Blog Post 8: Makerspaces

(Makerspace example)

    In the traditional sense, and through most of their history, people have gone to school libraries to consume information (American Library Association, 2011). However, maker spaces are a growing phenomenon meant to challenge the traditional sense of how people can use library resources.   Hlubinka et al., creator of Makerspace Playbook (2013), explain that the maker movement is meant to challenge the norms of libraries being solely about consumption, but also about creation. Hlubinka et al. state that “makers” are individuals who challenge their creative thinking, have to be willing to work with others, practice skills in compromise through collaboration, and are open to learning about things through creation instead of consumption (2013). This is a cultural shift in how libraries have been used before the introduction of maker spaces. Please watch the video below to learn more about makerspaces.

In terms of using maker spaces in schools, maker spaces can help revolutionize learning because they make students in charge of the learning experience, which gives them more ownership over their learning. According to Canino-Fluit’s article “School Library Makerspaces” (2014), maker spaces involve student learning and challenged thinking that are promoted in the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards. For example, inquiry is a major indicator in the AASL framework, and it is a necessary skill for students to utilize when interacting with makerspaces (2014). Furthermore, their skills must be challenge by problem solving and thinking creatively as they interact with their inquiries. By having makerspaces available for students, education becomes more of an interactive experience rather than merely having information consumed.

 Though maker spaces are meant to give students the ability to freely create, it may be a good idea to give students guiding questions to help them focus on what they should create. Angevine and Weisgrau’s article, “Situating Makerspaces in Schools“ (2015), argues that students should use three simple questions as guiding questions as they create in a makerspace. Those questions include: “What are you making, why are you making this, and who is it for?” (2015, para. 11). The first questions, “what are you making,” is intended to give students ownership in their inquiries and creation. The second question, “why are you making this,” is meant to challenge the student to consider the need for the creation and to find purpose in what they are making. Lastly, the third question, “who is this for,” is to make students think about the audience the creation is for and what needs may need to be met to best serve that audience (Angevine & Weisgrau 2015). By giving students these three questions as a framework, it helps students focus on their creations and find purpose in what they are making.

(T.Brown with Mobile Makerspace)

As makerspaces have grown in popularity, a concept new to me is the use of mobile makerspaces. Tamika Brown, creator of Library Makerspace blog, created a blog post, “Creating a Mobile Classroom Makerspace Library Program” (2018), which discusses how mobile makerspaces can benefit students and teachers. This blog post was also featured in Scholastic EDU School Libraries Blog. Brown suggests that mobile makerspaces can enhance a library program because makerspaces can be created anywhere. Instead of being limited by the space or schedule of the school library, teachers can check out specific carts to house makerspace activities in their classrooms (Brown, 2015).  By offering students and teachers the freedom to host makerspaces anywhere, it expands the resources of the library outside of the space itself (Brown, 2018). Though this could be very beneficial to student learning, Brown argues that there are 5 factors to consider when thinking of offering mobile makerspaces in schools. Those five elements include:

1.    Funding – According to Brown, the makerspace carts she purchased were approximately $2,000 (Brown, 2018). It would be important to consider where one could receive this money (fundraising or PTO partnerships). Additionally, librarians may want to create their own, low-budget carts to test the idea at their school first.

2.    Voice and Choice – The library is often viewed as a third party setting that is less intimidating to students in comparison to their classrooms. To try to meet this same sense of freedom in the classroom, it’s important to get feedback from students about what they would like to see in the makerspace to make it work best for them. By asking for student input, they may take more ownership in their designs, no matter where they are making them (Brown, 2018).

3.    Organization – By keeping makerspaces organized and level appropriate, students will be more likely to positively interact with the making experience. For example, if the cart is missing half of the needed supplies, it will be hard for students to fully create (Brown, 2018).

4.    Scheduling – It’s important for teachers to understand how to navigate the schedule a mobile makerspace. If carts are being schedule inappropriately, or not returned correctly, teachers may begin to find it an unreliable resource. As the media specialists, it’s important to communicate clear scheduling expectations (I.e. how far in advance one should reserve the cart) (Brown, 2018).

5.    Vendors/Wishlist – Lastly, it’s important to try to stay up to date with all of the different tools that can be offered in a mobile makerspace. By having a balanced communication with venders, media specialists can ensure that the tools in the mobile makerspace are up-to-date and relevant (Brown, 2018). Though this may be hard to fund, staying up-to-date with current trends can still be helpful because it may inspire the media specialist to find more cost efficient ways of offering something similar.

Overall, mobile makerspaces still have the capability to challenge student learning through inquiry and design like a traditional makerspace hosted in the library, but there are factors to consider beforehand. Essentially, detailed planning and organizing needs to take to ensure that mobile makerspaces have the chance of being successful in a school.

References

American Library Association. (2011). First school libraries?

http://www.ala.org/tools/first-school-library

 

Angevine, C., & Weisgrau, J. (2015, September 24).  Situating makerspaces in schools.

Hybrid Pedagogy. https://hybridpedagogy.org/situating-makerspaces-in-schools/

 

Brown, T. (2018). Creating a mobile classroom makerspace library program. EDU

Scholastic Blog. https://edublog.scholastic.com/post/creating-mobile-classroom-

makerspace-library-program

 

Brown, T. (2018). Mobile classroom makerspace. [Image].

https://edublog.scholastic.com/post/creating-mobile-classroom-makerspace-

library-program

 

Canino-Fluit, A. A. (2014). School library makerspaces. Teacher Librarian (5), 21-27.

 

Explee TM [Screename]. (2014, July 13). What is a makerspace? Youtube. [Video].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLEJLOB6fDw&feature=youtu.be

 

Hlubinka, M., Dougherty, D., Thomas, P., Change, S., Hoefer, S., Alexander, I., &

McGuire, D. (2013). Makerspace playbook school edition. Makerspace Media.

https://makered.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Makerspace-Playbook-Feb-

2013.pdf