The environmental value and impact of the Maker movement—Insights from a cross‐case analysis of European maker initiatives

Unterfrauner, Elisabeth; Shao, Jing; Hofer, Margit; Fabian, Claudia

doi:10.1002/bse.2328

Cited by 33 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The development of computational thinking is accessible through the integration of STEAM-related activities in schools, especially in hands-on projects [44]. FabLab is an example of maker movement, a fabrication laboratory that employs digital fabrication tools (such as three-dimensional [3D] printers, laser cutters, design files, skills training, and a network of other makers) affordable to their members for personal fabrication [7,70]. For example, the "M-Lab" FabLab [17] focuses on creating and adapting new learning content for formal education, which includes STEAM, hands-on and project-based learning, design thinking, and development of 21st-century skills.…”

Section: Fablab and Physical Computing For Steam Education Integratmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Juškevičienė

Dagienė

Dolgopolovas

2020

Comp Applic In Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and STEAM (with A for Arts) have evolved to symbolize the renewal of science education. STEAM education offers a number of benefits, such as improved problem analysis and solving skills, as well as the development of creative abilities. Many researchers reiterate the importance of STEAM‐related activities and programs, especially the integration of maker education. Despite much interest in STEAM, it is often challenging for many educators to incorporate integrated activities into their teaching practice. This paper deals with the value of STEAM integration in a methodological sense, with a focus on the maker's laboratory and physical computing, as well as the application of design thinking and computational thinking approaches. Motivation and Objectives The goal of this study is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for integrated STEM curricula focusing on the following research questions: (a) how to improve daily activities of STEM education by combining the activities of different laboratories and using a design thinking approach? and (b) how to combine FabLab activities and physical computing related to teaching different aspects of computational thinking in the context of STEM? Research Methodology and Methods As a research methodology, we implement a mixed methods strategy to combine theoretical study and empirical research based on a synthesized literature survey and the process of iterative model development based on an observational case study. We conduct a detailed case study of two applications of integrated activities based on FabLab and physical computing integration, and illustrate how design thinking can guide teachers to open up for interdisciplinary, creative, and project‐based opportunities. Results and Findings The paper provides a conceptual framework for STEM integration activities and step‐by‐step guidelines on how design thinking methods could could interact in practice. The implications of the results may be useful for educators seeking recommendations for the integration process, which enable educators to design hands‐on activities and incorporate integrated aspect of students' STEAM learning into teaching practice. In conclusions, the authors suggest that as interdisciplinary crossroads, design thinking provides a natural bridge between subjects, and fits especially to integrate activities of the maker's labs and physical computing, focusing on the integration of computational thinking and computational making approaches within STEM education environment. The absence of a statistical evaluation, which is positioned as a further research step, may be mentioned as a limitation of the study.

show abstract

Section: Fablab and Physical Computing For Steam Education Integratmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Juškevičienė

Dagienė

Dolgopolovas

2020

Comp Applic In Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The makers (those who participate in this movement) share their ideas and solutions in collaborative workspaces, always under the premise of circular principles, especially repair and recycling. Furthermore, they return production to the cities where consumption occurs, which generates social, economic, and environmental benefits (Unterfrauner et al, 2019).…”

Section: Central European Business Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there are also certain challenges in this movement that have to be considered, such as, for example, that most of the filaments for 3D printers are not recycled, or that the material supply chain of manufacturers is not transparent, so they do not know exactly how and under what conditions raw materials are produced and transported to local production spaces (Unterfrauner et al, 2019).…”

Section: Central European Business Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circular Economy and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

Herrero-Luna¹,

Ferrer-Serrano²,

Latorre-Martínez³

2022

CEBR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The circular economy is presented as the sustainable solution as opposed to the current linear model of production and resource management, whose effects impact negatively on the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Through a systematic review of the literature, this article aims to unify and to uncover the available evidence on innovation in relation to the circular economy and to determine those aspects that remain unexplored or should be studied in more depth in order to be able to continue to make progress in this field. Thus, it was found that although the circular economy is at an early stage of implementation, both its benefits and drivers as well as its challenges and barriers to implementation have already been investigated. More importantly, it was found that ecological innovations, which reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption activities, are necessary for the research of new business models and new ways of operating in supply chains that allow closing the circle and taking advantage of all the waste, such as the system of products and services, dynamic capabilities, 3D printing, the biography of the product and the software recycling. To achieve this goal, the evidence shows that it is mandatory to raise awareness of the situation, especially through marketing actions, as well as for companies, including SMEs, to be willing to act together and to align their interests. Implications for Central European audience: The United Nations 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to which countries should implement the circular economy in order to move towards greater sustainability. In this context, European Union is key for this development, as it is one of the world's major power. This article aims to unify and uncover the available evidence on innovation in relation to the circular economy and to determine those aspects that remain unexplored or should be studied in more depth. By doing so, it will be able to continue to make progress in the framework of the circular economy, enabling the achievement of the ODS. In addition, the majority of the articles reviewed take place in Europe.

show abstract

“…), others experimented with environmentally friendly materials (e.g., mushroom-based textiles replacing leather) or developed substitute parts. While not all makers in the cases were environmentally conscious, there were many examples of makers keen on up-cycling, re-cycling or repairing things in their maker space [19].…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability Achievementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Typically, products go through several design iterations reusing local material feedstocks, each adding new features which better suit specific needs as makers increase their understanding of the communities they work with. For example, a basic water purifier using solar energy that can be adapted with reusable parts made of biologically degradable materials to cater for wear and tear [19,21].…”

Section: Development Of the Maker Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Maker Movement Contributing to Sustainability?

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ICT has already revolutionized content creation and communications. In principle, today, everybody with Internet access, the right skills and equipment can produce digital content composed of virtual "bits" and make it instantly available across the globe. The same is now happening to manufacturing for everyone with access to tools like 3D printers. This inter-changeability of bits and atoms is being called the maker movement, which started as a community-based, socially-driven bottom-up movement but is today also impacting mainstream manufacturing through increased efficiencies, distributed local production and the circular economy. The maker movement thus has significant promise for increasing social, economic and environmental sustainability, but is it currently living up to this potential? This paper reports on work undertaken by the European-funded MAKE-IT project has examined this question through detailed qualitative and quantitative empirical research, including ten in-depth case studies across Europe and a detailed examination of 42 maker initiatives at Europe's foremost city-based maker faire, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Despite the maker movement's short history, the overall results provide sound evidence of its important though variable contribution to sustainability thus far. In addition, there is a strong gender dimension showing that females are underrepresented both as users and leaders of maker initiatives, whilst female leaders tend to achieve much higher sustainability impacts than their male counterparts. There is also clear evidence that maker initiatives in close collaboration with each other and other actors in city-and region-wide ecosystems are much more successful in achieving sustainability impacts than others.

show abstract

The environmental value and impact of the Maker movement—Insights from a cross‐case analysis of European maker initiatives

Cited by 33 publications

References 55 publications

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Integrated activities in STEM environment: Methodology and implementation practice

Circular Economy and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

Is the Maker Movement Contributing to Sustainability?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About