Search
Professional Development Spotlight: Joyful Maker Educators
Throughout the school year and during the summer months, MJS faculty and staff fully embrace the abundant opportunities for professional development. Whether webinar, single day conference or multi-day institute, our teachers never stop learning. Here Will Vasquez, educational technology teacher shares his experience.
Joyful Maker Educators
Will Vasquez
Design Do Discover was not a typical conference.
Over the summer, a handful of Mayfield teachers (Leena Berger, Adrienne Bononi, Sara Crepaux, Will Vasquez and Myv Hopton-Ahmed) traveled to Palo Alto for the Design, Do, Discover: Bourne Idea Lab at Castilleja School. We were excited to learn from Maker Space experts and better prepare ourselves for our first year with the new D-lab on campus. It was definitely a hands-on, active learning environment. We got the opportunity to use a wide range of tools from as simple as tape and scissors to as complex as circuits, laser cutters and 3D printers. Using these tools, we had to design a project of our choosing with a small group of like-minded educators. The finished products were a shadow box theater, self-made magnifying glass, light up signs, miniature models and much more. In addition to using the tools and resources to create and construct, one focus of the conference was to empower participants to become joyful maker educators and to imagine how they can integrate making into the daily life of their school setting. The inspiring agenda also included a tour of the Transformative Learning Technologies Lab at Stanford University and entrance to the teamlab exhibit PACE Art + Technology.
Back
Joyful Maker Educators
Will Vasquez
Design Do Discover was not a typical conference.
Over the summer, a handful of Mayfield teachers (Leena Berger, Adrienne Bononi, Sara Crepaux, Will Vasquez and Myv Hopton-Ahmed) traveled to Palo Alto for the Design, Do, Discover: Bourne Idea Lab at Castilleja School. We were excited to learn from Maker Space experts and better prepare ourselves for our first year with the new D-lab on campus. It was definitely a hands-on, active learning environment. We got the opportunity to use a wide range of tools from as simple as tape and scissors to as complex as circuits, laser cutters and 3D printers. Using these tools, we had to design a project of our choosing with a small group of like-minded educators. The finished products were a shadow box theater, self-made magnifying glass, light up signs, miniature models and much more. In addition to using the tools and resources to create and construct, one focus of the conference was to empower participants to become joyful maker educators and to imagine how they can integrate making into the daily life of their school setting. The inspiring agenda also included a tour of the Transformative Learning Technologies Lab at Stanford University and entrance to the teamlab exhibit PACE Art + Technology.
Mayfield Junior School
405 South Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101 626.796.2774
Located in Pasadena, California, Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a K-8 Catholic coeducational private school. Our kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school experience best prepares students for high school education and beyond.
