Make:cast

In this episode of Make:cast, host Dale Dougherty is joined by Hannah Hagon, author of "Unplugged Tots," and Brian Jepson, publisher at Raspberry Pi. The discussion centers on Hannah’s new book, which offers screen-free, play-based activities designed to introduce young children to computational thinking and logical problem-solving without the use of computers or coding apps.

Hannah shares her inspiration for the book, roo...

In this episode of Make:cast, Dale Dougherty from Make Magazine chats with Marilyn Nash and Amber Hudson, authors of 'A Maker's Life'. Both of them are former teachers - Marilyn is retired and Ambers works at 1st Makerspace in Indiana. They discuss the impact their book has had on readers, igniting meaningful conversations about the maker mindset among people of all ages. Amber shares the story of how she and Marilyn...

In this episode of Make:cast, host Dale Dougherty speaks with Kirk Pearson, author of 'Electronic Music from Scratch,' and Kevin Toyama, the book's editor. Kirk is a musical experimenter and he encourages others to do the same.  Kirk shares his journey from a traditional music background to creating electronic music and building custom instruments. He discusses his workshops, where participants learn to build synthes...

In this episode of Make:cast, Dale Dougherty is joined by Ken Kahn, author of 'The Learner's Apprentice: AI and the Amplification of Human Creativity,' and Sylvia Martinez, co-author of 'Invent to Learn.' Ken discusses his experience in AI from his high school days to MIT's AI Lab and his journey into integrating AI into children's programming tools. Sylvia sheds light on the importance of empower...

Dale Dougherty discusses the launch and evolution of Make: Magazine, a DIY technology publication, since its inception in February 2005.  The conversation includes insights from original team members Mark Frauenfelder, Dave Albertson, Shawn Connolly, and Paul Spinrad, as well as current editor-in-chief Keith Hammond. The magazine, launched amidst a declining print industry, aimed to share project instructions and inspire readers to...

In this episode of Make:Cast, Dale Dougherty interviews Ellie Weinstein, founder and CEO of Cocoa Press, a company that manufactures 3D printers that print chocolate. Ellie discusses her 10-year journey from a high school project to launching the second model of her Cocoa Press printer. The discussion highlights her background in mechanical engineering, her experience with 3D printing, and the challenges of creating a unique produc...

In this episode of MakeCast, Dale Dougherty interviews Steph Piper, a creative technologist from Queensland, Australia. They discuss her Maker Queen website, her Skill Trees project, and her new book, Skill Seeker Maker Edition. Steph shares insights into her role at a university library makerspace, her electronics kits for kids, and her GlowStitchLEDs project. The conversation also covers the development and application of skill t...

 "Tinkering is a fun way to learn about the world around you," says Ryan in his new book, 'The Tinkering Workshop,' which promotes creativity and playful experimentation with everyday materials for families, children, and educators. 

I've known Ryan for many years from when he worked at The Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio.  Ryan will be at Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend where he will organ...

Dale Dougherty interviews Camila and Diego Luna of Moonmakers at the Fab 24 conference in Puebla, Mexico. Moonmakers is an educational non-profit focused on promoting science, technology, STEAM education, and the maker movement. They share their journey from starting with robotics and participating in international competitions, to creating content and resources for teachers and students. They highlight the importance of peer-to-pe...

Chad Orcutt created Community Shop Class in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. What started out as the ADHD Inventor's Club in his garage grew into a new space, unlike any makerspace you've seen.  He saw it as way to help people, particularly neurodivergent people like himself, learn to use tools safely.  He's built a shop class for people who never had shop class.

Link to companion article...

My guest is Cy Tymony, author of "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things" and "Sneaky Math."  Cy has a wonderful DIY worldview that he shares through his many books. He reveals a secret world to you if you're willing to be a little sneaky. To Cy, sneaky means you learn about something that not everybody knows, the way a magician has learned to do a trick and then can amaze their friends.  Cy says his point is to e...

Jenny Young is a mechanical engineer who founded Brooklyn Robot Factory thirteen years ago and introduced it at World Maker Faire in NYC to bring hands-on learning experiences to kids in schools and afterschool programs.  Her company has evolved into a franchise business where they train and equip others to provide hands-on classes.  Jenny says: "I'm not selling kits; I'm selling a service."

https://make.co/make-...

Matt Zigler is the author of a new book for educators titled "3 Modes of Making." He talks about imitation, modification and innovation as three different modes of student projects,  which can develop different maker skills.  Matt is an artist and educator who has been running the makerspace at Bullis, an independent school in the DC area.  He brings a background in art and creative practice to the makerspace and his scho...

Trying to repair almost anything can be a frustrating exercise.  Repair is made more difficult by the way devices are designed and the ability to repair a device could be improved greatly if different design decisions were made.  This moment in time demands a new generation of designers, engineers and makers to consider how to make products that can be more easily and safely repaired by more people.  

My guest on this epis...

This episode features an interview with the authors of a new book titled "AI Robots." which includes Reade Richard, Andy Forest, Brenda Shivanandan and Denzel Edwards. The book is designed to teach kids how to build AI-powered projects using hands-on activities and coding. The authors discuss the different sections of the book, which include physical build, electronics, coding with Micro:bit, and adding AI capabilities. T...

My guest on this episode of Make:cast is Jim Sweeney, the treasurer of NoVA Labs, a community makerspace in northern Virginia. Jim talks honestly about the challenges of growing a makerspace. With 700 members and many programs for young makers in the community, NoVA Labs has a bold vision of what a makerspace can be and Jim is determined to realize that vision in his community. NoVA Labs is thriving with plans to host a Maker Faire...

A conversation between Dale Dougherty, the founder of Make Magazine and Maker Faire, and Brian Wagner, an educator, coder, and maker.  Brian Wagner talks about his life as a maker from his first encounter with computers to his current career in teaching and creating a how-to-code video course. They discuss his early fascination with computers, transitioning into engineering and teaching, his experiences in founding a hackerspace, a...

Chris Walker dropped out of Dartmouth and became a Thiel Fellow in 2013.  He had an idea for a math video game that was inspired by the TI 84 graphing calculator.  He tried creating an educational video game studio but it didn't work out.  He joined Hack Club, a student-led educational intiative that started teaching coding but has branched out.  Hack Club's founder, Zach Latta, was also a Thiel Fellow.  

Chris s...