Keywords

1 Introduction

In the past few decades, libraries have been a popular place for sharing books and, more recently, multimedia documents. In the past few years, we have observed the emergence of makerspaces in public spaces such as libraries. Makerspaces are physical spaces, often in educational or public spaces, which aim to interconnect people who want to engage in constructing and tinkering with objects, new technologies and digital tools [1]. While the term “makerspace” is widely used in North America, the term “FabLab” (Fabrication Lab) is sometimes used to describe it in Europe. In both cases, the spaces unite people interested in technological tinkering and in the co-construction of artefacts [2]. For Capdevila [3], “hacker spaces, makerspaces, living labs, fablabs or co-working spaces are common denominations of localized spaces of collaborative innovation (LSCI) where knowledge communities meet to collectively innovate spaces of collaborative innovation”. For this author, common features of these spaces include openness to the public and shared norms related to the way they share information, tools and knowledge among the different participants sharing these collaborative spaces of innovation. According to Dougherty [1], the community and the makers’ interconnectedness are at the basis of the maker movement and an essential trait of the makerspaces reuniting makers of different ages for learning and creating artefacts together. Intergenerational makerspace activities could help overcome creative and digital ageism (which will be later defined) by engaging older adults in the techno-creative makerspace activities. Engaging teens, young and older adults in a joint techno-creative activities, such as digital game design, allows each of the age groups to know each other better and ensure their own representativeness in the game design process and product they develop together [4, 5]. Makerspace activities consider a larger type of activities than digital game design, to include 3D modelling and printing, and electronic and wood tinkering among others. The high diversity of activities that are usually developed in the makerspaces allows the older participants to value their know-how in a wide range of skills: from woodworking, to electrical tinkering to the different techniques of sewing, older participants can share a wide range of diverse skills that could be required when participants are engaged in complex making projects such as the #smartcitymaker project we will introduce in this paper. We introduce the #smartcitymaker project and the way teen participants are engaged towards the design and making and of a city model, which integrates both analogic and digital techniques and materials to develop the different components of the city. The weekly activities developed with the teen participants engaged in the Québec city EspaceLab invite their parents and grandparents to help with the activities in order to promote intergenerational learning and learning between learners of different ages (from 8 to 16 years old). The informal context of the EspaceLab in the Monique Corriveau library (Québec, Canada) contributes to blurring some of the age-specific lines usually found in formal education contexts. In the next section, we introduce creative and digital ageism as one of the stereotypes to tackle through intergenerational learning experiences in the makerspace. Afterwards, we introduce intergenerational learning and the potential for both younger and older adults, specifically in the context of maker educational projects [6]. Then, we introduce the activities in the EspaceLab Junior and the project #smartcitymaker and the potential of the project for engaging participants in intergenerational learning activities. Finally, we introduce different game mechanics, which can help in promoting intergenerational making (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
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EspaceLab open door activity reuniting intergenerational participants

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2 Creative and Digital Ageism

Makerspaces located in libraries can provide the opportunity to unite different generations and help fight some of the age-related stereotypes, such as the spontaneous creativity of younger children [7] and digital and creative ageism. For Butler [8] ageism is the “systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplish this with skin colour and gender”. In this paper we consider two types of ageism: creative ageism and digital ageism. Creative ageism assumes that older people are less creative because of their age. Romero and Hubert [9] consider digital ageism as a “form of discrimination appearing through the use of technologies that have not been adapted for older adults or that conveys a negative image of older adults through their representation of older adults” (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.
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EspaceLab Junior techno-creative activities

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Different authors have pointed to the interest of intergenerational activities as a way to reduce age-related stereotypes [10, 11]. Not only can younger participants value an older person’s knowledge and know-how, but they can be inspired by their less impulsive attitudes towards the use of technology. Working with older adults can also offer learning opportunities for younger learners, as they are able to develop skills and acquire topic-related knowledge through collaborative work. Intergenerational collaboration can also foster broader personal development amongst younger learners, as interactions between adults and adolescents are characterized by warmth and acceptance. Adults expressing an interest in the youngsters and promoting autonomy may contribute to the development of their identity and their sense of responsibility. Intergenerational collaboration could also play a role in breaking down some of the age-based stereotypes that younger learners may have towards older adults and how they interact with digital technologies (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3.
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EspaceLab Junior intergenerational collaboration potential

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2.1 Intergenerational Learning

While some intergenerational learning programs are designed to foster a one-sided transfer of knowledge and competencies from youth to the elderly and vice versa, effective intergenerational learning describes the way by which individuals from different generations are able to come together and learn from one another. It is a “systematic transfer of knowledge, skills, competencies, norms and values” that allows both the generations to stay gain a deeper understanding of the other generation’s culture [12]. While this concept originated in the context of the family, intergenerational learning has evolved and expanded in contemporary society as a function of non-familial social groups. Due to a geographical shift where families are relocating and separating farther from relatives, the familial intergenerational shift is wavering. Also, economic and social changes have resulted in changes in the social contract and evolving expectations about the relative position of generations in society [13, p. 52]. To some, older adults are more considered as a burden than as a resource. That shift combined with ageism may result in low social capital, which is defined by Balatti and Falk [14] as the resource and access to network and communities, as older adults sometimes don’t have access to their initial source of social capital: the family. Therefore, the symbiotic relationship that exists, which centres on growth and learning, social insights, and new technological skills faces a concerning hit and should therefore be explored between non-biologically related individuals to bolster social and emotional growth. Many programs related to intergenerational learning are grounded in Erikson’s theory on life span development [15]. He postulated that children and older adults have parallel developmental needs, and this unique relationship fosters personal growth and agency. When younger and older generations join together for a shared activity, they are able to share their own personal experiences related to aging, experiences, values and aspirations. Older learners may feel after these events that they have more autonomy than originally realized can actively influence the community, and have a deeper understanding of younger generations and newer technologies. Younger learners may walk away with higher self-esteem and self-efficacy, a deeper understanding of adults, a belief that they can be appreciated and respected, and that they can even trust others more fully. Younger learners may also have the possibility to develop a more positive attitude towards aging. The effects of this reciprocity between older and younger individuals’ opens minds to new skills and insights as well as new social structures and technologies influences both parties so that they can feel empowered and have a new perspective on lifelong learning. Intergenerational learning may also increase participants’ social capital as learning, a social activity, creates condition that can foster social capital development by extending, enriching, and reconstructing social networks and by building trust and relationships. Intergenerational learning also aims to influence the development of tolerance, understanding, and respect between participants to encourage individual behaviours and attitudes that influence community participation [14, 16]. Granville [17] demonstrates the social and educational potential of intergenerational learning in his case study where young offenders in rehabilitation were provided placements to work in a community service centre with older adults with physical abilities or dementia. Interviews showed presence of intergenerational learning as the young offenders developed employability competencies while older adults developed a more positive attitude towards youth and a better opinion on their own agency as older adults with physical disabilities or dementia. Intergenerational learning therefore possesses a strong potential in addressing ageism while also offering learning opportunities for younger and older learning to develop valuable competencies (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4.
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City model developed through the #SmartCityMaker in the EspaceLab

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2.2 Intergenerational Making

The maker movement culture based on sharing, giving, participating and supporting [6] could facilitate intergenerational learning. By encouraging democratic cyberculture that is available to everyone, maker culture and maker spaces can provide opportunities for intergenerational learning. It provides chances for participation that act as a mediator of transformation of knowledge and the ability to practice learning within and between generations [6]. Maker space activities can bring together parents, grandparents and youngsters to tinker and create together while also understanding not only science and technology concepts but also those of the arts and social sciences. Intergenerational making activities, like intergenerational learning, can provide opportunities to learn from one another and share new knowledge. Maker spaces are open to do-it-yourselfers of varied backgrounds and ages. Maker space activities that combines digital technologies with crafts and more traditional technologies such as a sewing machine can therefore require different a variety of competencies and skills that can be attained by collaboration of younger and older learners. Using maker spaces for joint projects requiring both experience-based and technological know-how could be an opportunity not only for different types of intergenerational learning but also for achieving the goal of inclusive design. Moreover, the sharing of knowledge, projects and achievements encouraged in maker space activities can foster family and community involvement for younger and older participants. Intergenerational making activities therefore possess a great potential for participating in the improvement of cross-generational relationships and for sustaining learning across the lifespan.

3 #Smartcitymaker Project in the EspaceLab Junior

3.1 EspaceLab, an Intergenerational Makerspace Situated in a Public Library

EspaceLab is the first Québec fablab to be part of the MIT FabLab network. For Debaque, president of EspaceLab, we must stress the desire to develop a “culture of pooling” resources. The location of EspaceLab within the Quebec City library network facilitates is key strategic aspect to support the access to the makerspace for everyone, independently of their age or their technological skills. EspaceLab is an open and intergenerational makerspace that brings citizens closer to design and techno-creative manufacturing. In the image below we can appreciate an informal team composed by adults, a teen and a toddler who had informally engaged in understanding the functioning of a Sparki robot. By being open to all the public, EspaceLab also offers the opportunity for underprivileged children to have access to digital technologies that would be harder to have access to.

3.2 EspaceLab Junior

While the EspaceLab offers general services such as introductory workshops and tutorials aiming to develop participants’ comprehension of the digital tools available at the fablab, EspaceLab also offers EspaceLab Junior which offers the opportunity for participants, learners from eight to sixteen years old, to co-design techno-creative projects. EspaceLab Junior has an intergenerational learning objectives which aims to extend Quebec library services to an intergenerational audience composed of teens, their parents, other young and older adults and provide them the opportunity and context to learn and engage in digital creative and educational activities. EspaceLab Junior activities aims to promote the 21st century competencies, in a playful and practical way. Among these skills, problem solving, digital creativity, collaboration and computational thinking could be developed through the co-design and achievement of techno-creative projects such as #smartcitymaker. 21st century competencies could be developed not only for younger learners, but also for older adults that are engaged in the project.

By being an environment open to all the public, EspaceLab Junior allows adults and older adults to engage in the #smartcitymaker project. Engagement is facilitated because many of the parents of the children work in techno-creative fields [18], such as engineering and computer science, and therefore can instill in their children a thirst for these types of activities. While most adults come from techno-creative fields, not all of them have a working knowledge of the tools available at EspaceLab Junior. For example, one grandmother only wanted to transport her grandchildren to the library where EspaceLab Junior was held, but when she saw the types of activities that the children were engaged in, she first decided to watch and observe and progressively engaged in the learning activities. While, at first, she wanted to understand the digital and tangible technologies for her own interest, she was soon offering her own input and insights to children on project progression. Maker activities therefore offer a collaborative setting where all participants are aiding one another in order to solve complex problems, such as the co-creation of or the tinkering with tangible and digital artefacts. The informal setting of EspaceLab Junior also allows for any willing children or adults that wish to join an activity to do it at any time. The informal setting aims to encourage intergenerational collaboration.

3.3 #SmartCityMaker Projet

The #SmartCityMaker is a research project that aims to develop learners’ 21st-century competencies by proposing a theme-immersed techno-creative project in which learners are engaged in a learning-by-making approach through co-designing and co-constructing a model of a city. #SmartCityMaker is composed of pedagogical sequences where technology is used to foster learners’ design thinking [19] by placing learners in a complex task that requires a high level of creativity. #SmartCityMaker adopts an approach that offers digital resources that are combined with a tangible model of a smart city. Townsend [20] defines the smart city as “places where information technology is combined with infrastructure, architecture, everyday objects, and even our bodies to address social, economic, and environmental problems”. In that context, participants in EspaceLab Junior are building a smart city model with recycled and affordable material (construction paper, tape, painting), electrical components (smart city lighting system), electronic components (Makey Makey electronic system linked with Scratch visual coding software) and pedagogical robots (cars of the smart city). The combination of digital and tangible objects could offer an opportunity for learning through embodied cognition, as learners are able to physically interact with the pedagogical artifacts. Intertwining craft with digital artifacts could foster learners’ engagement in complex programming concepts and practices. As Peppler and Kafai [21] valued, these three aspects are important in media art practices. #SmartCityMaker aims to foster creativity, collaboration and computation. Constructing a city model in the classroom is a complex based activity, which requires a certain number of sessions to be completed. The city theme has been chosen by the potential for interdisciplinary projects to build on the city model. Cities are complex systems, which engage all the curriculum disciplines at different stages. From geography technic for being able to read and transpose a plan, to history and mathematics required to reconstruct a building, all the disciplinary objectives of the Québec curriculum [22] can be related to the city theme. Moreover, the concept of a smart city “as a city that uses digital technology, data analysis and connectivity to create value and address its challenges” [15, p. 2]. The smart city theme offers a large diversity of possible projects, which requires digital solutions to improve the problems identified by the students in their daily lives.

#SmartCityMaker project is also carried out in the required course “ICT uses for preschool and elementary school,” offered at the third year of the pre-service teachers program in Université Laval (Canada). Constructing a city model in the classroom is a complex based activity, which requires a certain number of sessions to be completed. In the first sessions of the project, the #SmartCityMaker is constituted of activities, which are developed with a higher degree of teacher regulation. The first activities engage the learners as city planners, and each small team should define the urban rule to design and build the building in their neighborhood. Buildings are assembled within the team, and the different neighborhoods are merged at the end of the second session of the course. Students carry out the second part of the project in parallel through team-based projects. Each team is required to address an educational issue that they may face in their career and analyze it. They are then asked to design a pedagogical intervention considering Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) possibilities. Subsequently, students are invited to discuss the educational limit of their activity and the potential transferability of the activity in another educational context. Figure 5 introduces the different phases and tasks within the #SmartCityMaker project. In the initiation phase, students are organized in teams based on their level of confidence on the use of ICTs in order to ensure teams are homogeneous from this perspective. The first activities aim to develop the team building (forming and storming) and the norming stage (Tuckman and Jensen, 1977). Norming is orchestrated through the urban rules definition task where the teammates decide together how they will work as a team and what are the urban rules of their neighborhood in the #SmartCityMaker project.

Fig. 5.
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#SmartCityMaker iterative process

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Within the #SmartCityMaker class-based projects, students are asked to transfer class-developed competencies in the community. One of the modalities of transfers accepted is to participate in an intergenerational maker activity in EspaceLab Junior.

4 Cues for Fostering Intergenerational Making in the EspaceLab

By encouraging intergenerational collaboration in which people from all ages and gender are engaged in techno-creative activities, maker activities can help in overcoming gender and age stereotypes related to creative uses of technologies. Despite an important potential for informal intergenerational learning of competencies and topic-oriented knowledge through the values of the maker movement culture shared in the EspaceLab, and the #smartcityprojet EspaceLab Junior initiative, the dynamic is not systematic and only some of the adults and older persons engage spontaneously with the teens engaged in the activities. We need to go further in the active promotion of intergenerational learning opportunities by ensuring a climate which foster collaboration in risk-free and judgment free context. For this we should encourage the values of mutual aid, positive interdependence [23, 24] and attitudes of initiative taking, flexibility, leadership, accountability, conflict management and collaborative and complex problem solving competencies [25,26,27]. We also need to further orchestrate some activity designs that encourage intergenerational collaboration by identifying competencies possessed by participants from every generation and by taking them into account in activity design. Participation could also be elicited by implementing gaming mechanics in maker activities such as collaborative competition and by adding a narrative to maker activities. Such structuration of maker activities would also need to respect values of maker culture such as openness, democratization and inclusion of all. Like other scholars [6, 28,29,30], we believe that it is important to move away from top-down approach in analyzing and implementing intergenerational maker activity and instead analyze how all participants can be directly involved in maker activity design as well as analyzing their motives for participating in making activities. Older adults and youngsters could therefore discuss and design their own making activities. We also need to ensure that adults and older adults that are not comfortable with the tools used at EspaceLab feel secure in taking part in maker space activities. Also, we need to identify adults’ and older adults’ skills that could be invested in maker space activities so that anyone can contribute to the progression of maker projects. Creating two open questionnaires that would be given before the activity could be the first step in understanding motives, representation and beliefs of participants in intergenerational making activities that could then help us encourage intergenerational collaboration.