The Role of Online Communication in a Maker Community

Litts, Breanne Krystine; Halverson, Erica Rosenfeld; Bakker, Maria

doi:10.4324/9781315726519-13

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Given this need of a guided space design, it is suggested that making can be supported in online environments of “peer‐supported feedback and mentorship, as well as access to peer‐created resources like tutorials” (Rafalow, 2016, p. 172). However, online or virtual environments need to be designed in such a way that they encourage newcomers and participatory identities (Litts, Halverson, & Bakker, 2016). Therefore, intentionality of design and technology is required to support a virtual environment for making.…”

Section: What Are Makerspaces?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging distance: Practical and pedagogical implications of virtual Makerspaces

Lock

Redmond

Orwin

et al. 2020

Computer Assisted Learning

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Makerspaces are locations where people with common interests can work on projects, share ideas, tools and expertise to make or create. There is an abundance of "how to" guides and research studies on physical makerspaces, little research focuses on describing the virtual making processes and the experiences therein. This qualitative study explores the experiences of seven participants who engaged in a synchronous virtual makerspace. Meeting once a month over 16 weeks, members of the International Maker Educator Network participated in the making of a robot. This case study describes how the virtual making occurred, the personal experiences of the makers, technology used to support virtual making, and the affordances and inhibitors of virtual making. Data are analysed through the lens of a professional learning community and the People, Means and Activities makerspace framework. The paper concludes with implications for virtual making in practice and future research opportunities.

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Section: What Are Makerspaces?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging distance: Practical and pedagogical implications of virtual Makerspaces

Lock

Redmond

Orwin

et al. 2020

Computer Assisted Learning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the physical material aspect of Making is what attracts participantsthey can play with, work with, and produce concrete artifacts that they like and can personalizethe corresponding digital aspects of the process provides the affordance to share, problem solve, and innovate without the boundaries of a physical space. The Maker Movement resides in the digital ecosystem and it is this self-emerging, cyber-physical, sociomaterial system [13] which is one of the primary innovations of the Maker Movement [16,20]. Without the digital elements, such as online forums and communities, the Maker Movement would not have achieved the scalability that it has in such a short period nor would it have had the diverse impact, in terms of education, outreach, or innovation.…”

Section: Makers and Making Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Situated Cognition Genres: A Situated Learning Approach for Examining Informal Learning in an Online Community of Makers

Johri

2017 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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This theory paper revisits the situated cognition paradigm through the lens of Makers and Making and argues that to better understand engineering learning in emerging digital sociomaterial contexts such as Maker communities it is critical to incorporate a genre perspective within situated cognition. The genre perspective provides a better analytical device to understand cognition, in particular, its discursive aspects. Unlike traditional situated learning settings where learners were embedded in the same site for extensive periods of time, current learning environments supports a lighter vein of cognitive apprenticeship as learners switch participation frequently and rely extensively on external sources. A situated cognition genre perspective also provides a mechanism to trace learners' trajectory across sitesboth online and offlineand participate in different cognitive episodes. As an empirical case study, I examine an online forum related to 3D printing/Making called Soliforum. Consistent with research on situated learning, findings illustrate that digital materiality provides ample support for informal learning through affordances for displaying social characteristics, allowing use of different forms of informational resources, and providing support for problem solving activities among participants. The genre perspective facilitates additional examination of cognitive affordances of the online community by examining what constitutes the different cognitive episodesasynchronous interaction; use of text, visuals, and videos; feedback from multiple experts; and the ability to learn from worked out examples. I argue that-situated cognition genres" is an important perspective for analysis of different engineering learning environments as well as for their design.

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“…The rise of the maker movement, coupled with this digital transformation, has paralleled rapid growth of online making communities [6]. Online tools and communities advocate learning through making, building, tinkering, playing, and creating [7]. Members' activities in such communities generally seek to master one's own making abilities while contributing to shaping the practice for others [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work in Progress: Exploration of Student Learning in Online Maker Communities

Saracino,

Sadel,

Aleman

et al.

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings

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is a M.S. graduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology under the guidance of Dr. Julie Linsey. Her B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering is also from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she began conducting research and interned with BAE Systems and Pratt and Whitney. Danielle's research interests are how academic makerspaces support student learning and how this compares across various communities.

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The Role of Online Communication in a Maker Community

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Bridging distance: Practical and pedagogical implications of virtual Makerspaces

Bridging distance: Practical and pedagogical implications of virtual Makerspaces

Situated Cognition Genres: A Situated Learning Approach for Examining Informal Learning in an Online Community of Makers

Work in Progress: Exploration of Student Learning in Online Maker Communities

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