Maker Interns 2014
The Tufts Summer 2014 Maker Internship Program was formed in order to create a new makerspace at the Cambridge Friends School. Making is a popular movement that encourages participation, sharing, learning new skills and techniques, and that focuses on creating things.
The Tufts Department of Education and the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach have partnered with the Cambridge Friends School in order to bring the Maker movement to K-8 classrooms. By opening a makerspace, students and teachers will engage in hands-on STEM education, allowing individuals to become passionate about building, making, and new ideas.
Definitions
Making is about the active role construction plays in learning. The maker has a product in mind when working with tools and materials.
Tinkering is a mindset - a playful way to approach and solve problems through direct experience, experimentation, and discovery.
Engineering extracts principles from direct experience. It builds a bridge between intuition and the formal aspects of science by being able to better explain, measure, and predict the world around us.
– From Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom
Resources
Makerspaces
Artisan's Asylum - a makerspace located in Somerville
School Make/Innovation Spaces: examples of makerspaces implemented in schools
Relevant Technology
Arduino: “Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It is intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.”
MaKey Makey: “An invention kit for everyone”
SAM/HUE Animation: “a stop-motion [animation] software used to engage students and deepen content understanding.”
MINDSTORMS: LEGO robotic software and hardware kits