We have two terrific education events happening the Thursday before Maker Faire, May 17th.

MAKE and Intel provide a unique educational opportunity for grades K-12, a preview tour of Maker Faire Bay Area. Inspire your students at Education Day, a unique preview of Maker Faire Bay Area. On Thursday, May 17th, 2012, students get a sneak peek at some of our exhibits and workshops as Maker Faire is being set up for the weekend. Students meet and interact with selected makers, participate in activities, and get a glimpse of the setup process for this large-scale event. Learn more about Education Day field trips here. The event begins at 11:00am and ends at 2:00pm, with preview tours lasting 90 minutes.

Later that same day, Thursday, May 17th, from 4-7pm, we’re throwing an educators meetup. We’ll welcome teachers to the Maker Faire’s special pavilion showcasing some of the edtech ideas and tools that you can use to transform classrooms into 21st century hotbeds of learning by doing. It will be a grand opportunity to network with both educators and entrepreneurs exploring and celebrating learning in the digital classroom. We’ll have stations for building and exploring curriculum, kits and toys, and everyone will leave with a goodie bag. And it’s free! Tell us you’d like to come. (While your RSVP isn’t required, it will help us plan.)

Oh, and if you want a longer, professional development workshop experience, our colleagues at ISKME will be running their popular Teachers as Makers Academy June 26-27.

We’ll post updates to our educational offerings on our Maker Faire Education page.