MAKER: Come to the Dark Side—We Have Cookies: Creating an Interactive Display to Engage Everyone in STEAM

In a not so distant place, in a galaxy much similar to our own we find ourselves delving into the “dark side” of things to engage students. Find out how a somewhat nontraditional approach to student and community engagement has lead to huge interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math fields at The University of Texas at El Paso. This Maker demonstration will showcase how utilizing a theme such as Star Wars creates a framework for student exploration into the Maker field. We will present multiple Maker components created by students to work both independently and to become part of a larger interactive display focused around a common theme. Each Maker piece will have accompanying instructions on how to design and build it. We will be providing the larger framework guidelines to be able to replicate such an interactive display in a variety of academic programs (K-12 to college). This approach allows for students’ personalized learning on their own Maker project while bringing into view the bigger picture of the needs for design specifications and the utilization of skills outside their traditional areas of study. The Maker components include Arduinos, LEDs, stepper motors, 3D printed objects, etc. Thus begins a new hope for STEAM. It is a period of academic unrest as we venture to the “dark side” and bring about a period of personalized engagement. Help us in our battle to win against the “SAGE ON THE STAGE” and their power to destroy an entire learning experience. USE THE FORCE of ENGAGEMENT to make a new future for STEAM.