411 on Makerspaces

“The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world but to change it.” By Colin Wilson

A Makerspace is a learning environment where everyone can discover, collaborate, and create things. It is not defined as a certain space but rather an area of exploration, experimentation and tinkering. Many schools have been adding Makerspaces into their media centers but that is not the only place they have to be. You can add them into your classroom as well. There is a misconception that Makerspaces have to have technology such as a 3d printer and this is not true. I have seen many awesome Makerspaces with no technology in them such as Fashion Makerspaces. Ask parents to donate supplies or apply for a grants through Donors Choose or Go Fund Me: Education to help launch your Makerspace.

Here are some examples items you can put into your Makerspaces but not limited too:

• Recyclables: This is a cheap and easy way to start a Makerspace.
  • cardboard
  • plastic bottles or cups
  • altoid tins
  • magazines
  • egg cartons
  • milk cartons
• Building/Tinkering:
  • Legos
  • Qubits
  • Pin Block
  • Knex
  • Fort Magic
  • Roominate and GoldieBox
• Consumables:
  • Play-dough
  • yarn
  • toothpicks
  • popsicles sticks
  • glue
  • tools
• Electronic/Technology Items:
  • LittleBits
  • Squishy Circuits
  • Code Bug
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Sphero
  • Dot and Dash
  • Ozobot
  • Mindflex
  • Snap Circuits
  • Arduino
  • Makerbot (3D Printer)
  • Makey- Makey
  • Sewing Machine

Helpful Articles and Resources:

www.makerspaces.com

7 Things You Should Know About Makerspaces

Book: Invent to Learn

My previous Makerspace posts:

Makerspace in Education

Ways to Use Blokify – Without a 3D Printer in the Classroom

Adding Creativity and Imagination to the Classroom

I would love to hear what you put into your Makerspaces.

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10 Creative Play Gadgets to Add to Your Classroom

“I love technology, and I love new gadgets. I can no longer figure out how to use ay of them, but I love them.” Jerry Zucker

New technology gadgets are always coming out; check out some of these creative play gadgets to add to your classroom.

1. Ozobot

2. Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider Blue*

3. Spheros*

* Bonus both the MiniDrone and Spheros can utilize Tickle App to teach programing.

4. LittleBits

5. Fascinations First Time Clock Puzzle

6. Rubik’s Slide

7. Osmo

8. Roominate

9. Cublets

10. Moss

Be on the lookout for Bloxels which is coming soon! Please share any gadgets that you are utilizing in your classroom in the comments section.

Adding Creativity and Imagination to the Classroom

“Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting.” Edward de Bono

Recently I have been privileged to hear an amazing keynote speaker, Nirvan Mullick about adding creativity and imagination to the schools as it builds imagine, inspiration and the love of learning which then correlates to academic achievement. Mullick is the owner of the imagination foundation but more famously known for where it all started with Caine’s arcade. This is the video Nirvan created:

Below are ways to add creativity and imagination in classroom:

1. Genius Hour allows students to work on something they are passionate about.

2. Makerspaces is a community-driven workspace, where people with common interests, meet and collaborate on ‘Do it Yourself’ (DYI) projects. In schools it would be school-driven. Read more about Makerspaces from my previous blog post: Makerspace in Education. To get started with a makerspace you can use recyclables, crayons, paper, pipe cleaners. It is also great to have technology such as Little Bits, Sparkfun and MaKey MaKeys.

3. Challenges are a great way to see students add creativity. I loved the days we had challenges in my classroom such as build a boat to hold the most paper slips without sinking, the challenge you only have two pieces of paper and some masking tape. Here are some other challenges that you can add to your classroom activities to build creativity.

• Card Board Challenge
• Design Challenge
• Spaghetti Challenge or Marshmallow Challenge

4. Books to read aloud or do activities with:

• Ish by Peter Reynolds
• Dot by Peter Reynolds
• Beautiful Opps by Barney Saltzbar
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• What do you do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamanda
• Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Another great resource full of practical ideas to do in the classroom that take little to no money or prep time are in the book: Sparking Student Creativity: Practical Ways to Promote Innovative Thinking and Problem Solving

These are other wonderful books on creativity and imagination for educators:

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within All of Us by  Tom Kelley  and David Kelley

Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

Great Sites:

Creativity at Work

P21- Creativity and Innovation

TED Talk Video Playlist on Creativity

What are other ways we can foster creativity so it becomes not just a moment but a  movement in the schools? I would love to hear your feedback, ideas and book suggestions!

Makerspace in Education

“In a general way, you can shake the world.” by Ghandi

A typical Makerspace is a community-driven workspace, where people with common interests, meet and collaborate on ‘Do it Yourself’ (DYI) projects. In schools it would be school-driven. (The concept reminds me a lot of what Camp Invention is all about, which is a summer camp, I used to teach) If we created a workspace that had materials such as computers, makey makeys, Raspberry Pi and other tools for a hands-on learning; I can only image the ideas students would come up with if they had this space available. Here are three reason why I think schools should have Makerspaces:

Teachers using a Makey-Makey to play Mindcraft that a student built.

1. Authentic Learning: DIY projects are real world and authentic. In Makerspaces, students can solve real-world problems with innovative solutions. Some Makerspace innovative ideas that have been successful and you probably have heard of or even used are: Square, Makerbot and Pebble Watch.

2. 21st Century Skills: Makerspaces allow students to critically think, create, collaborate and communicate. The student’s are able to work together to learn new skills, share expertise while developing their thinking and discovering new solutions. It allows students to have choice and voice.

3. STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math = STEM. By adding in Art Design and you get STEAM. Makerspaces allow all subjects to seamless work together. Art Design is the visual standpoint and can range from the art of coding a website to the esthetic of a project.

I am helping some schools set up there Makerspace area and I am excited to see what happens ( I am sure I will blog again about this topic with the results). One middle school is even making it a ‘special/elective’ the students can sign up for. I think this is a revolutionary idea and will happen more often in schools.

If you want to get started or learn more about Makerspaces for your school, I highly suggestion going to Makerspaces.com and also review their Makerspace Playbook Guide.

Other Great Resources:

Mt. Elliot Makerspace (Love his Makerspace section of his site)

www.makermedia.com

http://makerfaire.com

Makezine.com

A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources

Creating Makerspaces in Schools

Livebinder on Makerspace

Tedx: Makerspaces – The Future of Education by Marc Teusch (4:35)

If you have a Makerspace in your classroom or in your school, I would love to hear your thoughts. I am excited to see where the Maker Movement will go.