As part of our 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Makerspace Special Interest Group activities, educator members from a wide range of settings spent some time this January virtually discussing our Makerspace resolutions. The conversation was lively, upbeat and full of creative possibilities. It would seem a shame to me not to share these ideas with the wider community, as we embark on a new year of Makerspace exploration. Please feel free to  reap the benefits of our sharing about Makerspace resources and ideas for classroom connections. Also, consider participating in some of our virtual meetings. Contact Laura Gardner or me for more information!

Curriculum Integration

Interested in connecting Makerspace resources with classroom activities? We agreed that thinking about the end goal is most important when determining Makerspace projects that best connect. Take your cue from Heidi, who uses Spheros in teaching math concepts along with Tickle. Ingrid focuses on the creative thinking that comes along with tinkering to influence student writing in ELA. Maria created interactive books using Scratch and Makey Makey for a literature connection.

Sharing Out Makerspace Resources

We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of loaning out maker resources as opposed to keeping them permanently housed in our Makerspaces. Ingrid shared that they are trying out the idea of circulating maker kits to teachers. Questions arose on how to best handle consumable items and the challenge of how to best keep the kits well stocked with materials to loan out. Other resources discussed this month included conductive yarn and the Creative Computing Guide with Scratch.

One of our member’s schools hosts a “TGOF: Tech Goodies on Friday” event each week before school in which a new Makerspace learning tool such as myCreate for stop motion photography projects is shared. Another member school created a “Teacher Resources Think Tank” website in which all staff share about Makerspace resources. Student blogs are also featured in the Think Tank as a way of showcasing student work.

My Makerspace SIG Co-leader, Laura Gardner, and I, use a wide range of social media to connect with students and families about Makerspace projects. Laura advertises through one in order to gain followers on another. For example, she provides her Snapchat code on Instagram.

Makerspace Resolutions

• Cathy-Grant writing- look into different funding opportunities and write a few grants.
• Elizabeth-Make something everyday and to keep it fun in the space.
• Ingrid– To get better working with Raspberry Pi Tablet Screen and to encourage pockets of making. These pockets are already happening in Cambridge where people are getting together to share ideas.
• Heidi-To collaborate more with teachers
• Laura-To align maker projects with the curriculum and to have regular challenges in the library.
• Maria-To make more curriculum connections using Makerspace tools.

What Makerspace resolutions do you have? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author: Cathy Collins is a National Board Certified Library Media Specialist with 15 years experience at the K-12 levels. She has worked for the past five years at Sharon High School, where she also serves as a Virtual High School Site Manager and Chinese Exchange Program Manager. She is a 2012 Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow and 2014 AASL Intellectual Freedom Award winner. Her interests include technology and arts integration, global education and inquiry-based learning. She has served on the 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Board as PD Chair since 2013 and is current Advocacy Chair for MSLA. She was named an MSLA “Super Librarian” in 2014/2015, and received the Primary Source/HNA “Teacher of the Year” award in 2015 for excellence in teaching about China.

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The idea of collaborative learning spaces for creative activity has gathered a great deal of momentum in education recently. The makerspace movement is being embraced by the arts as well as the sciences, and energy is building around multidisciplinary collaborative efforts and STEAM topics. A makerspace is a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, collaborate and create. Makerspaces provide tools, resources and space in a community environment.

The 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Makerspace SIG blossomed last Spring, and is a highly active SIG with over 50 members. In addition to monthly meetings through Google Hangouts, we schedule field trips to area makerspaces housed in both public and school libraries; and host guest speakers who are experts in the makerspace arena.

Last Spring, we kicked off activities at the Sharon High School Library. Diana Rendina, ISTE Librarian Network award winner and library makerspace designer at the middle school level, shared her makerspace journey with us through Skype from her 色精阁久艾草国产www base of Tampa, Florida. Guest speakers from HUB Technical Services also joined us to share about grant opportunities for 3D printers and Sprout computers.

This Fall, Jessica Ross, from Harvard University’s “Project Zero,” shared her thoughts about makerspace philosophy, creation of a makerspace culture, and resources to inspire inquiry-based thinking.

Winter activities included guest speaker Sue Cusack from Lesley University, who shared her makerspace philosophy, offered valuable resources and strategies for success, and devoted time to answering our questions about the planning and implementation of effective makerspaces.

Most recently, Laura Fleming, library media specialist in New Jersey for 17 years and author of “Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School,” shared her makerspace philosophy, strategies for enlisting staff and student support, and resources for planning, set up and showcasing of student makerspace projects. Laura will be our guest speaker for a second virtual chat on April 7th at 7:00 p.m. 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 members and MSLA members are welcome to attend at no charge. E-mail Cathy Collins, 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Makerspace SIG co-leader, at [email protected] to sign up for the session.

Field trip visits have also included a tour of Peabody Institute’s inspiring Creativity Lab which offers an impressive array of makerspace programming from fictional character costume design to 3D printing, poster making and graphic design workshops.

On March 22nd, we will visit Dartmouth Middle School’s library makerspace from 3:30- 5:30, to learn from students in Laura Gardner’s Maker Club who will be on hand to share their projects and enthusiasm with us.

About the Author:  Cathy Collins is the 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Professional Development Chair and the Co-Leader of the 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 Makerspace Special Interest Group (SIG).

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The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.   — John Maynard Keynes

Makerspaces are all the rage these days, and a hot professional development topic. I had the opportunity this past month to immerse myself in the world of makerspaces on two occasions: through attendance at Eric Sheninger’s “Makerspace” workshop at the “Leading Future Learning” Conference sponsored by EdTechTeacher and 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 on March 6th, and through hosting of a “Makerspace” workshop sponsored through MSLA’s southeast region at my own Sharon High School Library.

Our library is currently undergoing a renovation process toward a “Learning Commons” model. I am excited about creating a makerspace, and was anxious to learn more about what’s happening around the country.

I am a big fan of Eric Sheninger, former principal of New Milford HS and current K-12 Director of Technology & Innovation in Spotswood, NJ. His Makerspace presentation did not disappoint. Sheninger kicked off his presentation by highlighting the ways in which the maker movement is driving innovation in manufacturing, engineering, industrial design, hardware technology and education.

For those who may have missed this important new trend in the ed tech world, a makerspace is a defined as a physical place where students can create real-world products/projects using real-world tools. It is meant to be a shared workspace featuring innovative tools that are not typically available outside of school. Makerspaces at their ideal are inhabited by a community of student tinkerers, inventors, creators and “Do it Yourself-ers.”

These student tinkerers, at their best, are guided by natural inquiry and self directed learning. Making can be tied to different content areas, though makerspaces themselves are informal in nature. Students use problem-solving and diagnostic skills to come up with creative solutions. Educators involved guide from the sidelines, encouraging independent learning and creativity.

Sheninger’s presentation included a solid list of helpful resources ranging from suggested makerspace items, to articles, books and website links to further knowledge.

On March 26th, Laura Gardner, the Southeast Director of MSLA, and I welcomed 28 fellow librarians to participate in a Makerspace workshop at Sharon High School. After introducing the topic and talking about what a makerspace looks and sounds like, we had an informative and lively Skype session with Diana Rendina, a middle school librarian in Tampa, Florida, who has created an amazing makerspace in her school library. After plenty of Q&A, we enjoyed a round table sharing session about what we were doing or planning to do in the makerspace realm. Paul Shiff, from Hub Technical, also shared about upcoming presentation possibilities at the Fall Conference, as well as grant opportunities.

Ms. Collins has worked as a Media Specialist/Librarian for 14 years in locales ranging from California to Kathmandu, Nepal. She currently works as Librarian/Media Specialist at Sharon High School in Sharon, 色精阁久艾草国产www. She serves on the Executive Boards of both the 色精阁久艾草国产www Library System and 邰正宵经典歌曲大全 (色精阁久艾草国产www Computer Using Educators). She earned National Board Certification as a Library/Media Teacher in 2009 and is the 2014 recipient of the AASL Intellectual Freedom Award. Her writing contributions include a chapter featured in the recently published ISTE book, “Literacy in the Digital Age,” Library Media Connection (“Survival Tactics for the Warrior Librarian,”) NEA and other education-related blog posts and journals. She served as a project consultant for the learning layer of the multi-media e-book, “Searchlights and Sunglasses: Field Notes from the Digital Age of Journalism.”

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