A Space for Making – CEP 822

Another completed course in the books and a successful Fall 2018 semester full of learning, practical application, and more self-discovery! Wow! That’s a lot wrapped into one semester!

I spent the semester working on an action research project focusing on Makerspaces, specifically the obstacles that inhibit people from attending a Community College Makerspace. This research proved to be so insightful and beneficial and will serve as a foundation for building upon and enhancing the recently established Makerspace at Macomb Community College.

Along with the valuable and insightful feedback and guidance from the CEP 822 course instructors and the assistance of my colleagues, Makerspace students, lab aides, administration, subject matter experts, and other departments at the college, my action research project was a true success! Thank  you to all that participated!

If you’re interested, visit the Macomb Makers and browse the website which was built by one of the Makerspace members!

“For me, what I would say is that lots of kids and people learn by experiencing things, not by studying things and repeating what they study. You learn things by doing things. And so, providing an environment where the kids can actually learn the material, the matter, how it comes together, what are doing, how does it work and so, even if superficially, in a climate of having fun together, that’s an unbelievable thing.”

~ Frederico Faggin, Inventor of the Intel 4004 microprocessor 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3cmnwwEFwM

 

The Maker Movement & Makerspaces

Visually representing the Maker Movement and expansion of Makerspaces is a great way to provide a snapshot the movement is having on 21st Century learning. I welcomed this week’s multimodal activity with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, it offered the opportunity and challenge of conveying a message using only graphics, design elements, and limited text. The “live” infographic created using Venngage, can be viewed here.

I focused on the notion that we are essentially all “makers” and the impact that the Maker Movement and Makerspaces are having on learning for people of all ages. Making not only creates excitement in learning, it also improves learning. When learners become invested and engaged in “making”, excitement emerges and that’s when the greatest transformation happens.

Makerspaces are on the rise, “They can pop up anywhere, including in schools, libraries, and community centers” (Lou and Peek, 2016). Makerspaces as we know them now, have increased dramatically since 2006 and as Steve Davee (director of education for Maker Ed) reminds us, “…makerspaces in other forms have existed for a huge amount of time: We just called them woodshops, home-ec centers, model shops, and computer labs” (Lou and Peek, 2016).

Learning  and excitement occurs in the making! Are you a Maker?

 

References:

Alexas_Fotos. (2016, April). [Idea Light Bulb Enlightenment] [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/idea-light-bulb-enlightenment-1289879/

Dougherty, D. (2011, January). We are makers [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/dale_dougherty_we_are_makers

Halverson, E.R. & Sheridan, K. (2014). The maker movement in education. Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), 495-465.

Le, D. (2015, July 17). The Maker Movement and the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/maker-movement-classroom/

Lou, N. & Peek, K. (2016, February 23). By The Numbers: The Rise of The Makerspace. Retrieved from http://www.popsci.com/rise-makerspace-by-numbers