With advantages in technology, educators now have the ability to become “makers.” At the SXSWEdu Playground Talk session, “Moving Makers: From Guatemala to the World”, Adrian Catalan, professor at Galileo University and Ceci Castillo of Girls@Tech Guatemala offered tips on how teachers can become makers.
“Curiosity is wired into our DNA,” said Catalan at the conference in an article on SmartBlogs.com. “Kids have all this energy. They just need tools to make.”
According to the article, “Castillo and Catalan highlighted four lessons they learned from maker programs they’ve launched with schools and their communities.”
The first lesson the duo offered teachers is to “jump in and get started.”
“It doesn’t matter what you have – how much or how little, said Catalan,” the article said. “What matters, he said, is that you dive in and start creating.”
“If you have tools, put them to work and build something,” Catalan said in the article. “What is important is that you do something with whatever you have.”
The second lesson they offered is to “start small.”
“It’s tempting to want to do everything at once, said Castillo, but that can overwhelm participants and deflate enthusiasm,” the article said. “She advises teachers to have students begin by making small deliverables and let the project grow naturally from there.”
“Starting small enables you to start faster,” she said in the article.
According to Castillo, teachers are “makers by nature.”
“Encourage your students to step out of their comfort zones, get their hands dirty and have fun creating, Castillo said. “The world is inviting us to play. Roll up your sleeves and start making.”
Read the full story and comment below.
Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor
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