Programs
Makerspaces add value to all your programs
Using a Makerspace in High School is much different than in an Elementary School.
Students are dissecting frogs in Biology or building tables and frames in Building Trades or cutting hair in Cosmetology classes. They have many hands on opportunities directly built in to their classes. They don't come to the library as a class to MAKE. They come to research or check out books. So, what is the purpose of a high school Makerspace?
Senior Scrapbooks, ENGLISH IV--year round
Due every six weeks.
Minimum of 5 pictures, captioned
100 word typed essay on the topic.
Extra credit for extra creativity.
I keep scissors, glue, stickers, stamps, etc. in a box specifically for Senior Scrapbooks.
DECEMBER is the HOUR of CODE
We participate in the Hour of Code during finals. I knew I had to have teacher "buy in" so I arranged Hour of Code to coincide with our "Gradin' and Grazin'" days. Teachers can send students to the library for coding while teachers grade papers, prepare tests, go to their own kids' Christmas parties and pagaents. Students bring their laptops, our Tech teacher builds a Smore with all the links, and I open the Makerspace for additional coding opportunities. The Arduino and Raspberry Pi and the 3-D printer get a lot of attention at that time.
Challenges vs. Free Use
In elementary schools and in middle schools, makerspaces tend to have targeted goals and challenges for students to complete. They have after school clubs and lunch groups. In high school we have athletics and extracurricular groups that meet after school; we have open campus lunch where all the students leave. So, the makerspace has to serve a different purpose. The makerspace in our library is not heavily monitored. We don't set up challenges. It is simply AVAILABLE as a tool for learning and completing work, for tinkering and trying. It is just THERE.
JANUARY is a FRESH START in the Library
The kids use the Makerspace, but I also use it to make new bulletin boards and little 3-D printed prizes for the upcoming months. (Students get first priority on the 3-D printer, but the librarians and aides also get to use it.)
FEBRUARY is the month of LOVE in the LIBRARY!
We make Valentines in the Makerspace. (I hit the sales right after Valentine's Day each year to refill the Valentine box.)
AFTER SCHOOL: When it is colder outside, the students like to hang out after school in the library. They end up tinkering in the TinkerStation and making all sorts of things.
MARCH Projects
Students come to the library to work on projects for other classes. Sometimes we have to pull out the big guns for that!
AFTER SCHOOL: Students tend to come to the library after school to meet with collaborative groups and work with partners on projects.
APRIL is POETRY MONTH in the LIBRARY!
Students display Bookspine poems and can create their own poems from poetry magnets in the Makerspace.
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Students can use discarded books and markers to make Blackout poetry.
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Of the ten events we had in the library for Poetry Month, half were either created in or displayed in the Makerspace.
Elements we add to displays or programs that link to the Makerspace
We use QR codes for voting or for extending learning.
We have a desktop computer and color printer in the Makerspace for printing. (Students aren’t allowed to print from their laptops but they can come to the library to print from the desktop.)