3. Pedagogical theories and socio-emotional learning

This week I designed a prototype measurement tool for VEX IQ pieces and fabricated it with a laser cutter.

Design Process

The idea for the VEX IQ measuring tool percolated in my brain for a couple of years. VEX IQ pieces are identified by size and type, such as a 3x16 plate or a 6x pitch shaft. Identifying a plate or beam’s size is time-consuming because students have to count ridges on the edges. Pitch shafts are more difficult to identify because they just long square rods. They have to be measured against another object.

I wanted to create a tool that could let users quickly and accurately measure VEX IQ pieces for identification. My design inspiration was an L-square that has measurements on the inside angle so pieces could easily slot in for measurement.

Fabrication Process

The Park School has an Epilogue Helix 24 laser cutter, which I used to fabricate my VEX IQ L-ruler. Aaron, our Makerspace Educator, helped fellow FLA student Tory and me finalize our STL files by changing all engraving lines to yellow and cut lines to magenta. Our Epilogue receives print commands through Corel Draw, but the program’s print settings were being uncooperative, forcing us to sped a good 15 minutes identifying the problem. (The layout size kept defaulting to 8.5x11” instead of 18x24”)