When I first started the Stewart Makerspace back in 2014, one of the earliest tools that I purchased was a MaKeyMaKey. My students loved it, and because they are so affordable (only $50 each) I was able to get a set of 10 of them through a DonorsChoose project, allowing students to work on longer … Read more
ALA’s Teen Tech Week will be upon us before we know it (March 5-11). To help get ready for this event, I’ve written a post for Demco Ideas with 5 makerspace project ideas to tie in with this year’s theme, “Be the Source of Change”. It was hard to limit it to just five ideas, … Read more
When I first built our Epic LEGO wall back in Sepetember 2014, I had no idea how much the concept would resonate with people. Since then, I’ve seen dozens of amazing LEGO walls and variations of LEGO walls (including several in Canada!). I’ve seen people create mobile walls, walls that can covert into tables, LEGO circulation … Read more
My post last month on Why a Makerspace isn’t a Magic Cure-all for Your Problems gained a lot of notice. I’ve seen a vibrant social media conversation take off since then. I have heard many people say in the conversation about making and libraries that they have reservations. Many are worried about sacrificing literacy or reading when they … Read more
I realize that this title is going so upset some people. That some might accuse me of click-bait. But I think this is a topic that is often being left out in the discussion about makerspaces. Many school librarians have beautiful visions of putting out some arts and crafts supplies or LEGOs or robots and … Read more
Yes – budget friendly and makerspace can happen in the same sentence. A common misconception about makerspaces is that you have to spend a lot of money to give your students creative, hands-on learning. But you can absolutely do a lot of makerspace projects with little to no money. It might not be as easy … Read more
I normally tend to stay away from “stuff” lists when it comes to talking about makerspaces. I believe that the stuff that goes into a makerspace should be based around the needs of the students and the school, not on a checklist of items to get. But this list is different. The holiday season is … Read more
The Big Book of Makerspace Projects is definitely the next book you should add to both your school and personal library. Colleen Graves and Aaron Graves offer up 51 awesome makerspace projects in this book that are fun and doable no matter what level you’re at. Why The Big Book of Makerspace Projects should be … Read more
Connecting Students to the World Through the Cardboard Challenge Makerspaces and maker projects can be amazing catalysts for connecting your students with others. The Imagination Foundation’s Global Cardboard Challenge is one of my favorite maker activities to help my students feel connected to the world and see the power of making. Combine that with a Skype … Read more
Our 2016 Cardboard Challenge We’ve been doing the Cardboard Challenge at Stewart every year since we first started our makerspace in 2014. See our 2014 challenge here and our 2015 challenge here. Our challenge is inspired by the YouTube video, Caine’s Arcade and the Global Cardboard Challenge. Every year we start the challenge by watching … Read more