SYRACUSE — Onondaga County Public Libraries (OCPL) and Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES will receive $31,000 to pursue a collaborative maker labs project. The initiative is designed to bring experiences with science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) to young learners, according to a news release issued by the OCPL. New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) helped […]
SYRACUSE — Onondaga County Public Libraries (OCPL) and Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES will receive $31,000 to pursue a collaborative maker labs project.
The initiative is designed to bring experiences with science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) to young learners, according to a news release issued by the OCPL. New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) helped procure the funding.
“I selected this project because it will bring hands-on STEAM learning to many more children in the region,” Stirpe said in the release. “Sharing these kits at libraries and schools across the county multiplies the access to this important educational programming and encourages interests in these fields, which are so crucial to our future.’’
The funds will be used to purchase a variety of mobile maker lab kits that children can use to learn about robotics, engineering, and fabrication. This educational initiative will be pursued in coordination with Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES and OCPL librarians. The mobile maker kits, which will be added to a collection of 15 already in circulation at area libraries, will come with lesson plans that identify learning objectives.
“Our 32 libraries are a place for people to come together to learn, explore and create. With this grant, we can enhance our STEAM programming, providing a vital educational service that will empower young learners, enabling them to succeed in our technologically advanced world,’’ OCPL Executive Director Susan Mitchell said in the release.
The new mobile maker labs will be made available for use in classrooms and libraries. Existing mobile maker labs at OCPL and OCM BOCES include “Cubelets” robotics, computer building and coding, “littleBits” electronics, 3D doodlers and printers, button makers, and “Makey Makey” invention kits that turn ordinary objects into computer touchpads.
“The demand for mobile maker labs has been explosive over the past two years because students of all ages love to create, investigate, collaborate, and innovate,” Doreen Bergman, coordinator of the OCM BOCES School Library System, said. “This grant is greatly appreciated because librarians and teachers will not only get new and wonderfully creative mobile maker kits, they will also get the hands-on training they need to make them effective.”
The OCPL system encompasses 32 libraries, including 21 independent member libraries and 11 City of Syracuse branch libraries. OCM BOCES serves 23 school districts with program offerings that include the School Library System, career and technical education, special education, alternative education, workforce preparation for adults, and comprehensive instructional support for educators. ν