A Trend Worth Watching – The Maker Movement [ON-CUE Winter 2013]
The Maker Movement is a technological and creative revolution underway around the world that celebrates using technology to make, repair, and customize the things we need. Hundreds of thousands of adults and children alike are frequenting Maker Faires, hackerspaces, and DIY (Do-lt-Yourself) websites. A growing library of print literature inspires learners of all experiences to seize control of their world. Making brings engineering, design, and computer science to anyone who is willing to dive in and try something new. Fortunately for educators, this Maker Movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. It also holds the key to reanimating the best learner-centered teaching practices (read the rest of A Trend Worth Watching – The Maker Movement).
This article by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager was originally published in the winter 2013 issue of OnCUE, the magazine of California Computer-Using Educators, (CUE). It is republished here from http://www.inventtolearn.com/a-trend-worth-watching-the-maker-movement-on-cue-winter-2013/ with permission of the author.
Sylvia is co-author of Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, often called the "bible" of the maker movement in classrooms. Sylvia works in schools around the world to bring the power of authentic learning into classrooms, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects. Sylvia speaks, writes, and advocates for student-centered, project-based learning, gender equity in technology, computer programming, and life-long learning. For the past ten years, Sylvia was President of Generation YES, a non-profit with a mission of empowering young people to improve their schools and communities with modern technology. Previous to Generation YES, Sylvia was in charge of product development at several software publishers, designing and creating video games and educational software. Sylvia also had a career in aerospace engineering as a senior scientist on the GPS navigational satellite system research and development. She holds a masters in educational technology and a bachelors in electrical engineering. Along with Gary Stager, Sylvia facilitates the Constructing Modern Knowledge Institute every summer. Constructing Modern Knowledge, July 8-11, 2014, is a minds-on institute for educators committed to creativity, collaboration and computing. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in intensive computer-rich project development with peers and a world-class faculty. Inspirational guest speakers and social events round out the fantastic event. Pete Nelson, Edith Ackermann, Mitchel Resnick, and other expert visionaries (tba) are among this year’s guest speakers. Rather than spend days listening to a series of speakers, Constructing Modern Knowledge is about action. Attendees will work and interact with educational experts concerned with maximizing the potential of every learner. For more information, visit http://constructingmodernknowledge.com/.
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