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1. State of the art, project management and documentation

Research and Ideation

This week's assignment focused on allowing me to have a better understanding of the framework of Fabricademy. I was introduced to my classmates both "locally" and globally and had the opportunity to meet some of the instructors and creators of the program. This was the first time that I had been introduced to GitLab so I will definitely be experiencing a bit of a learning curve as I document. I'm looking forward to learning as I grow and hope to be able to toss in a bit of personal flare as I go. I am very interested in learning the flow of proper documentation as described in our first class. I'm excited to begin to explore which paths I want to navigate as I work towards my final project, and ensure that it is all properly documented.

I've had a few jobs and careers in my life. I've had the benefit of learning entrepreneurship while in undergrad at Howard University. During that time, I became an accomplished photographer and began being interested in Filmmaking. Simultaneously, I worked at a chain store called "Things Remembered" and also started my own fashion design and manufacturing business. I would have never guessed I'd use all of the above in the future in tangent as a Fabricademy student and Fab Lab Director. I'm excited for an opportunity to explore all of my talents and interests at once including my passion for community. My undergraduate studies focused on community health and using data collection to create community driven solutions to real world problems. I see a lot of opportunities for me to blend my passions, talents, and curiosities within this program.

From my current perspective, Fabricademy is all about exploring concepts from the past, in the present, and preparing for a hoped for future. In all of that the most important thread seams (lol) to be storytelling. Storytelling has always been a main feature of my educational and creative journeys. Studying community health teaches you to explore the lived stories of individuals to understand how best to serve their needs. Working at Things Remembered was all about taking a moment or moments in a person's life, then picking out the perfect machine and material to memorialize that special moment in a piece forever. As a photographer, filmmaker, and script writer capturing moments is the entire point. My style as a fashion designer is all about capturing a moment through a garment. Storytelling through the weeks is what I am most excited for. For this week, I will explore storytelling techniques that inspire me and begin envisioning how to do the same with my work.

I want to learn the process of documenting and storytellig from a inventor's perspective and think that Fabricademy can help me accomplish that.

Artistic Storytelling

Please enjoy exploring what I currently find inspirational.

  • In Machinery

inventor Martha Jones

Martha Jones Corn Husker


  • In Visual Arts Martha Jones Corn Husker

  • In Fashion

Tools

- Computer
- TinyPNG(https://tinypng.com/)
- Google Docs
- [MkDocs](https://xxx)

Documentation workflow

I start by considering the week's asks from the Fabricademy instructors. This week our tasks are to introduce ourselves and begin to understand what documentation is all about and how to properly upload to our GitHub repository. One of the most important portions of my workflow is to do a "first draft" on Google Docs before making changes with the MKDocs section of my GitHub repository. This is helping me to make sure I am completing all of the required tasks before moving into the MKDocs platform.

Step 1

I picked which aspects of my previous careers and current life experiences I wanted to explore. I chose agriculture, visual arts, and community sustainability as my focus areas because they directly relate to Fabricademy. Thankfully, focusing on all three also allows me to complete each week's objectives including properly documenting my experience. I plan to focus each week on completing a project that relates to one of those focus areas.

Step 2

To start, I began to build out my main objectives for this week. Our student checklist describes this week as allowing others to get to know you as a peer and to begin learning and understanding how to properly addi nformation to your site and also how to properly navigate your lab experience. Personally, I am the director of a fab lab located at Fort Valley State University. Thankfully, this means i'm pretty much at home when I come into the lab space. Understanding the Github Repository was another thing entirely.

Let's Talk About Git Hub (GitHub?)

Honestly, GitHub has been a learning curve for me. I haven't built out a webpage from HTML since MySpace and especially not one that has a repository and folders already waiting to be adjusted. Long story short, words like "repository" had to be googled and put in a sentence for deeper understanding.

What is GITHub?

GitHub exists on a cloud-based (think iCloud) platform. It is commonly used to host, manage, and colaborate on files and projects using a distributed version control system (also known as "Git"). GitHub is most associated with software development but is also used for documentation, curriculum development, research artifacts, digital fabrication files, data sets, and instructional templates. Git was created back in 2025 by Linus Torvalds, by 2008 GitHub was founded by Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, PJ Hyett, and Scott Shacon to make Git easier to use and more collaborative. From 2012-2017 GitHub became very popular among educators and researches worldwide leading to a Microsoft acquisition by 2018. GitHub is now widely used by educators, makers, and more.

To sum it all up:

Git Hub allows users to...

- Centrally store files
- Track changes over time
- Collaborate with multiple people without overwriting one another
- Revert to earlier versions if/when needed
- Publish publicly or in private

Git Hub functions as both...

- A version controlled file system
- A collaborative space and project management plaform

Key Definitions...

- Repository: AKA "Repo" is a project folder stored on GitHub
- Branch: A parallel version of the repo used for safe changes before officially posting (comitting) them.
- Commit: A saved change with a timestamp AND message (if you write a message. This is really helpful if you have a lot to commit and want to keep track of what has been saved so far).
- Clone: Your own copy of a repository on your computer (local copy)
- Fork: Your own copy of somone else's repository
- Pull Request: A request to merge cahnges into a shared repository (repo)
- README.md: The main docmentationle, shown first

One more time, what is a repository (repo)...

- Repository: AKA "Repo" is a structured project space (folder) that contains:
                                            - Files (documents, images, code, CAD files, etc)
                                            - Folder organization
                                            - Change History
                                            - Contributor Permissions
                                            - Documentation Instructions
-Repositories can be:
                                            - Public (anyone can view)
                                            - Private (restricted access)
- Repositories can serve educational spaces by:
                                            - Storing curriculum templates
                                            - Storing student project logs
                                            - Research documentation
                                            - For Fab Academy, Fabricademy, and Fab Learning academy submissions

I found myself in a repository, now what?

Ok, so you're in a repository that has a template. Here's what to do next:

  • Access the Repo

    • Log in to Git Hub
    • Naavigate to the repository link provided (if you're coming from the main Git Hub site, otherwise follow the directions for the link you have)
    • REVIEW the ReadMe File. REVIEW it. Yes, review it.
    • Access the Repo

  • Create your own copy (that allows connection to the original template. This step is done for you during Fabricademy, Fabacademy, and Fab Learning Academy)

    • Click "Fork"
    • Creates a copy of the original repo and preserves relationship to the source project. (IMPORTANT: This is already done for you for fabacademy, fabricademy and fab learning academy)

Understanding Pre-Created Folders

Why are we using the folders?

The folders exist to:

 - Enforce documentation consistency
 - Make navigation easier over time
 - Support automated publishing
 - Help instructors review work efficiently
  • It is very important not to rename or delate folders in a class repository that is using a template unless instructed

Adding Images and Videos to GitHub Folders

 - You want to ensure your files are resized appropriately
    - for images, for videos, 
        - i prefer tiny.jpg to resize my images but this can also be done with Adobe Express or Canva
 - Within Git Hub:
    - Open the WEBIde
    - Navigate to the desired folder within the left hand navigation bar (images, in this case, also pay attention to the week within the images folder)
    - Click "Add file" or "Upload File"
    - Drag and Drop your resized image or upload using your preferred method
    - Scroll down and comit your  changes, be sure to add a note reminding yourself what you added for ease of future use.
-For information on uploading videos, there is a short film at the bottom of this page with instructions :)

Step 3

Finally, it is super important for students to be comfortable within thier lab space. Please see a short film below relating to the FVSU Fab Lab use, safety, and more.

One of my favorite short films

Please enjoy a short film that does an amazing job of storytelling in a short time frame