Education

Maker Education is such a valuable role. These stories will bring you the latest information and tales of maker educators who area spreading the maker mindset. Help others learn how to make things or how to think like a maker at makerspaces, schools, universities, and local communities. The importance of maker education can not be understated. We appreciate our educators.

Engineer Guy vs The Computer Hard Drive

Engineer Guy vs The Computer Hard Drive

Bill’s back! And his subject this week may be the ultimate example of a truly astounding piece of engineering that we all tend to take for granted: The computer hard drive. A favorite college physics professor once admitted to me that the hard disk drive impressed him more than almost any other single piece of modern technology, and I have since found that, the more I think about it, the more I agree with him. As always, Bill Hammack does a great job of explaining things in a way that will appeal to both experts and amateurs.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan10
Showing Off Aluminum’s Natural Reactivity via Gallium Alloy

Showing Off Aluminum’s Natural Reactivity via Gallium Alloy

Very interesting vid from 16-year-old Hayden Parker, who impressed me greatly with his animated chemistry demonstrations at Maker Faire. Metallic aluminum can be dissolved in liquid gallium to create an aluminum-bearing alloy that is liquid at ambient conditions. Because it can flow in the alloy, the aluminum cannot form a stable passive oxide layer and will react violently with water, which nicely demonstrates the normally-hidden high natural reactivity of metallic aluminum.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan1
Recalling Everyday Things

Recalling Everyday Things

A few months ago on vacation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, I went into a used bookstore which the proprietor proudly told me was “the westernmost bookstore in the United States.” Searching the shelves, I came upon a delightful four-volume series, “A History of Everyday Things in England“, written by Marjorie and C. H. B. Quennell, and first published in 1918. “Everyday Things” was written for boys and girls who “should be trained to do useful work and learn to use their hands.”

Continue Reading Dale Dougherty18

Steve Davee: Tinker Teacher

Steve Davee is a curious person who helps cultivate more curiosity in the students he works with. He’s a Science & Math Teacher and Technology/ Documentation Specialist for Opal School and The Center for Children’s Learning of the Portland Children’s Museum. He is the founder of CoLab, which provides tinkering camps and workshops in Portland, Oregon.

Continue Reading Chris Connors

Young Makers

How can we give more kids the opportunity to make things and bring them to exhibit at Maker Faire? That was the question asked first by Tony DeRose of Pixar, who realized how much he and his family enjoyed working on a project and exhibiting it at Maker Faire and wanted to help provide a similar opportunity for others.

Continue Reading Chris Connors8
GGHC Finalist Profile — Hackerspace Charlotte

GGHC Finalist Profile — Hackerspace Charlotte

  #google_ads_div_mz_hackerspace_125x125_ad_container { float:right; margin:-14px 0 5px 10px; } // Tuesday and last week we profiled two of the three finalists of element14’s Great Global Hackerspace Challenge — Pumping Station: One’s Biosdensor Array and BuildBrighton’s Phonicubes. Today we cover Hackerspace Charlotte‘s excellent tool for teaching electronics, Feltronics. The project consists of felt shapes resembling electronics […]

Continue Reading John Baichtal2