I have chosen to present my TED talk on how technology and "making" can bring equality to education. When used effectively, technology can greatly contribute to creating equity in schools. It can remove barriers to learning materials, supports students where they are across varied learning contexts and needs, and gives educators more insight into the learning environments they're creating. In particular, Maker spaces can democratize learning, offer thematic planning opportunities, and facilitate differentiated instruction.
Maker spaces can be used for all learners, including english language learners and students with special needs. Students who have unique learning needs thrive in Maker spaces because it allows them to express themselves WITHOUT fear of failure. They are inviting and inclusive environments by providing equity and access to all! Of course this depends on ensuring the Maker space is implemented correctly. By properly planning your Maker space, you can build an environment that levels the academic field for your students. This means that you can easily democratize their learning, by ensuring that they make materials, supplies, and concepts available and accessible to all learners. It will encourage tinkering, play and open ended exploration for everyone. Teachers can properly assess existing curricula, programs, and offerings within their school community and pull out concepts that are normally taught to a select number of students and make them available to all by using "making." It is also important to include "Themes" within your Maker space planning. Thematically planned maker spaces provide opportunities to meet the needs of all learners. Supporting themes in varied ways will allow you to address your students diverse learning styles by providing multimodal materials and resources to meet better their needs. This is especially important for students with certain disabilities as they and all learners can benefit from utilizing as many of their sensory modalities as possible. The themes can also kickstart making and creativity by inspiring students. This can be extremely helpful for students who might experience frustration and have trouble working with zero guidelines in place. Finally and most importantly- DIFFERENTIATION! There are many ways a maker space can effectively differentiate the learning environment by providing the materials, activities, and supplies to meet the needs of mixed ability learners! Another way is the physical set up of the space itself. Workstations encourage students to collaborate with their peers, inviting students of varying abilities to work together, creating a community of learners. English language learners and students with special needs will feel welcomed in these type of spaces because they feel equal to their peers. Sources: Fleming, L., & Krakower, B. (2016, July 19). Makerspaces and Equal Access to Learning. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/makerspaces-equal-access-to-learning-laura-fleming-billy-krakower EBSCO Information Services, Inc. (2017, August 30). Makerspaces: Hands-on Learning for Students of All Abilities. Retrieved from https://www.ebsco.com/blog/article/makerspaces-hands-on-learning-for-students-of-all-abilities Meyer, B. (2019, May). elearn Magazine: Makerspaces in Higher Education: An overview. Retrieved from https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=3331179
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AUTHORI graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 2018 with a degree in adolescent Education, social studies. I am currently enrolled in the SUNY Oneonta Educational Technology Masters Program. Archives
April 2020
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