FAQ

What is the Making Spaces: Expanding Maker Education Across the Nation Program?

Making Spaces is a partnership between Google; the Maker Education Initiative, a project of Tides Center (Maker Ed); and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP), which aims to develop a national strategy to sustainably integrate making into schools across the country.

The program will employ an innovative model where multiple participating schools partner with a nearby Hub (in our case, San Mateo County Office of Education). These hubs will provide the schools with professional development and support to help jumpstart and sustain maker education in classrooms through community engagement. In addition, Hubs will work closely with schools to launch a crowdfunding campaign that will allow schools to raise funds and local support.

During the 2016-2017 academic year, the Making Spaces program will have 10 participating Hubs that will each work with 5 to 10 regional schools, creating a national resource network. 2016-2017 Hubs include:

San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Maker Ed, Oakland, CA

The Scott Family Amazeum, Bentonville, AR

KID Museum, Bethesda, MD

EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia, SC

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT

Albemarle County Public School District, Charlottesville, VA

Digital Youth Network at Depaul University, Chicago, IL

Madison Public Library, Madison, WI

What is the role of a Hub in supporting schools as part of the Making Spaces Program Project?

Each Hub will work with 5-10 regional schools to raise community awareness, funding and capacity for integrating making in ways that meaningfully fit within each school. This may include providing professional development for teachers and administrators, programming for students, and assisting schools in creating and launching crowdfunding campaigns.

What is the role of a School in the Making Spaces Program Project?

Each participating school will partner with a Hub (within regional proximity or remotely) to create a sustainable vision for integrating making as a learning process into school-based activity. For example, this may include the incorporation of making into classroom instruction and learning, the development of a dedicated makerspace at the school, the creation of an afterschool program, or a professional development program for teachers and staff. Schools will then work with the Hub to create and successfully launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise awareness and funding to put the plan into action.

What are the roles of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Maker Ed in the Making Spaces Project?

Maker Ed and CMP will act as “meta-Hubs,” supporting, training, and connecting participating hubs as these Hubs support, train, and connect schools. Additionally, both will serve and support their own cohort of schools, with CMP focusing in on the Pittsburgh area and Maker Ed providing virtual support for schools that want to participate but are not geographically located near a participating Hub.

What are the core responsibilities of each school?

As a participating school, your primary responsibilities will be to:

• Work with SMCOE to identify a vision and plan their maker education work at your school. This may include:

  • Identifying a point person and project team at your school for both the crowdfunding project and the development and sustainability of the makerspace and/or maker program at your school

  • Participate in workshops or meetings with SMCOE to establish goals for your makerspace and/or maker program

  • Participate in workshops or meetings with SMCOE to determine crowdfunding goals, budget and platform

  • Work with SMCOE to create and launch your crowdfunding campaigns. This may include:

    • Create a fundraising budget, campaign and community outreach strategy, project page and photos and/or video (if applicable to crowdfunding platform)

  • Participate in professional development provided bySMCOE to build capacity and understanding around the integration of making as a learning process

  • Launch and publicize your crowdfunding campaign with your community (e.g. parents/caregivers, PTA/PTO, School Board, local businesses, local community organizations, local papers, etc.)

  • Implement making as a learning process at your school. This may include:

    • Use funds raised to purchase materials, professional development resources, tools and/or equipment for your makerspace and/or maker program

    • Participate in additional professional development provided by SMCOE

    • Participate in field trip or outreach opportunities with SMCOE

    • Continue a strengthened partnership with SMCOE to sustain making at your school

    • Work with other schools in your area to grow interest about Maker education

What resources and supports will be available to the schools/Hubs?

• Schools will receive a stipend of at least $500 to support this initiative

• Training and support from Maker Ed and CMP through Google Hangouts and online Maker Ed modules

• A Toolkit of Resources to support the development of your vision and crowdfunding campaign 

• Connection to a nation-wide community of maker educators

• A new approach to partnership and revenue for professional development and related services for schools and educational partners

• Visibility in a national effort that has drawn attention from the White House

What is the project timeline?

Fall-Winter 2016 - Hubs and schools begin visioning and crowdfunding efforts 

Winter-Spring 2017 - Schools successfully launch fundraising campaigns

Spring-Summer 2017 - Schools begin work to plan and implement their makerspace/programs

Beyond Summer 2017 - Schools and Hubs explore continued collaboration and partnership for 2017-2018 school year