STUDENTS AS MAKERS

A presentation on why some staff are going to hate us…

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A Dystopian Future…THE UNREALISED POTENTIAL OF A LABSPACE.

THE BACKSTORY From the man and his shed, to the Maker and his space.

A SHEDHobbyists have made custom things for a long time, where very early innovation came from the garage, the shed or the loft

THE HACKER IN THE GARAGE

“The biggest threats are people in a garage that you have never heard of who can come and disrupt you.”

THE ‘HACKER’ AND THE ‘MAKER’.

An ecology of terms.

IS IT A HACKERSPACE, MAKERSPACE, OR FABLAB?

An ecology of terms.

HACKERSPACESOriginally, a collection of programmers sharing a physical space. These spaces soon added electronic circuit design, prototyping and manufacturing to their interests and services.

MAKERSPACESOften used when people were uncomfortable associating a space with the term ‘hacker’. However, Makerspaces became associated with a drive to enable as many craft to the most significant extent possible.

FABLABSA network of spaces started by Neil Gershenfield (MIT Media Lab). The founding principle is that there is a set of tools that allow novice makers to make almost anything given a brief introduction.

COMMON MACHINES AND PRINCIPLES

Give me a spool of ABS long enough and a 3d printer in which to use it and I will print you the world. ~ 21st century Archimedes

PRINCIPLES• ‘Adopt-a-machine’• Open access (near to

24hr)• Membership• ‘Bring-your-own’ stock

MACHINES• Laser cutter• Milling Machine • 3D Printer• Vinyl Cutter

TOOLS• ‘Dremels’• Sewing Machine• Measuring & Marking Out• Dev Kit• Etc.

MAKING IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT

Teaching people to ignore the manual

MIT MEDIA LAB

An interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology devoted to projects at the convergence of technology, multimedia and design.

Accomplishments: Lego-Mindstorms, MPEG4, the clit-mouse, etc.

Annual operating budget: approx. $45 million

INSTITUTE OF MAKING - UCL

A multidisciplinary research club for those interested in the made world. Regularly olds masterclasses and public events centered around the ‘Materials Library’ – a collection of materials on earth.

Alongside the collection is a makerspace – a workshop where students can design and make things in a variety of materials (blacksmith, 3d printing, milling, etc.)

THE SHED Q. Do we need a…. ?A. Yes.

WHY DO WE NEED A MAKERSPACE?A new computing culture is emerging, not just at the hobbyist level, but as an increasingly important way in which agile, entrepreneurial organisations trial new ideas, and in which external stakeholders engage with the technology community. There is an opportunity for us—and perhaps an obligation to our students—to be part of this growing culture, to build necessarily interdisciplinary pedagogy, to form links with a new entrepreneurial culture, and to engage students in exciting forms of problem-based learning.

- Paraphrased from original proposal

WHAT KIND OF SPACE DOES IT NEED?“Such a new approach requires a certain kind of space, and extended periods of time; this cannot be done within the constraints of traditionally timetabled rooms. We would need dedicated studio space—ideally, externally-facing—for this activity, where students can work and store partially completed projects. This provision of a space would encourage students to get to know one another in a work-related setting, provide space for other project work…”

- Colin Johnson & Sally Fincher

ADDING THAT ACADEMIC TWISTUnlike the Media Lab and the Institute of Making, strongly academic environments designed to look like community driven Maker environments, The Shed is designed/intended to be a communal space for people to make, with the addition of organised classes to introduce some of the beginner concepts.

OVER TO YOU How do we make a space, a place?

ABOUT USDaniel Knox

Keith Greenhow