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Hi Charlie,
First, ! am looking for what types of makers labs are functioning now or
are being considered. From what I was told third hand, OMSI decided to have
makers activities function as a thread throughout their existing and new
exhibits instead of doing a separate makers lab. NYSCI is doing a design
lab but focused on a young audience. The Tech is shifting from a teacher
organization to a community resource along with labs where they posit
design challenges. At the Teknista Museet in Stockholm, Sweden, they have a
lab for younger audiences where firms and other researchers can bring in
projects and products for the kids to test. I would like to get sense of
what other models are out there, what's working and what's not?
The other topic I am interested in knowing about is this burning question
that is not just on funder's minds but being asked in conferences by
exhibition design firms, directors of science centers, AND funders is
whether or not this is a trend that will ultimately be a vehicle to
transform science centers or just be a passing phase.
The other trend relevant to this is the breakdown between formal and
informal education and the roles science centers play in society. There are
those that believe that these labs should just be another program in their
current model of informal science education for young kids, and there are
those that believe it is way overdue to re-image the field. Along with the
question of "...which aspects of making are working well and which ones
need to be explored further in informal setting" is why just in informal
settings and which aspects are working well for what purpose? I believe the
Science Center in Iowa is working with local schools to teach formal
science.
For those science centers who use makers labs as an extension of informal
science for kids, I believe are missing a tremendous opportunity to create
a more powerful role in society without having to taking on advocacy, and
reach a broader audiences they say they want to reach.
Eli
On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 1:13 PM, Charles Carlson <[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.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Dear Louis,
> I had the same question. I think that Chris Anderson has primarily
> focused on the possibility of profitable, distributed manufacturing across
> a global village surrounded by a cloud of invention embedded in a
> knowledge-based culture, where all humans are made equal and each is
> supported by his own device and reliant his own uniquely determined brain.
>
> Things will change. The means of production has changed, and humans have
> changed. I think much of the excitement of the Maker Movement existed in
> some form or other back as far as we can see.
>
> C
> On Aug 23, 2013, at 8:52 AM, Louis Rawlins <[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.
> >
> *****************************************************************************
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
>
> Charles Carlson
> Senior Scientist | Teacher Institute
>
> http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
> Twitter: @charliec53
> email: [log in to unmask]
> Tel: 415-528-4319
> Fax: 415-885-6011
> exploratorium.edu
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> S.F., CA 94111
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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