Maker Community

As the old saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child." As a maker, it was my involvement with different maker communities, events, and workshops that I obtained the knowledge to better myself. Below are my experiences with my involvment in maker.

Co.Lab Community Makers

Co.lab Community makers is a safe and inclusive maker space located north of Austin on Burnett road. The space is free for anyone to use, and in addition is completely ran by volunteers to keep the doors open!

I spent the summer of 2019 volunteering at the space, learning the different tools they had such as the Ultimaker 3 (3d printer) and Glowforge (laser cutter). My mentor Patrick Benfield also showed me the basics, and I owe a lot of my making expertise to him (He's the handsome gentleman on the far right with a black shirt haha).

In addition to volunteering, every Friday, the Co.lab would host a get-together or happy hour to raise money for the space. The event always involved either making, themed for holidays, or special workshops ranging from sewing to glass etching. Every time I visited, I always knew the event was going to teach me a new skill, and each time I've left happier when I entered.

I also volunteered for a workshop for middle school students from Huston & Tillotson, where Patrick and Emily talked about the importance of social justice, and how students could make a difference in the world. I helped with one of the sessions whereby students hade to use limited materials to create an object that met the requirements in the bag. The students then asked questions regarding how the tool worked, and how it could be improved.

MATH HAPPENS: Museum Day

Math Happens is an organization that strives to push math in fun, organic, and creative ways for young women of all ages outside the classroom,. Although I am not directly partnered with the organization, I was given the amazing opportunity to volunteer for Museum Day.

For this event, museums all over Austin were free for admission, and Math Happens had volunteers at six different Museums to promote fun and engaging math concepts. Lauren Siegel, the head of Math Happens, coordinated the event, and held a workshop along with several volunteers to promote math. I decided to be stationed at the Neill Cochran House.

The event was a ton of fun and successful overall. We had well over 20-30 kids visit, where they solved pythagorean puzzles, made their own mathematical papershell decorations using squareroots, and played chess checkers outdoors.

At one point there were two young kids that solved a rather tricky puzzle on the pythagorean theorem and where interested to learn more in detail. The parents discussed how fun it was to be involved, and that they were intrigued to see math taught in such a unique way.

THE FOUNDRY

During spring of 2019 I also had the opportunity to internship at the Foundry, a maker space at the University of Texas at Austin. This is where I received my first-hand experience with maker tools, and had the opportunity to use my first 3d printer, laser cutter and general mill.

During my time there, I also did several training session to show new students how to use the 3d printer, 3d printed my own molecules made from tinkercad, and developed a rough draft of a lesson plan that I will use at some point in the near future.

The best part when it came to interning at the foundry was that it never felt like work. Each and everyday I would see students creating and making their own unique things, and I was learning something new every time I went.

UTEACH MAKER: Cohort Meetings

How can I forget about the loving and amazingly awesome Uteach community that encouraged me each step of the way! I remember when first hearing about Uteach Maker I wasn't sure if it was for me. However, the first time I went to a cohort meeting, I realized immediately that I had made the right decision.

From each meeting I learned a new skill that I could eventually use in my own classroom. At times, some of the skills seemed out of my reach, but my peers where always there to support and guide me along the way.

MAKER FAIRE

Maker Faire is an event held every year in Austin were makers have the opportunity to showcase their own unique and awesome creations. I volunteered for maker faire and saw numerous cool and inspiring gadgets, artwork, and ideas ranging from education, to toys, to emergency response.

REFLECTION:

THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING

Throughout my time being involved in the maker community I have learned a variety of things. From 3d printing, to cardboard cutting, to sewing, and using a variety of software, the skills that can be learned have practically no bounds. Many of these skills I felt I couldn't have learned on my own, but with the right community I was able to bridge the gap.

It all ties back to Vygotsky's theory of zone of proximal development and Piaget's constructivsit views of knowledge. In order to learn, you have to create and explore, and with the right people and culture, can propell me to new heights.

However, one of the most important things I realized was the importance of having accessibility and equal access. Makerspaces are important because they give people from all cultural backgrounds, adults and children alike, the ability to express themselves and to interact with the world around them, just as Seymour Papert, the father of the Maker movement envisioned modern education.

Usually, such spaces in the past were limited due to costs, and had limited women or minority representation. Fortunately, the tides are changing as makerspaces are not only becoming more inclusive, but more accessible, whether in cities or even in classrooms.

For example, at the Co.lab not only is the volunteer staff diversified, but we also introduce ourselves with our pronouns and have pronouns on our name tags. In addition, anyone above the age of 18 (or children with adult supervision) can use any of the maker tools, ranging from 3d printing, sowing, or laser cutting after going through a safety tutorial session. From there, they are able to access all the materials they need, free of charge.

We also have surveys online where we have received feedback from the community on how to be more inclusive and welcoming, as well as anonymous lines to report issues of discrimination or foulplay.

The Foundry at the University of Texas also has a similar culture as well. Out of the three different maker spaces on campus, it is the only one that is open for any major to use.

My experience with making has been a revolutionary one because in the past I thought I had to be a technology guru, or some amazing carpenter to create and build complex things. With the workshops, internships, and volunteer work I participated in, it was so much clearer to me that anyone can do it.

Furthermore, I also see how important it is to inspire the youth to be aware of such issues, such as talking social issues with expression through making. The Co.lab workshop which was held for the middle school students from Huston & Tillostson not only gave these children their first hand experience using woodshop tools, cutting techniques, and spray painting techniques, but also challenged them to make an artifact to combat issues of injustice on through the current political climate.

One student discussed his artifact describing how it represented how students deserved a quality education, as his father was a school teacher. He stated "Teachers should teach to our interests and issues that interest us, instead of reading from the textbook." Moments like these made me realize how essential these spaces are for minorities and the next generation.

My current mission as of now is to create a maker space at Crockett High School. I want to inspire and push my students to create and make things they never thought possible, and give the same exilierating experience I had through the UTeach Maker program. At the end of the day, each on of us was born with the capability to make, and it is my goal to instill this same mindset with my students.

#ComeAndMakeIt