How to Impact with Maker Space

Written by Matthew Wilson

I have?had the pleasure of leaning?on my experience as a Maker Lab instructor for the past 5 years here in Chicago. While there are many different incarnations of this new educational space, there actually is a very broad definition for what constitutes a maker space.

What is Maker Space?

Now, initially you may ask what is a maker space? A way to upcycle products? A creative art studio in space? A mix of the two? Well, in the future, maybe one of those will be true. However, in the year 2023 a maker space can go by many names. Maker lab, maker space, hacker space, tech lab, etc. If the names are any indicator, this new way to teach, learn, and grow is still being defined for more concrete applications. This means that while we may still be in the fumbling and early stages of the maker?movement, we have room to contribute to its growth which is always a great time to make positive impacts.?

The main goal or specialty of maker spaces is introducing students of all ages to methods of applying creative thinking to solving real world problems.

Set-Up and Equipment

For beginners, a maker space can be created in a specific room, space, or even just as a collection of equipment on a cart (this example comes from educators who work in schools with limited space who bring laptops and electronics from class to class).

The kinds of equipment in each maker space varies, and it varies a lot. Some maker spaces are only electronics focused and heavily rely on laptops for coding in Java or Python to output projects to small microcontrollers or development boards such as the NeoPixel or Arduino platforms. This is much more of a STEM implementation of a maker space. On the complete other end of the spectrum, some maker spaces will have a wide range of art supplies to sketch or illustrate ideas for projects before creating said projects in a software on a computer using 3D software. These kinds of labs often feature CNC (computer numeric controlled) equipment. Examples of CNC equipment that these labs will feature can include electric cutters (Silhouette Cameos or any of the Cricut products), 3D printers (resin or fdm), laser engravers or cutters, cnc routers, and more. At first, all of this may sound overwhelming but it truly is up to the instructor in the maker space to provide lessons or projects for learners to execute so that they learn these skill sets since they often apply to larger careers in both the creative and tech fields. Now that we have a loose understanding, let's get onto how to begin a maker space.?

Specialization and Focus of the Maker Space

For anyone who is interested in making their own maker space, begin with asking yourself what you would like to focus on. Do you want to focus on teaching and providing equipment for localized?manufacturing? Perhaps you want to really get students into advanced cosplay so you will focus more on working garments and wearable electronics? The list can go on forever and while that is tempting, it truly pays off to try to specialize. This is because the next step relies heavily on specialization: funding.

Grant Writing

My experience came from working in an educational setting where we had to apply to grants for funding. Now, if you are in connection with wealthy individuals who want to donate to your?maker space and help it get started that is phenomenal and great leverage to make sure your space is successful. For those who don't know, most grants are actually reimbursements. This means that if you write an application for a $300,000 grant and are awarded that, you will need to comply?with the rules or expectations for that grant, keep track of your spending and how you met the requirements of the grant, etc. Following timelines in the details of the grant, the funders will distribute money according to your spending records provided they stay within the bounds/rules of the grant. So you won't be given tons of money for nothing If you receive and educational grant for afterschool?programming you will need to make sure you provide the programming required and keep track of student's attendance and what projects they make, then keep track of equipment purchased and turn in receipts and attendance records in order to comply with the grant. Now, again, this is just based on my experience but funders like to see a cause or specific impact your maker lab will have on a specific target audience for them to believe that your maker space is worth their time/money. A maker space application that just says " we will hang out with tech" is not as appealing to funders as a space that says "we will work with underserved youth to teach tech literacy in a fun and engaging educational space". This is the importance of reading and writing in school, it is the secret sauce for grants.?

Now, if you have secured funding and some students and some tech, you can get to the fun parts of making lessons and helping people learn how to use the tech in your maker space.

Guidelines for implementing your maker space

• Build some core principles or values that your education content should adhere to so that there is always a purpose for what students are doing
• Mix up the kinds of projects people are doing so they are not repeating the same activity all day
• Spend some time before your classes developing an outline of what people will do that day, that week, and that quarter/semester so that there is an understanding of which direction the educational content is headed
• Be ready to tour the space to guests who are interested?in participating?or funding it
• Have an understanding of the equipment?and content in your maker space, this is just a way to build trust with guests since you would be their entry point to the maker movement