makecast

Class at NoVA Labs in northern Virginia

The Challenge of Running a Community Makerspace

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 […]

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Chris Walker of Hack Club

Hack Club’s Chris Walker and Castle Bravo

Chris started Castle Bravo as a personal project — with the idea of turning a bouncy castle into a boat — a motorized floating bouncy castle.

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Students excited about a heart that they made

Authentic Learning and Making

Michael Stone is an educator who led efforts to create 34 Fab Labs in K-12 schools in Hamilton County, Tennessee, despite not thinking of himself as having any skills or interest in making. He was a basketball coach with a degree in computer science. Now, as Vice President of Innovative Learning for the Public Education […]

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Galen Powers - People Passionate About their Craft

People Passionate About Their Craft

You’ve probably never heard of my guest on this episode of the podcast. I’d never heard of Galen Powers either until Jeff Johnson of ChatLab in Chattanooga Tennessee introduced him to me and the three us got on Zoom to talk. Jeff had said that Galen would be reluctant to talk about himself but I […]

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Make:cast talks to Jake Sugden and Josh Manley who are the teachers of CAD Class.

On Pulleys and Pirate Ships: Learning CAD

A lot of makers struggle to learn CAD. Why is this keystone piece of software such a challenge to learn? One reason is that you have to find projects that motivate to you to do the work of learning. Another is finding other people who can help you throughout the process. This is what I […]

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Customizing Adaptive Tech for People With Disabilities

Customizing Adaptive Devices for People with Disabilities

Microsoft’s Bryce Johnson and John Helmes Join Make: Editor Caleb Kraft Bryce Johnson works at the Inclusive Tech Lab at Microsoft who is one of the co-inventors of the Xbox Adaptive Controller and the Surface Adaptive Kit. John Helmes is an industrial designer at Microsoft who began creating and customizing devices for his daughter, Jara, […]

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If Kids Really Knew STEM

If Kids Really Knew STEM

Jasmine Florentine’s new book introduces making and STEM to middle-schoolers. The book, “Hex Allen and the Clanksmiths”, creates a fantasy world where real problems are solved by hands-on skills. Jasmine is driven to help young people understand STEM, not just as a field of study, but as an opportunity to apply their creativity as well […]

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