build IT Flex
All is not lost...
While emerging technology is a core component of our mission, it does not represent all that we are.
In fact, the essence of build IT is founded on making/creativity and community. Both of these can still be represented in the absence of a physical gathering place and access to its emerging technology.
Making/Creativity
We will continue to focus on advocating access to making/creativity principles
We will teach important information literacy and life skills by utilizing self-motivated instruction techniques.
Through making, you learn skills like problem-solving, time management, resource management, and project management.
Through the expression of our creativity, you are able to de-stress from life and find a low-effort reward for their work.
To achieve our goal, we must reimage what material and tools to use in our instruction. We will focus on making through the use of readily-available material and tools.
Material: that you have laying around at home; that you use in their everyday life; that you can be purchased cheaply; that we can purchase and ship to you cheaply.
Tools: general household tools; open-source software; software provided by the university.
Weekly build ITs
Let's make!
Every week, we'll share a craft project that we can all do together. You can choose to do it during our virtual build hour or on your own by following the instructions & videos posted on our website and on our Discord server text channel, #weekly-build-its.
If you complete a weekly build IT, we would love to see it. You can share it on Instagram with #weeklyBuildIt. Or on our Discord #share-it channel.
digital builds
Let's program!
We'll share video tutorials that guide you through creating digital projects like photos, graphics, 3D models, animation, music, and videos. We will be using software like the Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Spark, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe AfterEffects, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Blender, and Google Apps.
These video tutorials will be posted on our website, YouTube Channel, and on our Discord #digital-builds channel.
If you complete a digital build, we would love to see it. You can share it on Instagram with #digitalBuild. Or on our Discord #share-it channel.
College Eats
Let's cook!
One way we can all make from home is TO COOK. Many of us have taken up cooking and baking during quarantine. We will be sharing our unique recipes that we discovered during this time. Recipes will include frequent makes and crazy combos.
These recipes will be posted on our website and on our Discord channel #college-eats.
Also, we would love to hear if you try the recipes, share what you think on our Discord channel #share-it.
Community
We will continue to focus people by building/maintaining our community to engage with each other virtually
We will create a place to gather that inspires a forum to ask questions, be curious, find feedback and advice, and simply hang out together.
Through community, you have a sense of trust, belonging, safety, and caring for each other. You have an individual and collective sense that you can, as part of that community, influence your environment and each other.
Since that treasured feeling of community comes from shared experiences and a sense of—not necessarily the actual experience of—shared history, it will be essential that those of the community actively participate in it.
To achieve our goal, we must reimage where our gathering place is located. We will focus on creating our community through a cross-platform, free application where we actively engage with each other through text, image, video, and audio communication that is synchronous and asynchronous. We will build off our current virtual places like our website and Instagram account and we create a new place through Discord to strengthen our virtual place to gather.
Virtual Community
Let's meet!
To recreate our amazing in-person community virtually, we will be using Discord.
We will be using Discord as our virtual community place. Discord is free instant messaging and VoIP application designed for creating communities running from gamers to education to business. By students self-identifying as they join our build IT Discord channel, we can create that sense of belonging and familiarity in these times of chaos.
Anyone is welcome to join! To maintain a safe community, we ask that you self-identify with your real name and SDSU status when you join and read/follow the #rules.
Join build IT's Discord Server: https://discord.gg/DVjk6yZ
- It creates a place to call home → Our build IT Discord service is our virtual place to belong to. It’s our home shared among our build IT community
- It creates organized conversations → We have topic-based text channels for #general discussion, #announcements, #weekly-build-its, #share-it for posting completed projects, #q-and-a, and #staff communication. And we have #chat text channel for social conversations
- It creates a place to pop in to talk → Our #Virtual-Lounge video channel creates a virtual face-to-face video environment for us to recreate the best aspect of build IT, our community. build IT staff will be available on here on Wednesdays & Thursdays from 1 pm - 5 pm
Game Night
Let's play!
To maintain our social connections, we will host monthly virtual Game Nights on Thursdays at 5 pm. Join build IT's Discord Server: https://discord.gg/DVjk6yZ
Master Builder
Let's work!
Master Builders...
- have a love for technology
- like to make
- enjoy exploring new uses of materials & equipment
- excel at problem-solving, learning, and teamwork
- like to share and learn from others
No skills or experience is required. Just a willingness to volunteer.
In return for volunteering, Master Builders get:
- real-world work experience for a relatively low amount of work to use for future career jobs
- Over 130 Master Builders have used their experience to now be employed by companies such as NASA, Twitter, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics
- A voice in the decision process for new resources added
- Be the first to get their hands on the latest acquired resources
- Gain teaching experience from training others and participating in the build IT events
- Be part of a creative, digital fabrication-focused community
We will still be offering our Master Builder program. Based on feedback from past Master Builders, they truly value not only being part of a community but also, gaining work experience that they have cited on their resumes and interviews to get their current career jobs.
In this Flex environment, Master Builders will be helping create virtual content and build our virtual community. The expectations for Master Builder work include:
- Volunteering 1 pre-scheduled hour per week
- hang out in our Discord Virtual Lounge video channel
- be available for questions/chat from other Master Builders and staff
- Completing 1 virtual project
- Follow a template to create and share a weekly build IT, digital build, or College Eats
- For this, you will use your own creativity to create a portfolio tutorial guiding others through a physical making creation, a digital project, or a recipe. Your portfolio tutorial will include a title, a list of supplies, a video of you creating it, and written instructions. This is not a graded assignment but a chance for you to learn some new workplace applicable skills. build IT staff will assist you with the creation and tools needed to make your portfolio tutorial.
- Or host 1 Game Night
- Follow a template to create and share a weekly build IT, digital build, or College Eats
Now, the sad news...
our reopening plans
Given the SDSU Flex plans for the Fall 2020 semester, the following are the plans for reopening build IT:
- Reopening of the physical space, LL260 -- This is dependent on the reopening of the Love Library building and the Hub 2nd Floor. As of August 1, 2020, we don't anticipate this happening during the Fall semester, although that is subject to change.
- 3D Print Service -- At the moment, we are able to offer our online 3D print request service to students and faculty completing projects related to their research or coursework. Learn more here http://buildit.sdsu.edu/home/3d-print-request/
- Orientations -- Since orientations are specifically for granting access to the space, we will not offer orientations until public access to the Hub Floor has been granted. However, we will still provide Info Sessions to welcome individuals to our community and answer any questions.
- Training -- While we can't provide trainings on the makerspace's equipment, our weekly build ITs, digital builds, and College Eats tutorial will help you learn new making techniques and tools.
- Equipment Access -- We will not be able to provide access to the 3D printers, CNC machines, Sewing/Embroidery machines, VR systems, Soldering Iron, Tools, and Electronics until public access to the Hub Floor has been restored.