We’re celebrating YALSA’s Teen Tech Week here at Norcross High and love this year’s DIY theme. We’re doing a combination of high tech and low tech activities with students this week; students can sign up to come during their lunch/guided study period to participate in the activities while eating lunch and enjoying the company of their peers.
On Monday, March 10, we spent three fun-filled hours creating friendship bracelets and tech cord and accessory covers with our students! We provided some tutorial videos and print-outs of “how to” instructions, but together, we learned by doing. Students shared their newly discovered tips and tricks as they experimented with different techniques and learned through experience. Our teens loved having time during the day to relax, socialize, and create together, and we are thrilled that we can offer opportunities for playful learning during the day like this that can either spark interest or nurture existing ones. The feedback was so positive that we now are working on incorporating a crafting area for students into our learning studio design for next year.
Resources for Day 1:
- Video Tutorial for Using Embroidery Floss to Craft Earphone Covers
- Wiki How: Making a Friendship Bracelet
- Sparkling Friendship Bracelet Headphones
- More visuals on friendship bracelets and tech cord covers from Apartment Therapy
- We purchased multiple packs of embrodiery floss with many colors at JoAnn’s (hint: use the 40% coupons available online and in their print flyers).
The Unquiet Librarian 
Good Morning Buffy!
Boy—you do inspire me, and make me better at what I do. Thanks!
Where do you get the instructions for the bracelets and cord covers for your Monday activity? Sounds awesome! Simple and fun. I’ve been looking online for instructions, but not finding the cord covers. If you could send me the instructions your students used, I would be most appreciative.
I’m not doing Teen Tech Week this week—ours will be 2nd week of April. Love the lunch time passes idea—sounds like fun. Much better than after school. I’m going to have an “antique” tech display—slide rules, palm pilots, cassette tapes, etc. See if students can id the items. After all, that’s technology, right?
Have a wonderful day. We’re getting ready for snow over ice☹
Sharon Davis
Sharon Davis
Librarian
Grades 7-12
Taconic Hills Secondary School
73 County Route 11A
Craryville, New York 12521
(518) 325-2800
““What can I say? Librarians rule.”
~~Regis Philbin
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Hi Sharon! Check out the resources at the end of the post—between the videos and the pics, we pieced together instructions and figured out the rest side by side with our students (the beauty of such things!). I love your ideas for the Teen Tech Week you’re planning! Best, Buffy p.s. so sorry more snow is coming!
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Hi,
It sounds as if you are starting a beginning maker program. Here is a link to an article about the Maker Movement for schools: http://www.weareteachers.com/hot-topics/special-reports/how-the-maker-movement-is-transforming-education.
I am looking into making a corner of our library a work space for this idea. It is a good combination tech and hands-on for those kinesthetic learners. It sounds as if you had a good time.
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Hi! Yes, in many ways, we are although we have other forms of making in mind as well. If you’re interested in makerspaces, you might want to check out some of the published work I’ve done on the topic including https://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/teen-tech-week-2014-day-1-crafting-experimenting-and-learning-by-doing-with-embroidery-floss/. The beauty of makerspaces is that there are so many diverse forms of creating and making–low tech and high tech and somwewhere in between! 🙂 Best, Buffy
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