C4Ta #3

Eric Langhorst, an 8th grade history teacher at Discovery Middle School in Liberty, Missouri, wrote a blog about this event in Kansas City called the Maker Faire. Langhorst describes it as a "...huge educational party with science, computers, innovators and creativity all in one amazing place." The faire is a family friendly event that shows off all the different things people are creating and inventing. In my comment to Mr. Langhorst, I told him that this faire would be great for any educators who want to incorporate new and exciting forms of technology into their classrooms.

Mr. Langhorst posted a follow up blog, My Thoughts on the 2014 Kansas City Maker Faire at Union Station, letting us know how his trip to this years Maker Faire went. Of course, he and his family had the time of their lives. They saw 3D printers, different inventions, and created all sorts of crafts. He said he was able to attend a discussion panel with the "godfather" of the Maker Faire himself, Dale Daughtry. Mr. Langhorst said his favorite question he took away from that panel is one a teacher asked:

"I know the maker movement would be great for the classroom but as a classroom teacher I don't the knowledge or the funding to do these amazing things. What do I do about the lack of those two things if I want to do the maker movement in my classroom?"

Many teachers wonder this, especially in public schools where most of the funding comes from the government. He said that people are giving the Maker Faire a bad stereotype by saying it sets standards that not everyone can reach. He says, "...I have come to the personal conclusion that the "maker movement" is misleading. It should really be called the "sharing movement". It is about trying something, then trying something else and when you get stuck asking someone who might know the answer."

In my comment to his blog, I said that I think a lot of aspects of teaching are starting to take on this "sharing movement". Many teachers could not do the things they do in class without the help of other teachers. Overall, I really enjoyed Mr. Langhorst's view of the Maker Faire!