Articles tagged with: makerspace news

  • Makerspace News – End of Year

    Thursday, December 17, 2020 | By

    What's new in 2021 in the Makerspace (purple, pink and light circles)

    What a year it’s been. 2020 is certainly going to be remembered in the Brock Makerspace as the year we made the Makerspace virtual! We have some new exciting events coming up in the new semester, so lets take a look.

    New ways to Learn and Collaborate in 2021

    New Workshops:  Intro to Soundcloud will be a new workshop added in 2021. This workshop is a great way for your students to build digital literacy and gain new skills in audio editing and production.

    New collaborative events:  Maker Hour events will give learners the opportunity to create alongside Makerspace staff and your fellow makers a project in 3D Modelling or Digital Audio Creation.

    ‘Ask a Maker’ on Instagram: You can join our live conversations with experts in the maker community and post your questions.  Follow us @brockmakerspace

    All Makerspace events will be hosted online through Lifesize or Instagram and continue to be an excellent resource for individual students and classes alike.

     

    Using our Website

    The ‘Learning in the Makerspace‘ page is an excellent resource for faculty & students to explore all our synchronous and asynchronous learning tools.  If you want to coordinate an in-class presentation using one of our workshops, email us at makerspace@brocku.ca 

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  • Makerspace News

    Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | By

    close up shot of a black and pink microphone with a person playing guitar in the back

    What’s New This Term!

    Tech Highlights

    Now that we’re all moved into our new space, it allows us to start working in-depth with several of our new technologies. One of the most notable and quite frankly largest additions to our tech roster is the Whisper Room, an official sound isolation booth perfect for any form of audio recording! Coated wall to wall in sound dampening foam, it couples excellent with our audio tech to produce smooth and clear vocals free of any disruptive background noise.

    These coupled technologies are both dynamic and condenser microphones for a variance of sound quality and provide room for students to dabble and experiment. Each mic is directly connected to an audio interface which is connected to the computer workstation adjacent to the booth, loaded with several audio editing software to balance both vocals and instruments. The booth itself is also hooked up with a remote LED light to illuminate the room for viewing music sheets or scripts with clarity. The computing station also comes with its own mic for two way communication between station and booth to make recording a breeze.

    Located in our audio lab, the booth is open for all to use, so feel free to stop in and give it a try, no matter your musical inclination!

    Collaborations

    Students

    But it’s not just faculty and staff that use the space for their own projects, after all its biggest population is students, so it’s no wonder we have an abundance of their work to choose from!

    Recently, given our new move, students are slowly beginning to trickle back into the space, but a certain group has been consistent in attending every day since our official opening

    began back on the 6th. Students Travis Lewis May, Nick Rutherford, Duke Samaka, and Anjola Komdafe have been making extended use of our esteemed audio lab with great enthusiasm. The group is crafting a collective track demo of their music work, so in many ways this is a double collaboration!

    Each member takes up an individual role, one directing and composing, another providing additional composition regarding beat, the writer, and the audio engineer to form their own small scale production team. They each bring a variety of editing knowledge to the table, boasting skills in both FL Studios and Logic Pro both of which the Makerspace provides.

    They’ve been extremely grateful to the Makerspace for providing a dedicated space to work on audio, as this was not the first time the team came together to create music. Originally they used to house a makeshift studio within one of the member’s dorms in Brock’s own Village residence. With it came the several obstructions of managing their noise levels and picking up the background noise of dormitory life, making for a rather temperamental recording space. Now they can apply their extensive knowledge to create in a fully equipped recording environment.

    If you would like a chance to do a live session of your own in our audio lab, or any lab for that matter, visit our Main Service Desk in the Makerspace and make a reservation any time between 1- 6 pm. You can also email us your booking request at makerspace@brocku.ca with the subject line “Audio Lab Reservation”.

    FACULTY

    Over the past three and a half years we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with students and faculty on a variety of personal and curricular based projects.  We got to sit down with Dr. Karen Louise Smith who has been an avid supporter and user of the Makerspace, and we asked her some questions to learn a bit more about what sparked her interest in using the Makerspace.  She has previously collaborated with the Makerspace for another course she teaches, COMM 3P91 – Information Technology: Policies and Issues where students had to 3D print an object to spark a conversation about a controversy that emerges from an information technology theme.

    What technology did you use in your class to enhance experiential learning?

    I developed a podcasting assignment for the Social Media course (Comm 2P91 / IASC 2P91 / PCUL 2P91) in the fall 2019 semester that was centered around fake news. The students in my course were able to borrow technologies like a Zoom recorder, or snowball microphone, from the Makerspace to record audio clips to use in their podcasts…Read More

     

    Featured Partnerships in Brock News

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    Important Announcements

    Social Media – Any updates or news can be accessed via our social media on Instagram @brockmakerspace and Twitter @BrockMakerSpace. Be sure to give us a follow on either (or both if you’re so inclined) to know when we’re throwing something new and exciting your way! Don’t forget to tag us in any of your posts, we’ll be sure to give it a like and feature it on our own pages! Embrace the digital and keep on making, in and out of the space!

    Upcoming Events & Workshops

    MAKERSPACE EVENT THEMES

    The theme this month of January will be Audio, where we will take you through a progression of topics surrounding the capturing, editing, and refining of your audio.

    Event Titles

    • Makerspace Tour: Audio Lab
    • Audio: Basics of Recording for Podcasting
    • 3D Modelling Sound Waves

    Makerspace Event Calendar

    Subscribe to our Experience BU page to stay up to date on our events and learning opportunities.

    There are no events scheduled at this time.

     

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    Categories: Makerspace

  • Faculty Collaborations: Dr. Karen Louise Smith

    Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | By

    Over the past three and a half years we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with students and faculty on a variety of personal and curricular based projects.  We got to sit down with Dr. Karen Louise Smith who has been an avid supporter and user of the Makerspace, and we asked her some questions to learn a bit more about what sparked her interest in using the Makerspace.  She has previously collaborated with the Makerspace for another course she teaches, COMM 3P91 – Information Technology: Policies and Issues where students had to 3D print an object to spark a conversation about a controversy that emerges from an information technology theme.

    Dr. Karen Louise Smith

    PhD, University of Toronto
    MA, Simon Fraser University
    BA, McMaster University

    What technology did you use in your class to enhance experiential learning?

    I developed a podcasting assignment for the Social Media course (Comm 2P91 / IASC 2P91 / PCUL 2P91) in the fall 2019 semester that was centered around fake news. The students in my course were able to borrow technologies like a Zoom recorder, or snowball microphone, from the Makerspace to record audio clips to use in their podcasts. After the students recorded their audio, they could continue to edit their podcasts using Audacity software in the Makerspace. Because Audacity is an open source software title, students could also download a copy of the editing program to work on their projects independently.

    What sparked the idea to collaborate with the Makerspace for this class?

    I wanted to collaborate with the Makerspace on this podcasting assignment so that my students could explore the democratic potential of social media. Through this assignment, I wanted my students to tinker, create, and act as media makers versus consumers online. Podcasting provides a relatively early example of a social media genre, which fostered opportunities for creative expression and self-publishing for internet end users. Creating opportunities for my students to create their own digital media closely relates to my previous research on web literacy and citizenship. I remain hopeful that experiencing the democratic potential of the web is one way in which society can resist disinformation, surveillance, exploitation and some of the negative aspects of our digitally mediated lives.

    What has been your overall experience with working with the Makerspace staff and technology resources?

    The Makerspace offers all of the technical equipment that my students need to create a quality podcast. I hear from students that they appreciate that the Makerspace is available virtually every day during the term for drop-in support. Makerspace staff are also readily available to me as a faculty member when I need assistance.

    Do you hope to collaborate with the Makerspace in the Future?

    Yes, I hope to repeat the podcasting assignment again in the Social Media course in 2020.

    We look forward continuing our relationship with Dr. Smith by supporting her innovative and nuanced methods of incorporating Makerspace technology into her pedagogy.

    Links

    Dr. Karen Louise Smith https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/cpcf/people-in-the-department/karen-louise-smith/#1562268043356-51eb4bbe-b548

    Social Media course https://brocku.ca/webcal/2019/undergrad/comm.html#COMM_2P91

    Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/

    Previous research https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6174

    Web literacy https://mozilla.github.io/webmaker-whitepaper/

    Information Technology: Policies and Issues https://brocku.ca/webcal/2019/undergrad/comm.html#COMM_3P91

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    Categories: Makerspace, Uncategorised

  • Makerspace News

    Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | By

    What’s New This Month!

    Makerspace Highlights

    Oh yes, it’s happening.

    After keeping both students and staff alike in suspense, we’ve finally come to bring the good news. We are moving!

    More importantly, we’re moving somewhere BIGGER.

    Yes, the Brock Makerspace is relocating from its humble little home in the James A. Gibson library out into the newly built Rankin Family Pavilion.

    With this added space, we’ll be able to load in new equipment and software previously unavailable to showcase. Things like resin printing, laser cutting, and several copies of technologies already displayed in the old space give students ample opportunity to explore and engage in their creative exploits.  We provide dedicated spaces for each of our varying technologies (audio, video, 3D printing, VR, etc.) so students who wish to pursue a specific type of tech can have a focused environment that gives them the tools they need to create and succeed!

    This new space also provides us with a dedicated workshop lab that is all our own to utilize. And being directly located in the space gives all students and staff immediate access to experiment. Along with the abundance of rooms, our central workstation is now much larger, with plenty of desk space for patrons to tinker and create.

    Read more

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  • Makerspace News

    Monday, November 04, 2019 | By

    person wearing virtual reality headset with a large display and brock banner in the background

    What’s New This Month!

    Technology Highlight

    In October we introduced the Brother LB6950, Embroidery and Quilting machine to the Makerspace. So far students have regularly been utilizing this classic piece of making technology to learn a new skill or work on a personal project. Our new sewing machine is a great compliment to our Cricut Maker which cuts hundreds of materials quickly and accurately, from the most delicate paper and fabric to matboard and leather.

    This month we’ll be learning how best to use the embroidery function of this machine and creating a series of sewing workshops for the new term. Join us on this journey by visiting the Makerspace.

    IMPORTANT features

    Equipment for Loan – All students, faculty and staff have the ability to borrow technology from our loanable equipment catalogue for up to 3 days. If you are an instructor or faculty member in need of equipment for a course or research, fill out our Support Form to get started. We’ll then follow up with you and schedule a time for you to connect with our knowledgeable Makerspace staff.

    Pay for Print – The Makerspace is open and available for everyone to use, including community members! Our new pay for print model allows all users more freedom to print 3D models from online platforms in your desired resolution. More Details

    Upcoming events & workshops

    AS OF DECEMBER 1ST LOANS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AS THE MAKERSPACE IS MOVING LOCATIONS. LOANS ARE SET TO RESUME WITH THE RE-OPENING OF THE SPACE IN THE NEW YEAR!

    Makerspace Event Calendar

    Subscribe to our Experience BU page to stay up to date on our events and learning opportunities.

    There are no events scheduled at this time.

    Featured Faculty Partnerships

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