This isn’t the middle school classroom you remember from your adolescent years. In one corner, a 3-D printer is rhythmically cranking out new artifacts as if it had a mind of its own. In fact, the printer has been programmed by the students to carry out their instructions.
The “fusion machine” sits under the windows, ready for a woodworking task, and there are laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and electronics. You’ll also see tubs of low-tech materials — cotton balls, old CDs, buttons, pulleys, ties, wooden clothespins, and other odds and ends ready to be repurposed.
About two years ago, Eli Rosenberg walked into this room and found only four cafeteria style tables. But the Main Street Middle School teacher had asked for this assignment, and he was eager to carry out his mission of creating a makerspace at MSMS.
A makerspace — a concept…
