?! It's LESS work for the teacher, and the students get MORE one on one time if it's needed. The downside, of course, is that it only works if everyone is willing to do it.
I could go on but I've had all of this stuff bouncing around in my head for the last 4 days and I'd really like to change gears to something a little more... mechanical? Time to unplug and enjoy the weekend, but here's a start for y'all:
This was on top of a post near the convention center. It had maybe a 4 foot wingspan, the props spun in the wind, and it acted like a wind vane. Would LOVE to build something like this, and I don't think it would be too super hard. I'll add it to my list of stuff to do, right after surviving a school year, finishing Dan's chariot, building a sidecar for one of my bikes, figuring out what to do with the old Dodge's, and on, and on, and ....
You can find more info on the Dufours and PLC's at allthingsplc.info or http://www.solution-tree.com/
Monday, October 14, 2013
Newton's Laws.
We finished up our water rocket unit last week and it ended with a bang! Built about 70 rockets. The test launch a couple of weeks ago had a lot of failures- but thats why it was a test launch. We had several rockets over 200 feet, and one even broke 300 feet!
Forgot to bring my camera for the first class, and had one embed itself about 4 inches into the ground. Lotsa fun watching the students scatter!
These are all from the other 2 classes. Took dozens of pics, most of them were only of a stream of water because I couldn't time it right.
Hard to see, this one has a funnel for a nose cone. It flew pretty well, but he had a little too much weight so it didn't go very high. On the bright side- when it came down the funnel stuck into the ground and the bottle broke off and bounced away.
This one collapsed the launcher... Are you sensing the duct tape theme!?
(students commence scattering...) Not really. Didn't have any close calls this time, although in the past I thought I was going to have to buy the resource officer a new windshield for his cop car.
And my all time favorite:
Love this picture! Sooo many things going on here. I'll be using this one a lot in the future- all 3 of Newtons's laws are going on there.
Here's what happened. The rocket's nose cone was made out of flimsy butcher style paper. We normally layer them so they are pretty strong- but this student layered it and the stretched it out. It was really floppy. Then he added a cup or two of gravel inside the very tip of the cone to move the Center of Gravity up. When the rocket went off, the nose cone collapsed and the bottle went PAST the tip and cracked itself like a whip!
If you look close, you can see the tip of the nose cone STILL GOING in the right direction!!! (part of Newtons first law- objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line)
You will also notice the gravel spraying out of the nose cone, and just for fun, try following the path of the water.
Anyways, got the rockets launched in the nick of time- its starting to get cold out. Already started on the Lego Robotics and the rest of our activities we can do in the relative warmth (not really possible at our school because we're "trying to save money") of my classroom.
Onward and upward!
Forgot to bring my camera for the first class, and had one embed itself about 4 inches into the ground. Lotsa fun watching the students scatter!
These are all from the other 2 classes. Took dozens of pics, most of them were only of a stream of water because I couldn't time it right.
Hard to see, this one has a funnel for a nose cone. It flew pretty well, but he had a little too much weight so it didn't go very high. On the bright side- when it came down the funnel stuck into the ground and the bottle broke off and bounced away.
This one collapsed the launcher... Are you sensing the duct tape theme!?
(students commence scattering...)
Not really. Didn't have any close calls this time, although in the past I thought I was going to have to buy the resource officer a new windshield for his cop car.And my all time favorite:
Love this picture! Sooo many things going on here. I'll be using this one a lot in the future- all 3 of Newtons's laws are going on there.
Here's what happened. The rocket's nose cone was made out of flimsy butcher style paper. We normally layer them so they are pretty strong- but this student layered it and the stretched it out. It was really floppy. Then he added a cup or two of gravel inside the very tip of the cone to move the Center of Gravity up. When the rocket went off, the nose cone collapsed and the bottle went PAST the tip and cracked itself like a whip!
If you look close, you can see the tip of the nose cone STILL GOING in the right direction!!! (part of Newtons first law- objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line)
You will also notice the gravel spraying out of the nose cone, and just for fun, try following the path of the water.
Anyways, got the rockets launched in the nick of time- its starting to get cold out. Already started on the Lego Robotics and the rest of our activities we can do in the relative warmth (not really possible at our school because we're "trying to save money") of my classroom.
Onward and upward!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)