EAGER: MAKER: Developing a Model for Expanding Informal Tech Education for Underrepresented Communities through Makerspaces

该项目将推进学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，以更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的做法。该项目通过巴尔的摩的数字港基金会（DHF）成功地为少数民族青年提供技术教育培训，将确定从初中和高中青年开始扩大基于制造商的技术教育计划的有效方法。创客教育模式为年轻人提供了多个切入点，以获得高增长技术技能的曝光，兴趣和技能建设。DH模型提出了一种整体的，脚手架式的方法，为教育工作者和组织提供长期支持，因为他们将基于制造者的技术学习融入他们的青年产品中。 项目研究将为扩大青年创客空间和技术教育计划的最佳实践提供信息，特别是针对代表性不足的青年。创客、学术界和青年服务社区将受益于我们的培训材料、技术教育课程和对多样化参与战略的评估。该项目将通过卫生署网站、会议、论文和分发培训材料，公开分享其经验、材料和战略。该项目将测试三种专业发展模式：卫星网站、家庭网站和远程参与。其目标是找到具有成本效益但成功的机制，为非正式教育工作者提供培训，在现有空间内建立一个安全的，以青年为中心的创客空间;提供入门课程，为教育工作者和青年建立基本能力和创客思维模式;支持教育工作者独立地将自己的技术项目整合到未来的课程和活动中。项目研究将：1）比较三种培训和部署方法，将以青年为中心的创客空间和入门级课程整合到现有的课后计划中; 2）探索一种创新的，脚手架式的专业发展方法，鼓励计划所有权和青年服务提供者的持续技能建设。 方法和分析将回应课后计划管理和STEM专业发展方法的常见技术。作为该项目的直接结果，三个独立的课后项目服务于不同的观众将获得基本的设备，培训和课程，运行自己的技术教育计划。

This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Building on a successful approach to technical education training with minority youth through the Baltimore-based Digital Harbor Foundation (DHF), the project will identify efficient and effective methods of scaling maker-based technology education programs, beginning with middle and high school youth. Maker education models provide multiple points of entry for youth to gain exposure, interest, and skill-building in high-growth technology skills. The DH model presents a holistic, scaffolded approach to providing a long-term support for educators and organizations as they integrate maker-based tech learning into their youth offerings. Project research will inform best practices of scaling youth makerspaces and tech education programs, especially for underrepresented youth. Maker, academic, and youth-service communities will benefit from our training materials, tech education curriculum, and evaluations of diverse engagement strategies. The project will share its experiences, materials, and strategies publicly through DH website, as well as via conferences, papers, as well as dissemination of our training materials.This project will test three professional development models: Satellite-Site, Home-Site, and Remote Engagements. The goal is to find cost-efficient, yet successful mechanisms to disseminate training for informal educators to establish a safe, youth-focused makerspace inside their existing spaces; provide starter curriculum to build basic competencies and maker mindsets for educators and youth; support educators as they independently integrate their own tech projects into future courses and activities in their programs. Project research will: 1) compare three training and deployment methods to integrating a youth-focused makerspace and entry-level curriculum into existing after-school programs; 2) explore an innovative, scaffolded professional development approach that encourages program ownership and continued skill-building for youth-service providers.  Methods and analysis will respond to common techniques of afterschool program management and STEM professional development approaches. As an immediate result of this project, three independent afterschool programs serving diverse audiences will receive basic equipment, training, and curriculum to run their own tech education programs.