Contributed by Natalie Hoyle Ross, NBCT and elementary librarian
It is not unusual to see a librarian advocating for the LMC’s MakerSpace; however, it is quite another to have a student take on that role.
Our biggest advocate of our Spring Brook MakerSpace is Ethan. When Ethan realized we were featuring one of his favorite pieces of technology, Osmos, he was thrilled!
However, his idea of a MakerSpace was that the area would be in use the entire school day. He was disappointed to see that some days the MakerSpace was not being used at all. It was at this time that Ethan set a personal goal to make our MakerSpace more popular!
His first step was creating an enticing public announcement to lure students to use the MakerSpace. By making the announcement from the perspective of the Osmo, he explained to the entire school that the Osmos were lonely and wanted to have someone play with them. Almost in a commercial like manner, he explained how much fun Osmos were and how all Spring Brook students should try them out today!
Another tactic Ethan used was to excite teachers. He approached teachers and asked them when they planned to sign up for a time to use our MakerSpace. In a further effort to spread the word about the MakerSpaces, Ethan designed and hung posters outside the teachers’ lounge and in the main office, encouraging teachers to become interested in Osmos which is leading to more interest in all the devices.
Since then, Ethan himself has taken on a teaching role. Ethan used his valuable reward time to help other students become mathematicians through using Osmo Numbers and tangram apps.
With Ethan‘s help, our MakerSpace has become a hub in our school with frequent visitors and a lot of buzz.
District 204 Future Ready Libraries 