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Louis --
Your comment makes a lot of sense to me. Although the kinds of the experiences we've been vaguely referring to as "maker" have been around at least since I was a mid-twentieth century toddler, the term "maker" seems to be a faddish and ill-defined buzz word. Maybe abandoning the term and clearly identifying our purposes and describing the specific experiences, tools and materials, needed institutional expertise and risks would take us down a more productive path.
** The signature line on my Outlook is invisible to me, so if there's no disclaimer absolving my institution from my opinions, then I hereby so disclaim. **
-- Charlie Stout
Charlie Stout
Director of Exhibits
Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
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-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Louis Rawlins
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 11:52 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Maker's lab - fad or revolution
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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So, this thread intrigues me.
While I agree that skills, learning and creativity should be gauges of whether a "maker" space is working in a science center, I'm still not sure there is a firm definition of what we are talking about.
I don't mean to get too abstract, and I don't work in a science center, but it feels to me that the whole idea of a science center is to inspire inquiry and potentially the desire to build something that interacts with the physical world. Isn't that pretty much a "maker" space too?
I've never cared for the term "maker" partly for this reason. It's vague and opposes consumers from producers in a way that feels a bit artificial.
I think, the fad that is being referred to gets confused with events like Maker Faire where you have everything from electronics to puppets, to string, to math -- all cool and useful stuff, but much of it puts people in the context of being a consumer, in an event about how to be a producer.
When I think this sort of thing, I think of spaces and events dedicated to this sort of inquiry and creation, but not necessarily in science centers:
https://www.noisebridge.net
http://www.techshop.ws
http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsf/
http://www.eyebeam.org
Eli, Can we get a better definition of what you'd like to ask for your presentation? Or are you just looking for a survey of "maker" spaces in science centers?
Thanks for the thread. :)
Peace, Louis
On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 5:52 PM, Erich Rose <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and
> related institutions.
>
> **********************************************************************
> *******
>
> Well put Eric. In five years how many makerbots will be collecting
> dust in a storeroom? And your spot-on about developing the human
> skills that are what really make these spaces work.
>
> Erich Rose
>
> Erich Rose Design
> Austin, TX
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Aug 22, 2013, at 7:46 PM, Eric Siegel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> > Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and
> > related
> institutions.
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> *******
> >
> > its not a good question (though it is the question that the funder
> > asked
> a few weeks back, about which we had the earlier discussion). A
> better question is which aspects of making are working well and which
> ones need to be explored further in informal settings. As I wrote
> earlier, when a funder asked me about this, I suggested that she
> seriously consider proposals that upgraded the staff skills for
> conducting maker projects, and be less supportive of proposals that were about new equipment.
> >
> > eric
> >
> > On Aug 22, 2013, at 4:28 PM, Raphael Rosen <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> >
> >> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
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> >>
> >> I don't have any comments at the moment, but I am following the
> >> trend myself, and would be interested in what you say at the conference.
> >>
> >> Raphael
> >>
> >> -------------
> >> Raphael Rosen
> >> www.raphaelprosen.com
> >> @raphaelrosen22
> >>
> >>
> >> On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 4:58 PM, Eli Kuslansky
> >> <[log in to unmask]
> >wrote:
> >>
> >>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
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> >>> I am doing a Pecha Kucha presentation at this coming ASTC 2013
> >>> annual conference on the topic of whether maker's labs are a fad,
> >>> as some
> people
> >>> say or a revolution as posited by Chris Anderson, former editor of
> Wired
> >>> magazine. I would love hear people's comments for and against as I
> want to
> >>> include them in the presentation to ensure that it will be
> >>> valuable for attendees. I of course, as many of you know, have
> >>> passionate opinions
> about
> >>> the topic, but uncharacteristically I will refrain from commenting.
> Please
> >>> let me know what you think and more importantly links to examples
> >>> of different ways science centers are implementing these programs.
> >>>
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