Below is the message sent off to people who might be interested in participating in this project.

Hello folks

Last year, some of us went to Maker Faire in Austin TX. It was a good time. I would be interested in putting together a proposal for a group of educators to attend this year's festival.

As educators and people interested in making things and having a good time, I am hoping that we can collaborate on an idea for something fun and fascinating to do. We would at least get in for free, but maybe we can find a way for somebody to pay for our travel and housing expenses while we are on the project.

Since some of us have gone to at least one or two Maker Faires, we have developed some contacts and awareness of what the event is like. We can leverage that to our advantage.

Something for us to consider is: What would we do? Who would the audience be? Would we need any supplies, and where would those supplies come from? How could we benefit from being at the Faire, and how could we use the experience to improve the way we teach?

My focus is on education, teaching and learning and creating valuable learning experiences that are full of fun. I would like to find a way to connect with other teachers and students so that we can have more of a community on how to excite people about learning meaningful things on a global scale. Scaleability and repeatability of learning systems is important to me.

In my case, I am teaching five different classes and am looking for some common themes to help make my teaching and learning experience more valuable to me and my students. All of the courses I am involved in have no formal written curriculum. Still, the kids are expected to learn something of value and I am expected to keep the whole thing going. This year, I hope to develop a better system of pulling off this impossible task and leaving a written record of how teach a vaguely described course. This way of teaching can be a whole lot of fun, or it can be a nightmare. Most teachers dread this kind of situation, but I have taught like this all my adult life. What kind of framework can I help provide so others can have a lot of fun teaching, even if they don't hold advanced degrees in the subject?

Below are some links that could help you get a feel for the event and some possibilities.

So anyway, if you are interested in collaborating on this idea, respond to me with a "yes." If you are not, respond to me with a "no." If you know of other people who might want to get involved, have them contact me and I will add them to the thread.

The deadline for entries is Sunday September 14th, they return notification by the 18th.

Have fun!

Chris Connors

Maker Faire: http://www.makerfaire.com/

Call for Makers: http://makerfaire.com/austin/2008/callformakers/

My photos from last year: http://flickr.com/photos/connors934/sets/72157602353596078/

My 3 blog entries on last year: http://fussingwithstuff.com/labels/makerfaire.html

Star Simpson and others talking at this spring's Faire: http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/05/08/star-simpsons-fuzzy.html

Make Magazine: http://makezine.com/

Craft Magazine: http://www.craftzine.com/