I had a chance to meet Dale Dougherty, the force behind Make magazine and the Maker Faires around the world. For his reach he is pretty unassuming. Good to see FastCompany cover his efforts to expand the Make culture into our schools.
“Dale Dougherty doesn't think students should have to travel to sate their tinkering appetites. So last fall, the founder of Make magazine and Maker Faire sought--and received--a DARPA grant to open "makerspaces" in at least 1,000 U.S. schools over the next four years. Dougherty and Saul Griffith, the creator of an instructional comic series called Howtoons, will help schools develop work spaces brimming with state-of-the-art equipment such as 3-D printers, laser cutters, and power tools.
Whether they're called makerspaces, hacker spaces, or fab labs, such workshops prepare students to create anything they can imagine, using whatever materials they can find (Dumpster diving is common and often sanctioned by teachers). Participants become familiar with the tools and techniques involved in modern engineering and design while also honing critical problem-solving skills. And the spaces differ from a standard science or shop class in structure as much as in content. Instead of memorizing material for tests, students experiment and are encouraged to learn from their failures. They also document and share their creations, a key component of the broader Maker movement.”
Photo Credit of 2007 Maker Faire poster
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