More students are gaining hands-on learning opportunities at the new Makerspace at Dayton Elementary School. Dayton is one of a growing number of TSC schools to create a Makerspace through a partnership with the Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (In-MaC) at Purdue University. The lab brings technology and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities to elementary students.

The Dayton Elementary lab features 3D printers that have students designing small objects like key chains and figurines. The room has two Dobot Magician robotic arms from STEM Education Works and SDI Innovations. The students can program the robotic arm to pick up and stack blocks. At another station, students are making coding adjustments to get a small robotic ball called a “Sphero” to move in different directions. Later, they can race them through a pattern.

Third grade teacher Elizabeth Miller says students are excited to use the Makerspace. “It brings real world application to concepts that are being taught,” says Miller. “For example, when learning about angles, programming a Sphero ball to move at different angles brings this concept to life for students.”