It’s been another exciting week here. I was quietly laughing about one of my assignments this week. I learned what a makerspace is from a little online Googling. It is a fascinating concept, full of so many possibilities. Our assignment was to create a makerspace project. I found some useful sites:
- The Librarian’s Guide to Makerspace
- 7 Things you should Know about Makerspace
- Defining Makerspace: What the research says
I decided to use Legos to teach about levers. I sat down with my six year old son and started building a tower. My son thought it was great! I was laughing inside as I thought, “Here I am doing graduate level work– playing with legos.” It is not always so easy though. Most of the time I’m spending hours reading and writing some challenging stuff. I enjoyed my time playing with my son for the sake of school work.
I’m also thinking about how I might implement one in my library one day.
I exist for creativity. Most people who know me would likely describe me as creative. I sew, quilt, paint, cake decorate, and write. So this idea for makerspace really resonates with me.
A few years ago I started a writing club at the school where I teach. For the first few years it was part art and part writing. For the past two years I’ve had a group of students who were a little more serious about writing. Some are writing novels and some write poetry. All of them come in, sit down, and write. Stephen King would be so proud! I teach them a little bit about the writing profession and techniques about writing.
I plan to continue this club wherever I go. I am not sure if it really counts as a makerspace though because it is less tangible than other projects. I’m still learning.
I would love to learn about robotics and programming to have something like that in my library one day. I could do more with Legos too. That would cost me almost nothing since I have tons of Legos which a friend gave to me now that her son is off to college.
Cost is a large factor for some people, but I think the community would be more than willing to help. Some businesses might sponsor it. Parents are probably willing to donate what they can in supplies. I am sure there are grants out there that would be perfect for makerspaces.
On a personal note, I am now a member of NetGalley. I’ve had my book review and writing blog for almost a year now. I have no idea how I am going to have time to read everything for school, work, and still have time for pleasure reading. I think I’ll go mad if I don’t make the time though.
I already have my first ARC book downloaded: L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Volume 33. I read the first short story and enjoyed it. It was a locked-room murder mystery set, sort of. It was set on the moon. They kind of cheated a smidge on the solution but at least it was logical. I’ve requested two other books that are set to come out in October. We’ll see if I get them.
