Do you have a creative idea but don’t know where to start? Are you looking to build some new skills and have fun in the process? We’ve made it simple for you to find the information and inspiration you need to start making!
Source: Autodesk | Making Starts Here
Creative Capacity BuildingCreative Capacity Building (CCB) is at the core of D-Lab’s approach to international development and is central to our work at MIT and in the field.The goal of CCB is to train participants to create or adapt technologies that will improve their lives and strengthen their communities. By distilling key elements of the design process into a 
hands-on curriculum that is accessible at any educational level, CCB presents a framework through which anyone can become an active creator of technology, not just a recipient or user of technology.Creative Capacity Building suggests that the underlying principles of co-creation and crowd-sourcing– typically applied to computer software development, corporate management, or high-end product design –can also be relevant to technology innovations aimed at ending poverty. This is only possible when the conditions exist for full participation in the entire design process by the people for whom these technologies are intended, which means investing in strategies that increase local capacity and support local innovation. At present, there are three main approaches to D-Lab’s implementation of Creative Capacity Building: Village-level training; Community Innovation Centers; and the International Development Design Summit.
With the success of last year’s post on the Top Ten Makerspace Favorites of 2015, we are excited to announce this year’s list. We have spent the year scouring maker products to build this list. Prior to writing this post, we invited our PLN to contribute to a Padlet that highlighted some of their favorites. Based on the responses to that Padlet, we noticed an important shift in Maker Education. Once driven by STEM and makerspace in a box types of kits, we are seeing much more of an emphasis on open-ended exploration and stocking makerspaces with materials that foster that. We strongly believe that makerspaces should be unique learning environments that encourages tinkering, play, and open-ended exploration for all. Our list for 2016 reflects that same philosophy.With so many amazing makerspace products now flooding the market, it was an incredibly difficult task to narrow our favorites down to just 10. All of the items on our list are aligned to the Worlds of Making ‘MAKER’ Framework, which serves as a guide for choosing the right products for your makerspace.
Source: Top Ten Makerspace Favorites of 2016 | Tech Learning
Easily Customise RaspbianThe key feature of PiBakery is the ability to create a customised version of Raspbian that you write directly to your Raspberry Pi. This works by creating a set of scripts that run when the Raspberry Pi has been powered on, meaning that your Pi can automatically perform setup tasks, and you don’t need to configure anything.The scripts are created using a block based interface that is very similar to Scratch. If you’ve used Scratch before, you already know how to use PiBakery. Simply drag and drop the different tasks that you want your Raspberry Pi to perform, and they’ll be turned into scripts and written to your SD card. As soon as the Pi boots up, the scripts will be run.For more information on creating customised SD cards with PiBakery, please see the Creating an SD Card Guide.
Source: About PiBakery – The blocks based, easy to use setup tool for Raspberry Pi
