‘Making’ a Better World
When the tools were properly sharpened, honed and held at just the right angle, the wood strips peeled off in an effortless curly ribbon. There was a unique feel and sound to making (turning) a decorative bowl on the well-used wood lathe in our family’s backyard workshop. We knew without having to look which wood species was being shaped by the pungent smell of the fresh sawdust. There were always fantastic projects going on in the family workshop, from wooden bowls and sculptures to abalone jewelry.
Sometimes we look back on events in our childhood with nostalgia and fondness, yet feeling slightly remiss that we did not have a greater sense of appreciation for their special significance at the time that they were taking place. For my brothers and I, this was never the case. These were magic times that were treasured and fully appreciated … to the extent that we have never stopped being “makers.”
As a longtime educator in the Imperial Valley, my brother Doug Evers has always brought interesting projects into the classroom. Long before solar energy became mainstream, Mr. Evers taught the concept to his students by having the entire class participate in engineering and building (perhaps the world’s first) giant solar cooker, with a capacity great enough to roast over 200 hot dogs at a time. Then came the replication of Buckminster Fuller’s famous geodesic dome, and the giant globe at Harding Elementary School. These projects were great fun, and it is difficult to go with my brother anywhere in the Imperial Valley without running into former students who love to talk about these experiences. With the constant pressure that teachers are currently under to prepare for testing, these types of handson activities may appear to be a thing of the past. There is now an abundance of new research that confirms that for many students project-based learning far outperforms textbooks when it comes to comprehension and retention. For Mr. Evers, this was his way of keeping students engaged in difficult academic challenges. The solution to the complex math required to create the parabolic curved reflector panel on the solar cooker became evident to students when they could visualize the necessity for all of the captured rays to be reflected directly onto the food. The geometry involved in the making of the geodesic dome was far beyond grade-level, but by the time students walked through every step of its creation, they were able to figure out exactly how it all fit together. Many adults have difficulty with the understanding of geo-location using longitude and latitude, but for students who worked on the 8-foot-diameter globe, these are concepts that they will remember for a lifetime.
The growth of the modern “makers” movement is nothing short of a phenomenon, with many exciting new tools being added to the arsenal. Digital equipment, such as CNC routers and 3-D printers set side-by-side with the traditional tools (once the backbone of the junior high school woodshop) in maker’s spaces, which are springing up in communities around the world. Hackathons. tech shops, makerspaces: these terms are increasingly used in today’s vernacular, and for good reason: they represent a global movement for people of all ages who are designing and developing their own creative works to answer many of the complex problems and needs of a modern life. The impact upon the world through this age of the maker is enormous. Innovative discovery is no longer the sole domain of the “men of science” in white lab coats.
“The makers culture leans heavily on the idea of constructivism — that is that learning is done best through doing.” (Forbes Magazine) In its simplest form, making is learning by doing. From elementary schools to universities, educational institutions are beginning to embrace making as the best means to engage students in learning by fostering critical thinking skills and igniting creative development. Make Magazine began in 2005, and the first Maker Faire took place in San Mateo in 2006. Now Maker Faires have become a worldwide celebration for people who simply love to create. For my brothers and I, being makers is just about as important as being breathers. The next Maker Faire event will be taking place in Balboa Park on Oct. 1-2. Makers Faire San Diego will be a hands-on visual feast of invention and creativity and a celebration of the maker movement. Make plans to come to Balboa Park as San Diego again plays host to this celebration of technology, arts, crafts, science, many more projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset. It’s for innovative, creative people who like to tinker and love to create, and also for those curious minds who want to see what new and innovative things are just around the corner. Just keep in mind that anyone can be a maker … and prepare to be amazed! For more information on the Rain
Forest Art Projects Makers Program call 619-756-7442.