MakerSpace Update

Opening up a makerspace in a school can be as difficult or as simple as you like.  It all depends on the types of materials you want to offer students.  When I went to the drawing board for the makerspace here, at the school I work for, I wanted to offer students a wide range of materials, so it took a while to fully implement.  We are a little over a week into implementation of a makerspace at our high school, so I thought it might be appropriate to give a little update on how things are going so far.

Our makerspace is small and already I am noticing that the space is too small and quite cramped.  I would like to see our space develop and grow, but that will take more space and I envision this space to be a little more open.  With a green screen, MakerBot, embroidery machine, and plenty of other material to go around, it is difficult to for everyone to work in true comfort without bumping into one another.  With that all being said, the space is being utilized, more than I ever expected.  A few years ago I organized a 5k and expected about 30-50 people to attend and was very overwhelmed when about 300 attended.  The makerspace is similar.  I expected about 10-15 students utilizing the space per day, at least until word spread more.  We have seen a consistent 40-50 students in and out of the makerspace daily.

With the space being utilized a lot, I have had to rethink a lot.  One of the things I didn't expect was how often I was going to have to replace material.  We purchased two 3Doodler pens along with 50 filament sticks for the pens and we are already out of them.  Other materials are quickly being depleted due to this issue.  Don't get me wrong though, this is an excellent issue to have.  I have students ready to create early in the morning.  I typically get to school at about 7:40, and I have students waiting for me to open the doors.  I have to kick students out at the end of the day when I have to leave.  I usually leave at about 4:15, and students have shown frustration if I have to close down any earlier, and most show frustration even if I keep the door open until 5:00.  Once again, this is a great issue to have.

I have seen students light up with curiosity when confronted with a new piece of equipment.  Students using Arduino kits, makey makey kits, the embroidery machine has yet to actually be fired up, but students are working on it.  I dropped off a broken DVD player and within an hour the DVD player was dismantled, and pieced back together...oh and it was fixed.  This was without any prompting.  Students are accessing YouTube videos and Google to search for answers...without anyone telling them to.  Kids are using popsicle sticks, 3D printing pens, and toothpicks to create what their mind tells them to create.  I envisioned putting weekly challenges on the board and before I could, students were writing their own challenges on the board.  Students are requesting material, requesting time, and telling me this is the most fun they have had in school.

I am seeing authentic learning taking place and it is so hard to document, because I am right there with the students.  You ask the students what they are doing in the makerspace and they might be creating a replica of an atlas vertebra on the MakerBot to give to their anatomy teacher.  They might be building a fortress out of Legos because it's cool.  They might be crafting a duct tape wallet, because it's an art form they picked up in middle school and has slowly faded.  They might be painting because they don't get the opportunity because their schedules are too packed full of honors classes.  They pick up a snap circuit kit and start building a circuit because they are curious about how things work.  They might actually be learning in a way they feel comfortable learning.  They won't tell they are learning though, they will simply tell you they are having fun.

It has been amazing to watch these students and my only wish is that we had more to offer and we could have done it sooner.  Speaking after a week of implementing a makerspace, it has been a success.