Making a Space for Makers
By Mark Light, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Hardin County
Making things has been an American pastime since before the industrial revolution. Whether someone is a formal inventor or just a tinkerer, America is a nation of makers. Dale Dougherty, one of the founders of the recent maker movement, described makers as those who are enriching their lives by creating or learning something new (Dougherty, 2012). He also stated, “the maker movement has come about in part because of people’s need to engage passionately with objects in ways that make them more than just consumers” (p. 12). Additionally, President Obama has echoed Dougherty’s maker platform saying, “Makers are the innovators that want to be the creators of things rather than just the consumers of products” (Obama, 2009). The maker movement has been a driving force for combining online innovation with hands-on DIY spaces, called makerspaces, where makers gather (McCue2012).
Image from Makerspace opens in IU School of Education video; source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsiMH92k90
Makers in agriculture and education would have included early pioneers like Seaman Knapp, John Dewey, Charles Prosser, A. B. Graham, and others who believed in hands-on learning and early making with Extension, 4-H, and FFA. In Agriculture, fairs have been makerspaces that have been conducted for over 200 years. Since the first fair in 1807 in Pittsfield, MA (History of Fairs, 2016), fairs became the place where the community gathered and showcased the best in agriculture and innovation. The 4-H motto, “to make the best better,” includes the word “make”. Extension has a history of hands-on learning over the past 100 years, making Extension the prime vehicle to connect with the new audiences of makers by providing a venue to explore, learn, and create.
Making a Space
The Ohio State University Extension office in rural Hardin County, population 33,000, created an innovative classroom space called the Spark Lab, with the hope of duplication in other Extension offices around Ohio and the country. The idea was sparked several years ago when Hardin County OSU Extension staff moved into a new office space. The goal of the Spark Lab is to instill inspiration or “spark” that youth and adults need to learn, discover, and grow in a creative environment. The goal of this new space is to spark ideas and learning in a hands-on environment. This scholastic approach takes a makerspace one step further because it resides in an educational environment. The educator serves as the guide who facilitates the learning experience while giving the learner the ability to define individual learning objectives.
Virtual tour of the Hardin County Ohio Spark Lab
Spark Lab’s Objectives
There were four main objectives for the Spark Lab. The first objective was to be an educational center where local learning could take place. Staff offered 4-H Project Workshop Wednesdays in the summer on photography, robotics, art, nature, food, clothing, and many other topics. Tech Tuesdays became a way of offering technology sessions on smartphones, tablets, video production, and social media. The Family Consumer Science Educator offered Zumba and Yoga classes, cooking classes using electric grills, and financial management classes. The Agriculture and Natural Resource Educator offered in-person webinar viewing on livestock-related topics, as well as Master Gardener classes in the Spark Lab.
Ohio Youth engages in sewing challenge in OSU Extension’s makerspace in Hardin County, Ohio.
The second objective was to be a university and community hub within the county. The goal was to make the space more accessible for the community by allowing them to meet in the Spark Lab and utilize technology. Several 4-H clubs now meet in the Hardin County office. University specialists use the large room for collaboration meetings with both in-person and virtual participants using the video conferencing equipment. Other county departments are holding training for their staff in the classroom. Finally, home school families are using the Spark Lab as a gathering area to learn as a group.
The third objective of the Spark Lab was to be a dedicated makerspace. The makerspace uses the two smaller rooms. One room is used for video production and has an HD camera, green screen, and video editing software so that users can create their videos from start to finish. The county only has two newspapers and a radio station, so this is a valuable resource. Businesses have created commercials that they showcase online. Youth audiences and nonprofits can make videos that highlight their organizations. The second room has equipment that adults and youth can use to create with. There is a 3-D printer and carving machine for producing models. Makers can also use high-end sewing machines for designing new apparel. Laptops and circuits allow users to code, wire, and produce new inventions.
Makerspace in OSU Extension Office, Hardin County, Ohio.
The final objective of the space was to have touchdown space for entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur center, Extension specialists and staff can help local businesses and entrepreneurs learn and create in the Spark Lab. Individuals may want to start a business might touchdown in the Spark Lab as a starter office space for using wireless internet, lab resources such as the 3-D printer, X-Carve, or video equipment to help launch their business. OSU Extension Specialists from all program areas could provide educational support to entrepreneurs in the Spark Lab. By helping young people develop their dreams in Hardin County, they are less likely to migrate out to more urban areas.
Ohio Youth engages in kits assemble in OSU Extension’s makerspace in Hardin County, Ohio.
The Shift from “Me Space” to “We Space”
The Spark Lab facilitates innovation, learning, and creativity in a hands-on space. The office is reaching new audiences by carving out space for the community. Shifting from “me space” to “we space,” has been a challenge to the staff who have to share in the sandbox, but by facing this challenge our staff has broken down past programmatic barriers. Hardin County OSU Extension treats equipment and space with the what and not the who. OSU Extension can shift from a 100-year-old organization to returning to what its foundation, cutting edge technology and education, but it needs to start with a change in adapting to a new delivery method. By making room for makers, Educators might find a renewed reason to come to the office.
Related article on rethinking the workspace, Collaborative ‘Work Zones’ transcend traditional office space, by Meghan Thoreau, OSU Extension Educator.
References
Dougherty, D. (2012). The Maker Movement. Innovations, 7(3), 11-14.
History of Fairs (2016). International Association of Fairs and Expositions. Retrieved from https://www. fairsandexpos. com/.
McCue, T. J. (2011). Moving the economy: The future of the Maker Movement. Forbes.
Obama, B. (2009). Remarks by the President on the “Education to Innovate” campaign. [Press release]. Washington, DC: White House Office of the Press Secretary. www.whitehouse. gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-education-innovate-campaign
