Who’s a maker? Everyone’s a maker!
From a very young age, we’re taught to play, build, design, and MAKE. As children get older and the content of curriculum becomes increasingly difficult, less time is provided for children to use their hands and minds to learn. MakerSpaces are changing that.
What is a MakerSpace?
A MakerSpace is a place for creative, hands-on, learning. From cardboard and recyclables, to 3-D printers and robotics, MakerSpaces provide a variety of options for students to become engaged in and motivated by their own curiosity. These spaces provide a safe environment for students to grow as learners through exploration, trials, and tribulations.
How can I reIGNITE curiosity in my students?
MakerSpace:
Check out this video I made about MakerSpaces. [Sources below.] Making this video was both challenging and rewarding, which is true of any good learning process. I used the Creative Commons to design a mashup that supports my feelings on the Maker Movement. What was time consuming about this program (WeVideo) was researching and locating videos that were both modifiable with a CC license and contained about 5-15 seconds of strong, relevant information. Once I found the 5 seconds I wanted to use, it took a while to find the exact time to start and stop the larger videos to zoom in on only those 5 seconds. On top of that, I accidentally pushed “delete” on several occasions, just after syncing the video clips in the perfect spots. There isn’t a feature that has you confirm you do indeed want to delete your work, and there’s no back button, so POOF my work would disappear. The features I liked about WeVideo were the ease of use and theme options. I also liked that I could easily upload the completed video to YouTube. I guess you could say this process was modeling what it’s like to be a maker: I spent time researching and playing, learning and applying new skills, and creating something meaningful to share my new understanding.
Genius Hour:
What is Genius Hour? This is a time when students will be allowed to develop their own inquiry about whatever it is that they are curious. The goal is for students to explore, learn, or create a “passion project”. Students are given autonomy, allowing them to select their projects and work independently.
The goals of Genius Hour are:
- To give students authentic, real-world opportunities to refine skills they are learning.
- To promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking.
- To allow students an opportunity to discover and investigate their passions and reflect on/share their learning with others.
- To provide students an opportunity to develop skill sets that are valuable in any learning situation (research, experimentation, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking)
- To provide an opportunity for students to share their passion projects with others and use speaking and listening skills.
Sources:
Kid building Lego City Model [Video file]. (2016, February 20). Retrieved March 14, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/156077023
Moehler, M. (204, May 31). “Happy” at Canterbury Elementary. Retrieved March 13, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/97017397
Why Does High School Suck So Much? [Kids bored in class]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T1G-bB6a6sk/maxresdefault.jpg
Is Computer Programming hard to learn ? (2014, October 14). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvAsqPbz9Ro
Disney – Art Attack. (2012, August 27). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/48300268
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