Category Archives: Making a Makerspace

This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)

This Week in the Classroom I’m going to explore a variety of design challenges that I use in my classroom. I designed each of these projects to prompt students to explore the engineering design process, learn basic scientific concepts, such as forces and loads on structures, learn executive functioning and soft skills, and develop presentationContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)”

This Week in the Classroom: The FunKey Super #MakerED #STEM Review

This fall I have introduced a new tech platform into my practice.  The FunKey  unlocks tons of potential in a classroom. Do you want a board that reads keystrokes and plays like a MakeyMakey but with at a size and price point for a real classroom? FunKey does that. Do you now need a boardContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: The FunKey Super #MakerED #STEM Review”

#MakerEd in the Classroom: Exploring #3DPrinting FAQs & Resources

This week I will answer some of the most common questions about 3D printing I get asked as a Maker Educator by administrators and classroom teachers.  Last summer, I published a similar guide for the Home #Makerspace!

#Makerspace Tour: KID Museum in Bethesda, MD

The KID Museum of Bethesda, MD offers a range of Maker activities through outreach, studio time, open play/build and structured classes.  It’s open for drop-in visits on weekends and reserved for workshops, school trips and scheduled events during weekdays.   We visited for open house Sunday hours recently.  It cost $8 per person and admissionContinue reading “#Makerspace Tour: KID Museum in Bethesda, MD”

The Home Makerspace: The Autodesk 123D Suite

Update: On Dec. 16th, Autodesk announced they would be shutting down the 123D App family in “early 2017”.  Most apps will become incorporated into their 3 powerhouse apps: Tinkercad, Fusion 360, and ReMake. This week I took some time to explore Autodesk’s 123D family of CAD/surface modeler/maker-magic software.  123D uses cloud-based social community and project storageContinue reading “The Home Makerspace: The Autodesk 123D Suite”

Making a Makerspace: Shop Tour 2015

Most of the time on this blog and @woodshopcowboy or WoodshopCowboy on Facebook, I showcase student-centered projects and articles. Sometimes I make projects for my own enjoyment and personal needs in my own personal makerspace/workshop. Here’s a peek behind the curtain.

Top Five Maker Projects for the Beginning Maker Ed Teacher

Do you want to get into Making and Maker Ed? Don’t know where to start? Don’t have a makerspace? No problem! Here’s five ideas, classroom tested, which can be built using a minimum of tools for students in the K – 8 grade scale. If you are wondering how to connect these projects back toContinue reading “Top Five Maker Projects for the Beginning Maker Ed Teacher”

Making a Makerspace: Top Five Materials in an Educational Makerspace

This is part four in my “Making a Makerspace” series.  You can catch the other articles here. Makers use stuff.  Lots and lots of stuff.  Sylvia Libow Martinez & Gary Stager dedicated an entire chapter to the various materials necessary for a makerspace to function in their book, Invent to Learn.  I’m just going toContinue reading “Making a Makerspace: Top Five Materials in an Educational Makerspace”

Making A Makerspace: Top 10 Tools in a Maker’s Classroom (2012)

This year was a big year in the STEaMworks (STEM focus, art driven, work/project centered: the STEaMworks), my self-styled Maker classroom.  We (and the Math/Sci Team) built a lot of projects: rockets, rocket cars, derby cars, catapults, simple robots, box-making, bench-making, bridge-building, sail-testing, music making, spirographs, pendulums, 3D prototyping, CAD models, Arduino projects, Alice computerContinue reading “Making A Makerspace: Top 10 Tools in a Maker’s Classroom (2012)”