Category: Tech Team

Tech Team Q4 Reflection

Solomon on
  • What are some initiatives\things\volunteering you have been involved with? Describe what you have done, and the amount of time you have spent. Do you have any additional feedback?

An initiative that I have been involved with was helping out at the Wave. I was able to support anyone who needed help with their devices or Edublogs. I was also available in the Makerspace for people who didn’t know a lot about the 3D printers. However, because it was near the end of the year there weren’t a lot of students that needed assistance, so it was a lot easier than expected. I have spent a couple of hours in the library. I have no additional feedback.

  • What are some things you have learned? Describe any challenges, aha moments, small wins…What did you learn from it?

There weren’t a lot of things I have learned, however, I was able to get better at using the various tools available at the Makerspace. For example, I could use the 3D printers more efficiently and I could use the soldering kit to connect wires together. I was inexperienced with the soldering kit, but after using it frequently, I can effectively do it on my own. This grants me the opportunity to help others with the skills I have now.

  • What can I improve and/or accomplish? Is there something I want to learn or try?  Focus on technology, leadership and school culture.

I can improve my presence in the school by reaching out to other classes if they needed help with technology. Furthermore, I also could have focused on diversity and inclusivity especially with the tools that we have that we could use for stream. Something that I would have liked to try was be involved with the social media aspect of the school, especially when we consider it to be a massive influence on students nowadays. We could have promoted the library’s different tools and equipment as I believe not enough students are aware of what we have that could help their projects and such. No images or videos are available.

 

3D Creation

Solomon on

This is a Tinkercad design of my boat.

 

This is the actual 3D printed boat.

  • What are some things that were challenging?

Something that was challenging was definitely the design step because I had to be more creative of what I wanted to do. Another thing that was challenging was using the different objects and tools in Tinkercad because I haven’t used them a lot. In general, there weren’t a lot of things that were challenging because it was really quick for me to start 3D printing in the Makerspace.

 

  • What are some things that worked well?

Something that worked well was successfully 3D printing my object on the first try because sometimes there would be failed prints randomly. Another thing that worked well was slicing my project so that it could be 3D printed. My design turned out nicely because I was able to use different shapes and make holes to shape my project. I wanted to 3D print a boat because I wanted an item as a display.

  • What did you learn? How can you apply this?

 

I learned more ways to improve my project by using the different tools that were available to me in Tinkercad. I was able to efficiently use the Workplane tool which allowed me to create objects on a specific surface. I used the group tool which allowed me to combine all my parts so that I can 3D print it as a whole. I also learned that my 3D print took around roughly an hour with no problems. I can apply this by using my newfound skills to assist others with the design process in the Makerspace.

Tech Team Q2 (Q2 – Q3 – Q4) Reflection

Solomon on
  • What are some initiatives\things\volunteering you have been involved with? Describe what you have done, and the amount of time you have spent. Do you have any additional feedback?

Some initiatives that I have been involved with was showing the Microbits to the grade 8 parents and the grade 8s. I was able to talk about my Microbit project that I created in Programming 12. It allowed me to talk about something that I was passionate about, which was technology. I was able to go through the different components of my project such as the motors and buzzers. I also was able to talk about my code, and how it is downloaded into the Microbit. I was able to explain to them how the library offers various components for the Microbit like the LEDs and such. Furthermore, I was able to go in detail about the different classes available at our school such as Programming and Robotics. I talked about the various projects we did like 3D printing parts for our Robot, and using different languages like Python and Javascript. I have spent 5 to 6 hours volunteering. I have no additional feedback.

 

 

  • What are some things you have learned? Describe any challenges, aha moments, small wins…What did you learn from it?

Some challenges were trying to talk about the Microbits. I had to be both technical and general about the subject so that they could understand clearly. I would sometimes encounter a Grade 8 parent who was curious about the different languages that we used in Programming. I would also encounter a grade 8 student who may have used Microbits in the past. Therefore, it was up to me to decide if I should go more in depth about the subject with the person I was talking to. I learned how to answer questions effectively by listening carefully and pausing before responding. I was able to describe my project efficiently by talking about how my Microbit was able to play Jingle Bells.

 

  • What can I improve and/or accomplish? Is there something I want to learn or try?  Focus on technology, leadership and school culture.

Some things that I can improve on is my eye contact while having a conversation. Additionally, I will need to improve on asking various questions. Something I want to try is improving my 3D printing skills throughout the year. I can accomplish this by potentially making useful objects or items. I also want to try to develop my presence in the Makerspace and the library to help others, whether that is staying at the Wave or being with the 3D printers. If possible, I could get more familiar with the Microbit parts, so that I can help those who are interested in Microbits.

 

 

Button Creation

Solomon on

 

 

  • What are some things that were challenging?

Some things that were challenging was the design process because I spent a decent amount of time trying to think of a design that was related to technology. So, I decided to make my design in the Cricut Design Space by importing my own image. This image consists of the Riverside Logo combined with green code in the background. I came up with this design because I wanted something that could represent Tech Team as a whole. Another challenge was placing my design into the button machine because I wasn’t sure if I was using it properly. Unfortunately, my first button had plastic that was uneven at the top so we had to try again with a new one. We realized that the plastic didn’t fit correctly because there was actually more than one plastic used in the button maker. Nevertheless, after I received some help from others, I was eventually able to create my Tech Team button.

 

 

  • What are some things that worked well?

Some things that worked well was designing my logo for my button. Such as being able to convert my image into a circle by using the slice button at the bottom right. Furthermore, I was also able to use the different texts that were available to me to see what would fit in the button best. Another thing that went well was printing out my design in the proper size. We printed out two of the same design just to see which one looked better. Afterwards, I inserted the paper into the Cricut so that it could cut out my image automatically. The last step for me was to put my design in the button machine to press it down multiple times, including the button pin. All in all, while the design process took few me a few days, producing the actual button only took me around 20-25 minutes.

 

 

  • What did you learn? How can you apply this?

I learned the ability to use the Button machine well enough that I could hopefully do it on my own. I also learned to always try something new as this was my first time making my own button. Even though at first glance it seemed it was a difficult task, it was definitely manageable to create. Making this button was a valuable experience for me because it allowed me to be creative with my own design. Moreover, I learned the importance of asking others with more experience for help because it made the process easier for me to understand in general. Hopefully, I can apply this by potentially creating more Cricut projects with my newfound knowledge. I can also now be able to help others with the Cricut Design Space program.

Tech Team Q1 Reflection

Solomon on
  • What are some initiatives\things\volunteering you have been involved with? Describe what you have done, and the amount of time you have spent.

Some initiatives I did was participating in the digital bootcamp in September. It required me to help other grade 9s  to set up their Edublog such as making a post and creating their own portfolio. I was able to help students that needed to find the link for their assignment. Furthermore, I assisted students to find the page that offered the different themes for their edublog. I was also able to answer any of the teacher’s tech questions during the bootcamp if they had certain issues. There were students that I helped, specifically with their microsoft account password  and the office 365 features that they could use. This bootcamp would last around 3 hours. Another initiative I did was the digital training bootcamp where I had to use both the 3D printer and Cricut Design Space. For the 3D printers, I was able to create my first ring as a beginner. I was also able to familiarize myself with the Maker Space in general.

 

  • What are some things you have learned? Describe any challenges, aha moments, small wins…What did you learn from it?

Some things I have learned were trying out the 3D printers because I had no prior experience. Therefore, I had to learn the basics of tinkercad first before I can 3D print anything. But as I continuously designed new things in tinkercad, it allowed me to be more creative.  Some aha moments were discovering the shortcut features that were implemented in tinkercad such as the D key that would place the object flat on the ground so that its not floating to print. I also learned that there were different files needed for specific 3D printers. For example, if I wanted to use the Ditto Pro 3D printer, I needed to convert my STL file to a g file in Tinkerine. If I wanted to use the Flashforge Adventure printer, I needed to converted my STL file to a gx file through the Flashprint software. After printing a few projects, I learned the importance of knowing how long it takes to print because some objects can take anywhere between 10 minutes or a couple of hours to be completed. A challenge that I encountered was within Tinkerine where it wouldn’t allow me to slice my project. I was ultimately able to solve this problem by using a duplicated file instead to convert it.

 

  • What can I improve and/or accomplish? Focus on technology, leadership and school culture.

I can improve my usage of the Cricut machine because I am not very confident using it. I also want to be able to design new projects in the Cricut Design Space because I am still learning how to use the software efficiently. I can also improve my leadership by helping others in the maker space because it will help me develop my own personal skills in the process as well. Furthermore, I also want to volunteer at the wave more often so that I can help them solve digital issues. If possible, I can also try to assist Mrs. Henderson if there is a class that needs help with 3D printing in my off block. By reaching out to new people, I will be able to improve the school culture by letting them know that there is always assistance available for them.