The MakerSpace Hype

There’s been a lot of hype about MakerSpaces recently. Their popularity seems to be growing legs and I can see why. A MakerSpace offers so much of what we are trying to create for the 21st Century Learner. Schools are hurriedly putting together applications for funding, 3D printers are being ordered, walls are being covered with whiteboard paint, modular furniture is being assembled. Are we buying into the latest educational fad? Is it worth all the hype? 

Here’s the best definition of what a MakerSpace is, taken from Victoria MakerSpace’s website:

A Makerspace is a member operated shared space where people come together and collaborate while sharing tools, resources and knowledge. One tool can be effectively duplicated many times over by sharing it, in the same way that our learning experiences are shared.

I recently took the opportunity to visit Victoria MakerSpace. Click here to check out their website. I wanted to see what the space had to offer and how I could transfer what was happening there, to my own school and/or classroom. First of all, wow! What an amazing, and inspiring place. You know that feeling you get after you’ve made something with your hands? Perhaps it wasn’t very complicated, but you took it from concept to reality and to hold it between your fingers brings a sense of satisfaction like almost nothing else can. Well, Victoria MakerSpace is a gathering of people, all in that state of mind. The energy was electric. What really struck me was how collaborative and organic it all seemed to be.

Trying out the Oculus Rift at Victoria MakerSpace

I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by how ad hoc it all seemed to be. There weren’t many rules posted anywhere, no schedules or strict sign ups. It was simply a place where people of all walks of life came to make stuff. If you don’t believe me about how cool this place is, just have a look at the rules that guide them:

Before you become a member of Makerspace community, here are some basic principles we should all stick to.

• 

  The Mission

  Be excellent to each other
• Failure is a means to success
• Lack of knowledge is an opportunity, not an obstacle
• Your experience here is what you make it
• Any and all illegal activity is strictly forbidden; any and all creative activity is strongly encouraged
• Pick up after yourself – this is a shared space.
• 
  

It’s all about creativity, collaboration, inspiration, and willingness. This is what I want for my students, my classroom culture, my school.

The concept of a MakerSpace tends to be closely connected to technology. People think they can’t have a MakerSpace without a 3D printer, a greenscreen and robotics software. I’d like to turn that idea on its head. Although those tools would be fantastic to have, they aren’t necessary. 

A MakerSpace is about making. Full stop. It is about having the space to create, be innovative, problem-solve, and collaborate. It is what we're all working so hard towards creating in our 21st century classrooms. Is it worth the hype? Absolutely.