Makerspace Brings New Opportunities at Jac-Cen-Del Elementary
As you drive up to Jac-Cen-Del Elementary school in Osgood, Indiana, you may underestimate the hands-on learning taking place inside this local elementary school. Jac-Cen-Del Elementary recently launched a makerspace and is in the process of working through STEM Certification with Equitable Education Solutions.
“Jac-Cen-Del Elementary has a long history of using project-based learning, and we are working towards becoming a STEM Certified School. Our teachers value hands-on learning, so we see it as an opportunity to incorporate the STEM and hands-on opportunities for every child.”
Inside the makerspace, one will find Magnetic Maker Table Bundles, a Mobile Maker Storage Cart, VEX IQ Table, LEGO Wall, TeacherGeek Maker 2.0 Cart, and a variety of STEM and Maker Kits. The room is open and inviting, with plenty of room for hands-on activities.
Megan Wessel is the Media Center and Computer Science teacher who will be the Maker Manager at Jac-Cen-Del Elementary. “It is so exciting to see the school and community get excited about the new makerspace,” said Megan. “All teachers can sign up to use the space during the day using a shared calendar, and several teachers have signed up already! I am going to take my Computer Science class into the makerspace for a unit using Dash and Dot next week. Students will get to use Dash and Dot robots to apply logic and programming principals that we have learned this semester. The students are so excited!”
Chad Hudson, the VP of Business Development for 1st Maker Space, worked closely with the team at Jac-Cen-Del to come up with a full proposal that included a 3D model for the makerspace and alignment of STEM Kits to STEM goals and curriculum. By listening to the needs of the educators, Chad was able to make the vision of a makerspace come to life. This is the value that 1st Maker Space brings to the partnership.
“Going back two years ago when we started to look into becoming STEM Certified, we wanted to look at our curriculum and infuse STEM into what we already do. Teachers have discovered that it is not a new initiative and can be added to existing curriculum.” said Mr. Whaley. “We are purposefully infusing hands-on and STEM learning into the curriculum school wide. We wanted to create a space dedicated to activities that are STEM related and hands-on. Now that we have the makerspace, we can make learning come to life for our kids.”
Professional Development at Jac-Cen-Del Elementary
A professional development session was held with educators at Jac-Cen-Del Elementary this August as a part of the proposal from 1st Maker Space, and teachers enjoyed diving into the makerspace and learning how it could be used across the curriculum with Amber Hudson, Education Director for 1st Maker Space. Teachers learned how to use the Dash and Dot robots by using them for several challenges, including shooting a basketball. “The teachers had a lot of fun, and the basketball challenge was very competitive!” said Amber. “1st Maker Space shows educators the value of hands-on learning by using it within professional development experiences to bring joy back to teaching and learning.”
“Our goal is not to create just future engineers but to expose students to a variety of careers, including trades, through the makerspace,” said Megan Wessel. Now that Jac-Cen-Del has a makerspace, students will begin to envision themselves as makers and capable of anything they put their mind too.