Fall Semester 2015-16

It's been a busy semester! Here are some of the things that we did in the design classroom first semester this year.  Just about all of the photos are from a grade 9 Design & Fabrication course - intro level, survey of a little of everything, just the basics. More to come from second semester!

Fab Learn Asia 2015

Fab Lab Kamakura co-founder, and Fab Learn Asia organizer, Youka Watanabe

I participated in Fab Learn Asia 2015 this December, presenting about our school program on Saturday, and on Sunday leading a workshop using the laser cutter and then also participating in the panel discussion at the end of the conference.  The conference itself was well attended, and included primarily people from Japan, but also from around the world, from various educational institutions, teachers and student presenters, fab labs, fab cafes, and industry leaders who shared expertise about their tools.  The workshops were kept primarily hands on and in the maker/fab lab spirit.   

Dr. Hiro Tanaka, co-founder of FabLab Kamakura, Keio University faculty

My presentation on Saturday

Arduino basic LED session

More Arduino basics in a workshop

STEM Study Night at Fab Cafe Shibuya

Takehiro Hagiwara (MESH), Aki Kawana (Loftwork), Youka Watanabe (FabLab Kamakura), me!, Matt Krebs (anthropologist), Clint Hamada (Yokohama International School)

I was excited to be asked to participate in the presentations and panel discussion for the STEM Study Night at the Fab Cafe in Shibuya in December.  I shared an overview of our K-12 design program and its use of Design Thinking, and participated in the panel discussion Q&A at the end of the session.  

The evening was well attended, with presentations and the following format: 

Moderator: Youka Watanabe 19: 00 - 7:05 p.m. Youka Watanabe Introduction 19:00 - 19:10 Daisuke Okabe: The Idea of STEM 19:15 - 19:30 

Matt Krebs: FabLabs x Cultural Anthropology in Japan 19:30 - 19:45 

Sarah Sutter: Case Study - The American School in Japan 19:45 - 20:00 

Clint Hamada: Case Study - Yokohama International School 20:15 - 20:30

Bradley Hayes: Case Study - The British School in Tokyo 20: 30 - 8:45 p.m. 

Takehiro Hagiwara: MESH 20:45 - 21:00

Aki Kawana:? What's Creativity 21:00 - 21:30 

Panel Session

 Check out the link to the program with bios of all the presenters. This was one of several preliminary events leading up to the Fab Learn Asia conference later in December, held in Yokohama. More on that to follow!

Our new space

So, our building is up enough to take a tour! I had a walk through and got the lay of the land and took a few photos. Such a cool space! I can't wait to be teaching courses here next year.

Also, our new director, Mark Schreiber, visited for a week in March and we had some great team discussions around layout, furniture, materials, storage, machines, etc. The support of the school is amazing, and I feel really lucky to be working here, and with the amazing team we have of faculty working together.

Here are the docs we marked up as a result of our conversations.
HS / MS classroom spaces: 

The rooms below are the robotics room (left) and the more flexible, appropriately sized furniture, etc. space for K-5 elementary (right).