Education Law

Do-It-Yourself

Edutopia recently discussed do-it-yourself (DIY) projects as part of the classroom experience. We've mentioned DIY before, but for a brief refresher here's the definition from Wikipedia: "DIY is a term used by various communities that focus on people creating or repairing things for themselves without the aid of paid professionals. The notion is related in philosophy to the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries."

Edutopia points out, and BoardBuzz agrees, that teachers are natural DIYers. Nothing is more natural to teachers than engaging students with hands-on projects. There are many projects from the DIY community that teachers can find a use for in the classroom. BoardBuzz remembers our first DIY experience of making a sock puppet, but the sky is the limit. For example, Edutopia spotlights one DIYer who turned a Wii into a whiteboard:

Johnny Chung Lee is not your average video gamer. When Lee, a bespectacled computer science graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, bought a new Wii gaming console, he wasn't content to burn endless hours playing the tennis, bowling, and golf games that came with the popular system.

Instead, he modified his Wii to perform a variety of simple tasks that, together, can mimic expensive technology -- tech often out of the reach of the average classroom teacher. Then he posted the instructions, and accompanying video, online.

For instance, with about $50 and a trip to Radio Shack, Lee can show you how to turn a blank wall space into an interactive whiteboard -- savings: about $1,500. Another project he devised instructs intrepid hackers in the best way to create a steadycam for stable video work. Cost: about $14.

There is quite a variety of DIY communities and websites on the web. Here's some that Edutopia mentions and a few they don't.

• Wired How-to Wiki - Collaborate with Wired editors and add to their library of projects, hacks, tricks and tips. Browse more than 300 how-to articles and add to them, or start a new one.
• DIY Network - DIY Network is your television source for the latest do-it-yourself projects and videos, including Home Improvement; Crafts; Gardening and Woodworking.
• Instructables - Instructables is the World's Biggest Show & Tell where people share what they do and how they do it. Join other creative, curious people for entertainment, inspiration, and education.
• Make - Make brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. Make is loaded with exciting projects that help you make the most of your technology at home and away from home. This is a magazine that celebrates your right to tweak, hack, etc.
• Howtoons - Howtoons has simple, inexpensive projects that kids would enjoy, presented in a fun cartoon format.
• Hacked Gadgets - Many articles about hacking gadgets and DIY projects describing how to build electronic projects.
• Lifehacker - An award-winning, daily blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently.
• DIY:happy - DIY:happy brings you the coolest DIY projects from around the net from building your own nuclear reactor to knitting a scarf. Hardware, electronics, and software are all covered here.
• Maker Faire - Like a science fair, the Maker Faire will have lots of DIY tech projects from the Make magazine and elsewhere. It's a celebration of Makers of all kinds and a great opportunity to learn and explore.

We particularly like how Edutopia sums up the article: "What makes DIYers special is their enthusiasm and their willingness to share their expertise. DIYers are truly lifelong learners and teachers. They don't always realize it, though -- they're too busy having fun." Teachers clearly have inroads to becoming lifelong DIYers.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on July 14, 2008 (boomark / email).