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The SVMS Library Is Cool For School!

A Makerspace is a collaborative space filled with assorted technologies for students to create and develop innovative ideas. Makerspaces leverage thinking skills typically used and taught in science, technology, engineering and math and apply them to other areas and tasks.

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Thanks to the Saucon Valley Foundation for Educational Innovation, SVMS made some space for Makerspace.

There is a lot of good going on in Saucon Valley schools.  A BIG Thanks to Saucon Valley Middle School librarian, Meredith Lesney, for sharing Makerspace technology with Saucon Source.

Last year, The Saucon Valley Foundation for Educational Innovation awarded the Saucon Valley Middle School library a generous grant to create a Makerspace.

A Makerspace is a collaborative space filled with assorted technologies for students to create and develop innovative ideas. Makerspaces leverage thinking skills typically used and taught in science, technology, engineering and math and apply them to other areas and tasks.  

Engaging, thought-provoking and interactive.

As middle school librarian, my hope is to expose our students to different technologies that develop and support 21st Century skills like creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Makerspaces put students in control of their own curiosities and learning which they can use as they grow into adults and choose future college and career goals and pathways. In the short time that we have implemented our Makerspace, the library has become a place of knowledge creation instead of knowledge consumption. The library, which is already the heart of our middle school, will continue to be a place where lifelong learning occurs. By placing the Makerspace in our library, we provide equal access to technology and create opportunities to students of all backgrounds in our community thereby encouraging collaboration in diversity. One benefit of this program will be the assurance that our school library remains in the forefront of providing learning opportunities.

We have paired the Makerspace with the middle school coding curriculum to engage students from a variety of backgrounds and abilities using tactical tools in an environment that fosters experimentation and the iterative problem solving process. This process encourages students to safely try and retry task challenges, strengthening their resiliency, self confidence, and persistence. Students will move away from following directions to creating a map of their learning which will develop ownership and personalization of their skills.  

You can either consume or creat knowledge in the SVMS library!

We worked hard over the summer and in the beginning of the school year to organize and get everything ready.  We are collecting data on the Makerspace so that we can continuously evaluate the Makerspace to meet the needs of our learners.

We are very grateful to the Foundation for giving this amazing experience to our students. Please support them if possible. They truly accept and support our educational endeavors.

 

Meredith Lesney

 SVMS Librarian

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Keith Riefenstahl

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