By Beth Garcia
Whether its called a Makerlab, Hackerspace, Fablab, or Makerplace, these community-minded workshops are popping up all over the country, from elementary schools and universities to independent community centers; both physical and virtual. This post discusses the ways that these workshops can bridge the divide between digital and physical innovation in the humanities and social sciences.
What even is a makerspace you may ask? Makerspaces are an intriguing shift in education that has been gaining momentum across the country. Proponents of makerspaces assert that they are less of an educational tool and more of a mindset. These days the overwhelming advancement of technology has allowed students to have the world at their fingertips. However, this has led many to suggest that we as students are merely technology zombies, consuming and regurgitating information with a quick swipe of our finger. Makerspaces are meant to turn that mindless consumption into creation.
Instead of learning to use specific tools in the narrow focus of a major, course, or assignment, students are provided a space dedicated to tinkering, to playing, to learning something completely new or applying the concepts of previous lessons to the physical world. They are meant to be a space for inspiration and innovation not rigid coursework.
It should be no surprise that this maker mindset would pair well with digital humanities, a not so easily defined field that values collaboration, connection, making, and interpreting. An exact definition may be hard to pin down, but digital humanities involves not just the use of technology for humanities projects, but also how that use can change the user experience (Rieder). Digital humanities is about creating and building something together, be it with other professionals in the same field on the other side of the world, or with an interdisciplinary team that can approach a topic from many angles. These two seemingly different areas of education in fact foster the same core concepts of innovation and diversity of thought and skill. They free students from the consumption zombies that modern education has churned out for far too long.
So how do these fields compliment each other? Why is it important to blend these two seemingly at odds fields of digital space and physical space? An article written by David M. Reider and Jessica Elam-Handloff entitled “Makerspaces” outlines three particular points that nicely sum up the advantages of this collaboration.
First, makerspaces promote an inquiry-based approach to learning, often without a specific goal in mind. This allows students to experiment with technology and go beyond what is needed to complete the next assignment. This is a perfect approach for digital humanities which often values “the disruption of and reflection on traditional practices” (Glauberman).
Second, makerspaces promote collaboration across multiple disciplines; a core concept of digital humanities. It is not uncommon to find a 3D printer on the same desk as a sewing machine or a circuit board stored next to a sketchpad and pencil. Beyond sharing tools, a makerspace is a place for sharing ideas, knowledge, and experience. Combining makerspaces and digital humanities allows students to move beyond the historic divide of the humanities and the sciences.
Third, this combination allows students to move beyond the traditional concept of what it is to think and engage critically. Matt Ratto, University of Toronto Associate Professor, explained “most people consider thinking a linguistic practice—an internal monologue in which we use conceptual categories to make sense of the world around us. Similarly, we tend to think of criticality as a particular form of thinking, one in which we pause to reflect, and step briefly away from action in the world in order to reason and consider these actions” (Hertz).
Makerspaces promote an engagement with new forms of critical thinking through the process of making.
David M. Rieder & Jessica Elam-Handloff, Makerspace
While the MakerLab at SIUE may be relatively new, many universities across the country have been implementing their own versions of MakerSpaces for some time, combining the innovation of physical experimentation with the possibilities of digital humanities.
Duke University has made archeological innovations using Augmented reality, immersive virtual reality, WebGIS, and 3D modeling. Their current and past projects range from creating an AR experience that takes a step by step look at the excavation of archeological ruins to creating virtual reconstructions of lost or underrepresented heritage sites. They’ve even partnered with museums to create and interactive Tangible Interactive Tablet for Archeology (TITA). Check out these innovative projects at the Duke University Digital Digging Laboratory (diglab.org). You can explore what else they’re cooking up in digital humanities at digitalhumanities.duke.edu/doing-dh .
Out of Stanford University comes an interesting project called the City Nature. With the aim of addressing the growing issues of global urban population growth versus adequate access to open spaces and conservation of critical local habitats, the City Nature project combines humanistic and social science fields with the sciences, namely satellite imagery and spatial analysis. They’ve been able to develop interactive mapping and visualization tools to explore this data. See their progress here and other Stanford digital humanities projects at digitalhumanities.stanford.edu/projects.
If you’re ready to start tinkering with some new or familiar tools, check out SIUE’s own MakerLab in the Lovejoy Library. The MakerLab has a wide array of tools for use. Whether you’re looking for something more traditional like sewing, t-shirt making, and printing and laminating or looking to break into the newest technology with virtual reality, 3D printing, or graphic design, the MakerLab is ready to help you get started. Check out the full list of current tools available at the makerlab website. You can find current hours, reservation times, and contact information for more questions.
Watch the videos below for more information on the Glowforge laser cutter/printer, 3D printing, and virtual reality. You’ll find a quick introduction, additional information on the process, and some online resources to learn more.
Looking for some larger or more advanced machinery than SIUE has to offer? St. Louis has several makerspaces available for a variety of interests at any skill level. Head over to Made in STL (madestl.com) to check out their tools, skilled experts, and training classes. You can book a tour, sign up for training, or become a member.
The IRIS Center and Lovejoy Library’s MakerLab are here to help make the most out of education with a myriad of virtual and physical tools. Broaden your skills by shedding the consumption mindset and adapting one of creation, innovation, and collaboration. Let’s create and build something together.
Christensen, R. (2013). City nature. Retrieved March 20, 2021, from https://citynature.stanford.edu/
Digital digging LABORATORY. (2020, December 23). Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://diglab.org/
Digital humanities. (2021). Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://digitalhumanities.duke.edu/doing-dh
Glauberman, J. (2016). Digital humanities At Duke University Libraries: DEFINING digital humanities. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from https://guides.library.duke.edu/digital_humanities
Hertz, G. (2021, June 13). Defining Critical Making: Matt Ratto in Conversation with Garnet Hertz. Retrieved April 7, 2021, from https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/ctheory/article/view/15123/6206
MADE Makerspace: For St. Louis makers, artists, and entrepreneurs. (2021, January 30). Retrieved April 8, 2021, from https://madestl.com/
Rieder, D. M., & Elam-Handloff, J. (n.d.). Makerspaces. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://digitalpedagogy.mla.hcommons.org/
Roffey, T. (n.d.). Makerspace. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/makerspace.html