6 Essential Tips for Designing Your Makerspace’s Layout When planning a makerspace, most think about designing for creativity. It’s important to think about the types of projects that will be completed in the space, how many people will use the space at any given time, and the equipment on your must-have versus nice-to-have lists. However, there are also a few considerations that often go overlooked. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, a fully-accredited private school serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with two locations in Suffolk, Virginia Space Utilization – Design, Fabrication, or Both? It’s important to consider where lab users will be designing versus making. A separate design space should be close to the makerspace in order to minimize lengthy trips back and forth. For educators, it’s also important to consider if you will be teaching in the design lab, the makerspace, or both. Key Takeaway: How you plan to use the space will determine your spatial flow. Dirty vs. Noise Control Power and Electrical Requirements Furniture
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. 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 MakerSpaces for Adults (Some kids too.)
The Makings of a Makerspace: Three Examples In late October, 2013, I visited several makerspaces in the bay area crammed into one day, and blogged about my discoveries here. Then, in summer 2014, I visited two more makerspaces and blogged about those here. Most recently, the fabulous Jaymes Dec hosted me at Marymount in NYC, Kat Sauter hosted me at Ann Richards STARS in Austin (whom I also visited back in 2013 before their makerspace!) (This great post by the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at the University of Vermont also has some great ideas and examples for flexible physical learning environments.) Overall Organization Marymount’s “makerspace” was actually significantly distributed throughout the school, with elements in the high school, middle school, and primary spaces. Ann Richards and ECC both have clearly designated makerspaces, with Ann Richards’ more clearly matching much of the layout I’ve seen at other schools and ECC’s much closer to a traditional machine shop with some awesome new elements (3D printing).
Setting Up Your Own MakerSpace Since you already know that you want to set up a MakerSpace you know that it is an area that provides hands-on, creative ways for students to design, experiment, and invent as they engage in science, engineering, and tinkering.” (definition from edutopia) Before I started making specific plans for a MakerSpace in my library, I started reading everything that I could get my hands on that would inform me about such a space. I read online, searched out other libraries, schools, classrooms, and communities that had MakerSpaces, hit the library and Amazon looking for books about MakerSpaces, visited several MakerSpaces in the area, read blogs about MakerSpaces, and followed makers on Twitter. Once you are informed, chat with your building leaders to share why your students need MakerSpace opportunities and the plan you have established to make it happen.
Defining Makerspaces: Part 1 Recently, I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with criticism. I was told (not to my face) by a visitor to our school that our library makerspace is not a “real makerspace”. This same person stated that our woodshop is a “real makerspace” because it has power tools. She suggested that I “do some research” on what makerspaces actually are. Feeling personally insulted aside, what bothers me most about this statement is the concept that some makerspaces are more valid than others and that a makerspace is solely defined by the tools it contains. I do agree that our woodshop is a makerspace, even though we don’t call it that. But is my space any less of a makerspace simply because it doesn’t have power tools? Defining Makerspaces All of this got me thinking about how we define “makerspace”. For the record, here’s my own definition of a school Makerspace: A #makerspace is a place where kids gather to create, invent, tinker, explore & discover. What the Research Says About Makerspaces
The ideas behind a school makerspace and its benefits for students – Rock Island Techie When I first heard about makerspaces, I wondered what was so unique about such spaces and what differentiated them from a classroom with materials for projects, the room I use as an office and keep all my art, tech, and office supplies, or even the garage or shed that my husband keeps all his tools and gear for various things. As I’ve learned more about makerspaces, I’ve realized that all these places (and many more) CAN be makerspaces and probably are often used that way from time to time. In a school makerspace, the actual space and tools (or supplies and resources) are just part of the equation; so what is the pedagogy behind a maker space in schools and how does that benefit students? “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” (Cooper, 2013, para 2). What does this mean for the teacher utilizing a makerspace with their students? References:
Learn All About STEAM Education and Maker Spaces from @GeekyTeach on this amazing podcast! · TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting NetworkbyJeffrey Bradbury Podcast: Download | Embed Is your school looking to develop a STEAM lab or a Maker Space? In this episode, Meredith Martin shows us how you can turn a simple room into the innovation lab of your dreams for pennies on the dollar! The TechEducator Podcast is a weekly round table discussion about current topics in educational technology. For more information, please visit www.techeducatorpodcast.com. TechEducatorPodcast.com Hosts: Show Links Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews Are you enjoying Educational Podcasting Today or other shows on the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today. Ask Me Your Podcasting or WordPress Question Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Contact Me Check Out More TeacherCast Programming View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast Need a Presenter? Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!