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If you like to keep up with the latest trends in education, fab lab, hackerspace and makerspace are probably terms you have been hearing about. For those schools that want to stay on the cutting edge of curriculum, it is clear that this requires some sort of creation space where students can tinker, collaborate and innovate. With so many models out there with various materials and tools, it is important to differentiate between the options to figure out what fits your needs best. What is special about a fab lab? Unlike other spaces, which could include all sorts of tools and materials, fab labs require a very specific set of tools which facilitate fabrication from particular materials.
While a fab lab is definitely a fabulous learning tool, that’s not where the name comes from. Fab is short for fabrication, because this is a space where students can create complete products from raw materials, fabricating with the use of special machines including incubators, hydrometers, laser cutters and milling machines. These tools are programed to manipulate and shape raw materials such as vinyl and steel into all sorts of products. In fact, the possibilities are truly infinite. As Jean-Michel Molenaar points out, you can even use a fab lab to create another fab lab!
Unlike a fab lab, a makerspace can have virtually anything. It can include digital tools and traditional building tools, as well as all sorts of materials. A real fab lab only has the specific tools required for fabrication using a certain set of materials. Additionally, while a makerspace puts the focus on your students and their personal projects, a fab lab comes with the built-in potential for global collaboration on any given project.
The sky's the limit, when it comes to the potential for 21st century education. The job of the educator in a fab lab is to work as a facilitator. Students should be given open-ended tasks and projects which provide a springboard for education and creation. The teacher will need to teach students how to properly use the machines and tools included in the space, and help them troubleshoot, while seeing projects through from start to finish. This will also include taking the right steps by choosing the proper materials and tools for each project.
Like any project-based learning, fab lab tasks are especially conducive to teamwork and collaboration. Perhaps some students who are particularly skilled in programming can be paired with others who have an eye and flair for design. There is also an added dimension of global collaboration when it comes to creation in fab labs. Because each lab has the same set of tools and materials, students can share open source fab lab designs, which can then be duplicated down to the smallest detail, anywhere in the world. This also creates the potential for anyone to modify or improve on a design. That gives your the real potential to have a global influence, with international collaboration.
Even if you are able to snag a fab lab which has been duplicated in an existing fab lab, getting the space set up and running will still cost a school significant money. While you can certainly use any crowdfunding website, or even one geared specifically toward educational projects, there are also opportunities to get funds in other places. For example, you can apply for designated fab lab grants from various companies and foundations, to bring this cool tool into your school.
Fab labs are truly geared toward 21st century education. Rather than teaching your students a particular set of information, they provide cutting-edge tools which can take them wherever they need to go. They also incorporate some of the foundational skills of STEAM, including problem-solving, mathematics and design. Give your students access to a fab lab, and there is no telling what they might create.
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