When students at Sappington Elementary returned for this school year they found their library transformed into a Makerspace— a collaborative learning environment where people come together to share, learn and develop creative projects. The grant allowed the school to change their traditional library into one that features a 3D printer, electronic snap circuits, GoldiBlox toys, LEGO Robotics and plenty of iPads for students to use and check out.

sappington1Angie Moehlmann, Sappington Elementary School’s Assistant Principal, described the change, “The (ITEF) grant really is part of our move to have students exploring and investigating—a deeper level of understanding through creating. The students are problem solvers in the Makerspace. We no longer tell them how to do something; we support them as they figure things out. They are creating, doing and imagining.”

Moehlmann described how the Makerspace, which is used by all students, has brought change to the school, “It has allowed for a natural integration of technology into our curriculum. Teachers are carrying this over into the classrooms and there is more of a focus on active versus passive learning hughesairco.com. Students now create digital products in a natural way.”

To learn more about Sappington’s Makerspace, you can visit their blog at http://sappingtonmakerspace.blogspot.com