Recent articles
7 tips for creating a learner-centered makerspace
05/11/2016
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Three years after implementing a makerspace at their San Francisco school, Michael Matthews and his colleagues realized the space had a fundamental flaw.
“Students were creating amazing pieces of work and then assembling them on the floor. The space was defining what we could…
Gaming and video making headway in classrooms
05/18/2016
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Teachers are using game-based environments and video in their classrooms like never before, an indication of a new awakening for digital learning.
That’s one of the many takeaways from the national Speak Up report…
3 steps to creative problem solving in the classroom
05/24/2016
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Bringing creativity into the classroom came naturally to Mark Gura. He began his career as a visual arts teacher in East Harlem, and when his small school asked him to teach other topics like English and social studies, it made sense to integrate some of his artistic skills into his lessons…
5 tips for creating a credible badging program
07/12/2016
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If you ask a student to explain why she got an A in a class, you might get one of the following answers: Because I did all my work. Because I’m good at math. Because I work hard. Because the teacher likes me. Because I always come to class and pay attention. Because it’s easy. Or,…
7 paths to creative classrooms
07/18/2016
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“I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent – to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”…
5 levels for taking your classroom global
07/19/2016
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Successful online global collaborations require some structure and planning. Educators need to be aware that planning that includes design and implementation is paramount to engaging students and building in success for global learning.
In a design-for-action mode, the…
Elevate learning with drones
07/27/2016
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When most people think of drones, they don’t usually consider the remote-control video cameras to be classroom tools. But Christopher Carnahan does. He uses them to teach math.
It started as a curiosity. Carnahan got a robotics kit that included an augmented reality drone and…
Create standards-aligned activities with Pokemon Go
08/03/2016
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Pokemon Go is a mobile, augmented reality game that requires users to get out and walk around with their smartphones. Users find Pokeballs at Pokestops, use them to capture Pokemon, add them to their Pokedex and “battle” on a team for control of a gym. On the surface it may not seem like a…
Drones give students control of their learning
08/09/2016
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It’s no secret that people excel at a task when they enjoy it. The concept of intrinsic motivation explains why kids will spend hours crafting tools and building structures in Minecraft regardless of the time commitment or math involved.
In their book …