Factors In The Maker Movement By Dale Dougherty

In the Maker Movement Dale Dougherty, a key figure in the maker subculture cautions against equating a ‘maker’ to an ‘inventor’. Such confusion is not only misguided but also risks perpetuating in the public minds the misconception that only highly intelligent people can be makers. According to Dougherty, activities that are considered simple such as cooking and gardening are all examples of ‘making’, so there is nothing complex about being a maker.
Dougherty also argues that the concept of a ‘maker’ is not an entirely new one, especially in America where skills that show self-reliance such as fixing one’s car have traditionally been highly valued. The maker movement is, therefore, just a continuation of this tradition.
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While not a new idea, Dougherty feels it has been neglected in favor of tests. If it is encouraged again, it would impart into young people the importance of being creators of products instead of just consumers thus enabling the creation of a more innovative economy.
Involvement of companies in the Maker movement is another way Dougherty feels would strengthen the maker culture. Such a relationship, Dougherty argues’ would be mutually beneficial as makers would develop innovative products needed by the companies at much cheaper costs compared to the companies themselves. In return the companies would provide financial support to the makers to help them develop other products.
Reading the article, I found it interesting and quite informative. There is little doubt that innovation has played a major role in fostering America’s prosperity. From the days of Thomas Edison to this age of Apple and Google, innovation has been at the forefront of opening up new economic frontiers. Any movement, therefore, that seeks to foster the spirit innovation is highly

It is, therefore, safe to assume that there are currently very few teachers who are active in the maker movement. That means that perhaps a majority of the schools in the US have no teacher involved in the maker movement at all. If ‘maker’ teachers were to be the ones to lead this movement in schools, there are many schools with very talented students that might miss out. Thus, if the maker culture has to spread to all schools, relying on teachers active in the maker movement is definitely not going to