{"id":14755,"date":"2013-05-09T09:36:17","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T13:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hivetoronto.wpengine.com\/?p=117"},"modified":"2019-02-27T07:14:21","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T15:14:21","slug":"making-and-reflection-learnings-from-hive-torontos-nasa-youth-space-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/hive-toronto\/making-and-reflection-learnings-from-hive-torontos-nasa-youth-space-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Making and Reflection: Learnings from Hive Toronto&#8217;s NASA Youth Space Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\"><em>This was previously post on <a href=\"http:\/\/hivenyc.org\">Hive NYC <\/a>by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KathrynMeisner\" target=\"_blank\">Kathryn Meisner<\/a>, Director of Hive Toronto.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\">In last week&#8217;s inaugural <\/span><a style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\" href=\"http:\/\/hivenyc.org\/teachtheweb\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\">#teachtheweb<\/a><span style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"> Twitter <\/span><a style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/124Aevj\" target=\"_blank\">chat<\/a><span style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"> about making and learning, participant <\/span><a style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chadsansing\">Chad Sansing <\/a><span style=\"font-size: medium;font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\">succinctly outlined key ways we can learn from making: \u201cdesign, iteration, documentation, publication, reflection, failing w\/ gusto.&#8221; In my response, I heartily agreed but noted that reflection is often the missing piece of this puzzle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/commonspace.wordpress.com\/2012\/11\/26\/makingislearning\/\">making as learning<\/a>\u201d approach is baked into Hive member organizations&#8217; work with youth and it also underlies the way <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HiveToronto\">Hive Toronto<\/a> functions as a network. In efforts to build the reflection piece into the Hive Toronto puzzle, we held our first post-pop-up \u201cHigh Fives and Debrief\u201d session to discuss most recent event, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makerkids.ca\/nasa-youth-space-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\">NASA Youth Space Challenge<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>TLDR<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">In a nutshell, this debrief conversation showed us:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">We are indeed meeting a need within the Toronto community<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Our collaborative process is working<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">We run a mean pop-up<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">However, in order to level up we need to: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Be more proactive about making these opportunities accessible to more youth <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Tweak some of our collaborative and event-planning processes <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>The NASA Youth Space Challenge<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">On April 20<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">, Hive Toronto hosted the NASA Youth Space Challenge. It was one of 8 locations worldwide that offered a youth branch of the <a href=\"http:\/\/spaceappschallenge.org\/about\/\">NASA International Space Apps<\/a> competition. Space Apps \u201cembraces collaborative problem solving with a goal of producing relevant open-source solutions to address global needs applicable to both life on Earth and life in space.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">This pop-up was initiated by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makerkids.ca\/\">MakerKids<\/a>, a Hive Toronto member \u2013 another first for Hive Toronto! MakerKids took on a programming role and worked collaboratively with other members to create stations that utilized their organization&#8217;s skill set but added a space twist. I could not be the event lead for this pop-up because I was going to be out of the country on event day. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AshleyJaneLewis\">Ashley Lewis<\/a>, a Hive member via <a href=\"http:\/\/tiff.net\/tiffkids\">TiffKids<\/a>, MakerKids, and <a href=\"http:\/\/girlslearningcode.com\/\">Girls Learning Code<\/a>, stepped up to be the lead. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">In true <a href=\"http:\/\/empathetics.org\/2013\/01\/28\/networked-innovation-and-hive-nyc-popups-as-particle-accelerators\/\">Hive pop-up style<\/a>, the NASA Youth Space Challenge brought together 5 member organizations to provide awesome making and learning stations for youth to explore in a self-directed, interest driven way. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">In addition to MakerKids, participating Hive member organizations include<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bgccan.com\/\">Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/storyplanet.ca\/\">Story Planet<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/fabspaces.cc\/\">FabSpaces<\/a>, Girls Learning Code as well as the <a href=\"http:\/\/cpsx.uwo.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration<\/a> and Mozilla&#8217;s <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #1155cc\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmaker.org\/en-US\/\">Webmaker<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">team.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-fabspaces.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4027\" alt=\"NYSC - FabSpaces\" src=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-fabspaces.jpg?w=225\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Over 100 youth came to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rom.on.ca\/en\">ROM<\/a> to DJ with sounds from deep space, build Oooblecks, make cubestats, create exoplanets and more. MakerKids summed up the day in their blog post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makerkids.ca\/nasa-youth-space-challenge\/\">here<\/a>. Check out the pop-up from the perspective of youth members of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada as documented on the <a href=\"http:\/\/hivetoronto.tumblr.com\/\">Hive Toronto Tumblr<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-postcard.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4029\" alt=\"NYSC postcard\" src=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-postcard.jpg?w=217\" width=\"217\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><em><\/em><em>Youth edited photos and created stories to accompany their image with the &#8220;Wish You Were Here&#8221; post card station.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-dj.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4030\" alt=\"NYSC dj\" src=\"http:\/\/explorecreateshare.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/nysc-dj.jpg?w=300\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><em>DJing space soundtracks<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">I have to admit I was a bit nervous not being present at the pop-up but this reaffirmed what I already knew: Hive Toronto members are an extremely capable group of people who are able to make things work. After a successful collaboration or event, it is tempting to end on a high note but if we stop at this point and do not engage in reflection, we miss out on huge opportunities and lessons. So we embarked on our first reflection process.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>Hive Toronto&#8217;s reflection process<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Schedule a 1 hour conference call using <a href=\"http:\/\/doodle.com\/\">Doodle<\/a> (a super-simple scheduling tool) to figure out the best time.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Prep and send out an agenda with guiding questions to get people&#8217;s brains storming. Our guiding questions included:<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Who do you want to thank or give a shout out to?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Your fave moment of the day<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The event: What went well? What could be improved at the next pop-up? How can we better deal with these issues\/challenges?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">How can we involve youth that don&#8217;t usually have access to these opportunities?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Our collaborative process: What went well? What could be improved at the next pop-up? How can we better deal with these issues\/challenges?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Build the agenda and guiding questions into an <a href=\"http:\/\/etherpad.org\/\">Etherpad<\/a> to be used during the conference call. This allows for documentation and multiple editors. Etherpads also give the option for people to contribute to the discussion through writing.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Summarize the main takeaways and report back to the larger Hive Toronto.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Return to the Etherpad when planning future events to implement lessons learned.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>Tips and tricks<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Constructive criticism is essential but it&#8217;s also important to create space to celebrate successes and examine <i>how <\/i>these success can be recreated. If critiques are framed as solution-focused, it&#8217;s likely to have a productive conversation instead of a vent-fest. And don&#8217;t forget to try \u201csilent Etherpadding\u201d &#8211; give people 5 mins to brainstorm and write responses to a particular question.All sorts of ideas will come out of this strategy!<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>What we identified we&#8217;re doing well:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">People find value in what we&#8217;re doing which is evident in the feedback we received:<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">&#8216;The Toronto event also expanded on our global vision by engaging a huge number of youth into the effort with a keen eye to inspiring students and a professional commitment to doing it with scientific accuracy. The global team hopes to replicate Toronto&#8217;s pioneering work in that area into future efforts.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">-Ali Llewellyn, Global Space Apps Coordinator, NASA<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">&#8220;Great event, especially for girls, lots of female presenters.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">&#8220;Well organized and tons of good energy, engaging, creative content, and tech focus.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">&#8220;So. Much. Fun. Where else can you get your mind blown collaborating with aerospace engineers, astronauts, kids, students, makers, and Toronto&#8217;s rising stars in software development?&#8221; &#8211; Heather Leson, Director of Community Engagement, Ushahidi<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Our collaborative process is working. In general, we test for interest in the Hive, have a planning call, send email updates as necessary, and then have a final call before the event. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The combination of the flow of stations and having a theme for this pop-up made for a more cohesive experience for both learners and participating Hive members. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Collaborating on Hive Toronto pop-ups is creating other opportunities for members to collaborate <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><b>What &#8211; and how &#8211; we can improve:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">More consideration given to the venue <\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">We need an open space that can fit learners without over crowding.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Have one point of contact with the venue to create easier communication <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Cost of supplies<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Explore options for donation at future Hive events<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Clearly outline budget for supplies prior to members diving into event planning<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Involve youth that don&#8217;t usually have access to these opportunities<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">As we plan, ask ourselves: of the kids that will attend, what percentage do we want to be from this group? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Set aside a percentage of spots specifically for youth at-risk <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Build in more promo time for outreach <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Outreach to schools, religious institutions youth are part of, language groups, community centres, other communities that target youth events (Girl Guides, Scouts, etc)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Venue: go to where the youth already are<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Examples: YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, libraries, schools<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Host events that focus on beginner skills and exploration<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">More of a &#8220;come and check out what is going on,&#8221; instead of a &#8220;build your skills&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Transportation may be an issue &#8211; buses or escorted groups from particular neighbourhoods or community centres<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Explore sponsorship from bus companies like Laidlaw<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">We are sharing this experience with you in the hopes that it may help you along your \u201cmaking as learning\u201d journey. The act of sharing is also useful to us because it is a reflective process in itself. Reflection is a tool that will enable us to grow our pop-ups and Hive Toronto collaborations.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">We&#8217;re curious to know more about your journey. How do you reflect? How do you collaborate? How do you reach youth who do not usually have digital learning opportunities? Please share in the comments below!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This was previously post on Hive NYC by Kathryn Meisner, Director of Hive Toronto. In last week&#8217;s inaugural #teachtheweb Twitter chat about making and learning, participant Chad Sansing succinctly outlined key ways we can learn from making: \u201cdesign, iteration, documentation, &hellip; <a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/hive-toronto\/making-and-reflection-learnings-from-hive-torontos-nasa-youth-space-challenge\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[346873],"tags":[7110,407236,407415],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foundation-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}