Educators Gather to Reimagine Schools as Platforms for Making

Education
Educators Gather to Reimagine Schools as Platforms for Making

Launched last year as a way to bring a small number of interested educators together before World Maker Faire New York since they were all in town anyway, our Make: Education Forum returns this Friday, Sept. 30, as a new tradition unto itself.

This forum is really close to Maker Media founder and CEO Dale Dougherty’s heart. If the question is: What makes a maker? The answer invariably is: Childhood. And how do most children spend the majority of their days? In school.

The idea that this time be as well-spent as possible is one that matters deeply. Staying seated, being talked at, and memorizing facts is not always the best way to learn or to spend one’s days — particularly for a whole swathe of learners who need a more active and interactive style in order to absorb lessons. Turns out, that’s a lot of us.

The success of the Maker Movement in great part depends upon an active, participatory model of education that encourages creativity and curiosity inside and outside of the classroom.

Photo by Lucas Saugen
Photo by Lucas Saugen

This year’s Make: Education Forum, which is sponsored by Intel as part of its continued commitment to supporting education, features Carmen Fariña, the Chancellor of New York City Schools, and a who’s-who slate of educators who have embraced making as a viable — and vital — tool to learning.

Hosted with the New York Hall of Science and Maker Ed, the Make: Education Forum aims to help teachers and faculty consider broader definitions of making within their learning communities as well as think about how to best broaden their diversity efforts and commitment to creativity.

Pam Moran and Ira Socol of the Albermarle County Public School District co-present a keynote address on the concept of the school as a maker platform.

Photo by Lucas Saugen.
Photo by Lucas Saugen.

“Making transforms the learning experience for students,” Dale says. “This Forum provides a chance for educators to meet each other and exchange ideas.” We’re pretty sure that opportunities to deepen their own journey into making transforms teaching experiences for educators, too.

The Make: Education Forum is slated for Friday, Sept. 30, from 10am to 4pm, at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York. Tickets are $75, include a day pass to World Maker Faire New York this Oct. 1-2, and are going fast. We anticipate a sell-out event. Buy your tickets today!

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