Lab Events

Women in Academia – Cuppa Research

Ontario Tech University – STEAM 3D Maker Lab
Wednesday, October 25th, 2023 – 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Join Dr. Janette Hughes in our first gathering for women in academia! These sessions will focus on providing mentorship to women who are early scholars in their field. Join us in talks about women in academia, the challenges, mentorship, and advice.

Coffee & tea provided ☕

Register here: https://rb.gy/txp90

Faculty of Education Maker Day 

Ontario Tech University – Oshawa, ON 
Friday September 30th & Friday October 7th, 2022

After a successful return to campus (and a new building!) this September, the STEAM-3D Maker Lab was excited to host the first in-person Maker Day in over two years! Maker Day is an annual event for pre-service teacher candidates to learn about making, makerspaces, and maker pedagogies through a series of hands-on, exploratory workshops featuring a range of educational technologies. This year, the B.Ed. program had such incredible enrollment that we had to split the group into two Maker Days.

With the assistance of some amazing volunteers from the 2nd year B.Ed. cohort and the Engineering Outreach team, this year’s Maker Days were packed full of hands-on learning and insightful reflection about the ways teacher candidates could make in their future classrooms. Across the two days, students were invited to select from a variety of physical and digital making sessions, all of which were developed around the core concepts of maker pedagogies, including creativity and critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and sharing, play, innovation, and inquiry. Available sessions included:

  • Physical circuits, using MaKey MaKey and Papertronics. Participants explored basic circuitry concepts and created physical art pieces with just a few inexpensive materials (copper tape, LEDs, batteries, and paper).
  • Minecraft EDU, during which students tinkered with coding in Java, exploring educational modules, and navigated game-based learning.
  • CoSpaces EDU, a three-dimensional web-based tool that allows students to create and code games, stories, and more — all of which can be viewed in virtual or augmented reality using the CoSpaces mobile app.
  • Cricut, the electronic cutting machine. Participants designed personal logos and other artistic creations which were then brought to life as vinyl or cardboard cut-outs!
  • micro:bit, where participants explored the accessible block-based and Python coding interfaces for the pocket-sized computer that has taken schools by storm.
  • Artificial intelligence, in which teacher candidates began to consider the impact of AI on their future students and classrooms. They discussed components of AI literacy and trained their own recognition algorithms.
  • TikTok, where participants explored educational applications of this short-form video app and other social media, from developing critical digital literacies to using it as a platform for showcasing student learning.
  • Tinkercad, exploring its design environment for creating digital assets or 3D printing, digitally simulating electronics projects, and coding.
  • Bloxels, a game-based learning tool with tactile and digital elements.
  • LEGO Mindstorms, in which participants explored programmable robots with endless customization potential.

With so many great tools to explore and so little time, Maker Days are only ever long enough to give teacher candidates a small taste of what can be done with making in the classroom, but at the end of each session we were already hearing the wheels turning and suggestions being shared. Thank you for joining us for this year’s Maker Days, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll make next!

[Thank you to Iain Brodie (Academic Associate, Faculty of Education) for capturing the photos featured in this post.]


#WeStopScrolling Teacher Info Session

STEAM-3D Maker Lab & Tech for Good Canada — Online
October 14, 2021

On Thursday October 14th, the STEAM-3D Maker Lab and Tech for Good Canada hosted a teacher information session on their current Make to Connect (#WeStopScrolling) social media challenge. This challenge encourages youth to create content for Tiktok or Instagram focusing on an issue they’re passionate about. In doing so, students will harness social media for good, engaging in digital citizenship and online prosocial behaviour.

If you missed the session, please check out the resources below for more information on the challenge and how to get involved:

Webinar Recording:

Webinar Slides:

Additional information is available at Tech for Good Canada‘s website. Everyone is welcome to participate, but prizes are available for students between the ages of 13-18 and their teachers. Don’t forget to follow the @WeStopScrolling account on Tiktok and Instagram, and use #WeStopScrolling in your post description so we can find and share your content!


Faculty of Education Maker Day

Ontario Tech University — Online
March 5th, 2021

Each year, the STEAM-3D Maker Lab contributes to the Faculty of Education’s Maker Day for first-year teacher candidates, and this year was no exception! Although things looked a bit different this year with a focus on digital making tools that the B.Ed. students could explore from their remote learning spaces, it was an incredible afternoon packed full of learning. This year, students explored a range of inquiry-based challenges designed with low floors, wide walls, and high ceilings to advance their understanding of and comfort with a range of digital making tools, including micro:bits, Tinkercad, CoSpaces Edu, Scratch, and Minecraft: Education Edition.

We extend our thanks and gratitude to B.Ed. program director Stephanie Thompson for organizing the day, as well as to Dr. Diane Tepylo and Sheila Rhodes for providing their expertise and assisting during the event!


Faculty of Education Open House

Ontario Tech University — Online
February 27th, 2021

Laura Morrison and Jennifer Robb of the STEAM-3D Maker Lab team joined current students, alumni, faculty, and staff from Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Education for their Spring Open House this past Saturday. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with over 100 incoming teacher candidates and share a bit about the Lab, its role in the Faculty of Education, and ways for students to get involved with educational program development, hands-on facilitation, and more! We were blown away by the energy and engagement of this group of incoming students, and cannot wait to meet and work with them starting in the fall.

If you attended the Open House this past Saturday and weren’t able to grab a copy of the slides to learn more about the lab, please click here.


Journey to Mars, or Return to Earth?

Ontario Tech University – Oshawa, ON
November 27th & December 19th, 2019

As 2019 began to wind down, we had the opportunity to invite two classes from a school in Scarborough, ON to engage in STEAM activities surrounding the question, “journey to Mars, or return to Earth?”

These activities were inspired by current events and challenges relating to climate change and how we, as a species, go about addressing them. If given the choice, would you relocate to another planet (i.e., Mars) to start over, using the lessons we’ve learned here on Earth, or remain here to try and fix the mess that has been made? These are the questions that our third and seventh grade visitors grappled with during these visits.

The third grade class took on the challenge of figuring out what it might look like to move to Mars. We discussed the differences between Mars and Earth, as well as the impact these differences would have on our quality of life if we were to live on Mars. Students used Scratch to code orbits with the help of Dr. George Gadanidis before being issued a design challenge for the latter half of their visit: design and build a rover (to help you traverse the terrain on Mars) or the beginnings of a civilization (that would enable us to live on Mars). Students’ designs were incredible, accommodating a number of the concerns raised earlier in the day, and including their own design modifications as well. We are so proud of the work that took place in such a short amount of time!

The seventh grade class tackled some of the current issues around climate change on Earth, discussing some of the concerns that they’ve heard in the news, read online, or experienced themselves. To prep themselves for their design and coding challenges, students first explored the human impact on earth using the Merge Cubes and Merge VR headsets. Then, we used Inksmith’s Climate Action Kits to explore some of the land-related adjustments we could make to protect our natural resources and live more sustainably.

These kits were a great way for students to experiment with motors, touch sensors, water pumps, and more through the already accessible micro:bit platform. We had a wonderful time hosting these sessions, and are excited to hear more about the wonderful activities taking place at this school after their visits!


Faculty of Education Makerspace Day

Ontario Tech University – Oshawa, ON
October 4th, 2019

This year, Ontario Tech University has a huge cohort of first year Bachelor of Education students, and we wanted to make sure they started their studies off right during the Faculty of Education’s annual Makerspace Day.

In partnership with Sheila Rhodes, the STEAM-3D Maker Lab helped to coordinate a full day of hands-on, inquiry-based learning for over 200 primary/junior and intermediate/senior teacher candidates. Students were invited to sign up for five out of nine available sessions focusing on different high- and low-tech maker tools, all of which were situated within a focus on maker pedagogies, growth mindset, and global competencies. Available sessions included:

  • Papertronics, during which students learned basic circuitry concepts and applied them using paper, copper tape, batteries, and LED bulbs;
  • Makey Makey, which also integrated electricity and circuitry concepts, and challenged students to apply them with wires and conductive materials;
  • Scratch Jr., which introduced students to a basic block coding system with a graphical interface;
  • Programmable robots, which invited students to learn and apply a variety of coding schemes, including directional (Bluebot), colour (Ozobot), and block coding (Ozobot & Dash).
  • Green screen video production, which exposed students to the Do Ink iPad app and invited them to get creative with chroma key videos;
  • Stop motion animation, which challenged students to create time-lapse videos using iMotion and a variety of household materials;
  • TinkerCAD, which walked students through a 3D design interface and highlighted connections to circuitry and coding;
  • Design & Make, which introduced another digital design platform in the form of Cricut Design Space, and encouraged students to create a card from remixed or original designs;
  • Unplugged activities, which highlighted the ability for technology-free activities to reinforce critical making and computational concepts!

We had the honour of running the programmable robots and design & make sessions, and were amazed by the connections to practice that were already forming in the teacher candidates’ minds! Click the images below to see some of the amazing learning (in 360º video) that took place during this event:

       


Collaboration with DPCDSB, FNMIEAO, NASA + More!

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
July 19 – 21st, 2019

For many educators, summer is a period of rest and getting reorganized for the following school year, but we never slow down here in the lab! This year, we had the opportunity to partner with an inspiring group of people from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB), First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of Ontario (FNMIEAO), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Math Knowledge Network (MKN), Fleming College, as well as representatives from various local and international indigenous communities. Our first session was absolutely jam-packed with learning and we are so excited for our next meetings!

Our initial goals were to explore existing learning resources for sharing cultural knowledge through STEAM and to begin developing resources for use in schools and other educational settings. As a group, we tackled this and so much more. Friday was spent exploring different technologies that could be useful in sharing language, stories, culture, and knowledge (coding, augmented & virtual reality, and green screen video production), as well as digital resources that were currently available to teachers (including Lessons From the Earth and Beyond and the FNMIEAO’s Truth and Reconciliation resources).

The rest of the weekend was dedicated to meaningful conversations, spontaneous exploration of the different technologies in the lab, and working with our friends at NASA to make astrobiological connections to important cultural stories. This session was a significant step forward in improving our Canadian history and social studies programming, and we are honoured to have been invited to participate.


ChangeMakers March Break Camp

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
March 11th – 15th, 2019

Last Friday marked the end of another successful March Break Camp, and while the STEAM-3D Maker Lab staff is exhausted, it was all worth it to see the amazing discoveries campers made throughout the week. This year, we kept our eyes on the horizon and introduced campers to the Internet of Things (IoT). These amazing technologies are all around us – in our homes, in the streets – and it only keeps getting bigger and more connected. We feel that students should be exposed to these technologies, and have numerous opportunities to explore, create, and understand them as we march towards a future that will see our entire world connected through IoT – and we wove this perspective into our March Break Camp this year.

We kicked off our week by looking at three main technologies that students could choose from to design their IoT-inspired creations: littleBits, micro:bits, and Arduino. They learned to create circuits, power lights, hook up sensors, code through a variety of platforms (Scratch, micro:bit block and micro:python, and C/C++), and had a fun-filled, exploratory first day. The, the rest of the week was theirs! We explored IoT in more detail, discussed its possible uses and pitfalls, and they worked towards the creation of an IoT-inspired passion project. The end of the week came far too soon and we were sad to see our campers go, but are ultimately so proud of what they were able to accomplish.

Thank you to our campers, staff, and sponsors (Western University, InkSmith, and Dell Canada) for an amazing week! Stay tuned for more programs from the lab, and we hope to see you all next year!


UOIT Faculty of Education Open House

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON 
March 3rd, 2018

The STEAM-3D Maker Lab opened its doors to prospective students and their families during this year’s Open House. Attendees were invited in to explore and play with some of the technologies that we use in the classroom, learn about our research and connections with local schools, and discuss the role of making, design, and technology in the future of K-12 education. We had some amazing conversations and were inspired by the enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion that these future educators have for their field!


Hosting Education Professors from Jiangsu

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
October 25th, 2017

On October 25th, the STEAM-3D Maker Lab welcomed Joel Hartling (York University), Dr. Anning Ding (Jiangsu Education Services for International Exchange), and twenty-six professors of education from the Jiangsu province of the People’s Republic of China. After spending their morning touring UOIT, these educators arrived at our lab excited to learn about making and makerspaces.

After Dr. Janette Hughes provided a brief introduction to our Maker Lab and discussed some of our current research, it was time to get making! Our guests were given the opportunity to try out the green screen, programmable robots, Chibitronics, 3D printing and design, and augmented/virtual reality. In every session, the educators collaborated to solve problems, share expertise, and get creative!

We were very excited to share some of the ways that making and maker pedagogies can be used in the classroom, and can’t wait to hear about what these educators do next. Thank you for visiting!


Ministry of Education (MoE) Project Launch: Year 2

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
September 26th – 27th, 2017

This week marked the beginning of the MOE project for 9 new Ontario school boards. As many of you know, the MOE project that UOIT participated in during the 2016/2017 year was extended for the 2017/2018 year, with 9 new school boards being welcomed onto the project! When we found out that the Ministry wanted to continue with the project, we were absolutely thrilled and began our planning right away (we were that excited).

The days of September 26 & 27, the 2nd year cohort (2017/2018) teachers/schools were brought into the UOIT Faculty of Education building, to begin their Makerspace journey. Day 1 consisted of various breakout sessions where different Makerspace tools, technologies and pedagogies were highlighted for the participating teachers. The teachers were given the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience with these tools and technologies before bringing them back to their own schools and classrooms. Throughout the breakout sessions, the teachers were supported by the STEAM 3D Maker Lab researchers and leaders, who offered insight as to how to best incorporate the tools and technologies into learning, and to field any questions the teachers had. It is great to see the teachers dive right into experimenting with the tools and technologies before them!

Day 2 saw our 1st year cohort (2016/2017) teachers/schools welcomed back into the building to share their knowledge, experiences, challenges and expertise on creating a Makerspace/Maker culture in their schools, with our 2nd year cohort teachers. We started our day off by gathering as a large group in our lounge, to listen to the original 11 schools present on their Makerspace journeys. Listening to the 11 schools discuss how Makerspace practices changed their school atmosphere and community, was inspiring. These schools shed light on how to go about starting a Makerspace from the ground up, and shared the obstacles they had to overcome when establishing such a community in their schools.

As we have said before (and we will say again), the teachers involved in the MOE project are teachers that clearly have a passion for innovation and for allowing their students to take control of their learning. The 2 days were filled with excitement for Makerspace culture/practices and a willingness to try new way of learning in the classroom. We are so excited that the MOE project has been extended for another year, and look forward to learning along with the teachers involved, and supporting them through their Makerspace journey. As one of our amazing schools said, “if you build it, they will learn” – Makerspace gives students the ability to take their learning in a direction that they have never gone in before, thus creating new experiences and new passions for students. Check out our STEAM-3D Maker Lab Facebook page for even more pictures!


Science Odyssey: “How to Start a Makerspace”

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
May 16th, 2017

Picture this: different Makerspace technologies set up in a room for educators to come in and get their hands on, to tinker with and play with and to ask questions. That is exactly how the STEAM 3D Maker Lab’s Science Odyssey evening on May 16, played out. The Lab hosted a, “How to Start a Makerspace” session to support the Science Odyssey campaign that is Canada’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Educators from the Kawartha Pine Ridge (KPR) District School Board in the east, all the way to educators from the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) in the west, and educators from Boards in-between, came into the Lab to partake in this Makerspace session.

Each hour long session began with a large group conversation. Educators were provided with tips and tricks from Janette Hughes when going about starting their own Makerspace. From there, educators were encouraged to travel around the Lab and gravitate to the technology that peaked their interest the most. Stations were set up that offered the educators information on the specific technology, grade level activities, curriculum connections and the best way to present the technology into a lesson. Stations that were presented were; Programmable Robots, 3D Printing, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Arduino Uno, Green Screen and Circuits.

It was clear that the educators involved all had a passion for Makerspace pedagogy. The beauty of the evening was that there were educators that had been instilling Makerspace practices into their classrooms for the duration of the year, and educators that were eager to start doing so. From every corner of the Lab, you were able to hear educators offering each other knowledge of the technologies that they had experience using and questions that were directed at our Lab staff, all of which centred around making the learning more engaging for the students by incorporating technology into the learning process. The evening proved that the Makerspace way of thinking is starting to ingrain itself in schools around Ontario. We are so excited to see how each of the educators involved take the knowledge they learned from our Science Odyssey session, and incorporate it into their everyday teaching!


March Break (2017) Maker Camp

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
March 13th – 17th, 2017

The 2017 March Break Maker Camp at the Faculty of Education at UOIT was an incredible success! Campers entered the Steam 3D Maker Lab with an enthusiasm and sense excitement about using Makerspace technologies that persisted steadily throughout the week. The camp started off with campers being shown an array of programs and technologies that centered around STE(A)M concepts such as; Scratch (Jr. and 2.0), Lightbot, Ozobot, Beebot/Bluebot, Green Screen, Google Sketchup and Bloxels just to name a few. Campers were given the opportunity to engage with as many technologies as they saw fit before gravitating to the ones that they enjoyed the most. The goal for the week was to create either a story or project that held significance to each individual camper. Using the programs/technologies that they engaged with, campers were able to enhance their final projects by making them as interactive and deep-rooted in various learning concepts as possible. The grit and perseverance that each camper displayed while creating, making and problem solving was great to see. Right from the get-go it was clear that this group of campers supported and encouraged one another in all situations. Seeing campers help each other when they were experiencing difficulty with something was wonderful! Watching the camper’s creations, final projects and stories come to life using various technologies was truly a treat. On the very last day of camp, the camper’s families were invited in to see what their children/siblings had been working on throughout the week. The families were amazed by what the campers had created, asking questions and inquiring more about, “how did you do this?!”. A huge thank you goes out to all of our campers, staff and volunteers for making this March Break one for the books! We are already looking forward to the 2018 March Break Maker Camp.


UOIT Faculty of Education Open House

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
March 4th, 2017

On Saturday March 4th, we had the luxury of speaking to prospective UOIT teacher candidates at the UOIT Faculty of Education Open House. Many bright-eyed and open-minded students came walking through our STEAM 3D Maker Lab doors with parents, siblings, and fellow applicants, filled with questions and curiosity surrounding Makerspace pedagogy. We were able to speak with many students and explain what we do in the STEAM 3D Maker Lab, as well as gave them the opportunity to try out and explore the great technologies that can be found within the Lab. Students left with new knowledge surrounding the Makerspace mindset and a drive to continue to explore such an amazing part of 21st-century education, before officially starting their program at the UOIT Faculty of Education.


Assistant Deputy Minister of Education, Martyn Beckett
Visits the Lab

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
January 13th, 2017

On Friday January 13, 2017, the STEAM 3D lab was visited by the Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Education, Martyn Beckett. The lab team walked ADM Beckett through a variety of tools including 3D printing technology, programmable robots, virtual and augmented reality, and coding with Makey Makey, amongst other tools. Along with some other staff at UOIT and a visitor from the DDSB, ADM Beckett was able to tinker, explore and learn about the ways in which makerspaces and making (both digitally and tangibly) are remixing what we consider education.


Ministry of Education Conference

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
October 27th – 28th, 2016

This past Thursday and Friday, October 27 & 28, 2016, we had teachers, administrators and Ministry of Education representatives from all over Ontario come visit us in our Makerlab, to learn about maker activities and how they might be incorporated into their learning environments. One of the activities we had fun doing was art with circuitry – what’s better than making art with flashing lights?! Enjoy some of the footage we put together from Friday’s special guest Gabriella Solti! For more information on her work please refer to our Guest Speakers page. Additionally, more information about this Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) and Ministry of Education (MoE) project can be found within our Science 3D tab.


Creative Collisions

STEAM-3D Maker Lab – Oshawa, ON
November 2015

The STEAM-3D Maker Lab lead social services partners in the Durham District through a full-morning session on Digital Literacies, the need to promote these in various educational, social and economic spheres, and various digital and makerspace tools. The goal of the meeting was to connect with and develop local community partnerships and to provide the community with various digital tools for personal and professional use.

Below are the presentations we used during this teaching and learning session.

Creative Collisions

Creative_Collisions_Nov2015

3d Printing and Infographics

Infographics – Creative Collisions

Chibitronics

Chibitronics and E-textiles – Creative Collisions 2


Digital Making in the UOIT STEAM-3D Maker Lab

The STEAM-3D Lab is where Dr. Janette Hughes, Canada Research Chair in Technology and Pedagogy,  and her research team: 1) develop and evaluate constructionist “production pedagogies” that work to build students’ ‘performative’ competencies in digital literacies, and investigate whether and how they promote civic engagement, service learning, and social justice particularly among marginalized students; 2) observe and evaluate the impact of “maker cultures” that facilitate the discovery, design, and development (3Ds) of digital “products” for students of all ages, their teachers, and the community; and 3) build capacity for investigating and affecting change and innovation in formal and informal education settings in the use of emerging digital media and interactive tools.

Making with Preservice Teacher Candidates

At the beginning of this new B.Ed. year — the first of the new two-year program in Ontario — we wanted to introduce the teacher candidates to a new way of teaching and learning early on as part of our effort to emphasize inquiry-based, digital learnMaking with Makey Makeying. As a result, our STEAM-3D lab collaborated with other faculty members to organize a Makerspace Day for I/S and P/J students. The sessions included: Making with Makey Makey where teacher candidates created tangible controllers for Scratch games and animations; e-textiles & circuits, where students were given materials such as conductive thread, fabric, sewing materials, copper-wire tape and LEDs, a brief intro to circuits and tutorials guiding them on what they could possible create. Within the half-hour session, many students were able to create (with limited, or no background in circuits or e-textiles), Construction with LED lightsLED-embedded bracelets, mini, LED-embedded stuffed animals and LED-embedded paper-based art pieces; 3D printing where students learned Tinker and printed small 3-D objects and tangible construction where students planned/designed an object, like a car or bridge, and constructed it using wood and glue in the session. Many students then took what they created in this session and embellished their pieces in the circuits session with LED lights (such as a car with headlights). Makerspace pedagogies encourage and promote perseverance, resiliency, problem-solving and an approach that supports learning from “failure”.  Before and during the sessions we emphasized process work through reflection and collaboration and tried to de-emphasize final products.

After the Makerspace Day, we developed Online Maker Modules for the purpose of in-service and pre-service teacher professional development. The modules include: Digital Making theory; Circuits; Wearables; 3-D printing; Coding,Gaming & Programmable

STEAM website screencapRobots. Within each of the modules students are asked to complete: research articles, self-directed learning walkthroughs and tutorials, additional media to support learning and differentiated assignment options. To view the online modules see: http://steam3d.weebly.com/ Currently, selected B.Ed. and M.Ed. students are working through the modules at their own pace and come into the lab at designated times to work with the maker tools, learn collaboratively and possibly complete one of the various field activities attached to the modules.

Current Research in Digital Making

In addition to the Maker Modules pilot study, we are working with a local, high-needs elementary school to create a Makerspace Club.  This project, part of a SSHRC-funded partnership development grant, focuses on the use of makerspace pedagogies to address school-community issues, including an anti-bullying initiative led by Dr. JenniferVU iPad charging station Laffier. Included in the project is the creation of a school-based anti-bullying team that is student-led. The idea behind the initiative is for students in the maker club to become the ‘agents of change’ amongst their peer groups and to demonstrate their leadership and agency through the creation of different digital projects related to bullying prevention (ie. light-up LED bracelets, infographics, anti-bullying videogames using Scratch and Makey Makey). In Part II of the club, math professor Dr. Ami Mamolo will VU makerspace student at workbe guiding the students in understanding the math/numbers behind infographics — how to critically read and understand an infographic and how to create one. In this context, the students will create infographics connected to the statistics and data they gather on bullying in their immediate classroom, school environment and Canada in general.

Upcoming Projects

We are now in the process of planning for a STEAM Makerspace Camp, which we will be offering this March Break to local students. The camp will run for the five days of the March Break (Mon. March 14 – Friday March 18) and will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions, where the mornings will concentrate more heavily on math and the afternoons — on literacy (all in relation to makerspace environments, pedagogies and tools). In the math and coding morning sessions participants will learn to code and toSTEAM Lab MBC brochure create their own video games and animations. This will be run by a visiting math and coding expert, Iain Brodie, and is co-sponsored by The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. The afternoon sessions will have a literacy and arts focus where participants will learn how to use various makerspace tools like circuits, 3-D printers and e-textiles and they will use these tools to create unique projects connected to an exploration of the self and “positive power”. Students will make, for example, infographics to explain who they are, they will use Scratch and Makey Makey to represent individual strengths and paper circuit creations using Chibitronics to represent positive power. LilyPad and LittleBits will also be used to demonstrate friendship and connection and 3-D printed symbols will be created at the end of the week to represent learning over the course of the week. Embedded and emphasized in the whole learning/creation process: collaborative learning, troubleshooting/problem-solving and reflective practice. Students will be asked to complete periodic self check-ins recorded in journals or in audio and/or video interviews where they reflect back on the process in order to fix problem areas (related to task process work and also inter- and intrapersonal process work).