Space154 is an interactive “collaborative place where faculty, students, and administrators can come to discover and learn new technologies,” according to the Seton Hall website.
On March 27 during Seton Hall’s Charter Week, Space154 held a MakerSpace Open Lab, where students had the opportunity to interact with technologies such as a virtual reality set and a green screen.
Renee Cicchino, the director of Instructional Design and Training at the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center (TLTC), explained why the space began in the fall of 2016.
“Space154 supports active learning by providing an open, informal environment for students and faculty alike to explore, create, and innovate with 21st-century tools and technologies,” Cicchino said.
Muriann Carmody, a freshman secondary special education major, said she has been to Space154 several times. She said her first time attending the space was for a class to learn about the various tools there, like the Raspberry Pi game console, virtual reality and robot coding.
“It was fascinating to see the new revolutionary pieces of technology and exploring how we as future educators can utilize them in our field,” Carmody said. She added that she also attended Charter Day, an event where she completed the SHUmazing Race activity and won a speaker as a prize.
Cicchino said the services offered at Space154 are aimed to assist students in basic skills like communication and data management, to coding and cybersecurity.
“Technology is everywhere,” she said. “It’s part of our everyday life and we need to use it effectively. Space154 is the perfect place for our students to learn about and experience emerging technologies.”
Riad Twal, the senior instructional designer at TLTC, said that understanding programming in today’s world is important. He emphasized that while one does not have to be a programmer, people should have basic knowledge of the subject.
“Just like you have to know a little bit of Latin, you have to know a little bit of technology,” he said.
“I think self-expression and creativity are vital principles for effective learning,” Carmody added. “I already have so many ideas to incorporate these tools into my future classroom.”
Cicchino said that Space154 hopes students can have fun while experiencing new technologies that stimulate creative and critical thinking.
“With the many challenges we face in the world today I hope that through innovation and out of the box thinking, our students will find solutions to overcome those challenges,” Cicchino said.
She added that there are future events being held for students to attend at the space, including two Maker Friday events in April and Student Tech Bytes offered each Wednesday.
Carmody said, “I cannot wait to see my students flourish and gain more insight by utilizing such cutting-edge technology.”
Adam Varoqua can be reached at adam.varoqua@student.shu.edu.
