East Middle School, Plymouth, MI
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Michigan Makers originated as an after school STEM program designed to get students interacting and creating with affordable technologies. The project was developed by myself and my fellow University of Michigan faculty and classmates inspired by the newer, cheaper technologies like Raspberry Pi and Arduino that have made working with computer programming, circuitry & electronics, and robotics more accessible to Michigan's students. We partnered with East Middle School's librarian, Rachel Goldberg, who introduced us to her eager students and the rest was easy! The program has since expanded to address its growing popularity and the organizers' desires to reach a broader spectrum of student socio-economic backgrounds. Please take a second to check out the Michigan Maker's website to get a closer look at all the fun! |
From the website homepage...
Engage
Michigan Makers is an after school program that helps students engage with technology through tinkering and creating, while promoting group work and peer mentoring.
Share
This site was created for sharing the experiences of the University of Michigan faculty, graduate students, and East Middle School Librarian who are participating in the pilot project for the 2012-2013 school year. Our program meets once a week on Tuesdays, from 3-4:30pm for the duration of the school year. We received a $1400 grant from the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning and with it, we're able to purchase affordable technologies like Raspberry Pis and Arduinos to tinker, experiment, and create. Please look around this site for detailed information concerning the lessons we're teaching, the badges we're earning, and all the fun we're having!
Make
So why are we so excited about Michigan Makers? We think that with tools like Squishy Circuits, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos and more, we're re-introducing creativity into education. So many teachers today are caught between a rock and a hard place and must prepare their students for standardized testing, leaving little time for students to be creative. When kids learn creatively, they are encouraged to ask questions, challenge the ideas presented to them, and are emboldened to manipulate, test, and experiment with new ideas. We want to give our students plenty of room to flex this muscle.
Engage
Michigan Makers is an after school program that helps students engage with technology through tinkering and creating, while promoting group work and peer mentoring.
Share
This site was created for sharing the experiences of the University of Michigan faculty, graduate students, and East Middle School Librarian who are participating in the pilot project for the 2012-2013 school year. Our program meets once a week on Tuesdays, from 3-4:30pm for the duration of the school year. We received a $1400 grant from the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning and with it, we're able to purchase affordable technologies like Raspberry Pis and Arduinos to tinker, experiment, and create. Please look around this site for detailed information concerning the lessons we're teaching, the badges we're earning, and all the fun we're having!
Make
So why are we so excited about Michigan Makers? We think that with tools like Squishy Circuits, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos and more, we're re-introducing creativity into education. So many teachers today are caught between a rock and a hard place and must prepare their students for standardized testing, leaving little time for students to be creative. When kids learn creatively, they are encouraged to ask questions, challenge the ideas presented to them, and are emboldened to manipulate, test, and experiment with new ideas. We want to give our students plenty of room to flex this muscle.