Press releases

Maker Faire Bay Area 2009 Announces Education Day on May 29, 2009: Special Day Aims to Inspire by Giving Students and Teachers Access to Innovative Makers

Press release: May 26, 2009

Sebastopol, CA—On Friday, May 29, Maker Faire will host its second "Education Day," a special day of programming allowing students and teachers to meet and interact with a sampling of this year's Makers. Celebrating things people create themselves -- from electronic gizmos to renewable energy and homemade food and clothes, Maker Faire, put on by MAKE Magazine, is the world's premier event for DIY (Do It Yourself) creativity.

"With budget cuts hitting schools nationwide, classes like shop, art and home economics are sadly disappearing," lamented Maker Faire founder Dale Dougherty. "As a result, today's students are given less opportunity to work with their hands. These hands-on skills are absolutely vital to engineers, scientists, mechanics, chefs and hundreds of other essential professions."

In an Education Day exclusive, Imagineers from Disney's Blue Sky Studio Group will reveal the secrets of their amusement park design process and show students how they can invent the next Matterhorn or Space Mountain. Additional Makers taking part in the day include Chris James from the Star Wars-inspired R2-D2 Astromech Droids builders club; Mark Perez and his life-size game of "Mousetrap"; Kristin Henry and her GalaxyGoo; compressed air rockets, glassblowing, the Electric Giraffe, and many more.

The Value of Maker Faire: Teachers' Perspectives

"I brought my students to Maker Faire last year and it was a great success!" said Natalie R., a middle school math and science teacher in San Francisco. "We are an arts and project based school so they felt right at home! They were inspired and excited about seeing all the Makers and their projects. I also have many students who would never have such an opportunity due to financial hardships and cultural differences, so this event provides for them with a unique opportunity for growth and exposure to a different world." "I'm always interested in ideas that get students to apply their knowledge in new ways," explained Jeannie B., a teacher at a charter elementary school in Oakland. "I think it's especially important to expose students to the different kinds of careers available to them from a young age. How many 8-year-olds even know what an engineer is, but how many of them would think it was cool if they did?"

Education Day Details

Education Day participation is FREE to registered and approved school groups of 20 or more. Information on all of Maker Media's educational outreach can be found here: http://makerfaire.com/education

The schedule for Education Day is as follows:

  • First round of schools: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (arrive by 9:20 a.m.)
    Fiesta Gardens International School, (San Mateo) John Muir Elementary (San
    Bruno), Wildcat Community Free School (Richmond), The Nueva School
    (Hillsborough)
  • Second round of schools: 10:00 a.m. - noon (arrive by 9:50 a.m.)
    Hawes Elementary (Redwood City), Berkeley Montessori, Creative Arts Charter
    School (SFUSD)
  • Third round of schools: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (arrive by 10:20 a.m.)
    Washington High (SFUSD), Terra Nova High (Pacifica), Everett Middle School
    (SFUSD; tentative)

All students and teachers will gather at 11:10 a.m. to enjoy the life-size Mousetrap attraction!

Maker Faire is taking place on May 30th & 31st at the San Mateo County Event Center. This annual gathering of Makers will showcase the country's best innovations in arts, crafts, engineering, food, music, science and technology. This year's theme, "ReMake America: Building a Sustainable Future," is based on President Obama's call to action to participate in a new era of DIY. During his inaugural address, the president spoke about the bedrock of America, citing that it has been "the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things" that has led to our prosperities and freedoms. The Bay Area Maker Faire continues to grow year after year -- attracting a remarkable 65,000 attendees last year.

Maker Faire event sponsors include Epilog Laser, Etsy, Freelancers Union, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Lion Brand Yarn, Provo Craft, Radio Shack, ShopBot Tools, SparkFun Electronics, Singer, Whole Foods Market and Yahoo!

Maker Faire Bay Area 2009 Event Details:
Maker Faire Hours:
Saturday, May 30, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Sunday, May 31, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

Where:
The San Mateo County Event Center
1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, CA

Admission:
Adults: $25 online or on-site/$20 at local outlets;
Students (13-20): $15 online or on-site/$10 at local outlets;
Youth (4-12): $10 online or on-site/$5 at local outlets; and children 3 and
under are free

For the very latest information and updates, please visit: www.makerfaire.com

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is being held on May 30 & 31, 2009 at the San Mateo County Event Center. Started in San Mateo, California in 2006, it has since expanded to Austin and is the premier event for grassroots American innovation. Held annually in each of these locations, the event may expand elsewhere in the future. Maker Faire is supported by Make Magazine and O'Reilly Media, the premier information source for leading-edge computer technologies. The company's books, conferences and web sites bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators.

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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