Maker Movement Teresa Sappington Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow

What is the Maker Movement?  A grassroots effort by people who design and create their own products.  A tech-focused social initiative built around design, innovation, education and entrepreneurship.  Makers include inventors, designers, artisans, craftsmen, and tinkerers.  Constantly evolving and growing.  Caught the interest of the White House and Congress.

 Driven by new technologies like robotics, laser cutters/engravers, electronics, and 3D printers that have become more accessible to the consumer market.  Has a magazine, Make, makezine.com  Has events called Maker Faires.  The “greatest show and tell on Earth.”  Makers show their inventions and ideas. What is the Maker Movement?

Making in Education  fosters curiosity, tinkering, and iterative learning, which in turn leads to better thinking through better questioning.  promotes critical thinking and problem solving skills  creates interest in STEM among students who can fill the future manufacturing and technology jobs  teaches students design thinking

Making in Education  teaches students to work with multiple disciplines on a product or project  built upon the foundation of constructionism, which is the philosophy of hands-on learning through building things  primary objective of the teacher in this case is to facilitate the acquisition of concepts by building a specific project

Making in Education  The Maker Movement was No. 4 on the 2014 list of ed-tech developments by eSchool News.  The Maker Movement and maker spaces are popping up in classrooms, labs, and libraries across the country.  MakerEd.org is a one stop resource for Making in Education

Makerspaces  Over 300 makerspaces have been set up across the country.  Most makerspaces contain 3D printers, laser engravers, CNC machines, electronic equipment, woodworking equipment, and hand tools.  Some makerspaces have art centers and textile design areas.  Makerspaces are being put into libraries, museums, and schools.

Education Makerspaces  have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach teaching and learning.  students are encouraged to explore ideas and concepts with tools such as 3D printers, design software, electronics, and tools.  This hands-on approach supports the “learn by doing” concept, and also helps generate student interest in STEM.

Education Makerspaces  The Guiding Principles of an Educational Makerspace  It’s OK to fail.  Breaking things is not a cardinal sin.  Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!

Three Main Take-away Lessons  maker education inspires deeper learning,  educational makerspaces central idea is to allow students ownership of their learning  it is not necessary to be a technical expert to start a makerspace in your school or library

Resources  content/uploads/2015/10/Youth-Makerspace- Playbook_FINAL.pdf content/uploads/2015/10/Youth-Makerspace- Playbook_FINAL.pdf  content/uploads/2014/09/Makerspace-Playbook-Feb pdf content/uploads/2014/09/Makerspace-Playbook-Feb pdf  maker-education-rubric-lisa-yokana maker-education-rubric-lisa-yokana  The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces, Authors: R. Steven Debby L. Kurti Laura