Above image is not real: https://twitter.com/Johnee_B/status/1212771703283163137
It feels like this week’s prompt is rather similar to last week where my previous post already discussed using Scratch basically as a Makerspace tool to design, create, play, and share their creations. This kind of software which allows for creation of virtually anything has slowly become more popular; examples which come to mind are Little Big Planet (in education?), and more recently, dreams.
However, there are several issues with implementing Makerspaces:
- Cost – upfront supply cost is a substantial hurdle, especially if one is looking at a full class set.
- Portability – loaning out these equipment to students so they can work on it at home is fraught with dangers (ie, things going “missing”). Not lending out the equipment would mean students would have limited time to work on their designs / creations.
- Time consumption – students dedicated to making a quality project would gladly invest hundreds of hours into it… which is an issue for most courses as we move from concept to concept within weeks or days.
- Distraction – similar to searching for literature reviews, it’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole when looking for examples / inspiration.
- Learning goals – for upper level courses, there’s usually a focus on specific concept or procedural knowledge (senior science!). While it would be amazing for a student to create a virtual dissection using Scratch / MakerSpace of some sort, the design process fidelity to actuality would eclipse that of the content (which could be either good or bad, depending on teaching goals).
- Cumbersome – I could ask students to create virtual reality (VR) course meal which reflects X amounts proteins, lipids, or carbs whilst considering dietary restrictions like gluten-free / soy-free … but honestly, a trip to the grocery would be much simpler and more practical. That is, until someone creates said scenario and provides me a class set of VR / AR goggles. The same goes for Trades classes, hands-on experiences would be much more relevant that a generic Makerspace kit (unless said kit was tailored to the course).
- FOIPPA – and of course we need to talk about this. Servers storing account information are most likely outside of Canada, thus blah-blah-blah…
In regards to how my own teaching situation, a physical kit of Makerspace items would be inefficient as my classes are primarily done online (blended courses – two days at school, rest at home). As mentioned, obtaining a class kit is expensive and loaning kits would be a logistical nightmare; and I’m sure parents at home will curse me every time they step on Lego Mindstorm pieces. Our tech teacher is facing this issue right now with all the VR and AR hardware used for projects are at school. Students cannot come into the building due to Covid restrictions, and there are not enough sets to loan them out (also consider that they would require sterilization before and after). Another issue would if the learning goals are focused more on procedural or practical skills than creativity – such as proper laboratory skills.
tl;dr – great idea, working on feasibility.