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INF Seminar Series: Interrogating Maker Culture and STEAM Education
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Abstract: Achievement and interest gaps remain in STEM fields for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Even when students are academically successful, many still see STEM as disconnected from their daily lives and pursuits. Youth from underrepresented groups often have greater successes in out-of-school settings than in school due in part to how these settings value the end products, which are more consistent with learning in everyday life, such as identity development and vernacular practices – outcomes that align with DIY maker culture and STEAM. The book "Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation" examines these practices and shows how they apply to formal and informal learning. Author Dr. Nettrice Gaskins will share some of her findings.
Bio:
Dr. Gaskins teaches, writes, "fabs", and makes art using algorithms and machine learning. She has taught multimedia, visual art, and computer science with high school students. She earned a BFA in Computer Graphics with Honors from Pratt Institute in 1992 and an MFA in Art and Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994. She received a doctorate in Digital Media from Georgia Tech in 2014. Currently, Dr. Gaskins is a 2021 Ford Global Fellow and the assistant director of the Lesley STEAM Learning Lab at Lesley University. She is an advisory board member for the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech. Her first full-length book, Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation is available through The MIT Press. Gaskins' AI-generated artworks can be viewed in journals, magazines, museums, and on the Web. Her series of 'featured futurist' portraits are on view at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building through early July 2022.