We presented the few solutions that we had come up with to the class on May 16, 2011. We decided to go with JunkMail because we could incorporate the best parts of the other ideas (creativity, community) into it. The feedback that we got on it was to focus on the system rather than on the kits themselves. How can we create a community around it? How can we leverage the NetFlix type model where we consistently send parents kits? How can we make sure that existing kits are educational?
We went to the Maker's Faire in San Mateo on 5/21. There, we gained a much more visceral appreciation of the truth of the suggestion to focus on the system. We saw dozens of kits. We even saw one kit that involved putting junk in a box, putting a scenario on the box, and selling it for $5. In other words, someone had already implemented the kit part of JunkMail. However, we didn't see a ton of well thought out systems, and the people that we talked to there seemed to agree that a system could have a high impact. Another big thing that we noticed in our interviews at the Maker's Faire was that everyone there was already well integrated into the tech world, and most of the organizations there were targeting techy people. The unique thing about our system is that it's attempting to target non-techy parents.
At this point, we were getting JunkMail polished up.
We put together a website, the center of our recurring model and our community: http://stemengine.wordpress.com/.
We made some fancy informational slips after getting some tips from a PhD in education (getting parents to teach by asking questions is good. Getting them to learn is good too).
We continued interviewing people. But at this point, our project was mostly done and ready for the final turn in on May 25.
Interview with Karin and Nika on JunkMail:
- Description
- high tech and stem are not the same as hands on learning, which is not the same as digital learning. Many low tech parents encourage digital tools.
- Framing the issue is hard. Whatever wording you choose is fine. If you want to say tinker, say it.
- Many engineers would be into this. Are you sure that you want to limit them out?
- Seeing the home page makes me ask: how are you different from other services that exist?
- Ordering
- When ordering, I would ask my child even if I might think "mechanical is good and educational"
- I would probably give the kit to my kid at home on a weekend since I work full time and she is in bed at 7:30
- I would order several kits if it was cool enough. I have a few kids that interact with me. Maybe Grandma would have time to do them with the kids.
- Netflix idea -- recommendation queue or pick
- Many boys are passionate about a particular interest. Their themes may be weird. You need to allow tagging because there is no way that you'll get all of the connections they make.
- Community
- Uploading the pics is annoying extra work. If they came extra month but came faster with a reply or photo, it would be nicer.
- a photo or a comment is better than both a photo and a comment
- Teaching
- I want to be able to teach the mechanical principles in winding stuff up!
- Maybe add a puzzle-like rating system. How hard?/ For what ages?
- Even opening stuff has teaching/bonding moments!
- Info Slip Particulars
- I like the info slip idea. The trick is different versions for different ages.
- Map the info to school curricula
- big text and colored pics → good, clear directions
- there are a lot of languages on this slip. you could customize that. But I think that languages is a cool learning opportunity
- Prepare questions
- Transfer Questions: would metal work the same? How would nails versus glue work? What if there was a longer rubber band? Guess together, and then check your work online.
- Can go further than the answer: "you know that there's a parabola... why does it behave like a parabola?"
- examples, questions, tie-ins, academic bridge, opportunity to extend it to your own world
- Form factor: try different stuff. brochure, cards, full size paper...
- it's unintuitive to have to go on the computer to a hands on kit. Put the tutorials, printed, inside of the box. the computer might be a desktop that is in a separate room from the craft room. You don't want a kid with paint getting their hands all over the computer.
- Making Parents Better Teachers
- avoid parents doing it for their kids. Ask the kids questions, don't give them answers.
- In case parents don't know the correct answer and would feel embarrassed if they gave the wrong answer, you could structure it such that parents have their kids guess and then let the parents show them the answer online
- What part is learning and what part is building? There is a correct way, but I still let my kid explore. That's why ginger bread houses allow for more creativity. Exploration and openendedness is good. Don't constrain it to a how-to. Show how the principle works.
- Use analogies for explaining stuff to parents.
- Tell parents why and how to ask good questions
- get them to observe, notice stuff.
- what is a hypothesis?
- don't talk down to parents
- give parents vocabulary. Define. Insight.
- can be general: "talk more about …"
- I don't generally read "how to teach" stuff when I get it in the mail. How can you integrate it so that people will read it?
- embedding teaching in the activity is cool. Teaching teachers. It's hard to make it respectful, but it is good when it works.
- Think about the space. Where is this physically happening? Community center? In front of my garage? If community center, maybe it won't be parents who are teaching the kids. Who will buy, who will implement, and why will upload?
- If there is a special time and place for crafts, it's easier to fit stuff in. Know the space. Then, you can answer whether it would be more fruitful to focus on cooking or on crafts. Knowing who will implement will help you figure out if the uploads will ever happen.
- Among affluent families, people will buy this because they have to leave their kids alone with their nannies all day.
- Have enough supplies. Ie, give several paint brushes if there are several colors of paint.
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