Today we had our first class come to the FV Creation Station! Miss Hesslein's class come and started to develop some norms for the we should "be" when we are in the FV Creation Station. Here is what was generated so far.

Norms in the FV Creation Station

• Share tools & materials
• Careful not to break stuff
• Listen to whoever is talking
• Always keep trying
• Be patient with yourself as you learn something new
• Share ideas & strategies 
• Clean up after yourself

After developing the norms, Mr. T (a substitute teacher with computer building experience) helped us take apart two CPUs! All students were excited to see the inside of a computer. We looked at the DVD drive and where the memory is kept. This was an impromptu experience and we will be further investigating the insides of computers via BrainPOP and other means.

The FV Creation Station is still under construction but we are making progress!  We have a row of computers and a printer set up and ready to go (Thanks Mr. Andy!). ALternative seating as found its way into the FV Creation Station with a few bean bag seats. More alternative comfy seating coming soon! Stay tuned! Many of our materials and tools are stored neatly in colorful containers and the Lego wall section has been mapped out. We have numerous old laptops that are just waiting to be taken apart by students!

We are working with Mrs. D to write grants to secure funding for more robots, gizmos and gadgets so all Fairview students can dream, design and create.

We are looking forward to our Grand Opening on Thursday October 13th at 7PM before the PTO meeting.

This year at Fairview our computer lab got a face lift! It has been turned into a MakerSpace. MakerSpaces are nontraditional learning environments (think no desks, cool places to sit and a buzz of excitement in the air). To make our MakerSpace personal to Fairview, it has been named (drumroll please) the "FV Creation Station"! This is a place where ALL students will learn about the design process, how failure improves our ideas and the value of communication and collaboration. When students are at the FV Creation Station, they will explore, design, imagine and build. There will also be a time to reflect upon what was learned in this space. That is where this blog comes in. At the end of each class's session in the Creation Station, feedback, thoughts and reflections will be shared on the blog. We will also share photos and videos (according to media release permissions) about what happens in the FV Creation Station. One of our goals for this blog is to have STUDENTS be guest bloggers and share their experiences from their point of view. Chirp! Chirp! We will be tweeting out about what happens and will use the hashtag #FVCreates to catalogue our experiences. Looking forward to the start of the school year already!