I spent my morning in Thatcher Hall as part of the Communication Office’s routine focus on Tuesdays at Thatcher. We’ll be blogging throughout the year about the activities of students from pre-k to eighth grade and giving you a glimpse at a day in the life of students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Being new to Darlington, I naturally wanted to explore areas of Thatcher that might be new or different to everyone in the Darlington Community and this led me to the new Makerspace (also known affectionately as the Tiger Tank).
The first question I had for the Technology Integration Specialist Beth Wardlaw was very simple...
What exactly is a Makerspace??
In fairly basic terms, a makerspace is a designated space that allows for creativity and innovation to occur so that students can engage in learning experiences with real-life connections. Makerspaces provide students with a place to tinker, create, and develop something that may not have been possible to imagine without a space with resources.
The truly amazing thing is that all Darlington students from the very youngest in pre-k through twelfth grade now have the freedom and dedicated space to design, engineer, fabricate, create, build and collaborate.
What have the students been up to?
As a way to introduce younger students to the concept of the makerspace and the fun tools available to them, students from pre-k to third grade have been learning all about the design process as they’ve begun crafting insects with the items available to them in the space. They began by first studying bugs outside. They then sketched their bugs and are now developing their bug prototypes. Their creations will be incorporated into the Insect Expo that will be held later this month at the Upper School.
The creative technologies class has been focusing on solving problems by utilizing the whole design process. This adds an initial step of conducting interviews with various people that may be facing the problem at hand. An initial project that has emerged is the opportunity to solve problems with the before school process.
The kids really do know how to use the space and even spend their breaks there, collaborating and working independently on projects.
While I was there I was able to spend a little time with seventh-grader Sam Tullis who is in the process of building a robot for the Darlington Tech Fair.
Mrs. Wardlaw and I talked a bit more about the tools and equipment that the students have available to them and I was truly amazed. It’s apparently never too early to start children on the path of learning how to code. There are Ozmo Kits that integrate with iPads and teach early concepts of logic which lays a great foundation of coding principles. Dot and Dash looked fun, too. There are also littleBits kits, Makey Makey, Sphero, Bloxels and even Lego, giving a variety of pathways towards design thinking and creative collaboration through technology.
How can you help the Makerspace grow?
Because of the creating and tinkering that happens in the space on a daily basis, supplies are often depleted and a variety of supplies makes the use of the space more interesting. Mrs. Wardlaw told me that they currently have plenty of electronic items to work with (and deconstruct) but that they are more in need of crafting supplies due to the bug projects that are now in the design process. A few of these “wish list” items include buttons, pipe cleaners, poms, toilet paper rolls and anything that is considered “crafty."
My morning in the Makerspace was just a tiny glimpse into the creativity and excitement surrounding this new space. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what ideas and creations will come out of the Tiger Tank.
