Opportunities

Theme for Seventh Issue (to be published in summer 2018): 
Making Experiences That Inspire STEM Learning

Contributions are due January 15, 2018

A 2014 news release from the National Science Foundation (NSF) made the following observations of the Maker Movement:

The "maker movement" is a technology-influenced, do-it-yourself (DIY) community that, since the early 2000s, has tapped into people's desire to create things in a hands-on way. Today, making is being experienced by more and more people, with activities to educate and inspire young and old.

NSF Assistant Director Joan Ferrini-Mundy, who led the Education and Human Resources directorate, observed, "There's no question that these kinds of activities are creative and can introduce young people to designing and building in a hands-on way. What we are most interested in at NSF is … how can making be used to most effectively help students of all backgrounds learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics?"

In 2015, the Maker Summit: Envisioning the Future of the Maker Movement, defined a Makerspace as being composed of three interconnected elements:

1. 1. A physical space where people work on and complete Making-related projects and activities.
2. 2. An open community space where exploration, creativity, and collaboration is emphasized.
3. 3. A multidisciplinary learning experience that seeks to create organic learning experiences for its participants.

Beyond offering unique learning experiences and spaces, the Maker Movement can impact engineering, education, and society in four key ways, according to Pramod Khargonekar, Assistant Director of the Directorate for Engineering at NSF:

1. 1. The relationship between informal and formal learning
2. 2. Teaching, evaluation, and assessment
3. 3. Diversity, accessibility, and inclusion
4. 4. New technologies and innovations
5.  

The Maker Movement is clearly having a significant influence on educators’ views on STEM learning, so the goal of Connected Science Learning's seventh issue is to highlight programs and research that connect effective Making and Tinkering experiences across in-school and out-of-school learning settings (e.g., home, museums, natural settings, media).

Contributions for the seventh issue are due Jan 15, 2018. 

For submission guidelines, contribution review form, and FAQs, visit: http://www.nsta.org/publications/csl/call.aspx