While I am no longer physically in a school and have never worked as a TL in a library, I spent countless hours working with our amazing TLs at my last middle school, which still feels like my home school. So while I still think of it as « my » home library, I am no longer at the school and am not in a TL role there. My observations of what we already have and new ideas may be outdated as I have not been there since last year.
| Already in place | Possibilities for my school community |
| Access to tools and to a physical maker space for many groups | Access to a maker space for all (beyond recess, enrichment, and interested teachers- how to enhance access to all students) |
| Totes and carts of tools that can be wheeled into main library space | Perhaps a dedicated maker space that does not have to be shared with main library space and constantly put away? |
| Connections with the community have been made in the past- 3D printers, Artificial limb organisation, architects | Make better use of the parent community to reach out |
| Partnerships, local events, etc.- connect with the community about hosting or partnering on events. | |
| Tech tools: Basic 3D printer, spheros, green screen | More buy in from teachers beyond TLs and a handful of classroom teachers. More understanding of the value of experiential making. |
Students tinkering at a design exhibit on a recent field trip to Science World.
Question: Should Making exist in some version on its own for pure experiential learning and fun, or should it be tied to a specific course or curriculum?
References
British Colombia Ministry of Education (2020) Applied Design, Skills and Technology Curriculum . Retrieved by https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst
Crichton, Susan & Carter, Deb. (2017). Taking Making Into Classrooms: A Toolkit for Fostering Creativity and Imagination. (website) Open School BC. Retrieved by: https://mytrainingbc.ca/maker/en/toolkit/Taking_Making_into_Classrooms.pdf
Young Adult Library Services Association (2014). Making in the library toolkit. Retrieved by http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ala.org.yalsa/files/content/MakingintheLibraryToolkit2014.pdf
Technology in the language learning classroom and library 