from Laura Fleming--Worlds of Making

"To define a school makerspace by its purpose and simplest of terms, it is a place where young people have an opportunity to explore their own interests; learn to use tools and materials, both physical and virtual; and develop creative projects."

*Makerspaces can be high tech or low tech.

*Makerspaces allow students to move from consumers of information to creators.

*Makerspaces are about turning knowledge into action.

*Makerspaces provide hands-on learning, help with critical thinking skills, and boost self-confidence.

*Makerspaces can allow for the making of anything.

*Makerspaces can incorporate design thinking, STEM challenges, coding, circuits, crafting, tinkering, writing, and fun.

*Makerspaces foster play and exploration.

*Makerspaces encourage collaboration and peer to peer training.

*Makerspaces allow students to do science and math, rather than just receive it.

*Makerspaces can demystify science, technology, math, and engineering, and encourage students (girls and underrepresented minorities, included) to seek careers in these fields.

With bitsbox, students learn to program by creating fun apps that work on computers and IOS/Android tablets and phones. The bitsbox.com website provides each user with a virtual tablet and a place to type code. The experience starts with lots of guidance, first showing learners exactly what to type, then quickly encouraging them to modify and expand their apps by typing in new commands. Students learn to hack bitsbox's apps to create apps of their own. Students should bring their Chromebooks when dropping in.

What is Arduino?

littleBits makes a platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks for users to create inventions large and small. Bits snap together with magnets, making it the easiest, fastest way to learn and invent with electronics.

The Arduino Coding Kit is an introduction to programming, allowing novice tinkerers or professional prototypers to create and code inventions without having to wire or solder.

Students who drop in should bring their Chromebooks.

Opens Thursday, October 26th; closes Thursday, November 2nd.

Students can create a caravela mask, a niche, or a floral crown. See attached photos. Students should bring Chromebooks, markers, and colored pencils when they drop in.

All other supplies are provided. Art or Spanish, if you'd like to bring a class, let me know :-)