My first assignment for CEP 811 this week was to create a video abouting “Making” that resonates with me. I created a short Remix video through WeVideo about K’NEX, a childhood favorite toy of mine. The toy’s building system consists of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, blocks, gears, wheels, and other components, which can be pieced together to form a wide variety of models, machines, and architectural structures. I love that the toy allows for creativity to flourish and encourages risk taking and making new discoveries. Inspiring innovation and problem solving is what making is all about. The video below was inspired by Dale Dougherty’s (2011) We Are Makers TED Talk. In Dougherty’s TED talk (2011), he said, “Makers are in control. That’s what fascinates them. That’s why they do what they do. They want to figure out how things work; they want to get access to it; and they want to control it.” I question if I am providing enough “play” and “making” time in my own classroom. I want students to feel they have the freedom to be creative and make mistakes in a safe learning environment. The video below was my third attempt, having failed the previous two times, and that’s ok because I learned how to properly edit and double check to make sure all my media is where it should be prior to publishing, (that mistake led to an 11 minute video, 10 minutes over the 1 minute requirement).
Maker Culture:
This assignment was time consuming but extremely gratifying and fun. Finding clips that had an appropriate Creative Commons License and also aligned with my ideas and what I wanted to convey was a challenge. Another challenge I faced was downloading video from YouTube, I had never done this prior to this assignment so it took some playing around and searching help forums to find the proper program. I enjoyed the editing process, which was more than expected for a short video clip, however editing, adding sound, and making it my own (remixing) was extremely fun. I plan to do more of this in the future especially with Creative Commons License music. Make, remake, fail, make some more; it’s what we do!
References
A Lesson in Interoperability. (2012, March 1). Retrieved July 5, 2017, from https://vimeo.com/37778890
Dougherty, D. (2011, January). We are makers. Retrieved July 5, 2017, from https://www.ted.com/talks/dale_dougherty_we_are_makers
How to Make a Knex Motorcycle. (2014, July 21). Retrieved July 6, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7L853KXJPI&t=3s
Kennedy, Chuck. (2012, November 30). Retrieved July 6, 2017, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/11/30/president-obama-sooner-we-get-done-sooner-our-economy-gets-boost
K’nex. (2017, June 25). Retrieved July 6, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27Nex
Knex Ball machine – Made to Experiment (2015, August 28). Retrieved July 6, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PxSqY3V0gA
K’nex Big Ball Box (2011, December 21). In Commons Wikimedia. Retrieved July 5, 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%27nex_-_Big_Ball_box.JPG
Maker Culture. (2017, June 09). Retrieved July 5, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture
Learn and Grow 