In this section, you will find news from makerspaces all over—from new programs, facility updates, success stories of entrepreneurs who started at a shared space—as well as trends and principles that help makers succeed. Whether you are looking for inspiration or perhaps some strategies to apply in your own makerspace project; follow along for an enlightening glimpse into what’s happening with other members of the maker community!
In this episode of Make:cast, I talk to Chad Orcutt, the creator of Community Shop Class in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. What started out as the ADHD Inventor’s Club in his garage grew into a new space, unlike any makerspace I’ve seen. He saw the space as way to help people, particularly neurodivergent […]
Running a makerspace can be challenging and expensive, but schools that do so often see rewards in increased student engagement, collaboration, and enthusiasm for problem solving.
Matt Zigler is the author of a new book for educators titled “3 Modes of Making.” He talks about imitation, modification and innovation as three different modes of student projects, which develop different maker skills. Matt is an artist and educator who has been running the makerspace at Bullis, an independent school in the DC area. He brings a background in art and creative practice to the makerspace and his school. it’s not that every student is going to be an artist but every student should develop a creative practice, regardless of subject or area of interest.
Jim Sweeney of NoVA Labs My guest on this episode of Make:cast is Jim Sweeney, the treasurer of NoVA Labs, a community makerspace in northern Virginia. Jim talks honestly about the challenges of growing a makerspace. With 700 members and many programs for young makers in the community, NoVA Labs has a bold vision of […]
What a makerspace at Moreno Valley College can do for community college students and faculty Donnell Layne and Jason Kennedy developed the iMake Innovation Center Makerspace at Moreno Valley College in Southern California, an Hispanic-serving community college in Riverside. They talk about developing the space to meet the needs of students and faculty as well […]
Assemble is a leading example of a community-oriented makerspace focused on the needs of youth, providing summer and afterschool programming that is fun, expressive and personal. Nina Barbuto, the founder and director of Assemble, which serves youth and adults in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Daniel Brateris is Director of Experiential Learning at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey. We talk about the practice of hands on learning and its value to students in engineering. He was responsible for building out the manufacturing and makerspace facilities at NJIT. Daniel also mentions the social value of these spaces […]
