What's in a makerspace?

Makerspace. It’s an education buzzword, but what is it? Simply put, a makerspace is a designated, designed and properly supplied area where students can come to brainstorm, tinker, create, and ultimately learn, using various programs, mediums and parts to create. After checking out some great videos and text about makerspaces, it was obvious to me that there are so many great that things that can come out of makerspaces. However, if I were to create a makerspace, my biggest hope would be that students find a true passion to learn above and beyond what is in the textbook or what the teacher says. I would want my makerspace to spark an authentic love for learning for craving for knowledge in my students - anything they create would simply be icing on that cake!

As for a location, my school has an underutilized library space much like NMHS did in the news clip we watched for class. As the traditional library setup becomes more obsolete for day to day use, a makerspace is a great way to “wake up” the space again, and make it a relevant space for students again. We would utilize furniture (tables and chairs) we have on hand and purchase other furniture like shelving and storage solutions to house all our parts and tools. My school has actually been in the beginning discussion phases of creating a makerspace for our students. Many of the activities and supplies that have been suggested are those suggested in the news clip - Raspberry pi equipment, legos and robotics parts and power sources. Another idea was to create a green screen area of our makerspace, and provide iPads that where students can utilize apps like iMovie and and Green Screen by DoInk to create wonderful works of video or even report school news and push it out to student e-mails or a school sponsored YouTube channel.

The biggest challenge I would anticipate in this process, is getting teachers on board and convincing them that this isn’t just “one more thing” being put on their plates. There will need to be a test group of students and teachers in my school to really get the process going, and once we can “show off” the greatness that is the makerspace, I think other teachers will get on board, especially if they believe in student centered, authentic learning.