Innovation labs, media labs, fab-labs or Maker Spaces are creative spaces where the driving belief is that if you can DREAM it, you can MAKE it. While they come in different forms in different schools, they have one thing in common. They are dedicated to unleashing their students unique strengths and creativity in order impact their world and better prepare them for the interconnected society they live in. They are generally dedicated to student work in the areas of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship and is a student-centered passion based design lab for collaborative and creative learning. The movement to include them in K-12 schools has been Inspired by the M.I.T. Media Lab, Stanford’s d.school, the Harvard Innovation Lab and Maker and fab labs in Universities, schools and communities around the county. It is also what we believe to be a wonderful entry point to project-based learning and a prerequisite to being an I.D.E.A.School.

These labs are are environments where students have the opportunity to make, hack, program, design, produce and build. They are able to do so in a space which supports their passions and interests that are unique to them and also serve to unlock new passions and interests through self-directed exploration. They often house cutting edge technologies (iMacs, 3D Printers, Video Studio, Design Tools, DIY electronics and more), resources and materials designed to inspire creativity and collaboration. Additionally, elements of the pedagogical approach of these lab eventually become integrated into the overall curriculum and instruction and not just an isolated program, which is why we support this approach. I.D.E.A.Schools are committed to to developing confidence, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, global awareness and interest in Torah studies, Jewish life, science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole.