EDET 678 Emerge Tech Week 4 Blog

EDET 678 Emerging Technologies

Week 4 Blog

Essential question: What is the pedagogy behind a Maker Space? What are the benefits of this pedagogy to students?

            “A makerspace is a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network, and build.” (Educase, 2013) There are many different types of learning environments that have a makerspace for tinkerers and makers such as universities, elementary schools, and some work places. People come to these places that have access to many tools, materials, knowledge, etc. to create something that is meaningful to themselves. For example, a student might tinker around with a motorcycle engine and creates a design that could make it better. Then the student can use the materials provided or found to make this. Maybe the first way they created the design, it did not turn out but then the student keeps on trying because this is the expectation in the makerspace.

            Martinez and Stager explain how making, tinkering, and engineering in makerspaces is a form of constructivism learning called constructionism. First, constructivism is “a well-established theory of learning indicating that people actively construct new knowledge by combining their experiences with what they already know.” (2013) Seymour Papert coined the term constructionism, which explains makerspaces more accurately the constructivism. Constructionism is where learning is viewed as a creation versus a given knowledge and then taking this learning by creating a physical, meaningful product that connects to what is being learned. (Stager & Martinez, 2013)

            A makerspace is not just a place that provides students the opportunity to create a product that represents what they learn. Dillon explains how makerspaces are more than a place.

            “At it's very essence, making in school is an attitude, a mindset, a culture; a    process, a journey; Where learning is personal and unique; where work is            real and meaningful; where there is an audience and a reason for what is     made.” (2017)

To me, this is a pedagogy that has been embraced in the past and present and it needs to be embraced even more as we move on to having meaning behind learning for our students.

Resources:

Dillon, P. M. (2017). Makerspace technology: is it right for your school?. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/makerspace-technology-it-right-your-school

Educase (2013). Makerspaces. 7 things you should know about…Educase Learning Intiative. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf

Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G (2013). Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Torrence, CA: Construction Modern Knowledge Press.