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.
How Libraries Are Becoming Modern Makerspaces If you could ask Ben Franklin what public institution he would like to visit in America today, I bet he would say the public library. And if you asked him which part of the library, I bet he would say the makerspace. Ben Franklin is well known as a founder of the early subscription library, the Philadelphia Library Company, almost 300 years ago. It may be less well known that Franklin used the library’s space for some of his early experiments with electricity. Today, perhaps taking a cue from Franklin, libraries across America are creating space for their patrons to experiment with all kinds of new technologies and tools to create and invent. As I wrote in a short piece in the March issue of The Atlantic, called The Library Card: Miguel Figueroa, who directs the Center for the Future of Libraries at the American Library Association, says makerspaces are part of libraries’ expanded mission to be places where people can not only consume knowledge, but create new knowledge.
4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!) Here’s a simple open-ended building activity for kids of all ages – Colored craft sticks, wooden cubes, and small plastic cups! Simple materials, and yet we have been having a blast building all kinds of amazing structures with them. This project is the second project in our Summer STEAM Camp series! Here are the materials we used for this project: (Amazon affiliate links) Who knew that craft sticks, cubes, and cups could be so interesting? Challenge #1: Build a structure with one cube as the base. When I announced this one, the boys told me it would be impossible. So then Owen came up with this: And Gresham built this: As long as you add pieces on both sides of your structure simultaneously, you can build some amazing designs! Challenge #2: Using any size base, build the tallest possible structure. Stacking craft sticks on top of plastic cups allows you to build a much more vertical structure than what you can make with cups alone. Challenge #3: Feats of Balance. How many cups can it hold?
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?
How to Start a Makerspace When You're Broke Everyone’s Favorite Excuse I’ve had the honor and privilege of sharing with hundreds of librarians and educators about our makerspace. Unfortunately, I see many educators hold back on starting a makerspace because of funds. I’m always hearing excuses like: “I’d love to do (insert cool Maker activity) at my school, but we don’t have a budget for that.” What many people don’t realize is that the idea that you need a lot of money to start a Makerspace is a myth. Share Your Vision with ALL THE PEOPLE You want to start a makerspace. Recycled materials can make for awesome projects Seek out Donations Never discount the value of donated materials. Consider putting out a bin for donations of recycled materials. We first started our makerspace with bins of K’nex found in a storage room Work with What You’ve Got Since you’ve started sharing your vision, you might have found out that your school already has some maker supplies lying around. Our Epic LEGO Wall was funded through DonorsChoose Like this:
Archives | krissy venosdale Designers of Their Own Learning When we ask kids to read Chapter 3, we’re telling them what to know. When we fill our boards with objectives that say “You will learn ____,” we’re explaining to them the very basis for the lesson we are delivering. When we give out a packet of worksheets that have fill in the blank answers, multiple choice, and matching, we’re telling kids to choose answers from our choices. When we ask kids to spend days and weeks in silent classrooms answering test questions, we’re telling them that knowing stuff is more important than their voice. But when we ask kids to design? Their ideas. We put their voice first and we step out of the way at just the right time. I’m not saying it’s always easy as a teacher to do that. Worth It Before you read this, read THIS, “What is sacred in education?” We are all in education for our own reasons, our own journey, and our own “thing.” I read Kelly’s post and I thought, “Yes. The dream. That dream can get buried. And that? It’s pure.
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