We’ve heard the news too, and our thoughts go out to our friends and colleagues at Maker Media. Make: Magazine and Maker Faires have worked hard to shine a light on making, tinkering, and the DIY ethos for a wider audience over the last decade, and we are sad to hear that they have halted operations.
Maker Ed shares a co-founder with Maker Media, and Dale Dougherty continues to sit on our board; we are grateful for Dale’s continued support and leadership. Maker Ed has always operated as an independent nonprofit working to harness maker education to transform teaching and learning for every educator and every child, and we will continue that work.
We know that the maker spirit will live on in thousands of makers and makerspaces, and that it has left an indelible, vibrant, and ongoing legacy on the cultural landscape. Maker Ed is especially indebted to the influence making has had on education, as it connects to and builds on long legacies of constructivism, constructionism, Montessori, Papert, and other frameworks that understand that kids learn best when they use their hands, hearts, and heads; when they work in collaboration and in community; when their agency is put at the center of learning; and when their gifts are recognized and their needs are met. We deeply believe that creativity and hands-on learning have the potential to transform schools for the better.
We’re not going anywhere, and as the uptake for the integration of making into education only grows and strengthens, we will continue to work towards our shared vision of ensuring access to making for every child. We hope you will join us. Onward!
Leave a Reply