Skip to content

About me

Hi, I’m Joe C Cantu II, a craftsman, designer, and musician based out of the Lydia Sneed Engineering Lab at Metairie Park Country Day School. Currently, I provide direct instruction to students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11, while offering support to colleagues in all other K-12 grades at the school.

My background

I grew up near Houston, Attended Ball State University in Indiana, and currently live and teach in New Orleans, LA. The school is an Early childhood-12 Day school just outside the city limits of New Orleans, Where I teach Digital Fabrication, Robotics, Computer Science, and Video Production to students at various points in their academic journey. My students typically meet me in groups fewer than 15, and each class is relatively similar in socio-economic standing, though cultural and learning proficiencies can vary. My teaching seeks to empower students toward self-actualization and greater agency with technological implements which might be present in a variety of career-paths. However, the nature of the learning environment is not purely vocation focused and often seeks to offer novel pathways in art and expression, so much so that I frequently refer to the officially named “Engineering Lab” as a room of requirement. Some broad standards are defined to describe the nature of the subjects I teach, but such standards are less rigid than other subject areas, offering a lot of flexibility to tailor the learning experience to individual students.

I first learned about digital fabrication technology during my own high school education. I got a brief opportunity to interact with some pieces at the height of the field through an internship with the Johnson Space Center, then found a recurrent interest that led to my first job as a maker educator, in the role of a shop attendant for the maker space at the College of Architecture of Ball State University, in 2012. After graduation, I stayed in tech-adjacent roles where I could continue to learn until I found my way to a permanent role as a Maker space Manager in New Orleans in 2015. Since then, I have worked continuously as an instructor in multiple capacities, but always focused on digital fabrication skills.

For Field Activity #1, I have considered the idea of building a physical representation of programming blocks, and am curious whether the application might still be considered technical, even if my implementation is cognitive. The goal will be about showing relationships of primitive structures to one another, in the hopes of offering additional modalities to engage with fundamental syntax operations.

Student Agreement¶

The Fab Learning Academy is responsible for:

  • Teaching principles and practices between technology, learning sciences, and innovative practices in education.
  • Arranging lectures, recitations, meetings, and events for the class.
  • Evaluating and providing feedback on student work.
  • Offering clear standards for completing assignments.
  • Certifying and archiving student progress.
  • Supervising class preparation Reviewing prospective students, instructors, and labs.
  • Providing central staff and infrastructure for students, instructors, and labs.
  • Publicizing the program Promoting a respectful environment free of harassment and discrimination.
  • Encourage a diverse, accessible, and equitable community

I am a Fab Learning Academy student, responsible for:

  • Attending class lectures and participating in reviews.
  • Developing and documenting projects assigned to introduce and demonstrate skills.
  • Allowing the Fab Learning Academy to share my work (with attribution) in the class for purposes compatible with its mission.
  • Honestly reporting on my work, and appropriately attributing the work of others (both human and machine).
  • Working safely Leaving workspaces in the same (or better) condition than I found them.
  • Ensuring that my tuition for local and central class costs is covered.
  • Following locally applicable health and safety guidance.
  • Recognizing limits on lab and staff time.
  • Promoting a respectful environment free of harassment and discrimination.
  • Signed by committing this file in my repository,

“add Your name” Fab Learn Academy 2025 Jose C Cantu II