Make-to-Learn Symposium

March 13, 2013

From creating working paper audio speakers to crafting Arduino-lit textiles and rewiring Frankentoys, the free Make-to-Learn Symposium in Chicago today offered loads of ideas for makerspaces. Play and learn time encompassed the first half of the day, when participants crowded around tables to learn from experts at working makerspaces around the US and Canada. Maker Kids, a nonprofit workshop space in Toronto, opened boxes of toys that could be chopped, amended, or just rewired to look and act different. “They’re so much more motivated when it’s their own idea,” said Andy Forest of Maker Kids. “Everything is open-ended,” he said of the organization’s 1,000-square-foot space, which features after-school programs and Friday night drop-in sessions in 3D printing, electronics, woodworking, crafting, and making of all kinds.

The buzz of 3D printers emanated from a number of tables, at which replica mustaches, heads, and other designs appeared. Wooden sticks and rubber bands awaited those who wanted to make a catapult.

At the table for the Wanger Family Fab Lab at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, Fab Lab Manager Dan Meyer demonstrated the use of SketchUp and Inkscape to make laser stickers, laser etchings, and molds for rubber stamps. The lab offered samples for testing, and lines of participants formed who volunteered to have a 3D model of their head created.

MIT students demonstrated use of the MaKey MaKey invention kit and Scratch software to create sounds by connecting alligator clips to aluminum foil and other objects, like PlayDoh and fruit. No PhD required.

Evening events include a keynote speech by MAKE magazine founder Dale Dougherty.

Tagged Under

technology

47m

Latia Ward writes: “One way to keep current with what students think of the library and its services is through Student Library Advisory Committee meetings. These meetings are a way to gather feedback and reinforce the library as a welcoming place. How do librarians create a welcoming environment within Student Library Advisory Committee meetings? Librarians create a welcoming environment through community, purpose, and dedicated space.” Also see part 1 of this blog post.

RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Nov. 13, Dec. 5
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Smashing Magazine, Dec. 6
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WVLT-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dec. 4
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Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10
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ALSC Blog, Dec. 9
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Karen O’Grady writes: “I am the embedded librarian for the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. I am surrounded by nursing faculty, staff, and students rather than by librarians. This has proven to be an incredible gamechanger for the way I see things. Every student in my school knows me by name. I am often stopped in the hallway to answer questions. Every correct answer I give increases my authority and builds trust. Through these casual mini-lessons, this foreign animal called ‘librarian’ slowly becomes an approachable, knowledgeable person.”

College & Research Libraries News, Dec.
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ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Dec. 4