Situating Makerspaces in Schools - Hybrid Pedagogy America’s obsession with STEM is dangerous, Fareed Zakaria warns us, and our hunch is that most readers of Hybrid Pedagogy would tend to agree. We, Colin and Josh, certainly do. But the conversation that typically follows that headline rarely seems productive: a turf war for institutional priority and students’ time drawn on traditional disciplinary lines. Even when STEM advocates throw a bone to the value of creativity by adding “A” for Arts (making “STEAM”), the pendulum still swings, and the conversation never seems to advance. At the same time, “making” has turned into a “movement” and makerspaces are popping up in communities all around the US. Makerspaces don’t fit our traditional expectations of school, but here they come. Perhaps Zakaria has laid the groundwork for a cultural shift back towards the liberal arts, perhaps not. In our school community, we have situated learning through making by emphasizing an inclusive, values-based approach. Agency, authenticity, and audience
What are 21st century skills? | Thoughtful Learning: Curriculum for 21st Century Skills, Inquiry, Project-Based Learning, and Problem-Based Learning The 21st century skills are a set of abilities that students need to develop in order to succeed in the information age. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills lists three types: Learning Skills Critical Thinking Creative Thinking Collaborating Communicating Literacy Skills Information Literacy Media Literacy Technology Literacy Life Skills Flexibility Initiative Social Skills Productivity Leadership New Skills for New Jobs These skills have always been important for students, though they are particularly important in our information-based economy. To hold information-age jobs, though, students also need to think deeply about issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams, communicate clearly in many media, learn ever-changing technologies, and deal with a flood of information. Demand in the Workplace These are not just anecdotal observations.
The Makings of Maker Spaces, Part 2: Espress Yourself Espresso Book Machines tie self-publishing to Maker culture In his presentation at the 2012 Computers in Libraries conference, Fiacre O’Duinn defined Maker culture as “learning through hands-on creation; a combination of technology, art, and citizen science; and a sharing of results and, often, process.” Whether its via 3-D printers, microcontrollers, knitting, or gardening, Makers want to shape everyday objects to be reflections of themselves, not have their identities be made up of the objects they use. Over the past 40 years, public libraries have followed popular culture through the ever-more-abstract artifacts of the digital age, offering music and video in every format, public computers for Internet access, online branches, and downloadable content. One unexpected tool in this return to the physical is the Espresso Book Machine from On Demand Books. Join us for theLJ Tech Summit An Online EventNovember 14, 2012 11:00 am – 4:00 pm EST Register today! One machine, three journeys
Low Tech, High Gains: Starting a Maker Program Is Easier Than You Think A busy day at Darien (CT) Public Library’s LEGO Club. Has the maker movement taken hold in your library yet? Would you like it to? Take your pick: Anything from building with LEGOs to arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, astronomy, knitting, weaving, crochet, jewelry-making, sewing wood working, metal working, bike repair, button making, and even paper airplane construction can be offered in a maker space. These low-tech experiences are an ideal way for youth services librarians to get their feet wet in the maker arena—and usually with very little investment in supplies, overhead, and outside technical expertise compared with their high-tech counterparts. In fact, most youth services librarians already offer quite a bit of hands-on programming that could qualify as “maker” even if it is not being marketed as such, Kane says. Says Kane, “Library staff in any department have special skills and hobbies, even past careers, that the library may know nothing about. Where to start?
The Makings of Maker Spaces, Part 3: A Fabulous Home for Cocreation The Fab Lab helps Fayetteville users build and play Over the past year , the Fayetteville Free Library (FFL) has enjoyed the successful rollout of its Fabulous Laboratory (Fab Lab), a Maker space that resulted from the library’s commitment to community engagement and innovation. During this time, the library’s staff have been honored to speak about the Fab Lab and to explain not only its success but also the variety of challenges and assumptions that most libraries will face when developing a similar space. One of the most important contributing factors to FFL’s success is its culture of innovation that requires the team to think beyond the limitations of the past and to imagine a new vision for the community. As part of this culture, FFL has developed a staffing model that takes advantage of our close proximity to Syracuse University’s iSchool, one of the most renowned library and information science schools in our nation. Join us for theLJ Tech Summit Register today! Staff buy-in
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. Makerspaces, also called hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs, are collaborative spaces where people gather to get creative with DIY projects, invent new ones, and share ideas. Since the first official makerspace convened six years ago in a library in upstate New York, libraries have remained an ideal setting for makerspace events across the country. 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.) 12.) Maker Faire Makerspaces Directories 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) Revitalizing Community Spaces One could argue that the phenomenon of makerspaces has led to a revitalization and reimagining of libraries in a digital world.
Nine Elements Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use. 1. Digital Access: full electronic participation in society. Technology users need to be aware that not everyone has the same opportunities when it comes to technology. Working toward equal digital rights and supporting electronic access is the starting point of Digital Citizenship. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Respect, Educate and Protect (REPs) These elements have also been organized under the principles of respect, educate and protect. Respect Your Self/Respect Others - Etiquette - Access - Law Educate Your Self/Connect with Others - Literacy - Communication - Commerce Protect Your Self/Protect Others -Rights and Responsibility - Safety (Security) - Health and Welfare If this was to be taught beginning at the kindergarten level it would follow this pattern: Repetition 1 (kindergarten to second grade) Respect Your Self/Respect Others Digital Etiquette
The Hive | Lewisville Public Library The Hive, Lewisville Public Library's makerspace, is home to innovation and creativity. The Hive features two 3D printers, a laser cutter, a Carvey CNC milling machine, two sewing machines, a serger and an embroidery machine. Two Design Computers in The Hive feature specialized design software for creating and preparing projects to be run on the equipment in the makerspace. Software available on the Design Computers includes: A collaboration space is also included in The Hive, featuring mobile tables, chairs, and whiteboard which allow users to alter the workspace to fit their needs. The Hive is: A place to develop new expertise A place to share and work as a team A place to explore and experiment An open environment that fosters innovation and imagination Makers of all kinds are welcome in The Hive! The Hive is located in the northeast corner on the first floor of the Lewisville Public Library.
Color-Coded Clean Up: Organizing Your Makerspace | Making in School During the holiday break the Creativity Lab decided to take advantage of the student-free time by transforming the already awesome makerspace we’ve built, to an even more student-friendly place. The golden rule in organization is this: in the end everything has a place, within the place it functions. To break this down a little, here are a few things to ponder when organizing your space: (1) Everything should have a place. What do we have? (2) Try to arrange things by process or within in a place where it functions. Are stations necessary? (3) Adjust as you go. Are things working? Draft a little plan, do a sketch, talk to other teachers that use the space and go for it. Excellent things to have on hand during the process: Plastic Storage Bins – Large and SmallLabels (I love and swear by Post-it Label Rolls, 1” wide) OR Tape and Index Cards, anything to help you sortMulticolored Duct Tape (see our pictures, I found Duck Brand to be the brand with the most variety)Measuring Tape Mr. Like this:
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. In exploring the relationship between the school library and school makerspace, it's not difficult to see why conversations about the growth of makerspaces are often tied to the conversation about the future of libraries. Both makerspaces and libraries are constructivist learning spaces that share a number of common goals, while approaching them in different ways and through very different material resources. Similar Yet Distinct Makerspaces and libraries are sites of informal learning. Libraries and makerspaces are inherently interdisciplinary spaces. Makerspaces and libraries are more than just resource closets.