What’s the “maker movement” and why should you care? In the plainest terms, “making” is one of the most powerful ways for kids to learn. I’ll delve more into the specifics in a moment, but let’s just say, when I learned of it, I was very excited!
Watching my local news channel last Saturday, I saw a special program about kids who love to make things — they design, they create, they invent, they build…in short, they actually do something! At first, I had no idea what the program was about, but I was drawn in by the buzz and energy that I saw within these kids — they weren’t glued to a video game or iPad — these kids were actually making things and they were excited and stimulated about learning.
Years ago, kids grew up playing outdoors and playing with toys that fostered creativity — they played with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, build-your-own model airplanes, make your own jewelry kits — kids of yesterday were encouraged to think and create…to actually make something. Today, not so much. Kids today play video games or sit glued to the internet all day — how is that ever going to stimulate any true creativity?
The ‘maker movement,’ is changing all that. As I learned more, I got very excited, because I firmly believe that it’s vital for America’s future — this movement has extraordinary potential to turn more of us into innovators and makers, and not just consumers. Give the “makers” of our world the right tools and encouragement, and they could very well change the world.
Tell us already!
Okay, so you get that I really like the ‘maker movement,’ but what exactly is it? Well, it all depends. The best ‘definition’ I found is this:
The maker movement, as we know, is the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers like Saunders. A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans, the niche is established enough to have its own magazine, Make, as well as hands-on Maker Fairs that are catnip for DIYers who used to toil in solitude. Makers tap into an American admiration for self-reliance and combine that with open-source learning, contemporary design and powerful personal technology like 3-D printers. The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in–China merchandise. – Joan Voight
Here’s more great insight:
“Even if you don’t have access to expensive (but increasingly affordable) hardware, every classroom can become a makerspace where kids and teachers learn together through direct experience with an assortment of high and low-tech materials. The potential range, breadth, power, complexity, and beauty of projects have never been greater thanks to the amazing new tools, materials, ingenuity, and playfulness you will encounter in this book.”
“The best way to activate your classroom is for your students to make something. This might an amazing high-tech invention or it might take the form of costumes for a historical reenactment, homemade math manipulatives, a new curtain for the local auditorium, toys, a pet habitat, a messy science experiment, or a zillion other things. Best of all, you don’t need expensive hardware, or to start by mastering a programming language. You can begin with found materials: buttons, bottle caps, string, clay, construction paper, broken toys, popsicle sticks, or tape (hint: Google “tapigami” or “duck tape projects”). Reusing materials is consistent with kids’ passion for environmentalism and is an ideal of the maker movement.”
– Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary S. Stager, authors of “Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom“
Regardless of how we attempt to define it, ultimately, the Maker Movement has the promise to bring people, and especially our youth, into the world of being innovators — thinking, creating and making things, whether just as a hobby, as a career, or as something that could transform our world for the better. It’s time we returned to the days when we didn’t just consume things, but that we actually made things — life is never going to be found in a video game or watching TV, so anything that gives our kid’s a sense of purpose and excitement, is a very good thing indeed.