Nordonia Makers

I got to visit one of the Nordonia MakerSpaces the other day and talk with Dr. Joe Clark and Matt Gauger about some of the things they are doing across the District. I met them at Northfield Elementary and we talked in the MakerSpace that they have created in conjunction with Camp Invention. They are piloting some curriculum from Camp Invention as well as utilizing the buying power of the camp when they need consumables. In addition to integrating maker in to the curriculum, teachers have created maker challenge cards to extend the learning for the students. The PTA has donated a Lego wall in this space. The flexible seating that they put into this room made many teachers in all of the buildings consider flexible seating. The District has been able to put some flexible seating in every classroom that wanted it.

I did not get to tour other buildings, but Maker is happening at all of them. Some buildings have robotics going on. The District has 2 augmented reality sandboxes and are looking to make more, especially since they have a local company that wants to donate the technology and District people who want to build the boxes. One of the buildings has a small room, but because of some double wide hallways, they are able to bring maker materials out into the halls. The MakerSpaces are different in each of the buildings, but most importantly it got people thinking not only about the curriculum but also the learning spaces.

​They are talking to local vendors and industries to make connections for their students, whether that be internships or just tours to see how things work. They really feel that each building is unique in the community relationships it can have and are trying to foster them for student learning. They do not want to always be asking for money, rather they want partnerships in the students education.
Keep up the good work. MAKE the world better