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.
Five years ago, I was sitting in a classroom with six eighth grade boys who all read at a third grade level or below. This was my first day as a teacher, six weeks after completing my last education class and receiving a provisional teaching certificate. I was a mid-year hire: these students needed more help than they could receive with existing staff. And what they had was me.
The first-ever Kerkrade Mini Maker Faire in the south of the Netherlands is set for this weekend. The numbers of makers who responded to the call for makers was overwhelming and up to the very last moment new makers applied. With about 50 makers from all over the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Luxemburg showing their stuff, we are over the moon with what’s in store for visitors. Here are some of the standouts.
As my Eagle Project, Iโm using the Raspberry Pi platform to build computers for students at a girlsโ school in Afghanistan. Weโre raising the money online at Indiegogo, and will be building a special, pre-loaded Linux distribution with educational software. Trust in Education, a non-profit aid group, will be setting up a computer lab with the Pi-based computers.
It’s time for another World Maker Faire! Soon, tens of thousands of people will come to New York to see hundreds of art pieces, robots, vehicles, and everything in between. Many of the pieces on display were created by dedicated makers working out of their garages, but a growing number of them are being designed and built in makerspaces around the country – spaces that provide access to equipment, training on that equipment, dedicated areas to work on your project, and a community of like-minded makers.
Your Makerspace may not need much of a budget to operate, if you have a space you can use for free, tools to borrow, and materials found or donated. For some Makerspaces, the ones with lots of parental involvement, many of the projects are self-funded. But if your Makerspace takes place at a school without as much family support, or if you simply do not have this all in place, you may need to research community or family foundation grants to fill in the gap.
A group of students constructed a wooden footbridge inspired by an illustration in a Song Dynasty scroll. Check out their process photos and get the backstory from their teacher.
Pranks and making go together like peanut butter and jelly. A well-conducted prank requires creativity and skill.
