HMC Summerschool in de Waag
Waag BY-NC-SA

Learning to make

This blog about Teacher Maker Camp has no translation. Please turn to the Dutch page.

About Teacher Maker Camp:

Maker education
Making has gained new meaning in today's society. Through the rise of the Internet, new making principles have been established. These principles are based on openness, transparency, and social connectedness. New professions arise on the boundary between virtual and physical reality. Enter, the crafts of the new century and the next phase of the digital revolution. With the advent of digital fabrication, physical products can now be created from digital files. Of course, human beings also want to give meaning to, and personalize their own products. When people are able to actively shape their environment, awareness of their actions increases. Thus, ownership and responsibility for the environment and life are likely to increase as well.

"What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand." With this statement, Confucius illustrated an important principle 2,500 years ago: we understand the world better if we actively participate in it. In creating, we meet the world. We gain new experiences through creation, and learn about what works (and what does not). Making, therefore, leads to knowledge, insights, and opportunities.

Many teachers are reluctant to use technology in their classroom. They are not familiar with digital fabrication, programming, and physical computing. They might also not know about the possibilities these new technologies can offer to enrich lessons.

The central elements in this maker education course are: teachers, creativity, do-it-yourself, and enthusiasm for making, creating, and inquisitiveness.