September 20, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County High School has transformed its library to a media center with the addition of a makerspace.
Funded by a $10,000 grant, the makerspace transitions the school library from a traditional setting to a more modern learning environment providing students the opportunity to explore creativity and enhance critical thinking skills through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In the makerspace, students have the ability to create things using 3D printers, Robotics, virtual reality technology, and more. A multitude of materials are available for students to explore and innovate on their own terms expanding the library’s reach beyond being merely a place where books are housed to a full-service learning, research, and project space.
(VIDEO BELOW SHOWS School Board member Shaun Tubbs observing students in the DCHS media center/library/ makerspace operating robots “Linda” and “Terry” from Ipads. The robots can be made to talk, move their heads, and move across the floor. The demonstrations show students how robotics can be used for fun as well as for industrial use in factories.
IMG_1290 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
School administrators hosted a luncheon and Ribbon Cutting Thursday at DCHS to make the formal announcement of the new makerspace and to show it off to business, government, and civic leaders of the community.