Mozilla is thrilled to announce the official kick-off of Maker Party, our annual campaign to teach the culture, mechanics and citizenship of the Web through thousands of community-run events around the world.
Mozilla believes success in the 21st century depends on digital literacy: the skills people need to read, write and participate on the web. Maker Party is all about teaching these skills in a fun, hands-on way. Participants meet up with others at events of all sizes to explore the how and why of building apps and webpages with code, design, media and interactive elements.
In a recent interview, Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Mark Surman said, “Coding is just the tip of the iceberg. This is about full-scale digital literacy. How to build things with code, design and video and photography. And there are a set of creative, social and cognitive skills — participation, design thinking. These are the skills you need to find your way in the digital world.”
Maker Party is also an example of how engaging learning becomes when it is interest-driven and production-centered, two core principles of an approach called Connected Learning. The approach leverages the advances of the digital age to customize education to the learner — and is being celebrated as part of the Summer to Make, Play and Connect.
You can join Maker Party by finding an event in your area. Events are open to everyone regardless of skill level, and almost all are free!
No events in your area? Why not host one of your own? Maker Party Resources provides all the information you need to successfully throw an event of any size, from 50+ participants in a library or hackerspace, to just you and your little sister sitting on the living room sofa.
Maker Party runs from July 15 to September 15, 2014. Follow the #MakerParty hashtag on social media to see what people are teaching, learning and making around the world.
Our partners in the 2014 Maker Party include the MacArthur Foundation, the National Writing Project, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the National 4-H Council, Statewide Afterschool Networks, and many more.
Get involved:
- Learn more about Maker Party
- Attend an event in your neighborhood
- Throw an event of your own with the help of Maker Party Resources
- Follow the party on social media with #MakerParty
- Press contact: press@mozilla.com
