A brief introduction to instructables.com, a how-to website, and its applications for educators. A Technology Tool presentation.

1. Instructables.com A Brief Guide

3. What is it? Instructables.com is a massively creative website that allows users to post instructions and ideas for everything from making costumes to baking cakes to modding your laptop.

4. Pros? If you can dream it, there’s probably an instructable that shows you how to build it, bake it, or buy it. Helpful lists created by other users bring together instructables of similar types for your convenience (i.e. kids crafts, cookie recipes, science fair projects) A lively forum allows questions, answers, and ideas to be bandied about with great abandon Instructions are free, and most (but definitely not all) of the projects can be made on the cheap (~$10 or less)

5. Cons? It’s hard to find exactly what you’re looking for, sometimes It’s very, very easy to get distracted by other instructables (you can browse for hours) Some features (such as the ability to download instructables as a .pdf) are restricted to paid members only

6. How Does It Work?

7. How Can a Teacher Use It? Instructables isn’t just for building lightsabers, applying zombie makeup, and baking cookies You can find science fair projects, arts and crafts ideas, costume ideas for class plays

8. http://www.instructables.com/id/Science_Fair_Projects/

9. http://www.instructables.com/id/Genuine-chainmaille-from-pop-tabs/

10. http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Stickers/

11. http://www.instructables.com/id/Can-Art-A-Way-To-Recycle-Some-Tin-Cans/

12. Resources http://www.instructables.com