Final Post

Well, this is it!
This is my final genius hour post, and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
My whole genius hour experience has been great! It took me a bit to figure out what I wanted to do for this project, but I am so glad that I chose what I did!
This is what my loom currently looks like:

It is still in progress, but thats okay! I struggled with what I should do at this point. Originally I had wanted to have a project completed by the end of this course, but it just didn't work out. I used my genius hour time, and then some, and it just takes longer than I expected! I was thinking about tying it off now, but I decided I would rather finish with the plan that I have. 

The most valuable part of genius hour for me was the process of learning through creativity and passions. I am so excited to implement genius hour, and its concepts within my teaching practices. I think that using genius hour can really help students learn about themselves as learners, as well as discovering how much can be learned through enjoyable activities! 

Overall this genius hour project has been a great experience! 

It's Alivvvveeeee!!

This week was rather exciting for me. I have officially made my loom!
I hit up a local Value Village, and found a great frame, that I thought would work perfectly for my loom, and it was only $5.99! Wooo!

 I then headed off to Home Depot, and picked up some nails, and was ready to go! I was even able to find nails that matched the colour of my frame!

Once I got it all home (and took the ugly picture out of the frame) I marked dots along the top and bottom of the frame about 2.5 cm apart. I then began to hammer the nails on the marked spots, and well, frankly this is when it all went south.... 

I exaggerate, but I did run into an issue. The frame was too thin, and the nails were too close together and as a result the frame began to split!  

I freaked out, got super mad, and basically threw it in a corner, and decided I would have to start again. Overreaction to the max.

After an episode of The Mindy Project (because it makes me laugh, and therefore made me calm down, and re-evaluate) I went back to the frame to see if there was a way for me to salvage it. After a little bit of thinking, and tinkering, I decided to try using a very small drill bit to drill tiny holes into the frame, and then stick the nails in to avoid the pressure that was causing the splitting. This time, it was a success! I strung up my strings, and got it all ready to go. I even started a little bit, because I am so excited!

I learned a lot this past week/genius hour. I was reminded of the importance of taking time to re-evaluate before scrapping projects, because sometimes there are parts that are salvageable. This is such an important lesson to teach students. Some of the greatest creations can come out of 'failures', and so being able to look at things from a different angle, and press on is so important in life. Similarly I think it is important to have the ability to leave a project, take a break, and then get back at it. It gives you time to clear your head, and perhaps approach it from another angle when you get back to working. 

Overall this week has been productive, and a great learning experience, and I can't wait to get started on my first (hopefully of many) weaving project! :) 

~ Hannah 

Not A Box

Last week we watched a video in class called Not A Box. The video is based on a book, that emphasizes the importance, of creativity, especially in regards to children. We then did our own 'not a box' drawing. Here is mine: It's not a box.. its a fish tank!

Creativity is so important to me. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love all things crafty, and creative. Without creativity we would never have people pushing the envelope, and creating new and amazing things! As a future teacher I hope to encourage my students to be creative in everything they do! Creativity is often put 'in a box'; and reserved for subjects like art and music, but we can use creativity everywhere! I hope to encourage my students to always be thinking 'outside the box' in the hope that this will encourage creativity, and ultimately a love of learning! 

Research..

This week I focused on researching for my genius hour project.
As previously mentioned, I started with a Pinterest Board, and it has been growing over the past week. I decided to combine a few ideas in the creation of my loom. I was inspired by this blog, and I have decided to try and find a picture frame to use as the frame for my loom. I hope that I can find one from a thrift store, in order to keep cost, and wastefulness down to a minimum.
After researching what kind of loom to make, I then began to research what other tools are necessary for weaving on a loom, and what they are used for.
While I will skip the fine details, I have found this site to be very helpful in explaining the tools of weaving.
I have chosen to use; a batten (which is rather necessary), tensioning threads (also very necessary), and a fork (I will be using a comb). I have decided not to go into using the other tools because it is my first project, and I don't want it to be too complicated.
As I have been researching all of this, I have discovered (or perhaps rediscovered) one of my fatal flaws; wanting to skip the directions, and jump right in. Many times this week, I had to remind myself to continue to focus on my research not only to keep on track with my schedule, but also to be able to come out having done as much research as I could, making for a better end product. I think this concept will become a key element within my teaching later on. Not only for myself but for my students as well. It is far more efficient to fully understand and evaluate instructions before beginning a task. A simple concept, yet one I think we often forget!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my research this week, and during my designated genius hour time, and I am so excited to get started on building my loom!

The Start Of My Genius Hour Project

Hello!

This week we began to dig into our Genius Hour projects, and we were required to come up with a Genius Hour project proposal. I'm not going to lie, I struggled to come up with something to do. I wanted to invest my time in something that I not only enjoyed, but something that had an end product, and also ended with me learning something new that I could translate, in one way or another, to my future teaching practice.  Enter looming.

Taken From: http://www.spinnerschoice.com/Weaving%20Looms/SC_school_loom.gif

I already love all things crafty; knitting, sewing, painting, and anything else I can get my hands on! I few years back a friend made a loom for a school assignment, and I made a mental note to make one for myself, but never got around to it. This made it the perfect project for my genius hour. I created a proposal which can be found here.
I was a little hesitant, because I didn't know if I would gain any transferable skills or knowledge that I could use in the classroom. However, I was pleasantly surprised while searching Pinterest, how many classroom activities their are that surround weaving, and looming!

I began adding teaching ideas, and ideas for my own project on a pinterest board I created for my Genius Hour. I decided to make my looms from as many recycled items as I can, and I hope to gather a list of materials I will need for my loom, and my first loom project as I continue to research this topic on Pinterest, and other websites.

I must say, I am very excited to get going on this project, and can't wait to see how the final products turn out!

Don't Be A Copy Cat, Follow The Rules Of Copyright!

Copyright is a very important subject, that is vital for teachers to understand. With all of the images, videos, and other digital media available to students online, it is important for teachers to discuss, teach and use copyright standards. It is not only important for students to use copyright when using others materials, but also to be aware of how to protect their own work with copyright!

Varlan, H. (2010, April 9) Large copyright sign made of jigsaw puzzle pieces [Online Image] Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4839454263/in/photolist-8nDt9B-9dyrHe-npG6Lo-pAq1bq-r7kcEb-q2KAkv-7nqB2t-xuGT2z-iTBzPg-pxbFuH-MKerv-mhe62e-iui6SY-5ASZ6x-pJTSEt-qBymu3-fK8sPd-2hSwzJ-fphYQZ-r7pFea-hdJ2wM-7E2x5u-9xNPqK-6jVc82-cov6E-fPhgvH-iiBqSb-5ASZ7T-6wq69z-q11kEr-4kSy2h-j7vjRW-iYxX74-9JWy4r-zqo76-iLcaeo-pR3gns-4HuKDX-ftoEyc-5kfomp-pxUfM1-m52jyH-pvD2Ug-icRxak-vK4NaN-7TBNEZ-dnvABk-iMgjEe-Y1HpK-4dHWP

Over the course of my readings for this week, I have learned quite a few things about copyright, but here are the top 3 things that I think are the most important:

It's not all black and white - Copyright has variations. Some images or creations can be used, or altered under certain circumstances, and other can not.  Some images or creations are not allowed for commercial use, whereas other are.  It is important to know what the copyright is on everything you use in order to respect the work of others.

Respect - Copyright all boils down to respect. Respect the individual who created the media you are using, by informing yourself about what copyright licence they have chosen, and follow it.

Protect your work - Understanding and using copyright is not only important when using the media of others, but also when creating your own! If you plan to share your creations online, make sure that you copyright it in some way, specifying what ways your work can be used, or altered!

These three things will be very important to teach students so that they remember to think about what media they use during their online endeavours!

Sage_Solar (2015, April 24) Google Keep note art [Online Image] Retrieved from https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8800/17050225387_99b6f8cc4c.jpg

So that is what I have learned about copyright so far, and I hope it is something I can continue to learn about and use throughout my teaching career!

First Post

Hello!

Welcome to my Genius Hour Blog!

This is my first blog post for this specific blog, however not my first blog post! I took a course last year that required blogging, and if I am honest, I didn't love it. I am however excited, and looking forward to this class, and creating this blog as I navigate the concept of 'genius hour', and create some things that I am passionate about!

While I m still deciding what to do during my genius hour blocks, I have many things that I am passionate about. I truly have a passion for teaching. I find that I not only enjoy teaching others, but love learning things from others as well.  I hope that this blog, and my genius hour time blocks can be used as a way to incorporate my passion for teaching, and my other passions, and create something for my future endeavours as head into the workforce as a teacher!

Retrieved from: http://kdrausin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Depositphotos_52465217_l.jpg

In addition to teaching, I also love arts and crafts! I enjoy sewing painting, and many other crafty things, and I hope to incorporate those things into my teaching, and teaching style!

Retrieved From: http://paintandmain.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/sickles-events-481.jpg

Thanks for visiting!

Hannah