Maker & STEM

Our nation’s continued economic prosperity is closely linked with student success in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Use these resources to explore the critical role STEM education plays in driving innovation, and how schools and districts can expand the capacity and diversity of tomorrow’s STEM workforce.

A maker space shouldAspects of MakerSteps to creating a maker space

Afterschool Maker Spaces

Learn how to start an afterschool Maker space in your school

Funding School Maker Spaces

Familiarize yourself with the funding options and resources that can bring “Making” to your school

Make and Take

Discover what it takes to create projects made of affordable materials that children can bring home

Making the Case for Making

Use this resource to share with peers, parents and administrators

Steps to Creating an Amazing Make Space

Discover the simple steps to organizing and implementing a Maker Space

The Maker Space Library

Learn the techniques for getting a Maker mindset going in your school, starting with the school library

What is Design Thinking?

Learn more about the Design Thinking process and how it helps in questioning a problem, assumptions, and overall implications by re-framing the issue in fresh new ways

What Makes a Maker Space?

Discover the basic elements for a successful Maker curriculum

Maker Resources

See the wide-range of simple resources available to students and teachers

Enhancing NGSS Through Makerspaces

Cross-reference the Science and Engineering Practices with the Makerspace Movement to maximize hands-on learning.

Evaluating the Success of Your Makerspaces

Learn what makes a successful makerspace and how that success can be measured

Reality Bytes: Virtual Reality and K-12 Education

Virtual Reality immerses students in rich worlds to free learning from the confines of a screen.

Young girl in classroom
News
Accelerating Learning with Workplace Math Skills

Tools such as Math Assistant in OneNote for Education can make a difference in the effort to close the opportunity gap and accelerate learning for all.

2020 GitHub Education Classroom Report
News
The 2020 GitHub Education Classroom Report

The 2020 GitHub Education Classroom Report captures key insights into the student developer toolchain, how students are learning real-world workflows, and expectations around technical coursework.  

Blog
Parent Challenges and Solutions During COVID-19

With the right tools and the abandonment of perfection as a goal, curiosity and joy of learning can still occur with parents connected to the process like never before.

Blog
Enhancing Sharing in Simple and Meaningful New Ways

Ed-tech company Clarity Innovations worked with the Math Learning Center to create a dynamic new way to share math learning with teachers and peers. 

Blog
Reflections on Tech Use with Young Children

If technology isn't "good enough" for the children of the Silicon Valley innovators who created it, how can we defend its use in schools, especially with young children?

Blog
Augmented Vs. Virtual Reality: Which Will Transform Education?

Numerous studies have shown the strengths of both virtual and augmented reality use in the classroom. But which is the best fit for today's schools?

Blog
Using Visual Models to Spark Mathematical Discussion

When I reviewed my students’ work, I noticed that only one drew a picture of their solution strategy. The rest lacked a visual context for making sense of the problem.

Girl Working
Useful links
STEMming the Tide: STEM Tools for All Levels of Education

Utilizing hands-on curriculum is the key to inspiring our children to pursue STEM-related fields. It is vital that these lesson plans be engaging and accessible to all students.

students pointing up wearing VR headsets
Publication
Reality Bytes: Virtual Reality and K-12 Education

Making learning more personalized, more relevant, and more immersive have always been  the moving goal-posts of education. Digital media has helped create infinite opportunities in terms of access to dynamic content, but it’s still, for the most part, an extension of traditional learning: groups of students watching and absorbing static information with minimal interaction.

Blog
Five Things to Know about Design Thinking

Design thinking is a pretty hot topic for teachers and for schools. David Jakes has invested five years learning design and shares his five key points to consider.

Pages