Makerspace in School – Experiences from a Large-Scale National Testbed

Paper in proceeding, 2016

Digital fabrication and making are increasingly being used in formal and informal learning environments. However, while many of these initiatives often start from a grassroots perspective, with little coordination on a national level, we now present a study on the first part of a large-scale national testbed for Makerspace in schools (Makerskola). The project embodies a series of issues that arise when a maker approach is applied to a geographically widespread national education context. The results of this study are based on an analysis of the extensive project documentation and first-hand experiences. The findings focus on the on-going experiences with initiating and running a large-scale national testbed in Sweden, involving more than 30 formal actors and hundreds of active partners in a national educational landscape.