Categories
coding ed tech Maker movement

The Maker movement

The Maker movement – a global cultural shift aimed at empowering more people to create things – the new industrial revolution?

Very interesting presentation by Gary Stager at the ISTE tech conference in San Antonio in June:
Gary Stager: the creative revolution you can’t afford to miss
Personal fabrication, tinkering, engineering and a maker culture are transforming and re-energising learning. He notes 3 game changers – fabrication (eg. 3D printing), physical computing and programming. If they start early, what could they achieve by year 12?
TMI – think, make, improve. Make projects simple at first, then more complex. You need a good prompt, challenge or problem, appropriate materials and a supportive culture. Invent to learn! Do we always need to assess?
Maker Faires – huge festivals of creativity – are very popular and inclusive of both children and adults.
Sylvia’s Super-Awesome Maker Show – 11 year old Sylvia makes all kinds of things and gives video instructions. Stager has hired her in his program. http://sylviashow.com/
Look what Joey’s making – “don’t be bored…make something!” 15 year old Joey makes electronics kits and other inventions and even went to the White House with his marshmallow cannon. “Going to Maker Faires has changed my life”. http://lookwhatjoeysmaking.blogspot.com.au/
Stager’s book: Invent to learn: making, tinkering and engineering in the classroom, by Gary Stager and Sylvia Libow Martinez.

Maker movement inspires shift in school curriculum
There is now a shift in education from passive to active learning with inquiry and project-based learning in some curricula – particularly science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) Core Curriculum in the US eg. students develop real apps to market in app stores.
“All innovations and innovation economies rely on this ability to solve a currently unsolved problem, but so much in education revolves around solving questions that already have known answers”. – Andrew Coy.
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Maker-Movement-Inspires–Shift-in-STEM-Curriculum.html
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/dive-into-the-maker-movement-adam-provost

What is the Maker movement and why should you care?
Maker movement — “an evolution of millions of people who are taking big risks to start their own small businesses dedicated to creating and selling self-made products”. Technology has made it easy for individuals to create unique items without manufacturers. The DIY movement has boomed – cooking, sewing, craft, robots, 3D printers, mechanics…Libraries and museums are being turned into “Makerspaces,” physical locations where people can come together to make.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brit-morin/what-is-the-maker-movemen_b_3201977.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/maker-movement-taps-into_b_3588491.html
Short film (16 min.): We are makers
http://www.core77.com/blog/exclusive/we_are_makers_documenting_a_burgeoning_movement_by_nathan_driskell_25244.asp

Maker Faire
These festivals are happening around the world (since 2006) – “a friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these ‘makers’ come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.” The 2013 Maker Faire in San Mateo, California had 150 000 attendees.
http://makerfaire.com/makerfairehistory/
Associated magazine – MAKE and website with projects, videos, blog, forum. Intriguing!  http://makezine.com/

The Maker movement is also catching on in Australia:
Torque: revolving ideas
Canberra’s Maker culture delivers fortnightly seminars for students and others at Questacon Technology Learning Centre. Local artists, engineers, designers, scientists and other creative people discuss their hobbies, work and construction processes.
http://questacon.edu.au/qtlc/whats-on-offer/community-activities
Adelaide has a Fab Lab, the first in Australia, where anyone can use the 3D printers, laser cutters etc. In April, they hosted the second Mini Maker Faire In Australia.
www.manmonthly.com.au/features/the-maker-movement-catches-on-in-australia

At Dickson College, teacher Andrew Moss runs the award-winning Unmanned Aerial Vehicle course, robotics and 3D printing for Years 11 and 12. The students (and Andrew) are creative and amazing! A new Engineering course starts in 2014.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2012/02/07/3425159.htm
http://sciencestage.com/v/60779/building-a-rescue-uav.html

And we are all good at making something…even if it’s just cupcakes!

One reply on “The Maker movement”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *