Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


East Central U Deploys Makerspace for Teacher Training

East Central University in Oklahoma has implemented a makerspace lab in its Department of Education to teach practicing and preservice educators how to set up and facilitate a makerspace in the classroom.

The university formally opened its new Pitsco Maker Space Lab in August 2016. Harvey Dean, founder and CEO of Pitsco Education, is an alumnus of the university and donated the materials and tools for the lab. This summer, a group of teachers took part in the lab's first summer workshop, where they took on the role of students as they brainstormed solutions to an open-ended challenge.

The Pitsco Maker Space Lab includes Pitsco's Invention Explore-A-Pak and other hands-on learning kits designed by the company to help teach topics such as physical science, engineering, aerospace, structures and sustainable energy. The lab space itself is designed to provide flexibility with mobile tables, chairs, whiteboards and cabinets that can be reconfigured on the fly.

The university will use the space to hold workshops, courses and professional development events for both veteran and preservice teachers. "The Pitsco Maker Space kits will be used in Education Methods Classes as well as in collaborative activities with our area school partners," said Brenda Sherbourne, dean of ECU's College of Education and Psychology, in a news release. "By utilizing Maker Space products in our teacher education program we are preparing our pre-service teachers to provide challenging curriculum for P-12 area students."

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Digital Network of User Profiles and Data Connections

    Microsoft, RSA Make Identity Security Push in the Age of AI

    Two of the bigger authentication announcements to come out of the recent RSA Conference both point in the same direction: Organizations need a more flexible, unified approach to identity security, especially as AI agents start acting alongside human workers.

  • Blue digital wireframe classical building structure

    Before AI, Fix Your Data

    Institutions don't have to solve every data problem before they can begin using AI responsibly. But they do need to treat information as a strategic asset — not a byproduct of operations — and start building toward AI-ready data now.

  • businesspeople in silhouette with colorful network lines

    Report: AI Will Reshape Work More than Replace It, but Global Impact Is Uneven

    Richer countries face greater exposure to AI-driven changes than developing countries, which are less exposed to AI but risk being left behind, according to a joint report from the International Labour Organization and World Bank.

  • illustration of people collaborating around large interlocking gears and data charts

    Why ERP and AI Initiatives Stall at the Execution Layer: A CIO Perspective

    Higher education institutions are investing heavily in ERP modernization, analytics, and AI-driven capabilities. Yet even with these investments, many are running into the same issue: turning insight into coordinated, timely action.