Cohort Members
Last year PS 130 joined the Software Engineering Pilot Program for elementary schools, SEP Jr., with the encouragment of Principal Renny Fong, who has been advocating for more creative uses of technology. PS 130 is a Blue Ribbon School for a very good reason, it's filled with caring, committed educators.
Principal Renny Fong
with support from Lori and the MFSC
Why did you choose a career in education?
It's all about the children.
What hobbies or other interests have your brought to your classroom?
Technology, small at-home projects, raising a Maker.
How do you plan on bringing Making to your students this year?
Trying to get teachers on board at school.
Making in School
Katherine Rudnev
with support from Renny Fong
Why did you choose a career in education?
I wanted to inspire and be inspired by children.
What hobbies or other interests have your brought to your classroom?
We're working on creating Passion Projects in my classroom right now. For my own Passion Project, I made two stuffed sock animals to eventually donate to a toy drive. I also love snowboarding and biking and plan to incorporate the science of sports into Making activities.
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How do you plan on bringing Making to your students this year?
As in the past finding opportunities to enhance lessons in the computer lab with hands on activities such as using cut paper animation, and building robotic 'race' tracks, etc.
Wenmin Nicklas
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Crystal Oh
Tracy Chiang
Additional Cohort Members
PS 130 - The De Soto School
District 2 - Chinatown
Pre-K - 5
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Making Space
PS 130's principal, Renny Fong, is a member of our Cohort and is supporting bringing Making into his school. Between being part of the SEP Jr. Cohort and our Maker Ed Cohort, PS 130 is investing in creative learning. Space is limited but in 4th grade teacher Ms. Rudnev's class, there is only the limit of her students imagination.
Making Experiences
Ms. Rudnev discovered Genius Hour and Maker Spaces work perfectly together. Building a unit around the idea of change, Ms. Rudnev asked her students to design something that would help improve on what they are passionate about. From springs on the bottom of sneakers to help little kids jump higher to scarecrows to keep animals from trampling the school's garden to a shark repellent for the bottom of surf boards, Ms. Rudnev's class has taken on the challenge.
Making Ideas:
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Genius Hour lends itself to any unit of study or deeper dive into curriculum that is student centered.
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Documenting the process is something Ms. Rudnev is exploring in conjunction with PS 130's Technology Teacher, Li Shi. By making digital portfolios a part of the Making experience students have the opportunity to reflect on the work they've done.
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The next big unit is an Author Study and should be an exciting opportunity for students to make connections with the text.
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