ISKME's Teachers as Makers Remix Lab 2013

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Megan Simmons

Description

Join ISKME as we remix Open Educational Resources (OER) using design thinking principles to create activities for innovative teaching and learning. We’ll showcase OER that explore such topics as environmental sustainability, arts integration, and storytelling, and lead teachers through a design process to research, brainstorm, prototype, present and get feedback, and refine their remixed activities. The activities will be documented online using Open Author on OER Commons and freely available for anyone to access and use.

Featured OER to be remixed:

Sustainability - Sun Curve Design Challenge: http://www.oercommons.org/courses/sun-curve-design-challenge-design-process-activity/view

Storytelling – Scrapbook: http://www.oercommons.org/courses/our-rights-of-the-child-scrapbook/view

Materials

Display:

5 share out boards
50 magnets
1 banner
4 design lab posters
5 table cloths

Design Table:

10 4x7 stickie pads
20 markers

Prototype Table:

5 boxes prototyping materials
20 rolls of tape
5 staplers
5 bottles of glue
5 scissors

Documentation Table:

1 flipcam
1 laptop

Set Up

Four 6' rectangular tables for display, brainstorming, prototyping materials, and documentation

One 4' round table for building prototypes

Design Lab Process

Design Lab Process Video OER from WGBH on OER Commons

Step 1: Identify the Challenge

Remix an OER Overview: Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials (lesson plans, courses, assignments, activities, labs, etc.) that are freely available to use, adapt, reuse, or share. Our goal with OER is to help transform teaching and learning by creating equitable access and sharing among educators and learners. Participants at Maker Faire will contribute to the OER movement by remixing (modifying, adapting, changing) and sharing OER that they can use with their students. Each participant will choose an OER to remix. They will brainstorm ways to remix the OER to meet their learner’s needs, such as the various grades, subjects, and learning styles. Once they have an idea they would like to move forward with, they will get prototyping materials to create a 3-D model of their idea. When their design prototype is complete, they will give it a title and description and present it in the Media Lab. Then they will hang their sketches on the share out boards with the title and description of their OER.

OER Remix Example

Original OER: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Lesson Modules

Remixed OER: Our Rights of the Child Scrapbook - remixed for English High School students and project-based. The students create a woven scrapbook exploring visual arts and weaving different writing genres: poetry, narrative, expository/informative and argumentative/persuasive. In prepartion for the book students will need to address literacy, rights and self advocacy. This lesson will pull into current events in the local community and make connections to global scale. As an extension teachers can digitize pieces from the individual books and tie into a longer documentary piece.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Directions for participants:

1. Choose an Open Educational Resource (OER) to remix.

2. Draw and label ways to remix the OER to localize it to meet your learners' needs, such as the various grades, subjects, and learning styles.

3. Choose one design idea to prototype.

Give each participant a large stickie and markers to document their design ideas using words and drawings.

Once participants have an idea or ideas they would like to prototype (create a model of) they are ready to select prototyping materials.

Design Brainstorming Guiding Questions:

What are subject(s) would you like to focus your remix?
What type of pedagogy (teaching methods and styles) would you like to use in this remix?
What materials and resources would you need to teach this OER?
What would your design for the remixed OER look like?
How would you structure the OER?
Where would you teach this OER?
Who would teach this OER?
Who would the students be (grade, age, learning style, etc.)?
How would the students learn/experience this OER?
What would you rename your remixed OER design?
How would your remix connect to the local community?
Who would participate in your remixed OER (students, other educators, parents, community members, etc.)?
How will this OER meet your student's needs?
How is this OER connected to your greater goals as an educator and your school/organization/community goals?

Step 3: Select Prototyping Materials

Directions for participants:

Once you have a design idea to move forward with, select your prototyping materials.

Prototyping materials include: pipecleaners, popsicle sticks, papertowel rolls, cardboard, foam pieces, corks, plastic containers, fabric, tape, glue, bottle caps, lids, and various salvaged materials from RAFT

Step 4: Build a Prototype

Directions for participants:

Give your prototype a title and description.

Once each group has the materials they need to build their prototypes, they can work together to make their idea come to life with a 3-D model representation of their idea. Once their design prototype is complete, give it a title and description.