The MakerSpace Hype

There’s been a lot of hype about MakerSpaces recently. Their popularity seems to be growing legs and I can see why. A MakerSpace offers so much of what we are trying to create for the 21st Century Learner. Schools are hurriedly putting together applications for funding, 3D printers are being ordered, walls are being covered with whiteboard paint, modular furniture is being assembled. Are we buying into the latest educational fad? Is it worth all the hype? 

Here’s the best definition of what a MakerSpace is, taken from Victoria MakerSpace’s website:

A Makerspace is a member operated shared space where people come together and collaborate while sharing tools, resources and knowledge. One tool can be effectively duplicated many times over by sharing it, in the same way that our learning experiences are shared.

I recently took the opportunity to visit Victoria MakerSpace. Click here to check out their website. I wanted to see what the space had to offer and how I could transfer what was happening there, to my own school and/or classroom. First of all, wow! What an amazing, and inspiring place. You know that feeling you get after you’ve made something with your hands? Perhaps it wasn’t very complicated, but you took it from concept to reality and to hold it between your fingers brings a sense of satisfaction like almost nothing else can. Well, Victoria MakerSpace is a gathering of people, all in that state of mind. The energy was electric. What really struck me was how collaborative and organic it all seemed to be.

Trying out the Oculus Rift at Victoria MakerSpace

I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by how ad hoc it all seemed to be. There weren’t many rules posted anywhere, no schedules or strict sign ups. It was simply a place where people of all walks of life came to make stuff. If you don’t believe me about how cool this place is, just have a look at the rules that guide them:

Before you become a member of Makerspace community, here are some basic principles we should all stick to.

• 

  The Mission

  Be excellent to each other
• Failure is a means to success
• Lack of knowledge is an opportunity, not an obstacle
• Your experience here is what you make it
• Any and all illegal activity is strictly forbidden; any and all creative activity is strongly encouraged
• Pick up after yourself – this is a shared space.
• 
  

It’s all about creativity, collaboration, inspiration, and willingness. This is what I want for my students, my classroom culture, my school.

The concept of a MakerSpace tends to be closely connected to technology. People think they can’t have a MakerSpace without a 3D printer, a greenscreen and robotics software. I’d like to turn that idea on its head. Although those tools would be fantastic to have, they aren’t necessary. 

A MakerSpace is about making. Full stop. It is about having the space to create, be innovative, problem-solve, and collaborate. It is what we're all working so hard towards creating in our 21st century classrooms. Is it worth the hype? Absolutely.

Collaboration on Wheels: 21st Century Classroom Furniture at Work

I have recently become interested in how the environment impacts collaboration and innovation. I have been looking at how various local organizations and businesses are using space in creative ways to foster 21st Century Skills. Furniture makes a statement. It can inhibit or inspire. This article has some great ideas for the classroom. Now...to find the funding...



Collaboration on Wheels: 21st Century Classroom Furniture at Work

10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom

10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom

What Does a 21st Century Classroom Look Like?: Collaboration

What Does a 21st Century Classroom Look Like?: Collaboration

Creating Group Norms, an Essential in Teaching Collaboration

One of the first things I did with my students before I began our first group project was to establish group norms. I showed my students a list of potential group norms and we decided as a class, which ones we felt were our non-negotiables. We wrote them on a giant sticky note and had it visible at all times. At the start of each group work session, we revisited the group norms and chose one that we were going to make our focus for the day.

Below is a list I nabbed from a human resource website with a more detailed list of group norms. Click here to go to this site. It is written using corporate language but with a few modifications, I feel these make great group norms as well.

• Team members as coworkers: all team members are equal; every team member's opinion will be thoughtfully considered; each team member will keep all commitments by the agreed upon due date; each team member agrees to constantly assess whether team members are honoring their commitment to the team norms.
• Team member communication: team members will speak respectfully to each other; will not talk down to each other; will positively recognize and thank each other for team contributions.
• Team member interaction in meetings: team members will listen without interrupting; hold no side or competing conversations; follow the rules for effective meetings; attend the meeting on time; always work from an agenda; minutes will be recorded at each meeting; end meetings on time.
• Team organization and function: leadership will rotate monthly; the team management sponsor will attend the meeting, at least, monthly.
• Team communication with other employees including managers: team members will make certain they have agreement on what and when to communicate; complaints about team members will be addressed first in the team.
• Team problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making: team members will make decisions by consensus, but majority will rule if timely consensus is not reached; conflicts will be resolved directly with the persons in conflict.

Teaching Collaboration with Intention

I realized this year, before starting a new group project with my Grade 6 Humanities class, that I spend very little time teaching my students how to work well with one another. I was great at reacting when things went off the rails and used these opportunities as "teachable moments," however, I never taught collaboration in a proactive way. I know! Unbelievable! But I don't think I'm on my own with this. We put kids in groups all the time and expect them to work well with one another without putting much time into fostering the necessary skills. So this year, I have made it a focus to teach collaboration with intention. Here is a short clip that summarizes students using a reflective feedback model to discuss their experiences:

Click here to view clip

Teaching 21st Century Skills with Intention

The world of teaching has changed drastically since I made my teaching debut almost two decades ago. It seems to me, more change has taken place in the last five years than in the last fifty, or the last one hundred and fifty for that matter. Of course, this is all thanks to our new technologically-dependent existence. With technology morphing how we do everything, we, the consumers, must also morph how we do things in order to keep pace. Educators are beginning to realize that we need to change the way we teach in order to meet the needs of the world that awaits our fine young graduates.

Here's the deal: no longer are facts crucial. Once upon a time, they were, and the guy with the most facts won. Don't get me wrong, there is still a place for facts. I'm amazed as the next guy by that individual at the local pub quiz that correctly answers 97 out of 100 questions that were written by Mensa International members. However, if I need to know a fact nowadays, I can take my phone out of my pocket and ask Siri. Technology rocks.

Back in my day, my parent's day, my grandparent's day, teachers were the masters of knowledge. They stood before a captive audience and regurgitated the facts that were regurgitated to them when they were captive audience members. Students filled their brains with facts and content, showed how much they could remember on final exams, graduated with A's, got into universities, got degrees, then entered the real world where they applied about 5% of their $150,000 knowledge. They learned what they really needed to know on the job. 20th Century Schools were good at teaching the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic. They taught us how to communicate both verbally and in written form. We learned how to format a paragraph and how to spell. We learned our multiplication tables and how to use the Dewey Decimal System. We learned a great deal. But the world has changed. No longer is it all about what we know but rather how and we come to know things.

The 21st Century graduate needs to be armed with a different skill set and I am on a mission to figure out how best to facilitate that.