School makerspaces are still so new that it's hard to know what impact they might ultimately have. Some probably won't amount to much more than good clean fun. Still if they can really live up to all their chief proponents claim, we may be in for some exciting times ahead! The video presentation below introduces some of the long-range outcomes that have been proposed by educational makerspaces' biggest fans. Are these expectations realistic? Even if they are a little bit lofty, are they worth shooting for? Watch and consider.

Interviews and Site Visits

If you believe the predictions of some of the greatest cheerleaders of school makerspaces, we are seeing the beginnings of an educational revolution from the ground up, with makerspaces forming an important piece of the foundation. But what does this look like in real life? I was able to talk with some professionals who are creating makerspaces for middle school students, as well as older teens.

Edison Middle School, Wheaton, IL

I caught up with Kori Wentloff, librarian at Edison Middle School in Wheaton, IL to ask about the Maker Club she just began over the 2016-2017 school year. I (Kelly Mahoney) taught at Edison for 15 years, but I wasn't still there when the makerspace was started, so I wanted to see how it was going. Here's our conversation:

Kelly: What are some activities or projects kids can do in your makerspace?

Kori: We've got a variety of different things the kids can play with. Check our our website https://sites.google.com/a/cusd200.org/edison-llc/makerspace to see what we offer. The 3D printer we have was gifted to us by Bauer Dentistry, actually!

Kelly: Do you provide direction toward projects, pose challenges for kids to solve, or is it more open-ended?

Kori: Last year, it was more open ended for the kids. We (Usha and I) set it up like stations, so the kids could explore whatever station they wanted to. The first day of the club was WAY too busy, so we actually had to have a station rotation to make sure kids got to everything and no one hogged anything, but after that it was good attendance. We actually talked with the kids about having a dedicated project each meeting date (for example, building a bridge or making bath fizzies) so that the students who want to be there but get bored easy have something that they can focus on.

Kelly: How did you decide to offer it as a club versus a school time offering?

Kori: We decided to do it as a club rather than during school because the kids don't get a lot of free time during the school day. You know how it is at Edison; they're always busy with something! There would be no time to just explore and "make". I've thought about opening it during lunches a couple of days a week, but that can be difficult with my schedule. There are many days where I'm teaching during at least one lunch period. And at the beginning of the school year, I have Battle of the Books practices twice a week during lunch. I opened it up to the mornings, but not too many kids show up to that. Maybe 1-5 on the few days after our Maker Monday meeting, but that's about it.

Kelly: What learning goals do you hope will be realized by kids who participate?

Kori: I'm really hoping that they learn how to problem-solve. That is something that they don't have and I really want them to learn. They tend to just ask us to fix it if something isn't going correctly, but they rarely attempt to figure it out themselves. They want to know exactly how to use everything. I want to buy a couple posters or signs (the ALA store has a good one) about some good Maker qualities. I also really like this one on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/479227294/maker-manifesto-poster-9-x-24-digital

Kelly: What was your motivation for starting the makerspace?

Kori: My motivation was that makerspaces are all the rage in the library world. You know this. I wanted to help the kids learn how to solve problems and be able to explore different technologies or ideas and have a place to create. I partnered with Usha (another teacher) because she had a lot of similar ideas about having the kids create. Obviously she has a passion for entrepreneurship and creativity and she and I share the same mindset about taking care of technology and pushing the kids to learn. We even had a couple meetings two years ago before it was an "official" club and before we were officially being paid. Our stipend is pretty low, too. We only get 1/4 stipend each, and I think we'd both continue to do it even if the money ran dry.

Kelly: What are some challenges or roadblocks to starting a school makerspace?

Kori: Start up costs. Obviously you can do low-tech things, but if you want to get fun techy things that the kids are interested in, there's $$ that's needed. We got a lot of our stuff from Rachel (the principal) one year, PTA grants and I also buy things with my fine money. Replenishment of things like 3D filament are going to be $$$ things to keep in mind too. Another challenge is keeping all of the kids engaged, especially during the club time. A lot of kids are super excited to be there until 3:30, then they've maxed out, but the bus is still an hour away... Getting the kids to think like makers and to be okay with making mistakes is hard, too. I envisioned this club being a lot more hands-off for me and it is not turning out that way so far. As I mentioned, Usha and I get asked a lot of questions. How to do this, this is broken, what should I play with next....etc. I think we need to establish ground rules of what it means to be a maker and have the kids make sure they understand that.

Kelly: What advice would you give another educator who is considering it?

Kori: Try to have the kids establish the rules and get them to work to problem-solve. Be prepared for things to break and try to teach the kids the importance of being honest when things break. We've had a couple of small issues, but the kids are forthcoming about what happened. So far we've had no theft, which is great! Try not to answer all of their questions. For me, this is hard when I know the equipment costs money, but as you know, we like to help the kids get the right answers. Let them struggle. this is one of my big goals for next year.

Kelly: Thanks a ton, Kori! That's great feedback for those of us considering starting makerspaces!

Below are some pictures of the Maker Club at Edison Middle School Wheaton, IL

YOUmedia, Chicago, IL

The main site is open to high school-aged teens from all over the city and beyond, but I was interested in seeing one of the sites for middle school-aged students. The middle school sites are newer and the smaller branch sites don't tend to make it into the YOUmedia video coverage. I wondered how younger students would be interacting with the makerspace experience. I visited the Humboldt Park branch of CPL, where there's a YOUmedia site just for 6th-8th grade students.

The staff showed me the variety of different activities students can choose to tinker with, and the activities are grouped onto shelves based on the different arts and sciences they represent. For example, the chemistry shelf was full of ingredients to make bath bombs and slime. While I was there, various kids were designing laser-cut stickers to decorate their phones, a couple kids were painting, some were playing Minecraft, and one was playing a piano keyboard. Another boy had just finished 3-D printing a fidget spinner in the shape of the Batman symbol and planned to install ball bearings from a broken spinner he had taken apart. Evidence of past and present activities was everywhere, including the window sill plants the kids had grown back in the spring - the peas didn't make it because no one realized that they'd need insects to pollinate them. The whole setting was described to me as, "We try to make it look like a kid's bedroom!" I'd say that was accurate.... if the kid was really into arts and sciences, and had a lot of money for a 3-D printer!

The staff told me that they do see some uncertainty from kids at first, when they come to the space for the first time and aren't quite sure how to approach the freedom of it. But that quickly fades as they begin exploring things and finding projects they enjoy. The staff also told me that the kids maintain their own standards of behavior for the most part, and hold each other accountable to treat others with respect and keep it a safe place. It impressed me that even though the students had no idea who I was, several of them talked with me and were excited to show me what they had been working on or to tell me stories about things they had made in the past.

While this site is incredibly different from the main YOUmedia site, I was very impressed by my visit. It was a positive environment, with supportive staff, where the kids were actively engaged in creative activities. It provided me with reassurance that the initial challenges of setting up a makerspace and initiating students into the maker mindset are worth it in order to reap the benefits that can be gained down the road.

Pictured below is some of the equipment available for students to enjoy at YOUmedia Humboldt Park.

In the interest of learning about long-range outcomes for the students who attend YOUmedia, I also interviewed Eric Reyes, who works with the program across the Chicago Public Library System.

Kelly: What positive outcomes are you seeing in students who participate?

Eric: We often see adults having higher expectations for teen patrons, but our goals in Teen Services are essentially the same as the greater library system. We look to provide a space for civic and community engagement, digital inclusion, enjoyment and education.

YOUmedia differs in that we also look to engage our patrons through mentorship and connected learning. For me a positive outcome is how our mentors form lasting relationships with teens and help them progress deeper into their interests and/or introduce them to new things. It's our hope that they continue their relationship with the library and understand it as a public resource that they always have access to. The problem is that this is hard to quantify, so we have to give more weight to our attendance than I think we're comfortable with. This is tricky because so many things can impact attendance like weather, access to transit, prom, or homelessness. Another soft evaluation we do is noticing who is in the room. Which teens feel safe in our space? I'm happy to say that I've noticed an up-tick in gender fluid teens mostly because one of our mentors validated that gender is a construct to them. They feel it, but probably can't articulate it yet which is where our mentors can step in be it gender or 3D printing.

Kelly: Is there a difference in the way middle school students interact with technology and maker activities compared to high school students?

Eric: Yes. I would say that both groups tend to be able to tinker and figure things out, but for me the middle schoolers seem more open to new things and programming whereas high school teens may need a little more time to warm up to new ideas or staff.

Kelly: Do you see any impact upon career choice or future education, ie. do makerspaces seem to get students more interested in STEM/STEAM fields?

Eric: I'm often surprised to hear about the college major choices for many of our high school teens because they don't always line up with how they engage the space. For instance, one teen that I know mostly through music programming was accepted to the Art Institute of Chicago to study Fine Art. A couple of our prominent gamers are going to study Music Education. I've also talked to a few that are now interested in Library school because YOUmedia has changed their view of what the library can be. Several of our teens said that YOUmedia and the work of our mentors was instrumental in getting them into college. A few have even come back as interns.

Whereas traditional schooling [is] very regimented, we are intentionally interest-driven, which for me is the perfect transition into college where you're basically required to and have freedom to explore your interests. In high school I struggled but once I got to college I really dove in because it was one of the first times where I had control over my education.

I think our spaces do get teens interested in making, but mostly as a way for them to be able to express or define themselves. This is important at all ages but teens specifically seem more eager to test things out as far as self-expression goes. Our major content areas like photo/video, audio, or graphic design have a technical side that we help them with, but as a means for their self-expression and social well-being.

In my experience it's just as important to know what you don't want to do, and in that regard, teens can try out a lot of different things in a safe environment at YOUmedia. It's okay to say you're not sure or you don't know and we encourage our mentors to do that too. Then we can guide teens through that learning together. It changes the traditional power dynamics and values diversity and collaboration which we hope sets them up for life-long learning.

Kelly: How do you think YOUmedia is changing the community?

Eric: Our Teen Services department was actually born out of YOUmedia because they were seeing what probably felt like a new population at the library. Teens used to fall into the Children's Department which I believe never felt quite right because there are distinct sub-groups within 0-19 that need specific focus.

I think YOUmedia is also a community advocate for teens and reminds them that the library is their space too. The HOMAGO (Hang Out, Mess Around, Geek Out) research was just as important for the adults as it was the teens. I think once people realized that adults HOMAGO too, it starts this question around how people of all ages learn. We often have adults that wander into YM and say "I wish they had something like this when I was a teenager."

Also, in Chicago there's a well-known violence problem among our youth. YOUmedia is a safe space where teens can shed the outside problems and have positive experiences with other teens from all over the city. Our central location sees teens from every postal code in Chicago and beyond. We open at 1pm on weekdays and there's often teens that are waiting at the door. We give them some gentle ribbing for not being in school, but we try not to judge because they are safer with us than on the street.

Kelly: What advice do you have for a librarian or other educator who wants to start a makerspace?

Eric: I'd say to not forget the social and community factors. One of our teen librarians always says that people come to our space for the technology, but stay for the staff. I don't see why that can't be the same for all ages.

With there being such a high gap in access to tech I think it's really important that staff have awareness of who their patrons are and how best to serve them.

For instance, and specifically with teens, if they want to use our recording studio they have to go through a multi-step process to get certified. Once certified a teen can reserve the studio for themselves. Within the process of a technical skill we have soft-skills being built-in for teens who may have never made a reservation in their life. The best part is when they call in and cancel because they know how valuable having a free and high quality studio is to themselves and other teens.

Kelly: Thank so much Eric. This is really valuable information!