(John Spencer, 2017)

Makerspaces Blogshare

Hello all! If you've never used a makerspace or facilitated one, you may be wondering, "so what is a makerspace anyway?" Dr. Moorefield-Lang,  Associate Professor for The Department of Library & Information Science at University of North Carolina Greensboro, claims that a makerspace can be anything that you want it to be (2021). You have creative freedom when creating your makerspaces for your students. It is all about what the students want and need in order to be able to express themselves. No makerspace is the same. The location can be anywhere! "The beauty of the Maker movement, particularly in the library, is that there is no set list of equipment or programming required to make a space successful" (Britton, 2012).

Here is a real life vlog of an elementary school teacher putting together a makerspace in her classroom. She shares this process beginning to end so it is neat to see it all come together and the process of creating a makerspace from nothing!

(Learn With Uss, 2020)

Now that we have an idea of what a makerspace is, I want to share an amazing blog resource with you today. Makerspaces's Blog contains resource after resource on different makerspaces that can be utilized by teachers in the classroom, STEM teachers, or librarians in the school library. A lot of the makerspaces shared are for building circuits, so it would be better for Makerspaces.com to branch out to share more resources for makerspaces, like a Lego wall, or even a puzzle station. Here is a link to the Makerspaces blog: https://www.makerspaces.com/blog/.

Having a resource readily available, like Makerspace's Blog to give teachers and librarians ideas for makerspaces in their classroom is valuable. As educators, we are constantly learning and building upon the ideas of our peers. The printable resources are free, which helps those who do not have the budget to spare on makerspace materials. It is my hope this resource helps anyone who needs it!

References

Learn how to start and run a makerspace: Hands on stem education. Makerspaces.com. (n.d.).  https://www.makerspaces.com/blog/ 

Learn With Uss. (2020, Feb. 18). Our New Makerspace: STEM And STEAM In An Elementary Classroom [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_W-i1Tgobs

TeachFifteen. (2021, May 17). Makerspaces Summer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWQ6B4UnZaA

The makings of maker spaces, part 1: Space for creation, not just consumption. The Digital Shift. (n.d.). http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/public-services/the-makings-of-maker-spaces-part-1-space-for-creation-not-just-consumption/

Why every classroom should be a Makerspace. John Spencer. (2017, July 10). https://spencerauthor.com/classroom-makerspace/