Maker Educator Convening

Launch Studio is a program designed to help students start their own businesses by emphasizing doing and making. In this presentation, the presenters will talk about how their model of entrepreneurship has allowed students not only to gain design and fabrication skills, but also make active connections to other subjects in school (particularly English and math). They will also discuss how students have gained communication and social interaction skills by talking to strangers about their products and partnering with local businesses. From the presenters: "Entrepreneurship is a great way to provide real world context for learning, and the potential to make money can be a great motivator. We'll share real student work, debrief on the challenges we faced, and celebrate examples of student growth and learning. We will also talk about how this model can be implemented in other classrooms, including sharing what equipment and software we use and how we were able to successfully fundraise for our classroom materials."