What the heck is a Makerspace?
Makerspaces serve as gathering points where communities of new and experienced makers connect to work on real and personally meaningful projects, informed by helpful mentors and expertise, using new technologies and traditional tools. Makerspaces allow you to connect with other creative people, solve problems, create new inventions and content.
Why a makerspace in our school?
We want our students to be able to work creatively, solve problems, show persistence, work with new technologies, work in groups, document and share their discoveries. These are skills that will serve them well no matter what they do after they leave Mill River. The kind of work and exploration that happens in a Makerspace is special; a kind of experimental play. "Makers are enthusiasts who play with technology to learn about it." (Make Magazine, The Makerspace Playbook). The projects that students create in the Makerspace are perfect evidence for Personalized Learning Plans and for achieving the proficiencies required for graduation.
To learn more about how Making is different than "traditional school," check out the following chart by Gary Stager from his keynote at Dynamic Landscapes, Champlain College, May 2014.
To learn more about how Making is different than "traditional school," check out the following chart by Gary Stager from his keynote at Dynamic Landscapes, Champlain College, May 2014.
What can you do in a makerspace?
In the Makerspace, you can work on pretty much anything you are passionate and curious about! We can show you how the equipment works, and give you some ideas for projects, as well as connect you with a mentor who can give you more focused help on specific projects.
Some projects you might work on or explore in the MRU Makerspace are:
Alternative Energy
Animation Arduino & Kits Art Cars Architecture Arts Astronomy / Space Bicycles Biology Chemistry Circuit Boards Construction Kits (LEGO, K’NEX, etc.) Crafts Dance Electronics Farming Fashion Flight Gaming Gardening |
GPS
Graphic Design Humor Kites Knitting Lights / Glowing Things Mathematics Mechanics Microcontrollers Music Musical Instruments Papercraft Photography Physics Printmaking Programming Recycling Robotics Rockets |
Rube Goldberg Devices
Sewing Social Media Spy/Surveillance Sustainable Living Technology Tesla Coils Toys Transportation Vehicles Video Water Weather Wind Wearables Wireless |
For more detailed project ideas, check out the links on the Try This! page.