Tech & Learning — February 2018

WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM | FEBRUARY 2018 | 15

BIG IDEAS

TOP TEN MAKERSPACE

FAVORITES OF 2017

By Laura Fleming

T

his year’s New Media Consortium/

COSN’s 2017 K–12 Horizon Report

deemed makerspaces the future of

edtech and predicted full adoption in

K–12 in one year or less. Think “out

of the box” this year as you choose

products to support your makerspace themes.

Following is a list of some of my favorites.

POWERUP 3.

The POWERUP 3.0 smartphone controlled

paper airplane features a durable, crash-proof

design that transforms ordinary paper planes

into app-controlled machines. With a free app,

these planes are controlled directly from a

smartphone.

PODPI

PodPi is a comic book series that teaches

kids about electronics and JavaScript coding

through engaging, immersive lessons. They start

with building simple circuits and end with wifi-

enabled devices powering the Internet of Things

(IoT).

BUILDR TAPE

Buildr TAPE is flexible, reusable adhesive

tape that instantly transforms virtually any

surface into a base for building new amazing

creations with your traditional toy building

blocks. Compatible with LEGO. 

THINKPAK: A BRAINSTORMING CARD DECK

Stretch and flex your mental muscles with

Thinkpak, a creative thinking tool designed by

Michael Michalko, author of the groundbreaking

book Thinkertoys. Shuffle, mix, and match this

deck of illustrated cards to spark fresh insights,

then use the critical evaluation techniques to

test, shape, and refine your original ideas into

realistic creations. Thinkpak provides plenty

of thought-provoking questions and examples

to fire up the imagination. 

MOCKUPS

These cards are a great tool for getting

students to think creatively. Pick three cards,

one of each color. So, for example, the group

of people might be “construction workers,”

the need might be “a way to save water,”

and the challenge might be that it has to

“work on the moon.” Players come up with

creative ideas to solve the problem. Mockups

are great as a warm-up for both ideation

and prototyping, as well as for rapid design

cycles. 

I CAN MAKE ... BOOKS BY KRISTINA

HOLZWEISS

The I Can Make ... books by Kristina

Holzweiss and Amy Barth guide students

through the process of making and creating.

They allow for a much more empowering and

authentic experience—rather than the project

ideas coming from an adult. 

THE EMPATHY TOY

Many school makerspaces integrate the

design thinking process. Empathy is the first

step in design thinking, and it’s a critical skill

to nurture in makerspaces. The Empathy Toy

is a blindfolded puzzle game that can only be

solved when players learn to understand each

other. 

MACKINMAKER LEGO COMPATIBLE WALL

With MackinMaker’s LEGO Compatible

Wall service, schools can now create walls

and tables that reflect specific themes unique

to their school community—such as space,

transportation, or landforms. They also offer

custom-made designs.

EDISON TABLE

The Edison Table offers many possibilities

for school makerspaces, including integrated

cleanup, magnetic stool storage, built-in

storage, and integrated power and USB. The

table, available in two heights, maximizes

creative time while minimizing logistical

preparation and cleanup.

“KIDS INVENT STUFF” YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Check out the free “Kids Invent Stuff ”

YouTube channel, where kids can have their

invention ideas built by real engineers.

POWERUP 3.