I’m obsessed with the Maker Movement. It is the exact kind of learning I wanted as a kid. I believe it holds promise for truly changing education. It’s not that I’m inspired by all the stuff, it’s so much more. The people. I’m inspired by the open sharing that I see at MakerFaires. I love the sharing of open source software and the way people send their work out to the world so that others can put their own spin on it, make it better, and improve it. I love how people are giving their ideas to each other for the sole purpose of collaborating and improving the world.
I attended a workshop earlier this year and the presenter said, “Please take anything I’ve shared here – we have it all for free download on our website.” And you know what? That’s not the rarity in makered. It’s the norm. It’s the sharing of prototypes of ideas, of brainstorming that may or may not lead anywhere, of tested solutions that might just get even better with a few more heads involved.
What if there was a place, free from ads and selling, that teachers could collaborate on their ideas for using drones in the classroom, for using Legos in writing, for bringing literacy into the MakerSpace. A place where we shared coding ideas for kindergarteners, reviewed expensive equipment we’d bought for our schools, and even had inspiring successes that we’d found in our own schools. Google docs where people could share ideas, download and revamp for their students.
What if there was just one fee for joining… to pay it forward. A kind act for another teacher. Borrow, share, remix, reuse, retweet. For one reason: Because we are all better together.
It’s the kind of giving and sharing I learned on Twitter many years ago. I see it getting lost in the folds of change as self-publishing becomes a huge focus in education. I’m not saying that self-publishing is wrong. I’m sure there is a place for it. I only saying that there is only one way to fix this system… together. We’re going to have to do it together…and have some fun along the way.
So today I bought a new domain name, and tomorrow I’m going to begin building this place. I hope if I build it you will come. Because education needs you and what you have to share. And as the maker movement continues to evolve into classrooms and spaces in schools across America, we can all know that none of us are doing it along. We are all learners and it will be our sharing that will change the world.
