It’s that time of year again – the time when we scour the mall and internet to find that perfect present for the little ones (and not so little ones) in our lives. Instead of buying stuff that just sits there, why not buy some gifts that get kids creating? In this gift guide, I’ll … Read more
Ever since first embracing social media as a tool for professional development, Twitter has been one of my favorites. Twitter chats played an early role in connecting me with other educators. I even got my first push to take baby steps towards starting my makerspace from this social network. I always appreciated the brevity and … Read more
(Note: Post contains affiliate links. Actions taken may result in commissions for Renovated Learning) A Creature Workshop Towards the end of last school year, one of my students came up with one of my favorite design challenges: Make a creature that does something. That’s it. This prompt wins for simplicity and the designs that people come up … Read more
Today, a vendor tried to sell me a Makerspace in a Box. I’m not going to say who, because I am not about bashing companies and organizations. It’s my own personal policy to only mention names of companies or products that I actually support. And besides, there are a lot of companies out there right … Read more
With a changing and growing movement, many are declaring that there are right and wrong ways of doing things. We are getting so hung up on the specifics and our own ideas of what a makerspace SHOULD be, that we’re losing the sight of the big picture. We worry far too much about the stuff. … Read more
How to Make Awesome Plans for a New Makerspace For the first time in four years, I am without a makerspace. My new school’s library is beautiful and huge and has a school culture that is just ripe for making. Even though it was tempting, I decided not to change it up and create a … Read more
2017 was my fourth year of holding a Maker Fair at Stewart Middle Magnet School (see 2016, 2015 and 2014 for the previous ones). This year, my students had to put together everything for our Maker Fair in an extra short period of time, since the school year ended early. They rose to the challenge … Read more
Check out my post on Demco to learn more about design challenges in low tech makerspaces! Many educators have the misconception that makerspace activities always need to involve expensive technology like 3-D printers and circuit kits. But this isn’t true. Students can have amazing learning experiences in makerspaces with low-tech and no-tech tools. Design challenges … Read more
Design challenges are powerful ways to engage students in making (that’s why I co-wrote a book about them). Sometimes, I craft the design challenges myself. But other times, I go to my students and ask them to create their own design challenges. This one was one of those, and I think it was brilliant: The … Read more
School libraries are starting makerspaces all over the world. It’s an exciting time in education as we rediscover the power of creativity. But many schools rush to start makerspaces so quickly that they neglect building the maker culture. Developing a maker culture is a lot like developing a love of reading, it takes time and … Read more