Prior to purchasing equipment, it is important to consider the purpose of the Makerspace program, available space, and program outcomes. Equipment and materials purchased must connect to learning outcomes and follow the BISD district process for purchasing educational resources, equipment, and technology using the form located in Eduphoria.
Strategic Planning Considerations
- ID Purpose of Makerspace: Develop a shared vision, design ideas, location, membership requirements, encouragement of collaborative planning, facilitation of content areas, existing shared resources. It is important to connect to classroom teachers and reach out to many stakeholders and gather input prior to purchasing equipment. Do you have access to aworktables, computers, old science equipment, extracurricular equipment such as robots or green-screen equipment, etc.?
- ID Target Area Concepts: What are overall core content concepts in which students need inspiration? Meet with content teachers to identify needs. Consider adopting a content focus a month that connects with scope and sequence. How can you utilize Makerspace to provide enrichment opportunities to all students?
- Discovery Lab via PBL: Develop a 4 workstation approach with several short discovery lab activities using the 4 workstation PBL approach (project based learning) surrounding an overall content theme topic or idea using challenge cards.
- Building Materials: Locate instructional materials to facilitate the creative space.
- Community Sharing: Showcase learning examples in a community commons area. Consider developing a YouTube channel to highlight student projects.
- Foster Career Pathways within the Makerspace: Consider incorporating clubs, Career and Technology organizations, and Post-secondary programs.
- Digital Publishing: Encourage digital publishing and reflection to share with a wider audience or world.
- Service Learning: Use secondary programs to facilitate elementary programs through the use of a mentoring program or student led fabrication printing shop.
- Locate and Purchase Equipment: Identify equipment to facilitate 4 workstations with a core content teachers. Do core content teachers already have equipment that could be repurposed.?