Making in Community
Outside of a classroom context, there are still opportunities for collaboration among makers. There are multiple forums and organizations that bring makers together, and I have enjoyed utilizing these spaces to find my place in the maker community. In these spaces, I have shared my ideas and failures, received feedback, and felt empowered from the exposure to new tools and techniques. Being a part of the maker community has challenged me to grow as a maker and has allowed me to better know how to help other makers grow as well.
UTeach Maker Meetings
On the first Tuesday of each month, UTeach Makers meet to discuss their progress on their showcases, learn and develop new skills, and play with all kinds of materials. We often participate in maker challenges within our mentor groups, as seen in the videos to the right. In one of these meetings (top video), we were challenged to make a dirigible-type ship that would maintain altitude as it traveled to the other side of the room. Ours did not measure up to the standard, but seeing the work of other groups allowed us all to better discuss our successes, failures, and proposed modifications.
In another meeting (bottom video), our mentor groups were tasked with making an "inchworm" using circuit playground, servo motors, and various craft supplies. Like in the challenge described above, we tested our products and reflected on successes and failures.
Challenges like these reveal the diversity and creativity of the makers in the room and provide opportunities to encourage each other!
Dirigible Challenge!
Inchworm Challenge!
Maker Faire
2018 UTeach Institute Conference
This conference will be held May 22 - 24, and I have been given the opportunity to present with my UTeach Maker mentors and colleagues on the tools I helped create for lessons developed by UTeachTech LaTech University. These tools (the unit circle manipulative set I made with MathHappens) are featured on the "Projects" page in this website. I am looking forward to presenting the work that I did and I am excited to learn about how they are being used in the lessons developed by UTeachTech!
At this conference, I hope to meet other educators who are involved in making so that we can share ideas and experiences. This conference will be a great opportunity to continue to establish myself in the maker community, and I am grateful for such a privilege.
Maker Faire was one of my first experiences in the maker community! During the faire, I was able to represent UTeach Maker by facilitating participants' construction of circuits. At the booth there were challenge cards for visitors to try out, materials needed to complete a circuit, and various additional components (buzzer, servo motor, etc.) that could be used. It was exciting to interact with the general public in this way, and I enjoyed the discussions that arose on topics concerning circuits, making, and UTeach.
2017 UTeach STEM Conference with MathHappens
Last summer I was an intern for MathHappens, and among several other opportunities, I was able to present our work at the annual UTeach STEM conference. This was one of my first opportunities to publicly present my work to a broader community, and I loved it! I gained experience in building connections with current makers and educators, and my presentation skills were further developed. Through conversations at the MathHappens booth, I learned about education initiatives taking place in other communities, and I discussed opportunities to include more making into other classrooms.
The range of materials we showcased appealed to all educators. We included Golden Ratio calipers and other proportional calipers, astronomical and navigational tools, and several tools used for measurement and conversion. Many people were excited about handling the tools and wanted to learn how they worked, which were welcome conversations for my colleagues and I!
Equity, Access, and Diversity in the Maker Program
-
Equity
-
Every UTeach student is eligible to apply for UTeach internships and UTeach Maker, and the monthly meetings allow all makers to participate and develop their skills
-
During my time with MathHappens, I saw that all interns were given the opportunity to work on various projects. This allowed for all interns to create materials that they could present at various conferences and public displays
-
-
Access
-
Many students are able to take part in the UTeach Maker program, but they all have to apply to get accepted. This is an insignificant portion as compared to all of the students who attend UT, a group that is already out of reach for many aspiring students.
-
Many maker faires and conferences like those mentioned above cost anywhere from $50 - $450, and if it were not for UTeach waiving these fees, I would not have been able to participate in all of these opportunities. Being involved in the maker community is important for the growth of makers, but by setting costs this high, many makers are being barred from participating and sharing their ideas.
-
-
Diversity
-
Through all of these programs, I have been given the opportunity to work and collaborate with fellow makers having backgrounds different from my own. Where I grew up there was not as much diversity, so I have loved being exposed to different mindsets on making.
-
Although I have seen more diversity in making than I did prior to being a UTeach Maker, there is still room for more diversity. Many people groups are underrepresented, if represented at all, and we will not be reaching our potential in the maker community until all groups are represented.
-
Throughout my experience in the UTeach program, I have co-taught and participated in class discussions with people of various backgrounds, and these experiences have resulted in improvements of my work and more developed understandings of the content. This has further grown my understanding that all makers need to be able to collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds so that we can all help improve each other's projects.
-
Who and What is Missing?
From my perspective, I see that many people and ideas are overlooked or missing completely from the Maker community. By largely highlighting the ideas of educated, upper-middle class white men (see Philosophy page, section 2), entire people groups and ideas are being excluded from our community, thus hindering the innovation and advancement of our societies. The type of diversity we see in our world is not reflected in the Maker community, but that can be improved by making advances to further include the following people groups and components:
-
Who
-
People of color
-
People of varied ethnicity
-
Females
-
People of varied economic status
-
People of varied educational background
-
People of varied age
-
-
What
-
Perspectives of makers from diverse backgrounds
-
Techniques and resources of makers from diverse backgrounds
-
More making that does not incorporate electronics, computers, or robotics
-