07/18/2016 -
The Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) is hosting a one-of-a-kind conference on maker education August 3-5 that will draw leaders in the movement from around the state and the country.
The first-ever reMAKE Education Summit will be held at 180 Studios, a newly-opened 15,000 square foot makerspace on Todd Road in Santa Rosa. At a time when President Obama is emphasizing the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, maker education is being embraced as a way to engage students with this important curriculum. SCOE has long been a leader in this movement, helping to start a Make Certificate program for teachers at Sonoma State University, hiring its own, full-time Curriculum Coordinator for Make, and building a Design Lab where local teachers can learn the basics and become acquainted with tools like laser cutters, 3D printers, and more.
This summit is designed to train more than 200 educators from all grade levels and subject areas in how to bring the maker movement to classrooms around Sonoma County, the state, and the nation.
Dan Blake, Director of Innovation & Partnerships at SCOE, said, "There is incredible energy surrounding the maker education movement, both locally and around the state and country. This summit is intended to capitalize on that energy by bringing educators together with leaders in the maker movement to learn alongside one another, share innovative ideas, and build professional networks.”
Attendees will engage in hands-on making tutorials, hear from renowned speakers, utilize state-of the-art equipment, and hear what’s working best in classrooms around the country. Hands-on sessions will be nothing like the usual abstract conference material. Designed to engage and empower teachers (and their students in turn), they include topics like: building electric vehicles in the classroom; using video apps to tell stories; why girls like engineering; and circuitry and robotics. Attendees will also have the chance to tour innovative Bay Area companies and local school makerspaces.
“We want attendees to be immersed in hands-on maker activities so that they can learn and understand for themselves the power of this approach to teaching and learning," Blake said. The media is invited to attend a session and/or tour. For more information, contact Dan Blake at dblake@scoe.org or visit remakeeducation.org.
