Education

Maker Education is such a valuable role. These stories will bring you the latest information and tales of maker educators who area spreading the maker mindset. Help others learn how to make things or how to think like a maker at makerspaces, schools, universities, and local communities. The importance of maker education can not be understated. We appreciate our educators.

Best Maker Schools: University of Maryland

Best Maker Schools: University of Maryland

By Dale Dougherty

Dale Dougherty

DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.

In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.

Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.

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Makerspaces are becoming a fixture on college and university campuses. In fact, there are often multiple makerspaces on campus. At the University of Maryland, College Park, the growth of makerspaces followed a pattern I’ve seen elsewhere. Student-driven makerspace were started, often as clubs, and then professors started spaces with departmental funding, but now larger makerspaces […]

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Maker Campus This Fall: Animatronic Assistants, Working with EVA Foam, and Laser Cutting

Maker Campus This Fall: Animatronic Assistants, Working with EVA Foam, and Laser Cutting

By Daniel Schneiderman

Daniel Schneiderman

Dan is the Community Manager at Make: Community. He is also a space enthusiast, event organizer, and co-chair of Maker Faire Rochester. Dan can often be found developing hands-on activities for maker events through Rochester and New York State.

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so many awesome classes. Get your spots reserved now!

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What Drives Makerspaces On Campus

What Drives Makerspaces On Campus

By Jennifer Blakeslee

Jennifer Blakeslee

Jennifer Blakeslee keeps the Global Maker Faire program running smoothly and has been a maker at Maker Faire since 2011. Among other things, she really likes to travel, write, cook, hike, make big art, and swim in the ocean.

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Makerspaces are becoming a valuable feature of university and college campuses, providing students access to tools, expertise, and space for projects. Join us on Wednesday, September 22nd @ 4pm PDT / 7pm EDT as we talk to people who are working in these campus makerspaces and learn about how they are used and viewed by students, faculty, administration, and alumni.

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Maker Educators – Learn from the Best

Maker Educators – Learn from the Best

By Dale Dougherty

Dale Dougherty

DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.

In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.

Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.

View more articles by Dale Dougherty

We invite you to join other maker educators for the Make: Education Forum, to be held online Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th. It’s a program for educators by maker educators. No celebrities, no product pitches, no astronauts, no politicians. Just practitioners sharing what they have learned in creating maker spaces and maker programs in schools and how making provides hands-on experiential learning for students.

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Steve M. Potter

The Making of a Scientist/Maker/Teacher

By Dale Dougherty

Dale Dougherty

DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire.

In 2011 Dougherty was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” through an initiative that honors Americans who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” At the 2014 White House Maker Faire he was introduced by President Obama as an American innovator making significant contributions to the fields of education and business. He believes that the Maker Movement has the potential to transform the educational experience of students and introduce them to the practice of innovation through play and tinkering.

Dougherty is the author of “Free to Make: How the Maker Movement Is Changing our Jobs, Schools and Minds” with Adriane Conrad. He is co-author of "Maker City: A Practical Guide for Reinventing American Cities" with Peter Hirshberg and Marcia Kadanoff.

View more articles by Dale Dougherty

I first met Dr. Steve M. Potter at Maker Faire Atlanta, which was then hosted by Georgia Tech, where he was a professor of neuroengineering. He describes this field as the intersection of brain science and technology. His life experience combines the curiosity that led him to study how learning happens in the brain, the […]

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University Makerspaces 3: Collaborating with Faculty

University Makerspaces 3: Collaborating with Faculty

Sabrina Shankar

By Sabrina Shankar

Sabrina Shankar

Sabrina has spent the last 8 years working in a variety of digital, fabrication, and makerspace labs leading to her current role supervising a fine art studio and makerspace at Bucknell University. Her passion for integrating fine art mediums with modern technology has developed unique programs and new opportunities for ways in which participants can connect with the makerspace. In her free time, Sabrina consults for makerspaces across the country to aid in the development and growth of their facility.

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Collaboration is key, especially when it comes to faculty

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University Makerspaces 2: Support from Staff

University Makerspaces 2: Support from Staff

Sabrina Shankar

By Sabrina Shankar

Sabrina Shankar

Sabrina has spent the last 8 years working in a variety of digital, fabrication, and makerspace labs leading to her current role supervising a fine art studio and makerspace at Bucknell University. Her passion for integrating fine art mediums with modern technology has developed unique programs and new opportunities for ways in which participants can connect with the makerspace. In her free time, Sabrina consults for makerspaces across the country to aid in the development and growth of their facility.

View more articles by Sabrina Shankar

Expand your Audience Reach: Support from University Staff University staff members are vast and wide in their exposure to the student population. They are responsible for aiding students in their on-campus experience outside of the academic setting. Staff members may serve the students as club leaders, mentors, and advisors in addition to their day-to-day role. […]

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