Making and Tinkering in Robotics (and 4-H)
Andrea Ambrose · 2014
Maker Movement The do-it-yourself (DIY) culture resurged in the 1970’s with an assortment of practices – modifying objects by repurposing, reusing, and upcycling; fabricating scientific equipment to participate in citizen science, and self-publishing books. The Maker Movement is a technology-based extension of DIY emphasizing a spirit of innovation and creativity. Make is typically seen as the use of digital tools to design, create, and share projects. The Maker Movement has gained recognition as an approach to involve young people in technology-based projects (like programming an Arduino microcontroller). The Make:® brand has been championed by Maker Media, Inc., which oversees the Make Magazine®, Maker Faire®, and Maker Shed store. The Make Magazine® is the pinnacle of the Make:® image. An analysis of cover arts indicates an emphasis on electronics; projects featured on the previous 36 covers in the past nine years have included 53% electronics, 31% vehicles, 22% robots, 8% rockets, and 5% musici. In addition, Make:® presents a narrow focus on who can be a Maker. Zero percent (0%) of covers of the past Make Magazines® have featured people of color and only 15% of covers have featured a girl or womani.