As we all gathered around a table to
work on our in-class LED circuit projects, I kept thinking about the parallels
and dissimilarities between our ongoing making and “the owl story” that Kristin
brought up earlier in class. I did feel there was some traits of this activity analogous to the
owls, especially the show-and-tell at the end of class that highlighted those
who successfully created a circuit in a creative way, leaving the unsuccessful
to draw unflattering comparisons with their own work. Yet, I also felt the
diverse and creative imaginations of our group combined with the open-ended
nature of the task led to very individualized projects that would lead the
maker to derive whatever satisfaction or disappointment they got out of the
process. In addition, we shared our materials as a group, which in turn became
an exchange of ideas as to how we could help each other make a switch for our
own circuits. The disappointment that the girl felt after making her owl might
have to do with the tension that Nicco brought up of product versus process or
means versus ends. Ultimately, I think our class activity focused more on the
process than the product itself, which I believe created an entirely different
atmosphere that, although not entirely eliminating the disappointments and
self-doubting comparisons inherent in making, contributes to a collective
confidence and cooperation in the making experience.
I think these examples lend well to
discussion of this week’s readings, which overwhelmingly emphasized the making of
expensive technology and tools accessible to those who might not have the
income or the education to utilize them. Explanations of the Arduino, for
instance, cast it as a cheap microcontroller that levels the playing field,
saying that “thanks to Arduino’s simplicity and ease-of-use, embedded systems
[1] and programming now have a much lower barrier of entry than before.” [2] Designing
opportunities for people to practice important skills like programming and
learn about the integral use of embedded systems allows for a demystifying and
democratization of knowledge around how technology operates in our society. The New York Times article detailing the
transformations of libraries into “hands-on creative hubs” and the embrace of a
“library of things” also demonstrates how the circulation of expensive tools
can have an impact on technical learning. [3]
These open-access snapshots provide
valuable insight into how people are responding to the maker movement, with an
emphasis on making “making” as an accessible activity for all. Yet, the owl
story throws a wrench into this movement’s ethos: what happens if making
becomes all about the end result instead of the sharing experience? In his
description of the “maker mindset,” Dougherty acknowledges that the maker
community sees sharing as “the default setting” [4], which would lead one to
believe that the maker movement is about collaboration and idea exchange for
the greater good. Yet, Dougherty insists that “it would be wrong to think of
openness as a requirement” and that people share for expressly the personal
benefits of sharing. [5] Ultimately, this inability to separate the
individualistic “product” approach from the collective “process” approach
prevents a coherent message to resound from the maker movement. The owl story
reveals just that.
--
[1] According to Wikipedia, an embedded system is a “computer system with a dedicated function
within a larger mechanical or electrical system” such as a traffic light or a
digital watch!
[2] Robinson, Scott. “What Is Arduino?” September
14, 2015. http://stackabuse.com/what-is-arduino/.
[3] Brown, Patricia Leigh. “These Public Libraries
Are for Snowshoes and Ukuleles.” (The New York Times), September 15,
2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/us/these-public-libraries-are-for-snowshoes-and-ukuleles.html.
[4] Dougherty, Dale (with Ariane Conrad). Free
to Make: How the Maker Movement is Changing Our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our
Minds. (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2016), p. 159.
[5]
Dougherty, Free to Make, pp. 159-160.
