I jumped at the chance to begin a Maker Space in Holliston High School! A Maker Space is a facility that encourages creativity, collaboration, and experimentation in a setting that combines both high-tech and low-tech equipment.

Working with the principal and librarians, I was able to develop a vision of our version of a Maker Space, starting with two 3D printers and a vinyl cutter. The space is part of the library, and also contains a variety of arts and crafts supplies.

Students are allowed to use the maker space during study period and after school. I have created a set of self-guided tutorials to get students started. I have also been working with the teachers and students in our Foundations of 21st Century Learning, training them in 3D modeling and printing. Additionally, I’ve been working with art classes to mix hand-drawn and computer-cut vinyl into mixed media projects and silk-screening.

Documents

• Maker Space Tutorials Poster
• Tutorial 3: 3DPrinting 101 – part 3 of the self-guided maker space tutorials
• Tutorial4a.Step-by-stepPersonalizedKeychain – part 4 of the tutorials, specially adapted for the Foundations of 21st Century Learning classes