My button!
What are some things that were challenging?
Creating my design using the circuit I found quite challenging as I am not used to learning how to print something out and then cut it. All the work I have done with the circuit has been cutting directly from the printer, and therefore I had never learned this skill and found that it would be valuable to learn I needed to make a mass amount of buttons. While asking peers for help and doing more research about the circuit I was able to learn this skill as well as some other design tricks that I was able to implement. I find the internet very valuable especially in the world of technology because now that I have learned these new skills I was able to save someone else from doing an internet search and I can now help them when they encounter the same challenges. When I made the actual button I also did not align the back with the front which made it off center, however, I realized it was an easy fix for the future.
What are some things that worked well?
I think my design itself worked well. I was able to learn how to use the circuit to design something that fit my own personality. I got some inspiration from a friend to use a wave, and at first, I wasn’t able to figure out how to use one online, so instead, I made my own and I think it worked better. The actual button-making process was also super fun, and as a third-year member on tech team I heavily enjoyed learning a new skill. While I was making the button there were also some kids there working on a project who were interested in what I was doing, so while making my own, I was able to simultaneously help and inspire someone else to come down maybe and explore what the maker space has to offer.
What did you learn? How can you apply this?
I learned a brand new skill which is great for introducing to new kids at Riverside as well as the students who have never used this tool before. I myself never realized how easy it was to make a button, and I am very thankful that we are lucky enough to have been introduced to this amazing tool. There are many ways to apply button-making, one particular that comes to mind is campaigning. It would be very cool to see someone who is running for valedictorian make buttons, or last year I heard they made PIF buttons, to spread school pride! I also believe we have some incredibly creative students at Riverside and I would love to see what they could come up with.
My creative process!
