Summary:  Track tinkering resources and supporting tools issued to and returned by ATL students.

Often, tinkering resources in the ATL such as small electronic components, devices, laptops, etc. are not found in their designated place.  At times, the items are issued to ATL students to work on a tinkering or innovation project.  At other times, the item just are misplaced and are hard to find.  Other students who wish to make use of a specific tinkering resource do not find the item when needed.  In the limited time that students have at the ATL, productivity becomes an issue if tinkering resources are not readily found.  To avoid this issue, we need to track all tinkering resources available in the ATL on a regular basis and update their status.  This also helps us ensure traceability and fix accountability on individuals who have borrowed or returned an item.

The inventory needs to be updated every time an item is issued by the ATL in-charge to the students, or returned by the students.   This way, we will have better traceability and accountability of all ATL resources. With the inventory tracker in place, we can serve the needs of ATL students better and avoid delays due to misplaced or lost items.

The following online tool can be used for maintaining the inventory of tinkering resources in the ATL:

• Google Sheets to maintain the ATL Inventory Tracker

• Sortly App, an inventory tracker app that can be used on Android devices 

• Sortly Web, an inventory tracker app that can be used from a web-browser

• QRCodeMonkey, a QR Code Generator tool to create QR codes for your inventory items

Here is an example of an Inventory Tracker Sheet that can be used to maintain the list of tinkering resources in the ATL and to track their issued / returned status:

Use a simple inventory tracker app or software to track tinkering resources in your ATL.  Sortly is a very simple and easy-to-use inventory tracker app that works on smartphone, tablet and web-browser.  It is free for use up to 100 inventory entries.  You can even attach a custom QR code to each item being tracked.  You can add or remove items from the inventory by just scanning the QR code affixed on the item, or by manually updating the quantity.   

To make use of Sortly App for tracking inventory of tinkering resources in your ATL, please use the following links:

1. Download Sortly App on Android devices:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sortly.mythings&gl=US 

2. Use Sortly App on your Web-browser: https://www.sortly.com 

Before using Sortly App to track inventory of tinkering resources in the ATL, please complete the following pre-requisite steps:

1. Go to QRCodeMonkey tool: https://www.qrcode-monkey.com

2. Select "Text" option and key-in the name of the inventory item (e.g., Fire Sensor).

3. Click the button "Create QR Code" and then tap "Download PNG".  The QR code file is downloaded to your computer.

4. Take a print-out of the QR code on a sticker paper.

5. Stick the QR code to the tinkering resources (e.g., Fire Sensor) or on its Container box.

6. Repeat the above steps for different tinkering resources in the ATL.

To track inventory of tinkering items in the ATL, please follow the below steps:

1. Download Sortly App on your Android phone, or go to https://www.sortly.com from your web-browser and create an account.

2. Add multiple folders to manage inventory of different types of tinkering resources in the ATL.  For e.g., create a folder for all "Sensors" devices.  Create a second folder for all "Actuator" devices.  Create a third folder for "Microcontroller" devices, etc.

3. Within each folder, add a tinkering resource to the inventory by clicking "Add item".

4. Give a name to the resource (for e.g., "Fire Sensor").  Add a photo of the item or resource along with total number of items available in the ATL.   Add a minimum inventory level, tag and notes for the item (optional)

5. Scan the QR code attached to the physical tinkering resource (e.g., "Fire Sensor") and associate it with the inventory item.  Save changes.  (Note: if you are using Sortly App, the App can readily scan the QR code through the smartphone's camera.  However, you need to attach a barcode scanner device to your computer if you are using Sortly Web on your computer).

6. Repeat the above steps for each tinkering resources in the ATL, whose inventory needs to be managed.  Adding items to the inventory is a one-time job that can be done by the ATL in-charge.

7. Every time a student borrows an item from the ATL, the ATL in-charge can scan the QR code on the item to reduce its quantity from the inventory.

8. When a student returns an item to the ATL, the ATL in-charge can scan the QR code on the item to add the item back to the inventory.

9. This way, you can track all the tinkering resources in the ATL very effectively.

Role of School Management:  Make use of an Inventory Tracker Sheet / App to track and manage all tinkering resources in the ATL.

Role of Students: Don't not take away tinkering resources in the ATL without getting the same updated in the ATL Inventory Tracker Sheet / App.  Make sure to return the resource on time to avoid loss or misplaced items.

Role of Mentor(s): Evaluate the use of a suitable Inventory Track App for your ATL and put it to use.

Role of ATL In-charge:  Add tinkering resource materials to the Inventory Tracker Sheet / App.  Update the Sheet / App every time an item is borrowed by a student or returned by a student.  

Put in place an Inventory Tracker Sheet / App to track various tinkering resources in your ATL.  Submit the link / screenshot(s) / video-recording of the ATL Inventory Tracker Sheet / App being used in your ATL.