Summer Session #1

Hey gang. Wanted to fill you in on my experience with our first summer session where we recruited some of out older, seasoned Design IT veterans into the possibility of joining us for a summer intern here at the museum.

Activity 1: Intro to Internship

Big Idea: Get teens thinking about what a job means to them, get the group socially comfortable with new peers through icebreakers and games, and "Interview" potential interns for this summer's museum school Design IT cycles by seeing how well they work with assigned tasks, such as sorting, building sensors and building motion modules

Dates: Wednesday to Friday, June 8th, 9th and 10th, 10:30am to 2pm

Attendance: Saafir, myself and 10 teens-Lazaro H., Jesse G., Jesus O., Darin R., Chris R., Ruben R., Taylor M., Jasmine J., Tamarra G.

Materials:
Software: Laptop, the digital projector and the pie network website: www.pienetwork.org

Hardware: dry erase board, soldering materials, sensors, wire, LEGOS, the "If" book, rolls of tape

Directions:
Day 1: Started with icebreakers everyday including name-games and questions from the "If" book, which became a favorite activity. Then began a discussion on what the internship would involve as a job, and what jobs meant to these teens. Some questions and answers for the teens included...

Q: Have you ever had a paid job before and if so, what was it?
A: mowing lawns
A: painting houses
A: babysitting

Q: What does an employer expect of an employee?
A: On time
A: In uniform
A: Work hard
A: Good attitude

Q: What does an employee expect of an employer?
A: Money
A: Good instructions
A: Fair treatment

Q: What do you see as your career when you are older?
A: Football player
A: Actress
A: Military
A: Teacher
A: Lawyer

Q: Why do people get jobs?
A: Money
A: Learn a skill
A: Do what they enjoy for money
A: A stepping stone to another job

Q: What is the difference between a job and a career?
A: A job you do to get into a career.
A: Career you do for a long time.

Day 2: Worked on soldering together light sensors for next weeks activity and sorted materials. Those who already knew how to solder were asked to teach those who did not, emphasizing the safety concepts.
Day 3: Sorted, soldered, and built examples of 6 different LEGO motion modules (at least one of each) from the pienetwork website for the following week. We also played a game called "tape-tag" to cool down after lunch. Its like freeze-tag, but you have to keep a roll of tape on your head so everyone travels really slowly.

Skills: group cooperation, social interaction, soldering and constructing skills, and worked on staying on task.

Best Part: The kids getting to know one another through various activities and successes.

Worst Part: Getting the kids to the museum on time.

Improvements: We need to foreshadow cycles like this and get travel arrangements put together better ahead of time.

Overall, we had a successful few days. I feel like the teens left with a better idea of what to expect from our job opportunity and from others in the future, and we definitely got to know our potential interns on a deeper level outside the club. We'll talk soon.