iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

One snowy January day, I asked a classroom of college students to tell me the first word that came to mind when they thought about mathematics. The top two words were “calculation” and “equation.”

When I asked a room of professional mathematicians the same question, neither of those words were mentioned; instead, they offered phrases like “critical thinking” and “problem-solving.”

This is unfortunately common. What professional mathematicians think of as mathematics is entirely different from what the general population thinks of as mathematics. When so many describe mathematics as synonymous with calculation, it’s no wonder we hear “I hate math” so often.

So I set out to solve this problem in a somewhat unconventional way. I decided to offer a class called “The Mathematics of Knitting” at my institution, Carthage College. In it, I chose to eliminate pencil, paper, calculator (gasp) and textbook from the classroom completely. Instead, we talked, used our hands, drew pictures and played with everything from beach balls to measuring tapes. For homework, we reflected by blogging. And of course, we knit.

3D printers may have started as a high-tech novelty, but they're becoming increasingly powerful. These days, they can print everything from rhino horns to self-driving cars. Which is why it may be surprising that one company is using similar technology for a decidedly lower-tech purpose: knitting. Kniterate is a digital knitting machine that can whip up wearable fashion at the touch of a button

The rewards of knitting and crocheting go well beyond reducing stress and anxiety.

hen you think about knitting, you might picture grandmas clicking big wooden needles or something wintery, like a snow-covered lodge. But knitting is everywhere, producing just about everything you put against your skin each day, from socks and t-shirts to hoodies and beanies. And thousands of years after it was first invented, new kinds of knitting are poised to fundamentally change how we think about these “basics,” making our bodies more connected than ever to the computerized world we live in.

Today, you can buy a $40 dress from Uniqlo that was produced by a knitting machine in one piece with no cutting or sewing—which means no seams and almost no wasted fabric. This “seamless” or “whole garment” knitting technique was first developed in Japan 20 years ago, but high costs have prevented it from hitting the mainstream until recently. The machines work something like 3D printers for clothes: yarn is loaded in, the machine is programmed, and out comes a full garment.