As digital fabrication grows in popularity, innovators in education are recognizing the
enormous potential that Fab Labs and other maker spaces can bring to students in a
school environment. As the technology of digital fabrication becomes more readily
available, affordable and easy to use, incorporating digital fabrication in schools is
becoming a reality. However, Fab Labs and maker spaces as conceived are not built
to serve the distinct needs of a school district.
TIES and the Fab Foundation are responding to the growing needs of educational
institutions across the globe for innovative and engaging learning spaces. This
collaboration, which started with the design and launch of MC2STEM High School in
Cleveland, OH, has the goal of bringing digital fabrication into the formal PreKindergarten through Workforce learning, training, and development environment.
The collaboration is called FabEd--a global educational outreach project anchored
by digital fabrication and the Fab Lab network to provide educational organizations
support as they begin using digital fabrication as a pathway to STEM teaching and
learning. FabEd is a coordinated global effort to provide guidance and fidelity as
digital fabrication moves into the formal world of education.
FabEd’s mission is to facilitate integrating the enormous potential of digital
fabrication with the tactical and practical needs of schools and school districts.
Our goals are:
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To help school districts and schools align the learning potential of digital fabrication
with the parameters of national and state education standards.
To help school districts and schools build a digital fabrication curriculum that
encourages curiosity and exploration but still delivers on evolving best practices in
education pedagogy.
To help school districts and schools train educators from traditionally siloed
disciplines to collaborate on and integrate their curricula and teaching methodologies
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so that, as a team, they are able to develop capstone-like courses that leverage
content knowledge, science and engineering practices, and Fab Lab experiences.
To connect schools to larger communities of practice; such as the global Fab Lab
network, as well as to resources such as local stakeholders. FabEd will leverage
the Fab Lab global network as well as the TIES STEM network to bring best
practices and expertise to schools planning to use digital fabrication.
For more information please see: http://www.tiesteach.org/projects/fab-lab
Jan Morrison, CEO and President, TIES
Sherry Lassiter, Director, Fab Foundation
FabEd
www.facebook.com/groups/179034145601887/
www.twitter.com/@infoFabEd
http://www.tiesteach.org/projects/fab-lab