1. State of the art, project management and documentation¶
Artistic Storytelling
¶I see Fabricademy as a space for exploring concepts from the past, in the present, and preparing for the future. I believe storytelling is the best way to thread these concepts together. Storytelling has always been a main fixture in my life. I grew up in Southeastern USA. I spent most of my childhood in church and the community. In the 90s I spent hours building computers with my father, an army vet and computer engineer or traveling the city inspecting sites with my mom, an architect and engineer. In middle school I won my first award in tech at the Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition in Computer Modification. I spent High School in marching band and preparing for a future in health care.
At Howard University in Washington ,DC, I chose to study maternity and community health where I learned how to explore the lived stories of individuals to understand how best to serve their needs. I became a mother and began to expore my place in the workforce. During college, I worked part-time at a store called 'Things Remembered'. This shop 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. After a friend created a popular magazine, STARVED, I spent years as a photographer, filmmaker, and script writer capturing moments. Simultaneously I began to explore fashion design, and found another avenue of expression through garments.
I then gained the opportunity to become the manager of a a warehouse that manufactures the uniforms for the army, navy, and JROTC. I loved working in manufacturing and being able to see a product go from a roll of fabric on monday and being labled and signed off for shipping by Ms.Linda by friday. During COVID I decided to stay home with my daughter, and reentered the workforce after as the director of a economic ecosystem builder. The biggest lesson I learned during this time is how every town and community is fuled by its community and what challenges exist in maintaining or building that ecosystem.
Currently, as the director of the Fort Valley State University Fab Lab, I serve the community by teaching real world problem solving through the use of machines and software. Machines from CNC wood cutting and laser engraving to embroidery, 3d printing, and robotics. I'm greatful to have a job that truly allows me to work with passion. I love community focused work, I love building and creating any and everything, and I love inspiring others to do the same.
Storytelling through the weeks of Fabricademy 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 documentation. I hope to learn the process of documenting and storytelling from the perspective of an innovator. I belive Fabricademy can help me accomplish that.
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 is my introduction to GitLab. I am very interested in learning the flow of proper documentation as described in our first class.
Documentation workflow¶
Tools This Week¶
- Computer
- TinyPNG(https://tinypng.com/)
- Google Docs
- Git Hub
I start by considering the week's tasks assigned by 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.
I've chosen to utiliz google docs to create a "first draft" making changes with the MKDocs section of my GitHub repository. I hope this will help me to make sure I am completing all of the required tasks before moving into the MKDocs platform.
Step 1¶
Above I've provided a bit of background on myself.
Step 2¶
To start, I reviwed our student checklist. This week is about allowing others to get to know you as a peer and to begin learning and understanding how to properly add information to your site and also how to properly navigate your local lab. As the director of a fab lab located at Fort Valley State University, I am pretty much 'at home' when I come into my Fabricademy 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
- Navigate 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" (this step is done for you in Fabricademy, Fabacademy, and Fab Learning Academy)
- 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 (Fabricademy, Fabacademy, and Fab Learning Academy) repository that is using a template unless instructed.
Step 3¶
Begin your journey of documentation.
Currently, I prefer to use the MarkDown (MD) style of documentation over the HTML style of documentation since being introduced (August 2025) this is how I have been navigating my own documentation.
UPDATE:
In January 2026 when I began Fabacademy I learned how to utilize VS Code and HTML to document. I will adjust this page to provide step by step instructions on utilizing both.
If you are using the MKDocs method with WEBIDE through the GITLab.fabcloud template you will start by navigating to your project.
Your project will be listed under
After finding your project, you will access your editing plaform by
The FVSU Fab Lab
¶Students participating in the Acadamany courses should feel comfortable in the lab space that they will be utilizing or building.
The following is a description of the FVSU (Fort Valley State University) Fab Lab.
Please see a short film below relating to the FVSU Fab Lab use, safety, and more.
Innovation that Inspires
¶Please enjoy exploring what I currently find inspirational.
- In Machinery
One of my favorite short films
¶