It seems clear now that we need to have a makerspace onsite to achieve our goals. It has to be readily accessible to all classes. It needs to be sustainable for many years and available to all students. We don’t want to waste resources taking students to and from an offsite space if possible.
But as is apt to happen with a problem like this, uncovering a potential solution can reveal further questions. If we have a makerspace onsite, how will we know how to use it to its highest potential? How will we motivate faculty to use the space and educate them about it’s possibilities?
We can do several things to get the most benefit we can given the challenges we face. I think it would be valuable to keep a connection to our potential offsite partner though we need to find a way to do this with far less investment than they originally proposed. I could spend some time to get some significant training myself, so we are better equipped to know what to do with a makerspace and which equipment we truly need. This would help me learn how to run the space after we build it. Finally, the knowledge we gain from these experiences needs to be effectively disseminated to staff to increase engagement and effectiveness.
View my personalized creation for a more detailed view of the plan.
Brian Durst EdTech 