Webmaker/Mentor

What are we doing?

• Supporting mentors everywhere
• to rip, remix and repost web learning content
• in a peer community and in their city
• so they can help people they care about
• make amazing things using the web

Who are we talking about?

We see the mentor community as the intersection of:

• Makers interested in learning
• Educators interested in making

For example:

• A hackerspace founder interested in running HTML courses
• A museum director interested in a digital making program

These two groups, makers and educators, are situated in two larger movements:

• the "Maker Movement": with a DIY ethos and an "If you can't open it, you don't own it" approach. A strong culture of documentation and sharing, collaboration and remixing. Has roots in physical spaces and physical objects, but important ties to the web. Examples include: Maker Faire, hackerspaces, tinkerers in electronics, 3D printing, CNC and more.
• the "Learning Movement": challenges traditional education with its learner-centric, web-inspired approach to learning. A strong culture of peer learning, open course materials, and new kinds of assessment. Has roots in peer production, participation, networks of institutions & learners. Examples include: Massive Open Online Courses, YOUMedia spaces, instructors from computer clubs and more.

What needs to be done

Local maker and mentor communities help:

• Create, test and localize hacktivity kits
• Develop a mentorship program and offer in-person trainings and workshops
• Design webmaking events, including learning campaigns (SCP, Hive Learning Networks) & marquee events (Mozfest, Hive Pop-Ups)

We also need to build in:

• A "Github for learning assets" (production platform for remixable hacktivites and resources)
• Communication channels (groups on webmaker.org, social sites)
• Badges (recognition of achievement such as Webmaker Maker and third-party badges)
• Celebration (incentive structure, inc. travel to Mozfest, stories/work highlighted, reputationaly earned contribution access)