I recently came across an article on the Conversation by Matthew Bennett entitled “Augmented reality promises to rescue dying museums – so why don’t visitors want to use it?” After reading the article and reflecting on my own thoughts about technology and museums, I decided to write this blog post. A little background – in addition to […]

Read more "Engagement, not gimmicks – thoughts on technology and museums"

Note: This is a follow-up article to a list we published in 2016 called Five Fun Maker Valentine’s Day Ideas. We encourage you to check out that list as well (especially the tutorial for creating LED clouds). We believe that Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to focus on creating rather than consuming. Show the special people […]

Read more "Even more fun maker movement Valentine’s Day ideas"

Building a makerspace can be a lot like the television show Breaking Bad. You start with a noble intention, you work hard creating something new, you invest your own identity into the project, and before you know it you realize that you’ve ended up in a really bad place. While it’s true few people who want […]

Read more "#MAKING Time For Self Care – the Importance of Mental Health in Your Makerspace"

At the MakerBus we try to keep up with viral maker projects. Ideas, videos, and projects that promise mind-blowing results with simple household materials. In this on-going blog series we’re going to test different viral maker projects and share our results. About two years ago, the DIY hologram project was a viral hit on the […]

Read more "Building a DIY smartphone hologram projector – is it as cool as the internet makes it look?"

‘Tis the season – a season that all too often celebrates consumerism. At the MakerBus we’re firm believers in critical making and ethical consumption – after all the maker movement celebrates building, tinkering, recycling, and finding creative solutions to problems. In the past few years we’ve noticed a big push by companies to commercialize the […]

Read more "Ideas for a maker movement Christmas"

We love the MaKey MaKey. Nothing will ever take the place of this quirky, fun, and downright joyous piece of maker technology. With that being said, a MaKey MaKey is not an inexpensive piece of equipment – especially if you’re buying a set for a makerspace, library, or classroom. That’s why we were thrilled to […]

Read more "How to make a micro:bit act like a MaKey MaKey (at a third the price)"

It can be easy to feel cynical about the direction of the maker movement as what started as a grass roots movement seems to be increasingly commoditized. The maker movement is everywhere these days – from schools, to libraries, to museums, to for-profit companies. With so many different people and organizations embracing the maker movement, […]

Read more "TreeOpp: How Cities Can Embrace the Maker Movement and Create Social Change"

Last week I delivered a keynote at the Big Sky Global Tech Summit in Big Sky Montana. Teachers at a local school in Big Sky have purchased a decommissioned school bus from their board and are busy transforming that bus into a mobile makerspace. Reflecting on the past 4+ years of MakerBus fun that Kim, […]

Read more "Top Ten Essential Pieces of Advice for Anyone Starting a Makerspace (Part 1)"

Here at the MakerBus we’ve had the privilege of testing a lot of different tools and ideas with a lot of different audiences. From developing a teen literacy module that taught at-risk youth to build their own drones, to trying to set a World Record, to building a 3D printer on a kitchen table, we’ve […]

Read more "Five Maker Tools We Don’t Recommend"