Maker movement inspires students, teachers

Sebastopol sophomore Jessie Davidson wouldn’t call herself a nerd. A year ago, she wasn’t really comfortable using a screwdriver. But since September, as part of her regular high school curriculum, she’s learned how to wield a soldering iron, wire up a circuit and write some code. Now she’s figured out how to build a solar-powered charging device inside an Altoid tin – and become the school expert on the design.

What makes her most proud? Figuring out how to solve a complex, real-world problem – and sharing that knowledge with her friends. "It’s cool when kids say, ‘Hey, thanks for helping me build my charger.’ "

For all the hand-wringing that Americans have done over education, much of the concern especially for middle and high school students comes down to this: How do you help kids build the skills they will need to solve real problems?

Give them the tools to make something. And these days, those tools are technological ones.

Betsy Corcoran

Full Story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/06/INFM1OBAGB.DTL