McNicholas officially opens the “makerspace” for every class, every student.
Located in Room 1 in freshman hall, students can now use the new makerspace, officially called McMakerspace, for any sort of project they want to work on whether it be for a class project or a personal project. There are a variety of tech tools to create, design, and build in the new space. For example, students might use the McMakerspace to print a poster for a history class or they may use the Spheros to learn about graphs in math class.
There are three opportunities for students to go to the McMakerspace: One is during Explore Bell on Thursdays, the second is during Maker Club on Thursdays after school, and the third is by appointment with a class.
“Students will get to experience the design process. Whether the product is physical or digital, students will get to make something from start to finish. I think this is a different type of learning process than students typically do in their classes. This will be a positive experience for many students who prefer to learn by doing. Also, students will get to learn new types of technology. We have some pretty neat equipment for students to try out,” Director of Educational Technology Emily Materna said.
The McMakerspace is planning to have future programs, according to Materna. “Right now there are those three programs in the McMakerspace. I’m sure we will have more special events in the future, but, those are the three programs so far,” Materna said
“The McMakerspace just opened, but I already have kids signing up for Explore sessions in the space, and we had a nice turn out for the first Maker Club. I think we are off to a great start,” Mrs.materna said
Materna said that most of the equipment was paid for outside of regular school funds. “Most of the technology was purchased with Auxilary Funds [from the State of Ohio], which stipulates that all tools and materials are dedicated for student use” Materna said.
The McNicholas Milestone 