GLOBAL VISUAL STORIES ABOUT MAKERSPACES

GLOBAL VISUAL STORIES ABOUTMAKERSPACES

SHARED BY ALISHA COLLINS & AKSHAY NAGARAJAN WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JACOB LINGLEY, AND VISUAL STORIES SUBMITTED FROM THE SRISHTI INSTITUTE OF ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY, BANGALORE, INDIA

Brilliant Labs has been helping schools and community centres transform learning environments into makerspaces since day one. Six years later, we have helped make more than 200 spaces throughout Atlantic Canada. Each one is different than the next. Some have materials dedicated to the creation of immersive virtual realities while others have sewing machines along side their 3D Printers. We are thrilled to collaborate with the maker leaders of each school to carefully construct a space that is reflective of the culture of the community surrounding the makerspace. It has been an incredible experience to see this network of makerspaces grow to add new perspectives to a rich story of making.

We were inspired by this work to create our own resource for anyone who is curious about starting a makerspace. Part of this process was to understand the different perspectives of making a makerspace.

(Image 1) Parents perspective book 1 (independent home setting). By Khusboo Jain 3rd Year B.Des Creative Education, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.

Visit: https://bit.ly/2YlJI9t

Stories have the power to transform people's motivations and actions. Using the power of storytelling, can we inspire people to bring a change in children's lives through creative, meaningful, and hands-on maker-centered learning experiences?

(Image 2) Parents perspective book 2 (urban small space apartment setting). By Himani Kumawat. 3rd Year B.Des Creative and Applied Computation, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.

Visit: https://bit.ly/36k17DL

(Image 3) Parents perspective book 3 (rural setting). By Kavya Sabin. 3rd Year B.Des Creative and Applied Computation, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. (Image 4) Students perspective. By Manya Singh & Parth Pradeep Kulkarni. 3rd Year B.Des Human Centered Design, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.

(Image 3) Visit: https://bit.ly/36luVzU (image4) Visit: https://bit.ly/39ogk8O

Here is a collection of stories with ideas and inspiration to start making and design makerspaces and corners at home, school and community spaces.

(Image 5)Teachers perspective(Indian and Canadian setting). By Srinija Ghantasala, Lisa Pinto, Gayathri Menon. 3rd Year B.Des Human Centered Design, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.

Visit: https://bit.ly/3t7Q61Z

TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, LEARNING, AND DESIGN

When thinking about timeless learning and technologies, we need to reflect on what creative tools, spaces, and interventions have existed 100 years prior and envision what will persist for the next 100 years. In this creative exploration, we will investigate ways to design meaningful learning tools, environments, and experiences for young people to meet the demands of the current evolving educational landscape. We are a team of creative technologists and designers exploring the role of new technologies to transform traditional educational practices by fostering creative learning, meaningful peer interaction, and intrinsic motivation. We invite you to join us in exploring constructionist learning experiences through technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Tangible Computational Media. Through our collaboration, we aim to design novel learning ecosystems consisting of Creative Tools and Manipulatives, Dynamic Learning Spaces, and Facilitation Interventions.

Course Instructors:

Alisha Collins, Akshay Nagarajan

The above stories were created as response to the following Assignment:

Designing visual narratives to promote maker-centered learning

Stories have the power to transform people's motivations and actions. Using the power of storytelling, can we inspire people to bring a change in children's lives through creative, meaningful, and hands-on maker-centered learning experiences?

Review Brilliant Labs’ Designing for Making Guide

This guide presents an overview of how to set up a makerspace and provide youth with maker-centered learning experiences.

Work in teams. Think from the reader's perspectives. Choose one of the following scenarios:

• You are a teacher curious about makerspaces. You may have never heard about maker-centered learning or have heard the term but not sure what it is. Your colleagues say that it is just about using fancy expensive technologies. As a designer try to shift the perspective

and create a narrative where this user eventually finds a way to implement makercentered learning in virtual or physical classrooms

• You are a parent who cares about your child's wellbeing and learning. During the pandemic, you have seen the value or hand-on personal experience but still worried whether this will help your child get good grades. You want to understand the value of making and learning and creating at-home maker-centered experiences for your child and their friends. As a designer, try to understand the constraints and opportunities here and provide a pathway for the parent to explore making at home.

• You are a community/ social worker and passionate about children's curiosity. You want to bridge the learning gap and provide a way to engage youth in hands-on inquiry-based learning that appeals to their lives and provide them with creative confidence to learn almost anything. But sometimes you aren't sure if it is the right way. As a designer, try to eliminate this

How To Start A Makerspace: Quick & Easy Guide To Start Making Space For Making

Download: https://bit.ly/2NyZawz

confusion and express the value of making with practical approaches. Provide a pathway for the community member to explore making in their community

• You are the learner/ student/maker who wants to try making activities but not sure how to convince adults about your needs. You enjoy making, but adults have told you it is not important. As a designer, support this learner to bring maker-based approaches in their lives.

• Generate a storyline building on the selected scenarios. Create a storyboard

• Work towards a coherent visual narrative. The outcome could be a visual story that could be in the form of a comic strip, an illustrated book, or an animation.

MAKERSPACES TO INSPIRE LEARNING

LET’S CONNECT! Brilliant Labs is here to help you and your students. Alisha and Jacob are available to answer any questions you may have about Makerspaces and design thinking. Visit Brilliantlabs.ca//maker-learning for your Makerspace guide and the visual stories referenced in this article.

Email: Alisha@brilliantlabs.ca | Jacob@brilliantlabs.ca

To easily access links visit Brilliant Labs Magazine | Revue Labos Créatifs. Pg: 70. https://bit.ly/2YkbFOV