Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

9.30.10 | In this short podcast, Miquela Craytor, executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, talks about how in the process of making things and tinkering, students get a glimpse of the systems and processes that go into producing something.

In unraveling how things are made, she says, students develop their own systems thinking and problem-solving skills. Ultimately, “tinkering gives kids the license to drive their lives in many different directions.”

The Sustainable South Bronx was a 2008 Digital Media and Learning Competition winner for its project that allowed students to turn digital models into real-world constructions of plastic, metal, wood and more in support of urban sustainability. The two organizations later partnered to create GreenFab, a high school program for students from the South Bronx that aims to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills through classes on sustainable design and green technologies.

The joy of tinkering and making things is no more evident than at last weekend’s World Maker Faire in New York. Robots, hydroponic planters, a human-scale game of Mouse Trap—all are evidence of how engaging it can be to design and make things.

Related: For more on the maker movement and how educators are using tinkering to re-engage kids in learning see “Re-Making Detroit” and “Tinkering the Classroom” at Spotlight.