Maker vs User – Paul Granjon
Documentation:
Gallery | Video | Writing : Lunch Debates 2010 | Maker vs User
Thoughts following the lunchtime discussion Robots and Avatars, June 28th London
by Paul Granjon
Maker vs User
In education as in everyday life, provoking a shift from a user mentality to that of a maker is a challenge worth pursuing. Button-pusher attitude is apt at generating idiots-savants with a high dependency level on technological artefacts.
The shift from user to maker is not an easy one to trigger, and must not be limited to crack open a techno-tool and look at the innards, be them soft or hard. Or to enforce programming lessons for all.
Such approaches are likely to put off many non-technically inclined minds, and is likely to reinforce gender imbalance in the digital technology field.
Embodied programming games, hardware constructions, team work… can all contribute to create this shift. Enable people to create their own Maker Port.
In the 1980’s, standard Acorn BBC Microcomputers were fitted with a user port.The user port encouraged the computer users to develop their own computer-controlled hardware, thus becoming makers. The notion of user port can be updated to that of a maker port, and extended to domains beyond computer hardware: a maker’s device or approach allowing development of personalised technological solutions and projects.
