#BRESA Tech Talk

This week in the Michiana area there have been (and will continue to be) a number of fantastic, free learning opportunities all under that coordinated efforts of  IDEA week  .  The South Bend Mini Maker Faire was one of the first events and along the way Adam Savage, Daymond John, and others will have shared their thoughts on entrepreneurship and creativity.   Individual sessions and panels on topics such as autonomous vehicles, advanced manufacturing processes and 'smart cities' are offered daily.  The week concludes with a TedX event featuring students from the University of Notre Dame.   I headed down Monday evening to listen to the ultimate Maker - Adam Savage.  He shared his passion for inventory, love of all things Stanley Kubrick, and how his obsessiveness has lead him to painstakingly make all manner of items.  During the question and answer period he fielded a question about infusing creativity in the classroom and hi...

Berrien RESA is excited to bring drones to your classroom!  Through the generosity of the Bosch Corporation, and their partnership with Cornerstone Alliance, we were able to purchase 35 FlyBrix Lego drone kits.  Ten of the kits are RC controlled while the other 25 are controlled via a bluetooth connection to an app enabled device.  The FlyBrix app is free! On Monday, November 21 we were invited to Upton Middle School.  We were able to work with 20 6-8 graders in one 40 minute block of time.   Most students worked with a partner, but there were some groups of three.  This seemed to work well; any more than three means someone would not have their hands in on the building.  We learned a lot and are ready for the next classroom.  Below are our biggest takeaways. _________________________________________________ 1. Kids were super engaged throughout the building process.  They picked which of the three FlyBrix designs they wanted to buil...

Congratulations! At this point you have joined the realm of 3D printing and are trying to get started with your machine.  Welcome to the experiment phase! When getting started with your machine, be prepared to have more failures than successes when you begin.  Think of it like learning how to ride a bike.  You have the machine, in theory it should function, but it is a fine-tuned piece of equipment that you will learn tricks to operating.  While learning the tendencies of your printer you will have many prints that will not work out correctly.  Ask anyone who has been printing for a while and they will have many stories of epic fails, and likely will have a few examples of failed prints around for you to see. My goal with this post is to share with you a couple of tricks and tips that I have learned the hard way so that you may hopefully learn from my mistakes and save yourself some filament. Tip #1: Start by printing lots of flat or box shaped items. h...

By now, it is likely that you have seen or heard of the concept of 3D printing.  The easiest way to think of it is taking a 3D model off of the computer and turning it into a real life product.  3D printing is an additive manufacturing process so there is very little waste when you make objects. When you decide to get started yourself, it can be VERY overwhelming trying to figure out which 3D printer to buy and how to even begin.  In this series of blog posts, I intend to share some first hand tips on how to make that process easier and help you avoid some mistakes that I have made. Finding a Printer S eeMeCNC Rostock MAX v2 Congratulations, you have examined your educational goals and figured out that a 3D printer would be a good fit for you and your students!  Expect that you will need to have a budget of approx. $700 to $1000 to get started.  That would include the cost of the machine, and a spool of filament. Here at the RESA we have a RoStock MA...

In 2005, Dale Dougherty, through Maker Media, launched Make Magazine.  This has proven to be a catalyst for what is now known as the Maker Movement.  In 2006, to celebrate what was being created from the magazine and in the world at large, Maker Faire was born.  The first faire was held in the San Francisco Bay Area and attracted over 20,000 attendees.   In 2015, more than 1.2 million people will have attended over 150 events all over the globe.  Locally, we are proud that our own event - the Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire contributed over 1,200 attendees!  But what I am most happy to say is that the art of making and creating is alive in classrooms all over our area and spreading. The folks at Maker Media have been busy again lately, providing several excellent opportunities to help your classroom, school, and community.  One of the first places to start is Maker Ed .  This site provides a powerful resource library and a ‘playbook’...