Episode 5 December 17

Invent. Iterate. Innovate: AI in the Maker Movement

This episode explores how AI can broaden access to hands on maker learning experiences—removing barriers, adapting to learners’ needs, and ensuring that innovation is inclusive. Through stories from educators, students, and industry leaders, we shine a light on how AI and maker learning together can inspire the next generation to imagine, build, and lead in a rapidly changing world.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how students learn, and nowhere is that more exciting than in the maker movement. In this episode, we explore how AI is enhancing hands-on, project-based learning—helping learners design, prototype, and solve problems in ways that unlock both creativity and confidence. By combining human ingenuity with intelligent tools that provide feedback and support in real time, maker learning becomes an even more powerful pathway for preparing students to thrive in classrooms, careers, and communities.

Equally important, AI can broaden access to these experiences—removing barriers, adapting to learners’ needs, and ensuring that innovation is inclusive. Through stories from educators, students, and industry leaders, we shine a light on how AI and maker learning together can inspire the next generation to imagine, build, and lead in a rapidly changing world. This is about more than technology; it’s about equipping learners with the mindsets and skills that will define the future.

Krista Ruggles - UVU

Krista Ruggles, Associate Professor and the School of Education Director of Innovation, Utah Valley University

Krista Ruggles is an Associate Professor and the School of Education Director of Innovation at Utah Valley University, where she also founded and directs the Creative Learning Studio, an innovation hub that supports teacher preparation, K–12 partnerships, and statewide STEM and maker education initiatives. A National Board Certified and ISTE Certified Educator, Dr. Ruggles leads projects that bridge education and technology, including AI-powered teacher-preparation tools, statewide maker-learning networks, and STEM education. Her work focuses on equitable, hands-on learning experiences that connect theory, practice, and innovation.

Tim Needles

Tim Needles- Artist, Author, and STEAM teacher at Smithtown Schools

Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum from ISTE, now in its 2nd edition. He has been teaching art and media and acting as a technology integration specialist at Smithtown School District in New York for more than 26 years as well as serving as an adjunct college professor. He is a TEDx Talk speaker, an international speaker, and his work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Columbus Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell Museum, Alexandria Museum of Art, Katonah Museum of Art, and Cape Cod Museum of Art.

He’s the recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen award as well as NAEA’s Eastern Region Art Educator Award and ArtEdTech Outstanding Teaching Award, the Rauschenberg Power of Art Award, and the 2025 NY State Art Teacher of the Year. He’s also a board member of NYSCATE, an ISTE Community leader, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, one of the District Administrator’s Top 100 education leaders for 2025, co-leader of NAEA’s AI working group, and a teacher leader in the CAN Connected Arts Network PLC.

Jaymes Dec - Franklin School

Jaymes Dec is the Director of Innovation at the Franklin School, a high school in Jersey City, NJ that was named the 2025 World's Most Innovative School by the World's Best School Awards. Previously, he was the Chair of Innovation at the Marymount School of New York where he developed the first Fab Lab at an all-girls school. Jaymes was an Adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Creative Technologies Certification program and the Program Manager at GreenFab, a National Science Foundation program for high school students from the South Bronx that taught science, technology, engineering, and math skills through classes on sustainable design and green technologies. Jaymes was named a “Teacher of the Future” by the National Association of Independent Schools and a Senior Fab Learn Fellow by Stanford University. He is a graduate of the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU.

Dorothy Jones-Davis, Ph.D., Chief Impact Officer, KID Museum

Dr. Dorothy Jones-Davis leads efforts to optimize and convey KID Museum’s impact to key stakeholders and partners. Prior to joining KID Museum, she served for 5 years as the founding Executive Director of Nation of Makers, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping support America's maker organizations through community building, resource sharing, and advocacy. Dorothy holds a B.A. in psychobiology from Wellesley College, an M.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan.