So there’s a lot happening behind the scenes with the FabLearn Fellows! The new cohort is starting to meet, virtually, of course. New blog posts and videos will be coming soon. We are in the very early stages of planning Volume 3 of the Meaningful Making book series.
And the previous cohorts of FabLearn Fellows are doing interesting things too! Here are some recent posts from this school year:
Making Remotely: Sending Embroidery Kits Home and Teaching on Zoom by Heather Pang. Heather shares a project for her remote history classes using embroidery kits sent home to students. Reflecting on this project, Heather says, “Looking back on the work, I think this project will stay in my class even when we are back to full time in person school. It unites the history of the craft, which is important in American history, women’s history, and economic history, (and really any period of history, those are just the ones that fit in my class) with practicing the craft. It is an opportunity for students to learn something that might be completely new to them, but is an ancient craft.”
Weekend Maker Camp under Covid-19 conditions by Mathias Wunderlich. This video and interview showcases a weekend Maker Camp, a.k.a. the 48 Hour Tinkering Monastery, under COVID-19 conditions. Mathias shares the planning and the process that went into making this a safe and meaningful experience for everyone involved.

A mole of aluminum
Mole Day in the Makerspace by Josh Ajima. Join Josh Ajima in celebrating Mole Day in a maker way. Believe it or not, Mole Day is an actual, if unofficial, holiday which according to the Wikipedia article, “… is celebrated among chemists, chemistry students and chemistry enthusiasts on October 23, between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m., making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. The time and date are derived from the Avogadro number, which is approximately 6.02×1023, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one mole (mol) of substance, one of the seven base SI units.”
Cherokee Language Syllabary for 3D Design in Tinkercad by Josh Ajima. Josh shares an idea for using 3D design to allow the use of characters in any language in student projects, such as popular makerspace projects like making a keychain using your own name. “Converting non-roman character sets into a library of 3D glyphs, allows students to easily create their name in the target language. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes the right to languages as an inherent right for indigenous peoples. Furthermore the United Nation recognizes language rights as the direct application of basic human rights such as freedom of expression. Creating design aids such as the Cherokee Language Syllabary in programs such as Tinkercad works to promote and normalize these rights in the 3D design world.”