Maker Movement

Maker Movement

One of the emerging trends in the realm of learning is the Maker Movement. This is a movement that seeks to encourage creativity and imagination in communities and the use of digital and physical forums to promote innovations. This paper reviews articles that have explored the Maker Movement from various perspectives.

In its article, WE ARE TEACHERS STAFF (2013) explores how the Maker Movement applies in the education sector. It states that new technologies, such as robotics, 3D printing, e-textile, and microprocessors, have a special place in schools. The Maker Movement ensures that these tools are affordable either freely or cheaply, in addition to offering platforms for sharing the resulting knowledge and inventions. The article reiterates that the goals of the Maker Movement overlap with those of the traditional school systems, which entail harnessing the creative power of children and offering learner-centered lessons (WE ARE TEACHERS STAFF, 2013). I agree with this article that there is a special place of the Maker Movement in the traditional school system. However, I feel that the article does not explore how the principles of the Maker Movement are already being applied in traditional schools.

Zwilling is the author of the article titled “The make-it-yourself movement is a new Mecca for entrepreneurs,” published in 2014. This article explores the opportunities the Maker Movement presents to business-minded persons. These opportunities include shortening the time and costs needed to develop a product from an idea to a prototype and meeting like-minded persons, support organizations, and investors (Zwilling, 2014). The article is very informative. However, it is not objective since it has failed to explore any possible negative implications of the Maker Movement, for instance, when it comes to protecting intellectual property rights.

Another article about the Maker Movement is by Morin (2013), and it is titled “What Is the Maker Movement and Why Should You Care?” The article simplifies the gist of the Maker Movement. It argues that this movement shares numerous similarities with the cliché “Do it yourself” or DIY. Most importantly, the article emphasizes that the Maker Movement is necessary since the American education system does not emphasize the acquisition of hand-on skills by learners (Morin, 2013). I agree with this article that there is a shortage of hand-on skills among Americans, especially the young generation. The article is easy to read and presents its argument in a simple and pragmatic way.

In their article, Halverson and Sheridan (2014) discuss the historical and contextual background of the Maker Movement as far as the education sector is concerned. The article discusses how this movement fits in traditional learning school. Halverson and Sheridan (2014) assert that the Maker Movement stretches across the information/formal instructional methods, and creates an opportunity in practice and research to understand schooling and learning as independent but related concepts.  I agree with this article that traditional schooling and the Maker Movement shares numerous similarities. The two approaches to learning focus on the transmission of knowledge. At the same time, the article is objective, scholarly, and in-depth.

The YouTube video titled “A Documentary on the Maker Movement” showcases various individuals young and old, male and female who are part of the Maker Movement. These individuals are involved in the making of prototypes of various products such aircrafts, tools, sports equipment, and vehicles and sharing their innovations in trade shows and conventions, among other platforms. The video argues that the Maker Movement was born following the removal of auto-making and woodwork classes and other practical courses in American school systems (A Documentary on the Maker Movement, n. d.). I think that the video has done an excellent job capturing the idea behind the Maker Movement in a captivating and engaging way. Even a person who has never heard of this movement can watch this video and understand all about its goals and stakeholders, among other things.

In conclusion, the Maker Movement has been in existence for a while now. However, much remains to be known about this movement in terms of its goals and how it fits in the traditional systems, such as when it comes to learning. This paper has demonstrated that the Maker Movement will revolutionize the way the society operates when it comes to the transfer of noble ideas.

References

A Documentary on the Maker Movement. (n. d.). Retrieved from http://makerthemovie.com/

Halverson, R. E. & Sheridan, K. (2014). The maker movement in education. Harvard Educational Review, 84(4): 495-504. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277928106_The_Maker_Movement_in_Educationa

Morin, B. (2013). What is the maker movement and why should you care? Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-the-maker-movemen_b_3201977

WE ARE TEACHERS STAFF. (2013). The ultimate guide to bringing the maker movement to your classroom. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/making-matters-how-the-maker-movement-is-transforming-education/

Zwilling, M. (2014). The make-it-yourself movement is a new Mecca for entrepreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234775