Since my initial proposal, I have been busily at work learning Symbaloo and exploring a variety of websites for my Virtual Makerspace.
A situation I quickly encountered was that of scope and audience. How can my webmix meet the needs of a variety of situations? Can I broaden my scope to include a wider variety of options? What if libraries don't have specific supplies (3D printers, apps, Raspberry Pi etc)? As I considered these questions I also began to wonder about teachers who are new to Makerspace - how can I create a mix that supports the learning needs of both teachers and students?
As I explained in my earlier post, my Virtual Makerspace is intended for student use. Ideally, according to Loertcher et al, Virtual Makerspaces should be designed with student input and interests in mind (2015). However, for my project I need to create a broader, more generally applicable webmix of sites that are immediately accessible to a variety of students in a variety of situations. My primary goal is to find sites that quickly launch students into Loertcher's fourth level Creating as soon as they log in. This means that my webmix must include sites that do not require payment or complicated logins and that will be intuitive and easy for students to use.
But teachers must also feel comfortable to trust the webmix I have created. For teachers still learning about the Maker movement and who have little experience in Makerspaces, some background knowledge may be required. So my audience must also include teachers.
Symbaloo has an easy solution to the problem of meeting the needs of multiple audiences - more tabs! The Symbaloo app allows users to create multiple tabs for different topics. Tabs are stored at the top of the page and can be selected based on user need. For my project, as you can see, I have already created three tabs:
Resources
; Bowie
A situation I quickly encountered was that of scope and audience. How can my webmix meet the needs of a variety of situations? Can I broaden my scope to include a wider variety of options? What if libraries don't have specific supplies (3D printers, apps, Raspberry Pi etc)? As I considered these questions I also began to wonder about teachers who are new to Makerspace - how can I create a mix that supports the learning needs of both teachers and students?
As I explained in my earlier post, my Virtual Makerspace is intended for student use. Ideally, according to Loertcher et al, Virtual Makerspaces should be designed with student input and interests in mind (2015). However, for my project I need to create a broader, more generally applicable webmix of sites that are immediately accessible to a variety of students in a variety of situations. My primary goal is to find sites that quickly launch students into Loertcher's fourth level Creating as soon as they log in. This means that my webmix must include sites that do not require payment or complicated logins and that will be intuitive and easy for students to use.
But teachers must also feel comfortable to trust the webmix I have created. For teachers still learning about the Maker movement and who have little experience in Makerspaces, some background knowledge may be required. So my audience must also include teachers.
Symbaloo has an easy solution to the problem of meeting the needs of multiple audiences - more tabs! The Symbaloo app allows users to create multiple tabs for different topics. Tabs are stored at the top of the page and can be selected based on user need. For my project, as you can see, I have already created three tabs:
- Virtual Makerspace: an exciting webmix of innovative sites that invite student creativity and innovation. This webmix provides an example of a generic Virtual Makerspace and includes a webmix that is universally applicable as long as students have access to a computer
- Minecraft Makerspace: a specific webmix of Minecraft-themed sites intended to enhance and enrich student creativity in Minecraft
- Teacher Stuff: a webmix of sites, journal articles, videos and how-tos intended for teachers desiring to learn more about Maker philosophy including helpful teaching tools for designing, resourcing and assessment in Makerspaces and Virtual Makerspaces
Resources
; Bowie
A good checkin post about the usability of your symbaloo and how to ensure that it is meeting the needs of your audience and supporting them where they are at. Have you considered making a screencast tour of your site to better introduce it to your audience? A guided tour with your voice can go a long way to helping your audience find exactly what they need, when they need it. A good overview of your challenges and thinking so far.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience with Symbaloo! I hadn't heard about this website until this course, so I am looking forward to figuring it out myself sometime as well. It seems like it's like a mix of Pinterest and Drop-box, which is a pretty amazing resource to network and collaborate with teachers and librarians around the globe! Are you able to create pages as well, for example, if using it as the main website for a LLC, could you write an intro within the website, or would it have to link to another site/blog? I'm looking forward to seeing your final project!
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