March Roundup

March 2017 Roundup

Hey All,
We had some great activity in the discussion forum throughout March, so I thought I'd highlight/remind folks about some of the most discussed issues faced by our YOUmedia community.

1. Maker and Tech-y Nonfiction Print Resources

Many folks contributed ideas like Lynda.com, Make Magazine, several spreadsheets with lists of resources, and more. To avoid redundancy I won't post those resources here but here's the link to the discussion thread if you want to peruse the various resources that were offered.
Most community members have found that print resources aren't used as much by teen participants but are still good to have available for students who like to see example projects or have a more guided starting point. These print resources were also found to be helpful for mentors and staff for research and programming purposes.

2. Potentially Dangerous Tools (Sewing Machines, Soldering Irons, Utility Knives, etc.)

Since most of our sites make use of some equipment that may be considered dangerous (or at least have the potential to cause minor injuries) some good discussion focused around how to make sure all participants stay safe but are still allowed to develop skills using these tools.

Some Sites use certification systems to make sure students/staff are properly trained to use the tools while other's don't. It probably is a good idea to at least set up a basic safety course for students, before they have independent access to soldering irons, knives, sewing needles, etc.) Here's the link to the thread for the whole discussion; http://community.astc.org/youmedia/communities/viewdiscussions/viewthread/?GroupId=151&MID=4210

3. Simple Solutions to Behavior Issues
Luckily, it seems most of us haven't faced any major behavior/disciplinary issues yet. Hurray! But Sari, Tricia, and Daniel all shared some pretty simple strategies for encouraging better behavior in our Learning Lab environments. See their suggestions here.