Tinkering 15 for 15 (2009-2024) Episode 1: Dr. Gary S. Stager on CMK Institute

Welcome to a series of mini-interviews looking back on past fifteen years of making and tinkering in education. I got inspired for this project because I started working in this field back in 2009, helping to dream up a new space in the Exploratorium called The Tinkering Studio. It seems that around the years of 2008 and 2009 many other influential projects were just getting off the ground and since then, the world of making and tinkering in education has evolved in many new and exciting ways.

In the first episode of this “blogcast” I was joined by renowned educator Dr. Gary S. Stager who leads the Constructing Modern Knowledge Institute which is now in it’s fifteenth year of existence. Gary describes the professional development workshop as a “act of love and lunacy” which I think speaks to the sense of fun and possibility. Our interview was wide ranging and touched on constructionist legends, facilitation strategies, microcontroller technology, how much time is needed to really dig into a topic, the emotional component of making and tinkering and much more. Hope that you enjoy watching/listening to this conversation and stay tuned for more episodes in this mini-series.

And if you want to learn more about the CMK Institute or register for the next edition that will take place on July 9-12, 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire you can visit their website at:

https://constructingmodernknowledge.com