By JOE JAROSZ
Northeast News
May 21, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Curiosity with technology.

From 3:30 – 7 p.m., every Tuesday until December at the North-East Library, 6000 Wilson Road, area youth have the opportunity to learn and work with electronics not typically found in schools or in households with the Kansas City Digital Media Lab.

The labs are open to youth between the ages of 13-18, but Marcus Brown, digital youth engagement associate, said if children are mature enough and show an interest, they can also attend. On the first Tuesday of each month, representatives from Union Station’s Science City will be on-hand to incorporate more hands-on activities into the media lab.

“We want to surround students with the latest technology,” Brown said.

According to the Kansas City Library’s website, the digital media lab is an outgrowth of the learning labs research and planning grant funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The learning labs grant seeded a national movement to find even more creative ways of engaging youth in the country’s libraries and museums. An initial 12 sites were given funding to plan and design a lab. The Kansas City Public Library, in partnership with Science City, was awarded a grant.

The library, with support from Science City, pursued additional funding that would allow the project to go mobile. It would allow the equipment and other resources to be taken directly to library youth. Along with the North-East branch, youth can also visit a media lab on Thursdays at the Southeast Branch, 6242 Swope Parkway, during the same time period. Equipment that youth can get a hands-on experience with include microphones, a 3D printer, laptops and various kinds of cameras.

“Rarely is there funding with great ideas but we were pleased this great idea was backed with the funding,” Brown said.

Brown added along with the children learning about new technology, he’s learned a few things, too. He’s familiar with most of the technology used, but he said he’s learning along with the students on a few items.

“This is only my third week with the 3D printer,” Brown said. “I was excited to learn about that and I had to learn about game coding, as well.”

In the short time the media lab has been open to the public, the printer, Brown said, has been the crowd favorite. Since it is a lab setting, Brown said once he goes over a few details about electronics, the students are free to use the tools provided to create something.

“We want them to create games and websites,” Brown said, adding one student from the Northeast area is planning to make a video of all the vacant properties in his neighborhood.

At Tuesday, May 13’s lab, two 12-year-olds we’re especially interested in the 3D printing. Both Jordan and Haven, of the Northeast and Overland Park, respectfully, spend a lot of time with electronics. Haven said he enjoys electronics because he likes exploring. Both boys said they would like to be engineers when they get older.

“I really wanted to learn how to use the 3D printer,” Jordan said.

Brown said it is enthusiasm like this that he knows the program will succeed. He added the grant funding lasts until December, but would like to see it extended past then. He has a personal interest in the equipment he uses because of his video production background, but he’s committed to the lab because it helps children learn more about technology.

“We’ve reached out to work with area schools next fall,” Brown said. “We want to start a collaboration that will help the students with projects outside of school.”

Students can attend the Kansas City Library Digital Media Lab from 3:30 – 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the North-East branch. Brown said the lab is always looking for volunteers, as well, and those who volunteer “don’t have to be a wiz with technology.”