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Throughout the school year, I am constantly in conversation with teachers, dropping in on classes, talking to and observing students, to see what everyone is interested in or working on currently. The way I choose resources and activities for the library is usually based on how learning is being directed at the school at the time. Most times, resources that pique my interest connect with learning or interests that have been expressed in my school.

In addition, I have been trying to find ways to foster a culture of inquiry in my current school as it has been sparse thus far. In my previous school, there was a very strong culture of inquiry and the grade 4/5 students would have a showcase at the end of the year presenting personal open-inquiry projects and it was fabulous! At my current school, there is limited inquiry and I have noticed that grade 4/5 students get easily frustrated and are afraid to make mistakes without having practice with inquiry-based learning starting in earlier grades. It is my goal to start teaching inquiry-type skills starting in kindergarten and continuing to build on the skills in the hopes that when those students reach grade 4/5, they will be more inclined to be successful with inquiry-based learning. As well, with teachers now being expected to teach ADST curriculum, many have expressed that this is a challenging area for them. Therefore, the module 9 reading and exemplars were very interesting to me as "Supporting Learners as Inquirers and Designers" is a particular focus in my teaching now and I will discuss the readings that I feel will help me meet my current goals for this school year.

Connections:

Just recently, in the week leading up to Halloween, for library storytime, I was inspired by the multi-modal text examples and multi-literacy learning as of late so I decided to tell oral stories with paper props with primary students. The results were more than I could have hoped for! I was hoping to surprise and delight students with a different kind of story, which it did, but also, students were directly reporting to me that they were retelling the stories and trying to reproduce the paper props with others at center time or at home! So, I was already considering what other ways I could inspire students to create, re-create or retell stories using other types of visuals and then the module 9 readings supplied some answers and suggestions for me.

I found the example of "Story Studio" inspirational as I was thinking of creating an area of the LLC with loose parts for students to create their own stories. My school has an oral storytelling kit with loose parts such as small rounds of wood and small animal puppets but I have not seen it used in classes for a while so I thought it could be incorporated into my own "Story Studio". I appreciate how the presentation states that the intention of the project is "....how this creative, 'playful literacy' structure can enhance oral language development and children's identity as author's, artists and storytellers in other learning contexts, such as school libraries" (Good et al., 2019). It was just so great seeing the excitement and surprise from young students at their own success in storytelling that I want to keep the momentum going and foster that feeling for those students. In the presentation, I also like the suggestions for how to start because that is a part I was struggling with; deciding on where to go with this idea. I thought I needed more stories like the Halloween stories but I like how the "Story Studio" lays out "Providing prompts or provocations for storytelling through anchor books or a new material; setting an intention for the session; creating stories by gathering materials, playing with the materials and making a story through collaboration or independently and finally, sharing and/or recording the story" (Good et al., 2019). As well, I appreciate that a reflection is included because in my understanding, reflecting is one of the most important aspects of inquiry-based learning. Finally, with this presentation, I like how they shared the focus topics for different age levels and explained that the grade 5 students were just as excited as the early primary students to explore the story studio. The presentation explained that they used digital storytelling as part of the sharing process but I wish they had given some examples of what kind of digital storytelling or specific digital tools that they used.

Another useful reading from this module that connects to this idea is the book Storymaking : the Maker Movement Approach to Literacy for Early Learners. Even in the module notes it expresses that this book is already creating a buzz in BC Early Learning Networks and I also feel like there are teachers on my staff that would find this book very interesting and useful as well. Of course, most teachers already acknowledge the importance of learning through play especially in primary classrooms but I feel like the part that will be of particular interest is the sharing and communicating of "completed" stories. I found this book to be so full of great ideas that I would like to try and implement in the LLC. For example, with primary students, I already like to do "wonder" lessons with anchor texts and thought-provoking pictures so I can see adding in "wonders of the week" to a "story making" corner that could inspire story ideas for students. I like the chart on page 49 with suggestions for "Wonder of the Week":

In addition, I can see teachers using the suggestions for how to easily incorporate "Story making" in the classroom such as students sharing stories from something that happened the day before while waiting for others to finish morning routine.

One concern I had when thinking about how to use props in story making is how to make it structured so that it is not simply play but play with a purpose. Several times throughout the text, it reinforces the importance of students having a plan before beginning "Story making", at one point stating, "One of the best strategies we have taught our early learners is how to imagine before they play (or make) their stories" (51). It seems so simple but it would seem to solve many potential problems and give students direction before "story making". There are a lot of good suggestions on how to help students plan before making.

This text is so rich in information and suggestions about how to implement "story making" that it felt a bit overwhelming in reading it but it helped me come away with a better grasp about how I could purposefully carry out "story making" to practice inquiry in the library through story-telling in the LLC. The text also gives evidence to back up the claims which is always good to have if ever needing to justify why an activity is chosen.

The last article that I would like to reflect on is "Mindful makers: Question prompts to help guide young peoples' critical technical practices in maker spaces in libraries, museums, and community-based youth organizations". Like the two previous articles, this article focuses on maker space, which I have expressed is a current point of interest of mine. As I also expressed earlier, I find that without the opportunity to practice inquiry skills from very young, it can be difficult for older students; however, I like the suggestions in the article as ways to foster inquiry skills with those learners. In this article as well, it makes good points to support the use of maker space activities such as "Proponents of maker spaces argue that such environments address a unique package of complementary 21st century skills and aptitudes such as creativity, innovation, transmedia navigation, visual literacy, and (if based in technology) computational thinking..."(Bowler & Champagne, 2016, 117). In addition, I like how the article states that, "Production offers value beyond an end product for makers; they develop new literacies by engaging with tools and processes that may not surface in conventional learning environments" (Bowler & Champagne, 2016, 118). I found it interesting to read that the questioning process is important to the maker process and that there was found to be specific questions: "These questions can, collectively, serve as a tool kit for scaffolding critical practices in maker spaces for youth: * What will make me happy? * Who is my audience? * What resources do I have and need? * What will inspire me to give my time and effort to a project? * What do I know? * Can I let myself make a mistake? * How will my creation affect other people? * What kind of maker am I?" (Bowler & Champagne, 2016, 120-121). Like I said, sometimes it can be challenging to guide students that are a little bit older in inquiry-based learning if they do not have much prior experience and it can easily get frustrating for students and the teacher which can lead to giving up on the idea of inquiry. Therefore, it is good to have these specific focus questions for both teachers and students to keep in mind for any inquiry-based teaching and learning because, as the article argues, "The central instrument is the relationship and dialogue between mentor and youth maker. Although certainly not the only solution, question prompts that occur within the framework of a conversation can be a useful tool to help scaffold deeper thinking about making and support a disposition toward a mindful and critical technical practice" (Bowler & Champagne, 2016, 124). These are the kinds of tools I need to supply teachers to encourage more inquiry-based teaching and learning at my school.

Conclusions:

Over the years of being a TL, I have tried a few maker space and/or STEM activities in the LLC but I have yet to set up a permanent or even semi-permanent dedicated space. I am always considering where to put it, what it should contain and how to implement it for students to purposefully use. I think I have been putting it off because I knew I should do it but didn't really have a concrete understanding. So, I am grateful that these articles are included as reading for this course and module as now I feel like I have a starting place and specific goals to begin my maker space. Finally, I feel like having a focus of oral storytelling for my makerspace will be more manageable than trying to create a makerspace with materials for every purpose imaginable.

Works cited:

Bowler, L., & Champagne, R. (2016). Mindful makers: Question prompts to help guide young peoples' critical technical practices in maker spaces in libraries, museums, and community-based youth organizations. Library and Information Science Research,

Canva. (2020). Four-panel photo montage store header [Image]. Retrieved 7 November 2020, from https://www.canva.com/design/DAEM3KU_plQ/DdMt5L6188HhxaVxVM5i_Q/edit?layoutQuery=story+website+header.

Good, S., Araujo, J., Shuster, L., & Meredith, A. (2019). Story Studio: Collaborative Inquiry. Presentation, Burnaby School District.

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Inquiry using makerspace in the LLC: Learning Log #3 - prompt from module 9

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Throughout the school year, I am constantly in conversation with teachers, dropping in on classes, talking to and observing students, to see what everyone is interested in or working on currently. The way I choose resources and activities for the library is usually based on how learning is being directed at the school at the time.

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Maker space english story for kids reading and writhing

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Great for discussing what is effective / least effective. Distracting background music.

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Maker Storytelling Workshop: "A Space Story"

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14 min. video for adults

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Every childhood deserves a makerspace | Vipul Redey | TEDxYouth@Colombo

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants No. 1030865-The FabLab Classroom: Preparing Students for the Next Industrial Revolution and 1513018-American Innovations in an Age of Discovery: Teaching Science and Engineering through Historical Reconstructions, by a grant from the Alcoa Foundation, and by support provided through the Curry-Albemarle Technology Infusion Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors.

Additional Resources

1. Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian X 3D website. https://3d.si.edu/

The Smithsonian X 3D website allows students to explore some of the Smithsonian's most treasured objects. The Smithsonian has more than 137 million objects in the collections of nine museums, nine research centers, and the National Zoo. Fewer than 1% of the objects in these collections are on public display. Digitized 3D images on the X 3D website provides access to familiar, as well as unfamiliar, treasures in these collections, from a scan of the Wright Brothers' flyer to the high-resolution of the command module from the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission.

2. Make to Learn website. http://www.maketolearn.org/

The Make to Learn website, hosted by the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, provides access to many of the resources discussed in this article. The site will be updated as new invention kits are developed and will focus on fostering makerspace concepts such as making, exploring and sharing.

3. Gershenfeld, N. ( 2005). Fab: The coming revolution on your desktop-from personal computers to personal fabrication. New York, NY: Basic Books.

This book by Neil Gershenfeld, an M.I.T. professor, introduced the concept of personal fabrication as the ability to design and produce products in your home or anywhere. Fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) are desktop factories that can be used to "make almost anything."

4. Make Magazine website. https://makezine.com/

Make Magazine, founded by Dale Daugherty, initiated the Maker Movement. The magazine and its associated website is an excellent source for maker projects and resources.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

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Storymaking: Combining Making and Storytelling in a School Makerspace

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants No. 1030865-The FabLab Classroom: Preparing Students for the Next Industrial Revolution and 1513018-American Innovations in an Age of Discovery: Teaching Science and Engineering through Historical Reconstructions, by a grant from the Alcoa Foundation, and by support provided through the Curry-Albemarle Technology Infusion Program.

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This year, the theme for the American Library Association's Teen Read Week (October 8-14) is "Unleash Your Story." I always love the themes they pick, and this one is no exception. Anyone who has been around a teen or tween before knows that they love to share their stories. There's a reason why social media, blogging, podcasting and other forms of digital sharing are so popular with this generation.

Storytelling and makerspaces go hand in hand. I've often found that students who aren't always the best at expressing themselves through writing or speaking are able to get their stories out when they create with their hands or when they use digital tools to document their stories. These three maker projects are designed to enable storytelling for all students. And even though these projects are geared towards Teen Read Week, they can be adapted for younger students as well.

Some of these projects require you to have some tools on hand, but most are adaptable to whatever is available. Don't think that you have to replicate the projects exactly; you can adapt them and make them work for your own students.

1. DIY Zine Workshop

Zines are generally defined as short, hand-made, self-published magazines. They had their heyday with Generation X, but that doesn't mean that Millennials won't enjoy them as well. This project works best as a workshop, but it could potentially be a passive maker station as well. This project offers a great opportunity to collaborate with your art and creative writing classes.

If possible, acquire a few examples of school-appropriate zines (some can be pretty mature). Give your students some time to flip through them and get a feel for what they are like. Share a bit about the history of self-publishing and the important role that zines played in helping people to share their stories (check out the resources below for more history on zines).

Provide some blank paper (thicker art paper is best, but copy paper can work too), some Sharpies, pencils, pens, and other art materials. Make sure to have some rulers too, as they'll make it easier to draw boxes for more comic-style zines.

Challenge students to use these materials to create a short zine telling a story from their life. It could be an important event, one of their favorite memories, or just an ordinary day. If they don't feel comfortable sharing about their own lives, have them create a nonfiction zine or a zine about a character.

If the students are okay with their work being shared, use a photocopier and staplers to create copies of each zine for all the participants. Give students time to read each other's zines and offer feedback.

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3 Fun Makerspace Projects to Help Teens Tell Their Stories

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This year, the theme for the American Library Association's Teen Read Week (October 8-14) is "Unleash Your Story." I always love the themes they pick, and this one is no exception. Anyone who has been around a teen or tween before knows that they love to share their stories.

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Technology is an important part of our world. With an increasing number of jobs developing in the tech industry, it's important that schools prepare students by teaching them how to use technology in class. And teachers have seen incredible results from using technology to teach important STEM concepts, including an increase in student engagement and performance.

But where does that leave literacy and the arts? Are students missing out on fundamental skills as they're swept away in the tech world? This is the concern of many educators and parents.

However, some teachers have found a new method for bringing the arts and literacy into classroom projects. By using makerspaces as a hub for hands-on activities and group assignments, teachers have found that they can easily incorporate writing, and literacy into STEM lessons by immersing students in the imaginative process of storytelling.

Transitioning from STEM to STEAM with Makerspaces

STEM-centered curriculum receives a lot of attention and it rightfully should. It provides students the knowledge and skills they need for jobs in engineering, medicine, technology, and science. However, literacy is just as important for students because they need to be able to do things that involve interdisciplinary skills like tackling complex word problems. And after graduation, students will need to be able to read, communicate, and write effectively both for professional reasons and personal reasons

That's why many educators have taken it upon themselves to begin including the Arts in STEM lessons. STEAM projects more authentically represent real-life situations as people are often required to call upon multiple skills to complete tasks at work and in the real world. STEAM projects also nourish creativity and inventiveness, traits which set apart leaders in the workplace.

However, many hands-on projects cannot be performed at a desk with a pen and paper. They require special materials, tools, and a large space where students can make and create. Makerspaces provide exactly this. Makerspaces are designated spaces where students can gather together and use their hands to create, make, and invent. By using makerspaces, educators can prompt students to call on the knowledge they've gained from various subjects and use higher level thinking and problem-solving skills.

How Do Makerspaces Facilitate Storytelling?

Makerspaces give students a way to become more engaged and involved in literacy. Not all students are interested in the idea of sitting down with a book or a pen and paper. But by adding makerspaces into the mix, students become much more interested in literature. Students can read a book or write an assignment, but the literacy concepts they learn are brought to life when they are given the opportunity to make or create something. In this way, they are telling a story through multi-media.

Educators have used makerspaces to teach literacy in many different ways. Students may be prompted to use materials to create an alternative ending to a book. Or they may be given the assignment to use clay or art supplies to create the main character from a book, which helps them to be able to identify character traits. Videos and powerpoints may be used to help students learn about the plot and sequencing the events in a story.

Through these tasks, the act of storytelling becomes much less about the physical task of writing and more about creating and imagining. Makerspaces provide a space in the classroom where these types of arts and crafts and hands-on activities can happen. Most importantly, they allow students to become active participants that are invested in their learning.

Maker Furniture from the Supple Collection

What's essential for makerspaces to be effective requires more than just the right supplies and material. How these spaces are designed is crucial. Makerspaces need to allow for movement and collaboration and prioritize comfort. They need to be able to give students space and freedom they need to create.

Furniture from the Supple Collection is designed to accomplish exactly this. Our furniture allows students to easily converse and collaborate with one another as they work together to solve problems and exchange ideas. From Maker workstations for adult learners to the Roll collection for students in grade school, our collection of Maker furniture is vast and able to meet the needs of learners of all ages.

Contact us today to discuss ideas for a makerspace for your classroom!

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Makerspaces & Literacy: How Makerspaces Facilitate Storytelling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Technology is an important part of our world. With an increasing number of jobs developing in the tech industry, it's important that schools prepare students by teaching them how to use technology in class. And teachers have seen incredible results from using technology to teach important STEM concepts, including an increase in student engagement and performance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Technology is an important part of our world. With an increasing number of jobs developing in the tech industry, it's important that schools prepare students by teaching them how to use technology in class. And teachers have seen incredible results from using technology to teach important STEM concepts, including an increase in student engagement and performance.

But where does that leave literacy and the arts? Are students missing out on fundamental skills as they're swept away in the tech world? This is the concern of many educators and parents.

However, some teachers have found a new method for bringing the arts and literacy into classroom projects. By using makerspaces as a hub for hands-on activities and group assignments, teachers have found that they can easily incorporate writing, and literacy into STEM lessons by immersing students in the imaginative process of storytelling.

Transitioning from STEM to STEAM with Makerspaces

STEM-centered curriculum receives a lot of attention and it rightfully should. It provides students the knowledge and skills they need for jobs in engineering, medicine, technology, and science. However, literacy is just as important for students because they need to be able to do things that involve interdisciplinary skills like tackling complex word problems. And after graduation, students will need to be able to read, communicate, and write effectively both for professional reasons and personal reasons

That's why many educators have taken it upon themselves to begin including the Arts in STEM lessons. STEAM projects more authentically represent real-life situations as people are often required to call upon multiple skills to complete tasks at work and in the real world. STEAM projects also nourish creativity and inventiveness, traits which set apart leaders in the workplace.

However, many hands-on projects cannot be performed at a desk with a pen and paper. They require special materials, tools, and a large space where students can make and create. Makerspaces provide exactly this. Makerspaces are designated spaces where students can gather together and use their hands to create, make, and invent. By using makerspaces, educators can prompt students to call on the knowledge they've gained from various subjects and use higher level thinking and problem-solving skills.

How Do Makerspaces Facilitate Storytelling?

Makerspaces give students a way to become more engaged and involved in literacy. Not all students are interested in the idea of sitting down with a book or a pen and paper. But by adding makerspaces into the mix, students become much more interested in literature. Students can read a book or write an assignment, but the literacy concepts they learn are brought to life when they are given the opportunity to make or create something. In this way, they are telling a story through multi-media.

Educators have used makerspaces to teach literacy in many different ways. Students may be prompted to use materials to create an alternative ending to a book. Or they may be given the assignment to use clay or art supplies to create the main character from a book, which helps them to be able to identify character traits. Videos and powerpoints may be used to help students learn about the plot and sequencing the events in a story.

Through these tasks, the act of storytelling becomes much less about the physical task of writing and more about creating and imagining. Makerspaces provide a space in the classroom where these types of arts and crafts and hands-on activities can happen. Most importantly, they allow students to become active participants that are invested in their learning.

Maker Furniture from the Supple Collection

What's essential for makerspaces to be effective requires more than just the right supplies and material. How these spaces are designed is crucial. Makerspaces need to allow for movement and collaboration and prioritize comfort. They need to be able to give students space and freedom they need to create.

Furniture from the Supple Collection is designed to accomplish exactly this. Our furniture allows students to easily converse and collaborate with one another as they work together to solve problems and exchange ideas. From Maker workstations for adult learners to the Roll collection for students in grade school, our collection of Maker furniture is vast and able to meet the needs of learners of all ages.

Contact us today to discuss ideas for a makerspace for your classroom!

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Makerspaces & Literacy: How Makerspaces Facilitate Storytelling

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Technology is an important part of our world. With an increasing number of jobs developing in the tech industry, it's important that schools prepare students by teaching them how to use technology in class. And teachers have seen incredible results from using technology to teach important STEM concepts, including an increase in student engagement and performance.

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Could easily replicate this idea without buying the kit. Using superheroes to express feelings and experiences!

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Participants create superheroes to express their feelings and experiences. By using storytelling methods, maker technologies and creative writing they express complex emotions in the form of objects. For this, children employ technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics and microcontrollers or even sewing. After the participants created their very own heroes, they face interesting and fun challenges and delve into deep ethical and moral questions in their adventures.
Our boxes come with a lifetime license for each school or makerspace, but project pricing is also available.
Contact us for details!

Teacher's guide

Structured guide for 16 maker occasions

Online video tutorial for each lesson

Classroom presentations

Program codes

Digital object designs (STL, CAD)

Competency guide

Soldering guide

Micro:bit workbook

Sample kit

Supplements for 12 students (additional supplements available)

Support: webinars and hotline

Technical requirements

Maker's Red Box contains everything but a makerspace that a teacher and a group of 12 students need to start making. It consists of 16 two-hour long sessions that build on each other. For the workshops, you'll need:

4 3D printers

12 micro:bit microcontrollers

1 laser cutter

4 soldering stations

12 laptops

Would you like to learn more aboutmaker education?

Read our ebook

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Superheroes - Digital Storytelling | Maker's Red Box

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Participants create superheroes to express their feelings and experiences. By using storytelling methods, maker technologies and creative writing they express complex emotions in the form of objects. For this, children employ technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics and microcontrollers or even sewing.

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Who for: Any kid who has a story in them that they want to tell. We've found that even if kids don't like to write for school, they often have the most incredible stories in them that they love expressing, if given the freedom to do it their way.

Ages: 7 - 10

Scope: In this studio, students can use a wide range of mediums to craft a story. Writing is welcome, as is storytelling through LEGOs, Minecraft, creating videos (stop motion, live action, gaming videos, etc.), action figures, dinosaurs, dolls, drawing/comics, book-making, building robots, photos, or any combination of mediums.

Progression: We want kids to see themselves as storytellers, developing that sense for the flow of a great story. Studio sessions and feedback will focus on tactical strategies all storytellers can use to build successful stories, such as planning/storyboarding, audience awareness, revising based on feedback, and "publishing" in their medium of choice to get their story ready to share with the world!

The Original Model: Original is a new service that builds instructional experiences around kid's independent projects. We don't "teach at" kids- we listen to them and react to what they are trying to do. So don't expect a lot of canned lessons. Students work on whatever interests them and their facilitator will gives them feedback and help shape their path forward. Learn more about our model.

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Storytelling Makerspace - Original Studios

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Who for: Any kid who has a story in them that they want to tell. We've found that even if kids don't like to write for school, they often have the most incredible stories in them that they love expressing, if given the freedom to do it their way.

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The maker movement is built upon a constructivist philosophy that views learning as a highly personal and social process. In this philosophy, teachers facilitate inquiry-based learning, student development of knowledge and thinking processes, and student interaction and sharing of ideas.

We do not learn from experience. . . We learn from reflection on experience." John Dewey

Reflection and sharing are core components of inquiry, which should be pervasive in all makerspaces. (According to the Buck Institute, reflection is one of the seven essential elements of project-based learning, which falls under the umbrella of inquiry-based learning.) As educators, we can build student capacity to reflect upon the making process, and then be intentional about finding and creating opportunities for students to reflect, share, and celebrate their experiences. Reflection skills and strategies can turn inquiry into a natural part of the making process, as opposed to simply tacking on reflection after the fact because "we were told it's important."

Learning that endures should transcend a makerspace. Adding social media tools such as Snapchat and Instagram to the context of making can give students a channel for displaying their experiences by communicating what they have accomplished with a large, diverse audience. Social media platforms enable many engaging classroom activities, including "communities of practice" where learners can interact and share ideas. Reflection with video on these platforms, as well as peer feedback, can highlight the making process in a way that builds student voice and agency in an online environment.

Furthermore, there is tremendous value in utilizing authentic tools and platforms that are already part of students' personal (and possibly, educational) lives. According to Superintendent Joe Sanfelippo of Fall Creek (Wisconsin) School District, "If schools access the spaces where students and parents live virtually, we are definitely in a place that we can leverage. It gives us a common forum and meets users on their turf, not ours." In addition, rather than "locking and blocking" these tools, we should be proactively teaching students how to use them effectively and appropriately. (After all, no matter how much a school pretends that they don't exist, students will use them.) As Ross used to tell his fourth grade students, "In middle and high school, when all of your friends are messing around on social media, I want you to be using it to grow your own businesses!"

With these thoughts in mind, use the rest of this post to help your students reflect upon their makerspace experiences and tell their stories using Snapchat Stories -- Makerstories -- and Instagram (or Instagram Stories) -- Makergrams!

Click here for printable directions and storyboards.

Using Snapchat or Instagram, create a one-minute video in which you reflect upon your makerspace experience. Decide on the components that will best tell your story. You can use the criteria below as a starting point, but ultimately you should decide how to apply it to your own work. Do your best to keep moving toward developing your own criteria for your video reflections!

1. Essential Question (10 seconds)

What was the overarching question that you explored or the question that drove your recent work? What question formed your maker journey? Example: "How can I use aerodynamics to make my Lego car travel faster?"

2. Iterative Process (25 seconds)

We want the process, not necessarily the product, to be the main focus of our work. Here are some prompts to guide you:

What did I make/do? (Describe your prototype.) Example: "I designed an aerodynamic hood to be 3D printed and attached to a Lego car that I built."

What materials did I use/work with? Example: "I designed my object in Tinkercad and printed it out on our 3D printer."

What surprised me during the process? Example: "I was surprised with how many times I had to go back and improve my prototype design."

What frustrations did I experience? Example: "Even after a few improvements on the design of my object, I just couldn't get it right. My car wasn't traveling any faster."

What about your initial prototype ended up being successful? Example: "Finally, after adjusting the angles of my design, I was successful because it made my Lego car travel faster."

3. Enduring understanding(s) (10 seconds)

As a result of your experience, what do you now understand/know? What are you now able to do? Example: "By using the principles of aerodynamics, I was able to increase the speed at which my Lego car traveled. I was able to see how aerodynamics increase the speed of an object by reducing drag."

4. Reflection (15 seconds)

Here are some prompts to guide you:

Did I achieve my goal? Why or why not?

Along the way, what changes did I have to make to meet my goal?

What changes will I make the next time I engage in a similar process?

Here's a call to action for my peers.

Download this list of reflective questions for additional ideas.

Here's an example of a reflection: "The next time I design an object, I'll design it first on paper or cut out of cardboard, and then digitally. I feel this will decrease the number of times that I have to print out my prototype. Try that out the next time you're designing an object. And be sure to let me know what you think about what I made!"

A Few Additional Points

In addition to having students create video reflections, consider providing them with starting points for how to respond to each other's work once it's posted on social media. (For example, how to leave appropriate feedback is an entire lesson in and of itself.)

The one-minute requirement for video pushes students to a) prioritize their most pertinent information, and b) exercise their creativity within this time constraint.

According to public speaking coach and author Carmine Gallo, "Great communicators reach your head and touch your heart. Most people who deliver a presentation forget the 'heart' part." If you want to reach people's minds and hearts, tell a story. While Makerstories and Makergrams may contain data, facts, and analysis, they also include narratives, which can get viewers emotionally invested in the learning.

Encourage students to explore self-expression and creativity through their stories using different features of the video platforms, such as filters, emojis, drawing, and text.

Snapchat and Instagram Stories will disappear after 24 hours, but they can be saved to the device on which they're created. (However, as of now, Instagram Stories can only be downloaded one photo or video at a time unless you use this Chrome extension.) For more on Snapchat, check out A.J. Juliani's Complete Guide to Snapchat for Teachers and Parents. For more on Instagram Stories, check out the official Instagram Help Center.

While we've designed guidelines for creating the Makerstories and Makergrams, we'd ultimately like students to progress toward developing their own criteria for video reflections. Much like how inquiry-based learning calls for students to formulate their own questions, students should also generate the criteria that most effectively tell their stories. Starting with our suggested framework and gradually transferring responsibility onto your students will help them begin to make critical thinking and reflection innate components of their making process.

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Makerspace Stories and Social Media: Leveraging the Learning

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The maker movement is built upon a constructivist philosophy that views learning as a highly personal and social process. In this philosophy, teachers facilitate inquiry-based learning, student development of knowledge and thinking processes, and student interaction and sharing of ideas. We do not learn from experience. . .

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Are you interested in starting a classroom or school Makerspace OR maybe you want to learn more about how Makerspaces work? You've come to the right place! I have to admit that this blog post is lonnnnnng overdue because my Makerspace has been ever changing and evolving over the past three years. The "Makers Movement" is gaining more and more traction in elementary schools each year, and the positive impacts on our students are truly immeasurable!

I'll start with some Makerspace basics and then give you an up close look at all of my current Makerspace components and how they work!

Watch the full video tour below:

A Makerspace is an area of the classroom or common media space that is reserved for creative exploration, engineering, tinkering, and inventing. Makerspaces incorporate engineering materials, crafting materials, technology, robotics, and more. The area can be used during whole class STEM challenges, incorporated as a center or small group rotation, or accessed during unstructured creative time with STEM Bins or Maker Mats. You may choose to limit materials or assign specific tasks to students. You may also choose to allow time for more free range exploration and inventing. The possibilities are endless!

A Makerspace can be located in an entire section of classroom, a bookcase, or even a mobile rolling cart. Supplies should be clearly labeled on containers and baskets, and materials should be safe and developmentally appropriate for the age of students that you teach. Supplies can be rotated in and out as you see they are needed.

Although it might take time to achieve a well-stocked Makerspace, many of the supplies you will acquire can be used over and over again. Most teachers, myself included, are "hoarders" of creative supplies. The first place you should search for possible Makerspace supplies are your own cabinets, supply closets, and pantries. Retiring teachers are usually willing to give up years of collected supplies. Garage sales, thrift stores, Dollar stores, craft stores, and hardware stores have many inexpensive supplies. For pricier materials such as robotics, I would highly recommend seeking out grant opportunities through organizations such as DonorsChoose. Parents are usually great resources for the donation of inexpensive materials.

The purpose of a Makerspace is to tap into as many different interests, passions, and strengths in our students as possible. As educators, we are tasked with the most important job in the world: creating the next generation of problem solvers, innovators, and earth-shakers. In a Makerspace, children have opportunities to discover, assemble, construct, test, and explore using divergent, "outside the box" thinking. Through creative exploration and purposeful play, students become critical thinkers and inventors while collaborating with their peers.

My Makerspace is located in the corner of my classroom, with the majority of my materials stored in these three large shelves. I also have some materials stored above my cabinets and on a rolling cart as needed. I have a separate LEGO wall, which is pictured below. The rug below the table was purchased from At Home.

My favorite brand new addition to my Makerspace are these giant paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby. My daughter and I grabbed these at 50% off, painted them black with black acrylic paint, and hot glued everything we could find in the back of my cabinets at home and school. Items starting from the top going right: straws, PVC pipes, popsicle sticks, dried out markers, feathers. Second row: buttons, pom pom balls, toilet paper rolls, wooden spools, Target building bricks. They are extremely lightweight, so I used clear thumbtacks to hang them on the wall.

This shelf primarily contains paper goods and arts and crafts supplies, which you can see labeled on each tub. I purchased the boxes with lids and purple/orange baskets on top from Walmart a few years ago. The ones without lids are from Target Dollar Spot. Editable labels and supply checklists are available in my Makerspace Starter Kit.

Almost all of the items pictured above were purchased through grant awards or yearly allocations. Snap Circuits Junior are a big favorite among my kids, allowing students to experiment with basic electrical engineering. We also love creating with Keva Planks Brain Builders and our new Keva Maker Bot Mazes. The STEM kits on the bottom shelf were purchased at Lakeshore Learning Store.

My STEM Bins area is also included in my Makerspace, with everything students need for simple engineering. STEM Bins are ideal for early finishers, morning work, centers, and so much more! Check out my post below to read all about STEM Bins:

The rainbow organizer on the top of the shelf contains photo task cards to inspire students' creations, with STEM Bins on the first shelf and Outdoor Discovery STEM Bins on the second shelf. Foldable recording booklets are also provided as well as Quick Writes in the pocket chart on the wall.

Here are three of my favorite engineering materials for any Makerspace or STEM Bins area: Goldiblox, KEVA Planks, and Magformers. These materials are favorites among my kiddos and extremely versatile, so we use them for STEM Challenges as well as STEM Bins or Makerspace time.

Our monthly Maker Mats provide students with just the right amount of guidance and inspiration as they create in the Makerspace. Tasks are simple and open-ended, appealing to a wide range of student interests and multiple intelligences. I hang my Maker Mats on a tabletop chart stand so that I can easily rotate monthly tasks. Maker Mats can also be sent home with students for a more meaningful and creative homework option.

Our iPads and technology are located in a separate area of my classroom so that they can be charged easily. After I introduce apps to my students, I encourage them to incorporate those apps into Makerspace tasks. Each month, we focus on a new creative app as the "App of the Month." The app cards pictured above are found HERE.

On top of the round table, students can look through the various App Card options and may also choose to build a simple structure with the engineering task cards.

I moved my LEGO wall to a separate area near my Makerspace so that it is more easily accessible to students. I leave this area fairly open ended, although the Basic Engineering posters pictured above are a wonderful way to encourage students to use more engineering vocabular
y as they create. Students love to use the LEGO wall to create birds-eye view creations, letters, and basic structures and scenes. The rainbow baseplates can be found on Amazon. I am so thankful for my handy husband who hot glued the base plates to plywood and framed it for easy hanging on the wall. If you're wanting an easy and quick way to create a LEGO wall, peel-and-stick baseplates are the way to go, but they are quite a bit more expensive than the regular baseplates. 365 Things to do with LEGO Bricks is also an awesome source of inspiration for your kids in any LEGO area.

My Makerspace Quote Posters feature famous quotes by scientists, inventors and scholars that promote the engineering design process and a growth mindset. They're ideal to display in a Makerspace or any classroom.

Finally, my STEM bulletin board is the perfect visual for students to remind them of our steps for the Engineering Design Process.

Thank you so much for letting my share my Makerspace with you!

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Brooke Brown is a National Board Certified Gifted and Talented teacher who specializes in all things STEM and Makerspaces. She has been creating resources for Teachers Pay Teachers for the past five years and is the creator of STEM Bins®. Brooke is a national presenter and loves to bring hands-on engagement and memorable learning experiences to all subject areas. She is married to Andy with two children, Ellie and Beau, and blogs on her website, Teach Outside the Box.

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Are you interested in starting a classroom or school Makerspace OR maybe you want to learn more about how Makerspaces work? You've come to the right place! I have to admit that this blog post is lonnnnnng overdue because my Makerspace has been ever changing and evolving over the past three years.