The Magic of Making in the Classroom
Often, when educators hear about Makerspaces/the Maker Movement, the first but is: but we don’t have a room, but we don’t have the space, but how do we do this in our classroom? Thought I would share the story of one of the teachers in our district who has been on this journey ever since she first came to our Makerspace, saw it and saw the robots in action.
Flashback to December 2014: The Wonder Workshop Dash & Dot robots had just shipped the week before CS Education Week (more popularly The Hour of Code week). At one of the few coding workshops that I had conducted for the district staff that week in the Barron Park Maker Studio was this teacher from one of the other district sites who had attended. She loved what she saw was possible with the robots, asked me for the logistics on the cost, what was involved. She also toured the space, looked at all the activities, asked about what she
The next thing I know, I received an email from her stating that she had a few funds, had purchased a couple of the robots and iPads and could she please come by to talk to me on set up, what is involved and what are some activities she could do in the classroom with them? So she came by, we talked, and the next thing I knew, her kids off and about with them. She took risks and “let go”. Who benefited? Her students.
Fast forward to a couple more months: I received an email from her saying she had purchased the KEVA planks, the kids were building, designing, creating mazes for the robots, and just having a blast. Again, she just “let go”. And look at what she just did. A mini Makerspace in her classroom.
Fast forward a few more months. I received an email saying she had purchased one sewing machine. Could she please come by to see the projects the students had created to get ideas? So, yesterday, we met and talked. She got her ideas. She is starting with one sewing machine, one group of students and after school to begin with. Hers has been an inspiring story. No “ifs” and “buts”, just a can do attitude. She had a Maker Mindset to make it happen for her students. The following chart is an ongoing one to which educators from various districts around who attended #EdCampSVMake this past Saturday have contributed.
This teacher needs a huge applause for having brought the Maker Movement to her classroom.
As she was leaving, I had to plant another seed :) I showed her the size of a recently donated Cube 3D printer to the Maker Studio, explaining how there are now printers like the printrbot that one can get for less than $300, particularly since she and a grade level partner are collaborating on how to introduce more skills across by pooling their resources. We talked about the skills students learn through 3D printing and why it would be great to have one.
She left with this seed in her brain. I know I will hear back from her once she purchases it. And recalling what Sylvia Martinez said last week at a panel at Infosys Foundation’s CrossRoads conference, the printer won’t be bought and sit there, just like the robots and planks are not just sitting there, but the learning is happening. Way to go!
