What is Making?

We are all Makers, and have been for a long time.  Humans love to learn, create, and share, but since the globalization of industry, Making in industrialized societies has often been relegated to to specialized classes in expensive workshops - and Making in societies with limited resources is driven by immediate need rather than out of leisure. Many people credit the arrival of Make: Magazine in 2005 with reinvigorating popular interest in launching the Maker movement and coining "Maker" with a capital M. With tutorials for creative projects combining everything from electronics to sewing to horticulture to welding, Make: was an important starting point for creating today's Maker culture. So what is Making?

Making is a creative process that takes place in a culture where

• we can direct our own projects to follow our natural curiosity and personal needs
• creating with our hands is a joyful form of play
• playing as we create naturally drives us to design - and redesign - better creations
• we work together with others on projects, building both in-person and virtual communities in the process
• we learn and build knowledge as part of a learning community, not just as individuals
• what we make is worthy of being exhibited, celebrated, and shared​

Does Making have something to do with 3D printers?

Tools are not the only part of Maker culture, but it's hard to make anything without them! 3D printers are just one example of how the Maker Movement has enriched the educational technology landscape in the last decade. High demand and improved technology for tools like 3D printers, CAD software, and microcomputers like Arduino have made them cheaper - and more accessible to a wider age range. Tools like these bring out the wizard in regular people, allowing even kids in elementary grades to design things that were once reserved for professionals in labs.

That said, along with the rise of digital fabrication, there is a renewed interest in hand-fabrication, using simpler shop and craft tools like saws, crochet hooks, and drills. Especially in societies that are saturated with smartphones, internet connectivity, and easy access to hi-tech, even the simplest tool can pique a child's natural curiosity. In several of our partner schools, we've seen growing numbers of boys ask to learn how to use sewing machines - often before the girls!

More important than the choice of tool is the access to tools and training - access sends the message to kids that they are respected as creators and expected to be learners. Basic tool training gives them the freedom of creative choice that eventually drives their learning. For an overview of various tools you might find in a Makerspace - including 3D printers and more - check out our tool guide.

Why should K-12 teachers use Maker projects?

Formal K-12 education systems based on standards of knowledge and ability are too often used to divide and undervalue students based on a small set of measurable skills.  Maker projects, by contrast, are inherently open-ended, hands-on, playful activities. Students can express newfound skills and knowledge by creating a work of art or a functional invention. In the process of Making, students often learn more deeply about core content because they begin to ask their own questions in order to Make things they care about.

In these ways, Making promotes rich learning experiences - hard to measure on tests, but essential practice for real-world experiences awaiting students. 

​The essence of the Maker movement is democratizing innovation: giving everyone the tools to create, the courage to fail, and the empathy to solve problems as a community. Our success as a civilization may depend on our ability to empower all people and work together for a common good. ​