Hackerspaces

Sharing tools and expertise, for technical training and creative collaboration.

Where Are the Women?

Where Are the Women?

If you’ve been to your local hacker/makerspace and there weren’t many women, did you stop and wonder about that? I hope so, but unfortunately a common reaction is to think, “I guess women just aren’t into building stuff.” As one of the few women directors of a U.S. makerspace, I know that this just isn’t true.

Maker Scouts Love Bugs

Maker Scouts Love Bugs

As educators, we are always seeking subjects that are robust enough to allow children to have choices and are gender neutral to maximize engagement. The Exploratory specializes in developing projects that incorporate several learning opportunities into one project. This week, we introduced circuits and robotics and continued woodworking skills all connected by the love of bugs.

The Mill Makerspace Closes

The Mill Makerspace Closes

Minneapolis lost a great maker’s resource yesterday when The Mill‘s Brian Boyle announced its closure: Since opening February 1, 2012, The Mill has been host to 90 members and 306 participants in classes ranging from soap making and sewing to Arduino microcontrollers and build your own 3D printer. Amazingly talented people have given their time […]

Kid Makers Need Space

Kid Makers Need Space

Makerspaces are becoming more and more popular. If you are not familiar, a makerspace or hackerspace is a place for people to gather and make stuff. Each is pretty much unique, but they all share a sense of community and a joy for making things and sharing knowledge. However, even if you are lucky enough to live close to one, it may not be particularly kid-friendly. So, where should you take your young makers when they want a place to turn their ideas into reality with their own hands?

That’s an excellent question. So I did some research and here are five great places you can go with you kids to make things.

Dale Dougherty to Speak at Indiana University Southeast

Dale Dougherty to Speak at Indiana University Southeast

If you find yourself near Louisville, KY tomorrow night, MAKE founder Dale Dougherty will be speaking just across the Ohio River on the campus of Indiana University Southeast in New Albany. The title of Dale’s talk is “The Magic of Making: Engaging Students as Makers.” Dale will be discussing the importance of creating makerspaces in schools, developing a community of practice around engaging kids as makers, and how online tools can enhance and extend the value of making to the broader community.