Makerspaces in the Media Center For most people when they hear the words location, location, location they think real estate. I think of school library media centers. In almost all schools the media center occupies the largest amount of real estate on the campus. And just like a piece of real estate, there should be flexibility in the staging, products, services, and use of the space. This place, above all others, should be a dynamic space that allows for self expression, exploration, discovery, curiosity, creativity, inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving. It Starts With the Look and Feel of the Space Today’s patrons are looking for a space that is inviting, contemporary, and comfortable. Design With Your Product in Mind What is your product? Create a Makerspace Librarians are the leaders in exploring and trying out the latest trends in digital tools, resources, and training. Photo via Flickr Creative Commons by informatique. Makerspaces need to be created around several key concepts. In Short
Our Makerspace Journey The Stewart Middle Magnet School Library Makerspace Journey I first started my makerspace journey at Stewart Middle Magnet School in January 2014 with a few bins of K’nex spread out on some library tables. It then grew and expanded into a thriving program and a vital part of the library and school. Take a look back at our journey and see what we learned along the way. The Makerspace changed, grew and evolved since it was first conceived and started in January 2014. (Note: I left Stewart in May 2017, but the makerspace there continues to grow. Quick Background on Stewart Our school was originally Blake High School, a segregated high school that opened in the 1950s. Our school has a focus on engineering, robotics, aerospace and video game design.
ISTE 2015: Takeaway Tips for a Library Maker Space | ISTE 2015 Maker station at the ISTE Librarians Digital Age Playground at the 2015 ISTE conference in Philadelphia. The maker movement was front and center at the 2015 ISTE conference—and that’s a good thing for me. After following maker initiatives with great interest for some time now, I have the opportunity to design a maker space this year for 6th–12th grade students at my school, Worcester (MA) Academy. A search of this year’s program at ISTE, held June 28 to July 1 in Philadelphia, using the term “constructivist learning/maker movement” resulted in 67 related sessions. One of my goals at the conference was to gather ideas and tips to help me create my library’s maker space. Problem solving, problem solving, problem solving Sure 3-D printers are cool, and it’s fun to play with LEGOs, but the most important aspect of maker spaces is to provide the opportunity for students to try, fail, and problem solve. Maker spaces provide students with safe places to create, collaborate, and problem solve.
Exploring Makerspace culture It’s twelve months since Kristen Fontichiaro presented Sharpening our toolkit: defining great work, exploring Makerspace culture and badging accomplishments at the SLAV Conference Transliteracy: whom do you ask and how can you participate? At that time Kristen spoke of the value of Makerspaces as positive learning opportunities based on her experience and research with the Michigan Makers group and the University of Michigan, USA. A number of schools have explored the idea and are implementing them in various ways. As a ‘third space’ in a student’s life – a place that is neither home and nor the classroom, libraries and the concept of a Makerspace is an ideal fit. Makerspaces: creating an opportunity Regardless of the focus, Makerspaces share a common definition: A place where people can use tools and materials and can develop creative projectsCan be embedded in an existing organisation or stand alone e.g. Do you have a Makerspace story to share in relation to your school library?
School Libraries and Makerspaces: Can They Coexist? More and more schools are coming to value maker education and exploring ways to create makerspaces in their schools. Many schools are discussing how they might utilize their library to facilitate this. As my school has increased our commitment to constructionist learning and maker education over the last few years, we have done so in close collaboration with our school library. Similar Yet Distinct Makerspaces and libraries are sites of informal learning. In the constructivist sense, libraries facilitate constructing knowledge through access to information, while makerspaces facilitate constructing knowledge through the manipulation and creation of material objects (based on a theory associated with constructivism, known as constructionism). Libraries and makerspaces are inherently interdisciplinary spaces. The library has space and material for learning about all academic disciplines. Libraries and makerspaces provide equitable access to materials and resources. Finding the Balance
Your Students can be “Makers”: 16 Projects Invented by Teachers (This post was edited on 6/30/2015 to add a 17th project previously omitted. Be sure to scroll down to see that project!) New York City, The Big Apple, a global hub for innovation and invention from the Otis elevator through the MakerBot 3D printer… The perfect location for teachers to flex their own innovation and invention muscles at Design, Do, Discover 2015. In June 2014, I attended the second Design Do Discover conference at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, CA. The first year was a wonderful learning experience for everyone – coaches and participants alike. The premise is simple: start with a quick tour of the facility and very brief show-and-tell of the tools (less than 30 minutes!) The final projects blew ALL of us coaches away! 1. This project was created by a team from my own school in Seattle… They were pursuing an idea of presenting the whole school with the same project prompt: solve a problem related to water. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Lego Mindstorms, Laser cutting. 9. 10. 11. 12.
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. There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015. Articles & Blog Posts on Makerspaces 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) 10. ) It all started with a training offered by the Washington State Library… Part of the “Between the Lines” series of the Washington State Library Blog, this post describes one library manager’s first encounter with STEM-based makerspace programming. 12.) Maker Faire Touted as the “greatest show and tell on earth,” Maker Faire has emerged as the official international celebration of not only creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation but also a mass gathering of the maker movement at large. Makerspaces Directories 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) Revitalizing Community Spaces
Maker Space In Education Series… 20 Reasons Your Students Should Be Making It’s still summer time in the States and I couldn’t help but think of the idea of play, and that of course made me think of Maker Space. I have long encourage Making in the classroom. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that this idea is now a movement and one that I suggest all 21st century educators Make some room for. Booking Info – Time to think about your new school year needs. Maker Space In Education Series… 20 Reasons Your Students Should Be Making – Michael Gorman ( Take a moment to contemplate what it would be like if every school had a Maker Space and it was part of the school curriculum. As you are probably already aware, there is a growing Maker Movement across the nation. The idea behind the Makers Movement includes allowing people to imagine, envision, create, innovate, play, formatively learn, experiment, collaborate, share, and most of all dream of possibilities. Like this: Like Loading...
Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch With the National Week of Making behind us, you might be ready to start a makerspace in your school -- but not know where to start. Will purchasing a costly 3D printer and the latest robotics kit ensure learning and maker success? What are some steps to starting a successful makerspace from scratch? Step 1: Immerse Yourself in Maker Education Before you can build your own community of makers, you need to join one! Step 2: Get Others Involved Start a steering committee for your makerspace by involving interested teachers and students. If you can, reach out to the community and get parents and community members involved. Step 3: Purchasing Makerspace Resources Here are three guidelines: What purchases will give you the most bang for your buck? Step 4: Building a Community of Makers Immerse your students in maker supplies. Photo Credit: Colleen Graves Step 5: Hosting Workshops and/or Design Challenges Here are some design challenge ideas that worked for me: