Page Content
1. What is it?
A makerspace is a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network and build.
2. How does it work?
Makerspaces owe a considerable debt to the hacker culture that inspired them, and many are still primarily places for technological experimentation, hardware development and idea prototyping. But self-directed individual inventors and creative teams are increasingly using these free or fee-based services in fields other than engineering and technology.
3. Who’s doing it?
The makerspace emerged initially as a powerful learning force in the nonacademic community.
4. Why is it significant?
Makerspaces are zones of self-directed learning. Their hands-on character, coupled with the tools and raw materials that support invention, provides the ultimate workshop for the tinkerer and the perfect educational space for individuals who learn best by doing.
5. What are the downsides?
Space in learning facilities is often at a premium and cost is a consideration in setting up an area for making. High-end 3D printers that print with a variety of media can be expensive. Smaller, more affordable 3D printers generally create only small items, often from a single medium in only one colour.
6. Where is it going?
One key demand of a makerspace is that it exists as a physical location where participants have room and opportunity for hands-on work, but as these environments evolve, we may see more virtual participation. Video may invite input from remote experts, and teleoperation may enable manipulation of machinery from afar.
7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?
The makerspace gives room and materials for physical learning. Because these spaces can easily be cross-disciplinary, students in many fields can use them, often finding technical help for work they are undertaking in their areas. At the same time, those in engineering and technology will find their work enriched by contributions from those in other fields. Makerspaces allow students to take control of their own learning as they take ownership of projects they have not just designed but defined.
This list is condensed, with permission, from an article entitled “7 Things You Should Know About Makerspaces” by the US-based nonprofit organization Educause. The full article is available at https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf.
