In the 2015 New Media Consortium Horizon Report, makerspaces were recognized as one the six most important educational technology developments.
“Makerspaces are increasingly being looked to as a method for engaging learners in creative, higher-order problem-solving through hands-on design, construction, and iteration,” the report says.
As Laura Fleming, a library media specialist from New Milford (Conn.) High School, said in the Spring 2016 issue of EdTech: Focus on K–12, a good makerspace is one that puts the learner first.
That being said, creating a makerspace that teaches students the skills to aid them in creative and technological futures doesn’t necessarily require renovations and a rollout of new tech.
Fleming’s space, for example, thrives on donations of old computers from her school’s IT department. Here are five other ways to create a makerspace now.