The Maker Activity Program

A Case Study of the Maker Activity Program Among Undergraduate Students in Mexico

Oswaldo Castro-Romero Kyung Hee University / Graduate School of Education

Content

▸ Introduction

▸ Theoretical background

▸ Research methodology

▸ Results

▸ Conclusions

2

Introduction

A growing number of people around the world engage together

for producing personal objects, into physical and digital forms

3

(Martinez & Stager, 2013)

(Halverson & Sharidan, 2014)

Democratization of access to:

• Tools• Technologies• Materials• Resources

1990DIY

2002FIRST

FABLAB

2005MAKE

MAGAZINE

2006MAKER FAIRE

2009FIRST

HACKERSPACE

2014MAKERFAIREWHITE HOUSE

Introduction4

There is a growing interest in majors as

For many years, there is a tradition of studiesin social sciences and humanities

(IMCO, 2016)

IN LATINAMERICA

HOWEVER,

• Engineering• Information technologies• Computer sciences

Jordi Muñoz (Cofounder of 3d Robotics)

Art Crafts workshops Social movements

Introduction5

have appeared in the local communities.

Many makerspaces

makerspaces are created by engineers and computer scientists, but now also by:

Frequently,

• Industrial designers

• Architects

• Educators

Introduction6

THE PROBLEM

There is the difficulty of access to digital platforms and Internet and the implementation of innovative educational methods enhancing maker activities.

(Herrera, 2016; Rodriquez-Barrios and Pellizzoni, 2016)

THE QUESTIONS

How to create sustainable collaborative spaces that support maker activities?Q1Q1

Q2Q2 What is the potential of implementing makerspaces in education?

Theoretical background7

WHAT IS THE MAKER MOVEMENT?

▸(Martinez & Stager, 2013)

▸(Peppler & Bender, 2013)

Makers play, experiment, fail and success by constructing sharable knowledge

Maker movement is an innovative way to reimagine education

&Hacker CultureDIY Culture


“Students learn better by making tangible objects in the real world.”

(Papert, 1980)

The maker movement has a strong foundation of Papert’s constructionism theory. (Donaldson, 2014)


MakeractivitiesMaker activitiesconsist in giving to students the opportunity for:

▸ developing interest▸ new identities, and▸ content knowledge

(Martin, 2015)

Learners learn better working with:

▸ meaningful products▸ affordable materials▸ appropriated learning environments

(Falbel, 1993)


Makerspaces

are informal and open places wherein makers can explore their ideas, combining STEAM disciplines and developing technical skills to create new products.

(Sheridan, et al. 2014)

Program implementation:22 undergraduate students First and fourth year Korean Studies major

Research Methodology

72%

28%

Years in average

20

No experience in making

60%electricity class or repairing own stuffs

13%Yes


Durationof the program

One-day(6 hours) • Photos• Videotaping• Reflective journals

Data collection

Tinkering Making Sharing Improving

CONCEPTUALIZATIONENCOURAGE INTEREST AND MOTIVATION

EMBODYING IDEASBUILDING PERSONAL PRODUCTS

SHARING OF PRODUCTS AND PROCESS

IMPROVEMENT AND REFLECTION


TMSI model ▸(Hwang, Kang and Kim, 2016)

Results14

Deconstruction of electronic

appliances and building products in

teams

Results15

“it was interesting to see how others think,even I have never interacted at all with them at school”

Melanie,19 years

Results16

They built products getting ideaswhen talked and collaborated with

others

Students exchanged materials and moved around the classroom

Results17

Miztli, 24 years

“I discovered that an electronic water heater contains sand to conduct the heat throughout the tube”

Results18

“From a computer we don’t use, we can get different ideas to

create something new”

Itzel, 24 years

Results19

“we can make anything… ideas

come when we play with things”

Daniela, 21 years

20 Results

Desk lamp

Key holder

Glasses

Zen Garden

Car

Toy

Conclusions21

01Maker activity is a friendly way to access and learn how to use technology tools and diverse materials while people enjoying reciprocal support.

02In hands-on activities, students can embody their abstract ideas into concrete products.

03It is suggested to diversify maker activities to other fields in education enhancing exploration, inquiring and problem-solving for better learning experiences.

THANK [email protected]