NSF Awards: 1639915
Northcentral Technical College, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Madison and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, have been awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop informal learning activities utilizing a Mobile Maker Space (EMMET). The goal of this NSF Project is to create a sustainable Maker+Mentor cultural environment within the rural communities of north central Wisconsin. EMMET explores making through mobile emerging technologies, and to engage our rural communities in STEM+C learning, we utilize NTC’s existing mobile maker space to deliver a range of learning experiences and technological innovations that are not typically accessible to students throughout our rural communities. Our mobile maker space, EMMET, is set-up to perform 3 different tasks:
1) EMMET can provide an environment for exploration. EMMET can attend your community events, library activities, fairs, home shows, church events, etc. EMMET will be configured to provide short exposure activities designed to fuse exploration with STEM+C learning.
2) EMMET can provide skill building activities in an informal learning environment. Using information from your community EMMET can be configured to provide skill building activities in STEM+C which includes craft activities with integrated electronics, designing, making and the use of more advanced technologies. These skill building activities create Maker ready individuals.
3) EMMET can provide a Mobile Maker Space. EMMET can be configured to bring multiple day Making activities. NTC also has a STEM center where additional Maker activities can be held. EMMET is designed to bring the joy of discovery and learning to your community.
NSF Awards: 1639915
Northcentral Technical College, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Madison and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, have been awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop informal learning activities utilizing a Mobile Maker Space (EMMET). The goal of this NSF Project is to create a sustainable Maker+Mentor cultural environment within the rural communities of north central Wisconsin. EMMET explores making through mobile emerging technologies, and to engage our rural communities in STEM+C learning, we utilize NTC’s existing mobile maker space to deliver a range of learning experiences and technological innovations that are not typically accessible to students throughout our rural communities. Our mobile maker space, EMMET, is set-up to perform 3 different tasks:
1) EMMET can provide an environment for exploration. EMMET can attend your community events, library activities, fairs, home shows, church events, etc. EMMET will be configured to provide short exposure activities designed to fuse exploration with STEM+C learning.
2) EMMET can provide skill building activities in an informal learning environment. Using information from your community EMMET can be configured to provide skill building activities in STEM+C which includes craft activities with integrated electronics, designing, making and the use of more advanced technologies. These skill building activities create Maker ready individuals.
3) EMMET can provide a Mobile Maker Space. EMMET can be configured to bring multiple day Making activities. NTC also has a STEM center where additional Maker activities can be held. EMMET is designed to bring the joy of discovery and learning to your community.
Continue the discussion of this presentation on the Multiplex. Go to Multiplex
Timothy Fetting
NTC Faculty, STEM Center Coordinator
Welcome everyone; thanks for checking out our project. All comments welcome, but any information or thoughts on measurable impact indicators and sustainability would be greatly appreciated.
Jake Foster
Founder
Thank you for sharing this project. I am excited to see a focus on rural communities and engagement of high school students in facilitating sessions. Given the focus on exposure activities, what sort of follow up has been requested, or do you foresee as being useful, to those in rural communities who get excited about the CS-infused activities? Perhaps others that work in rural communities can talk to issues of access and application as well.
Timothy Fetting
NTC Faculty, STEM Center Coordinator
We plan to provide all of our active community based organizations with the resources needed to continue conducting these activities. We have been planning sustainability piece with our senior personnel, adult mentors, and some of our high school mentors that will stay on with the project. This will include materials, training, and instructions for the activities available on our website.
Jake Foster
Founder
Thank you for sharing. Are the high school students being drawn from the rural communities? It would be great to find a way to expand your high school cadre to include students from different grade levels so that older students can train/mentor/induct younger students to become leaders/facilitators over a few years to keep the cycle going over time.
Camellia Sanford-Dolly
Senior Research Associate
I like the approach of introducing STEM in unexpected places - home shows, libraries, community events, etc. I wanted to know more about who is identifying such opportunities/existing events and locations - Is it the project leads, the maker mentors being trained as facilitators, other groups, some combination of the above? Similarly, I wondered about how the word is getting out to potential maker mentors or community participants to take part in these opportunities - Are there particular communication or outreach strategies that you've found to be effective in reaching rural community members?
Timothy Fetting
NTC Faculty, STEM Center Coordinator
The project leads, senior personnel, and adult mentors have all played a role in identifying events and locations. We began with exposure activities at community events and correspondence to many of our regional community based organizations. As the word has gotten out we have shifted from looking for events to trying to fit all of them in our calendar. We did outreach at local high schools to identify our initial maker mentors. The best outreach strategy for us initially was demonstrating what types of educational opportunities we could provide at the community events because of the large audiences.
Michelle Quirke
This video addresses an issue that will be critical for our next generation - taking technology and STEM education to rural communities. The video captures the training and energy of the maker + mentor. Definitely a project that captures increasing student confidence and building leaders for STEM education. Dynamic project and excellent video!
Timothy Fetting
Breanne Litts
Assistant Professor
Thank you for sharing your project! Connecting with rural populations is especially important, and Wausau is a really unique community in Wisconsin as well. From the video, it appears that there is quite a bit of community engagement. Can you share more about how your project has impacted the community more broadly? How have you developed partnerships with the community? What sort of buy-in do you have? I am specifically curious if you have insights particular to how people might approach this in rural contexts.
I notice the idea of "exposure" activities is mentioned in the video. I wonder what the next step might be for those who participate in these workshops. How do you envision sustaining participation beyond exposure?
Full disclosure: I have some early connections to this project via Erica Halverson & CMP. :)
Timothy Fetting
NTC Faculty, STEM Center Coordinator
Community involvement has been significant although it took time and effort in the beginning. Through these community contacts we will be getting our resources out to a wide variety of locations. Our current mentors have finished a two year commitment, but many have expressed interest in continuing on with the project. Additionally, Northcentral Technical College has the physical space and resources needed to continue to offer training for activities and mentoring.
Heading to CMP in July!
Jason Aloisio
Following-up on this and your question about sustainability... Are the mentors compensated in some way for participation? Have the majority stayed committed for the 2 year duration?
Timothy Fetting
NTC Faculty, STEM Center Coordinator
Mentors are reimbursed for their time. We have been fortunate to have a core group of approximately 12 mentors commit for the duration of the two years. We also had some who attended sporadically either because of a lack of commitment or a busy high school schedule with extra-curricular activities and/or work.
Further posting is closed as the showcase has ended.