I used to think...
I used to think not much about makerspaces as I work in higher education, and in the academic circles I work in, I have never even heard of makerspaces. So, I wasn't sure what makerspaces were in education or what their purpose or benefits were in academia.
Now I think...
I have learned that a makerspace is a place where learners make things. There are various types of makerspaces at schools and various age levels, including woodshops, 3D printers, audio-visual equipment, hand tools, sewing machines, and woodworking shops. These learning spaces in schools allow learners to think outside the box and be creative as they make things. These spaces allow students to develop and expand their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students can work in teams and collaborate on creative projects or individually on personal projects to create things. Makerspaces are spaces where students and others can create and design projects independently. In addition, learners can work on projects they otherwise would not be able to like working with, like 3D printers, laser cutters, and soldering irons, to name a few projects. Makerspaces are great places for learners to work with other people of various backgrounds in an effort to be innovative and work on and make things like the Arduino mechanics circuit boards and coding, as we did throughout the duration of this course. Moving forward, I will explore avenues in academia to collaborate with other learners and educators to set up a makerspace so that up-and-coming learners can benefit from such learning spaces and creations as those I learned from in our makerspaces course this semester.