A Librarian's Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources. "There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015. " What is a makerspace? You’ve no doubt been hearing that word more than a few times over the past several years. Makerspaces, also called hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs, are collaborative spaces where people gather to get creative with DIY projects, invent new ones, and share ideas.
Since the first official makerspace convened six years ago in a library in upstate New York, libraries have remained an ideal setting for makerspace events across the country. Many offer community resources like 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies, and more. The idea of a communal creative space has only gained momentum and become increasingly popular over the years, and the makers’ movement shows no signs of slowing down. There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015. 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.)
I want a Makerspace! How does MakerState inspire kids with a love of learning? The core of our STEAM-mastery makerspace program is the Challenge. Challenges are 5-45 min. hands-on building projects which lead our kids into STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, math) mastery. Our Challenges are developed by experienced maker-educators and playtested in Pop Up Makerspaces with such partners as Stanford d.school, NYU-ITP, EdLab Teachers College-Columbia University, and Highlander Institute. Here are a few of our Challenges: Challenge: Glowing Cyclops Mastery Area: Engineer Big Idea: In a circuit, electricity moves from an area of high potential energy (negative charge) to an area of low potential energy (positive charge), powering an output.
Real World Challenge: Using a battery, copper tape, and an LEDs create a simple circuit that lights an LED. Challenge: Ready, Set, Go! Big Idea: Some materials conduct electricity and some don’t. Challenge: Wearable LED Superhero Bracelet Challenge: Tower of Power What is. Maker Space In Education Series… 10 Sites To Start Making In The Classroom.
Welcome back and I sure hope you enjoyed the last article of 20 Reasons for Maker Space in Education. I hope you enjoy this post as I highlight 10 sites to possible help you to get Making in the classroom… even if in the smallest way! I encourage you to send me information and resources you think help with this idea, as I am also Making time to learn. First, to ensure you do not miss one of these valuable posts or other resources covering PBL, Digital Curriculum, Web 2.0, STEM, 21st century learning, and technology integration please sign up for 21centuryedtech by email or RSS. As always, I invite you to follow me on twitter (@mjgormans). Please give this post a retweet and pass it on. Have a great week – Michael Gorman (21centuryedtech) Booking Info – Time to think about your new school year needs.
Maker Space In Education Series… 10 Sites To Start Making In The Classroom – Michael Gorman ( Makezine – This might be a great place to start. Like this: Libraries As Makerspaces and a Makerspace Information Blitz. FryskLab I spent most of Monday afternoon in two sessions about makerspaces: first, on teaching teens how to fail by two groups of librarians, one from the Free Library of Philadelphia and the other from the Denver Public Library. The second session was part of a “Makerspace information blitz”, which featured librarians from a variety of environments. (I was only able to catch part of the second session, so this report is necessarily abbreviated.) The Philadelphia librarians pointed out that the maker movement is a social one and revolves around hobbyists and technology. Why are we afraid of failure and what are the consequences of dealing with it? Lessons learned: A program like this takes lots of professional development time.
The Denver Public Library opened its “ideaLAB” about a year ago for teens aged 12 to 19. The teens were hesitant to take the cards, but they became very popular with adults.It is good to engage volunteers and staff in learning. Why the Maker Movement Is Important to America’s Future. I grew up in the age of Tinker Toys and Erector Sets. Both were meant to inspire me to be a maker instead of a consumer. My first real tool was a wood-burning engraver that had such a short chord it was almost impossible to use. When I started using it, I burned myself more than once and nearly started a fire at the house. How in the world they sold this to kids in those days is now a mystery to me.
I was in Silicon Valley in the late 1970s, and I started to get more interested in the Homebrew Computer Club and similar user groups where people could get together and talk about tech-related interests. This was how I first got interested in computers. Along the way, the idea of creating technology got sidelined as I instead started to write about it, chronicling its history. Fast forward to today, and I am very excited about the Maker Movement. So what is the Maker Movement? The maker movement, as we know, is the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. Designing a School Makerspace.
Makerspaces, STEAM labs and fab labs are popping up in schools across the country. Makerspaces provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they deeply engage in science, engineering and tinkering. A makerspace is not solely a science lab, woodshop, computer lab or art room, but it may contain elements found in all of these familiar spaces. Therefore, it must be designed to accommodate a wide range of activities, tools and materials. Diversity and cross-pollination of activities are critical to the design, making and exploration process, and they are what set makerspaces and STEAM labs apart from single-use spaces.
Cardboard construction Prototyping Woodworking Electronics Robotics Digital fabrication Building bicycles and kinetic machines Textiles and sewing Designing a space to accommodate such a wide range of activities is a challenging process. Some schools have chosen to incorporate makerspaces within multiple classroom spaces. Makerspace Resources. All the Makerspace resources you could hope for (and more) I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013.
Since then, I’ve been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way. My hope is that you will consider this a go-to resource as you progress along your own Maker journey. No matter whether you’re just getting started with makerspaces or are looking to grow your program, there’s something here for you. What is the Maker Movement? The Maker Movement has been around for a lot longer than many of us realize. Really, the desire to make things with our hands has existed since the dawn of humanity and DIY culture has long played an important role. (Page contains affiliate links. Resources for Creating a Makerspace. Are you ready to create your own Makerspace? Would you like some help? The Makerspace Lab website is designed to provide teachers, technology directors, librarians, hacker space designer and community leaders with information on how to make a Makerspace.
The Makerspace community is very generous, and provides a lot of free information about how to build a space, lessons learned and tips for running a Maker Space. The following list of links should get you started. Links to Makerspace Websites MAKE- Make Magazine's website includes project instructions, the Maker Shed maker supplies store, project plans, videos, event listings and more. Maker Eduction Initiative - Make Magazine's Education specific site. Links to Makerspaces and Hackerspaces MakerSpaces for Kids, at Schools, Libraries and Community Spaces Creating Self-Sustaining Recess/Lunch-Time Makerspace Visits - Ravenswood School District started creating their Makerspace in 2013.
The Imagination Club with Mr. MakerEd Resources. Resources for Creating a Makerspace. I want a Makerspace! MakerState After School Program Offerings - Fall 2015 Ages 6-12 Scratch Video Game Design Programming & 3D Design Redstone Engineering & Minecraft Modding in Java Minecraft Storytelling & Adventure Mapping Rocket Scientists LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Comic Book Storytelling Stop Motion Moviemaking Creating Wearable Electronics, Spy Gear & The Internet of Things Non-Digital Game Design Workshop Structural Engineering Engineering Makerspace Eco-Engineering Junior Engineers 3D Design with TinkerCAD Paper Circuits Scratch Video Game Design Programming & 3D Design We’ll build programs, games, and animations using Scratch: the drag-and-drop, color-coded, event driven programming block editor, and create some epic 3D structures using the latest computer-aided design software (CAD).
Redstone Engineering & Minecraft Modding Minecraft Storytelling & Adventure Mapping Rocket Scientists LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Comic Book Storytelling Stop Motion Moviemaking Engineering Makerspace. MakerKids. MakerKids.