The Top 5 Questions I Get About the Maker Movement

This blog post was originally published on the 4-H Today Blog where I am a monthly contributor. I wrote this piece because I am actively involved in the Maker Movement and  I believe this community is one that the Cooperative Extension System of Land Grant Universities should actively seek to serve. 

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It’s funny how people talk about ‘making’ like it’s this new thing. I guess for some it really is. Last month I blogged about how 4-H was the original Maker Movement, starting over 100 years ago. I also hosted a webinar entitled, “Extension & the Maker Movement,” and was able to answer a multitude of questions about the Maker Movement from professionals across the country. 

To enrich this discussion, I felt it necessary to answer these five basic questions about the Maker Movement:

1. What is Making?
   
   Making is a way of creative expression. The sort of thing that happens when science, art, technology and design are combined. It has also been referred to as tinkering, crafting, building and many other cool sounding verbs. Making embraces a broad area of interests and skills; in fact, maker projects commonly combine several of each. 
   
   The modern ‘makes’ you’ll find online today at Makezine, Instructables and across YouTube are projects that re-connect hardware and software. These technologies are being uses to increase our capacity to interact in the physical world and instigate actions--like with an autonomous robot. 
   
   Making requires learning how to use and control both tools and materials. Makers use old as well as new tools (i.e. 3D printers, laser cutters) to bring their ideas into the physical world. Advances in technology have allowed the making of physical things to be easier than ever before.
    
2. Why is Making important?
   
   Making is personally gratifying. Through the process of making comes a feeling of fulfillment and sense of achievement. Making is also important because those who make and share discover others who also make and share. This builds community, whether local or online. Finally, making provides the opportunity to innovate and create products that spur industry and generate new jobs.
    
3. Where did the Maker Movement start?
   
   In 2005, Make Magazine introduced the term Maker as a broadly defined identity for people (mostly amateurs) who like making things. Later, in 2006 Maker Media, the company behind Make Magazine, started the Bay Area Maker Faire to assemble these makers and celebrate their projects. The magazine and faire began the movement but the reason it is so tremendous today is because of the individual efforts of makers. Makers share their projects online, build makerspaces, create crowd-funded products, and start businesses.  
   
   The Maker Movement is a social network that anyone can join. Even you!
   
   Makers are also found throughout history. I would consider Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell, Tim Berners, Alan Turing, Henry Ford, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Orville and Wilbur Wright all makers. And today we have a new generation of innovators, like Easton LaChappelle, who will be known for the projects they commercialize or give away.
    
4. Who Makes?
   
   Makers can be found in every community in the world. There are different types of makers depending on their interests and skills. A maker could be an engineer, computer programmer, chef, mechanic, educator, or crafter. 
   
   Making is meant to be enjoyed, an excuse to learn new skills like: baking bread or making a LED light cube.
   
   What I love about making is that it provides me with a way to engage with my kids. We love making cookies, rockets, robots, and cardboard armor.
   
   For some, the things they make turn into businesses.
    
5. How do I get involved in Making?
   
   Getting involved starts by recognizing that you are already a maker. We are all makers. We just make different things. Some of us sew and craft, others sculpt and 3D image, or carve, or weld. Making takes different forms. There are new ways to make as well as traditional ways. You can learn them all. 
   
   Start by searching for online resources for the next thing you want to make. Find places in your community where makers gather; it’s likely to be called a makerspace. At a makerspace you can access the tools of innovation and find mentors there who can help you.
   
   I encourage you to find a Maker Faire near you. Not only will you find it inspiring, but you’ll see some of the most incredible projects in the world. 

Is your 4-H program engaging in the Maker Movement? If so, please leave a comment and let me know what you are making.

I’m starting an eXtension Maker Community so all of us in the world of Extension and 4-H can come together to share ideas and resources as well as support one another in our effort to be relevant 4-H professionals in the 21st century.