K-12 Maker Project PD Workshops for Teachers

Spend a day at MIT with K-12 Maker experts learning digital fabrication (3D printers, laser cutters, Cricut cutters), electronics, physical computing or handcrafting tools and techniques through fun, engaging Maker projects that you can adapt to use in your classes.

Jumpstart Making in your classroom! Our Maker project workshops are designed with the beginning Maker in mind, but all experience levels are welcome. Come for a day (or two, or three, or four!) and a set of hands-on projects that are centered around a family of Maker tools. Scroll on for schedule and workshop details!

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Tuesday, June 20

Make by Hand
Maker projects with real crafting, textile, and shop tools

Wednesday, June 21

Digital Fabrication
Maker projects with 3D printers, laser cutters & vinyl cutters

Thursday, June 22

Electronics
Light up learning with simple electronics Maker projects

Friday, June 23

Physical Computing
Maker projects that bring coding to life in the real world

Make by Hand

Maker projects with real crafting, textile, and shop tools
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Get Making without screens! Do several hands-on Maker starter projects craft and shop tools. Measure, saw and drill to visualize data. Create 3D models out of 2D materials. Build your own hand-cranked mechanical automata. Use felt and conductive thread to light up some crafty creatures.

Hand-crank automata

Soft-circuit critters

3D models from 2D nets

Tuesday, June 20th

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Digital Fabrication

Maker projects with 3D printers, laser cutters and vinyl cutters
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Demystify digital fabrication in 2D and 3D with hands-on Maker starter projects. Design and print quick and easy 3D creations with Tinkercad. Use a Cricut vinyl cutter to create customized etched glassware. Laser-cut a personalized mirror with a Glowforge laser cutter.

3D "hacks"

Craft foam ink stamps

3D Puzzle

Laser cut custom mirrors

Wednesday, June 21st

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Electronics

Light up learning with simple electronics Maker projects
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Harness the power of electricity with hands-on Maker starter projects. Craft custom quiz boards that light up. Bring to life a cut-out character that buzzes and blinks. Use Tinkercad to prototype and simulate electronic circuits. Cast creative shadows with festive flashlights.

Light-up Quiz Board

Festive Flashlights

Tilt-Buzz

Thursday, June 22nd

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Physical Computing

..Maker projects that bring code into the real world

​Scratch? Micro:bit? Codeblocks? What platforms should I use, when do I use them, and how?! Get your students into computer science in physical, fun way with a variety of tools  that connect code to the world we live in. Make 3D models from code with Tinkercad Codeblocks. Get your game on with micro:bit. Tell interactive stories with Scratch.

Wiggly snake made with Codeblocks

Interactive Storytelling with Scratch

Automatic plant waterer with micro:bit

Friday, June 23rd

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Answers to workshop FAQs

How do I register?
Registration forms and payment processing are hosted on the Edgerton Center website. If registration is not available yet, sign up for our newsletter to be notified when it opens.

How long are workshops?
Unless otherwise specified, all workshops run from 10:00am-3:00pm, with a 30 minute lunch break.

Cost:
For each one-day workshop, we charge $250/person. 

What's the class size?
Attendance is limited to 20 participants.

I just missed a workshop - when is the next one? 
Subscribe to the K-12 Maker Newsletter to be the first to know when new workshop dates are added.

Can I sign up for just one? 
Yes! For one-day workshops, take only the courses you want - and take as many as you want.

​Where are the workshops? 
We run workshops at the Edgerton Center Student Project Lab on the 4th floor of building 4, room 4-409, and remotely via Zoom. Get directions and parking info from our Contact page.

I'm just starting out - can I still come? 
Workshops are designed with beginners in mind (though for Project Design, we very strongly recommend that participants have some prior experience with at least one Maker tool). Past participants have had resources ranging from portable carts to library Makerspaces to full-blown shops - and if you don't have a Makerspace yet, we are here to help! 

Are my students old enough for Making?
The workshops we offer were originally designed for teachers of students from grades 4 – 12, but students can start making in any grade. Many of our past participants teach grades K-5.

Is lunch included?
No, but we do offer light snacks throughout the day. There are a few good places to buy a meal within a 5 minute walk, and we have a kitchenette with fridge, toaster oven, and microwave for people who prefer to bring lunch.

Are there scholarships?
Our workshop fees help to support online and other resources that we provide for free, so we are unable to offer scholarships at this time. Some participants have been able to fund workshop fees from their school district, PTA, school educational foundation for teacher PD, or local university programs.

Will you come to our school / district?
Maybe! Contact us for more details.​

What teachers like about K-12 Maker workshops:
Our staff members are experienced educators, passionate about the opportunities that maker technologies brings to the classroom. We emphasize hands-on practice and teach each technology through a simple maker project. Participants will leave with confidence, skills, resources, and new ideas for incorporating Maker tools into the classroom.  Here's what past participants say:

"Hands on - met us where we were at. The staff to participant ratio was awesome. Often in these types of settings, you wait a lot for help. This was really well planned out."

“Walking through a project together, rather than just talking about a project.”

"The willingness of the presenters to go above and beyond to ensure that I got the most out of the program was refreshing. They are very genuine and passionate."