Hello, fellow Educators. So from my last blog posting it was evident from the comments that educators wanted to know where to start when wanting to implement Makerspace into the classroom. This blog will give you suggested steps to use when setting up your Makerspace. In this blog you will also read about materials that I suggest you start off with when just beginning Makerspace. Happy Reading :)
As An Educator, Where Do I Begin?
We know that Makerspace is an area that provides students with hands-on and creative ways to design, experiment and invent as they participate in science, engineering and tinerking topics. What we do not know is where to begin. I have come up with 6 simple steps that will make the step up process much easier and less stressful.
View These Useful Resources That Will Help With Setting Up Your Makerspace
How To Stay Up To Date With Other Teachers Using Makerspace
These teachers currently use Makerspace as a part of their classroom. Follow them on Twitter for ideas that you can use to incorporate into your classroom.
@BrightLibrarian
@read4life
@koehnkfisher
@terteach
@KitchellS
@DianaLRendina
@plemmonsa
@smartinez
@gravescolleen
Twitter Hashtags
You Can Also Search These Hashtags On Twitter to learn more about Makerspace and get great ideas from other educators.
#makered
#makerspace
What Materials Do I Use?
The best way to decide which tools should be incorporated into your Makerspace, comes down to budget! How much money you have to spend will determine what materials and tools you get. Below I am going to list high-tech and no-tech materials, so no matter what your budget is, you can still make your space successful.
HIGH-TECH MATERIALS
- 3D printers
- littleBits
- MaKey MaKey
- Sphero Robotic Balls
- Ollie
- OSMO
- ipads-loaded with production apps
- Robotics Materials-WeDo/Lego Mindstorm EV3
- Motors
- LED lights
- Snap Circuits
- Dash and Dot Robots
- Cubelet Robots
NO-TECH MATERIALS
- Craft supplies
- Cardboard
- Plastic materials
- Paper
- Styrofoam
- Paint
- Collage materials
- Rainbow Loom
- Knitting and crochet supplies
- Legos
- TinkerToys
- K'Nex
- Attribute blocks
- Box rivets (Makedo and/or Mr. McGroovy)
- Plastimake
OTHER MATERIALS
- Sewing machines
- Old electronics for tinkering
- Electric Keyboard
- Tinkering tools
- How-To books
- Video production materials-green screen and lighting
Make The Most Of Your Materials .... Check Out This YouTube Video
On A Budget? .... Check Out This YouTube Video
View This Infograhic On Ways That You Can Fund Your Makerspace
Click Here
Click Here
Makerspace In My Classroom
I have not yet incorporated Makerspace into my classroom as this is a new trend to me. However, I plan on incorporating Makerspace this upcoming school year. My classroom is pretty large and I plan on setting it up along a long wall and shelf that I have. The wall has outlets which will be useful for the technology tools. Also, under the shelf there is storage, which will house the materials and tools. I am excited to be implementing Makerspace. I plan on making this a center rotation, so it will not take away from other required academic activities. Comment if you have resources or ideas for me! I will keep you updated with posts and photos once I begin the set up.
Share With Me What You Have Learned By Answering Questions On Google Form
Resources Used In This Blog:
Davee, S., Regalla, L., & Chang, S. (2015, May). Makerspaces highlights of select literature. Retrieved from http://makered.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Makerspace-Lit-Review-5B.pdf
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf
Scholastic.com (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2018, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/05/your-kids-can-do-it-quick-free-and-easy-stop-motion-videos
Scholastic.com (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2018, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/05/your-kids-can-do-it-quick-free-and-easy-stop-motion-videos
Wagner, T., & Compton, R.A. (2012). Creating innovators: the making of young people who will change the world (1sr Scribner hardcover ed.). New York: Scribbler
Hi Dana, I love the idea of Maker spaces, but am still a little fuzzy on exactly how to use it in the elementary classroom. I know that you said you haven't implemented yet, but you will be rolling it out this coming school year. My question is, in what ways are you going to have students use maker spaces in the classroom? Could you give me one or two specific examples? Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about Makerspace is that it doesn't have to be a constructed thing. It is supposed to be something that the students are to have total freedom and control over. Makerspace allows the students to use their interests to channel what they build. I do plan on rolling out Makerspace into my classroom this year. Since at my school we don't have STEM or any free time set aside I plan to implement it as a center. I have a place in my classroom where I will set up the Makerspace. Each student will have access to our Makerspace two times a week. One day a week during our Science time, the students will be allowed to share their designs with their peers.
Dana,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for giving great advice for starting up a Makerspace! Your six simple steps were so helpful. I also appreciated how you separated ideas into the categories: high-tech, no-tech, and older materials. This made the process seem much less overwhelming. I'll be sure to follow those teachers on Twitter for ideas - thanks for sharing! My one question is this: how do you plan on teaching and modeling expectations for students so that they can eventually use the Makerspace independently and appropriately?
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment. I plan on having set expectations and routines in place from the beginning. I plan on using the first few weeks of school of modeling for the students what the expectations are when in the Makerspace. We will focus on managing time, sharing tasks, being a productive group member and using the materials appropriately. Once I feel as though the students have grasped the understanding of how to function while in the Makerspace, I will implement gradual release. So for example the groups of students will get 10 minutes of independent work time. Then the following week it might be 15 minutes. I will continue to do this until they are completely independent. Another thing I was thinking about, is having a Makerspace manager as one of the weekly job positions in the class.
Check this video out for more Makerspace management ideas, it is extremely helpful https://youtu.be/2AIPtKyl2UA.