FabLab Workshop program for Children at Happylab, FabLab Vienna
In order to be developed and put in motion, ideas need space. FabLabs don‘t only provide this space; they also supply the machines necessary for making individual projects happen. The term „fab lab“ is short for „fabrication laboratory“ and refers to a public high-tech workshop where diverse products can be created individually using computer-controlled machines. A fab lab can be used to make (almost) anything.
Learning by doing is an essential characteristic. In order to introduce technical and artistic potentials of current computer and fabrication technologies to children, a special introduction workshop program has been developed that gives an insight into possibilities of creative expression with available machines and procedures. The workshops are part of a bigger initiative to research children’s experiences in FabLabs and the development of adequate tools to foster innovative usage of the infrastructure for young and inexperienced users.
Workshop program comprise 2-day workshops to get a first practical insight into possibilities in a FabLab, and a semester-long program allowing for individual working in the FabLab under guidance.
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Irene Posch. 2014. Digitale Welten Begreifen. In: Schachtner, Christina (Hrsg.): Kinder und Dinge – Dingwelten zwischen Kinderzimmer und FabLabs. Transcript, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-8376-2553-0
Irene Posch. 2013. Fabricating Environments for Children. In: Walter-Herrmann, Julia & Büching, Corinne (Hrsg.): FabLab – Of Machines, Makers and Inventors. Transcript, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-8376-2382-6
Irene Posch and Geraldine Fitzpatrick. 2012. First steps in the FabLab: experiences engaging children. In Proceedings of the 24th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference (OzCHI ’12), Vivienne Farrell, Graham Farrell, Caslon Chua, Weidong Huang, Raj Vasa, and Clinton Woodward (Eds.). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 497-500.
Irene Posch, Karim Jafarmadar, Roland Stelzer. 2012. Educating for Digital Fabrication in FabLabs and Beyond. 11th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2012). Workshop on Digital Fabrication in Educational Contexts, Position paper
Fab*Education Symposium. June 18 2012. Bremen, DE.
Fab* at Future Everything Festival for Art.Music.Ideas. June 18 2012. Manchester, UK
Google RISE Award. 2012. New York City, US.
Alexander Boden, Gabriela Avram, Irene Posch, Volkmar Pipek, and Geraldine Fitzpatrick. 2013. Workshop on EUD for Supporting Sustainability in Maker Communities. At Fourth International Symposium on End-User Development. June 10-13, 2013, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
In Participatory Design in Digital Fabrication workshop at FabLearn’14.