Innovation Infographics

Last week my daughter attended a STEM camp at Loyola University in Chicago.  As we walked through the Lake Shore Campus, we found many signs that described the landscaping design.  I plan on sharing these examples with my students during Innovation Hour.  They are eye-friendly infographics that explain in clear language the thought process that went into an eco-friendly design.

As innovators, we want our work to begin with empathy.   Students need to understand the audience for whom they are designing, while also considering the impact on plants, animals, and the environment.

Reading these signs made me wonder what impact our decades-old school buildings have on the environment.  What steps could we take as a class to improve the environmental impact of the current building design?  Are we affecting plants, wildlife, or the air quality in our neighborhoods?  These questions would be great ones to pose and address as part of an environmental study PBL or as part of an independent study project.  It would also provide an opportunity to connect with community-based organizations that focus on environmental topics.

Have you found infographic examples that demonstrate empathy in the design process to share with your students?

Motivation Monday

Last week, my daughter attended a STEM camp at Loyola University in Chicago.  The Lake Shore Campus is breathtaking ~ combing gorgeous landscaping, beautiful architecture, and exceptional design elements to promote environmental sustainability.  

Our first evening stroll through campus revealed this beautiful thought, "May peace prevail on earth".  This photograph only captures the English version, but each of the four sides had the message displayed in two languages ~ a powerful statement of hope.

Fun Finds Friday

Read the original post of how I use Fun Finds on Fridays.

This week's finds:

1.   Brilliant - Website designed to help you excel in math and science.  Users can "learn from wiki pages and problems written by a community of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers". Students can choose from subjects such as algebra, geometry, basic mathematics, chemistry, computer science, and electricity and magnetism.

2.  Pantheon - Visualizes global culture by analyzing data.  Check out their Tree Maps, Matrices, Scatterplots, and Maps ~ all are awesome!

3.  The 30-Second Brain Test - Which side of your brain is more dominant?   Take this 30-second test to find out.

4.  DIY - Kids can learn how to do some amazing things - from other kids!  They can try a challenge, get peer feedback, and earn badges.

What have you discovered this week?

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ISTE

One of our Makerspace sessions this month is a poster session at ISTE in Denver.  I attended ISTE for the first time last summer with an eLearning team from my school district.  Of all the professional development opportunities I have experienced in my twenty year career, ISTE has had the biggest impact.  Twenty thousand people convened in Philadelphia in June of 2015 to learn more about technology in education, and I was fortunate to be one of them.  

The ISTE format is the ultimate "Design Your Own PD" experience.  You can mix and match from a variety of formats to best meet your learning needs: lectures, panels, research papers, snapshots, forums, interactive lectures, poster sessions, learning academies, playgrounds, and workshops.  And, you choose the content that is most applicable to you.  

I had the best time at the playgrounds (STEM, Maker, Digital Storytelling, Creativity, Mobile Learning, Games and Virtual Environments, Ed Tech Coaches, and InnovativeEducation), where you could listen to short "how to" presentations, then try the tech out yourself.  I gleaned lots of information from visiting with presenters at the posters sessions, where you can sweep through the room and gather perspectives from across the country on a featured topic.  

One of my most memorable sessions was a littleBits interactive workshop, where I worked with a team of seven to complete a challenge.  We grouped ourselves together randomly, and my small group represented educators from three countries and four states.  It was exciting to be part of a team gathered for just thirty minutes, that represented seven different grade levels/subject areas, and had such global diversity.  We talked about what education looked like in our part of the world, and how we could integrate littleBits into our specific learning environments.

I am excited/scared/nervous/anxious about presenting next week.  I love that we will be part of the Makerspace Poster Session environment.  I will learn so much from the other presenters in the session who share my passion for maker environments.  I will learn so much from those walking through to visit with us about how the Makerspace concept works in our setting.  And, that will just comprise two hours of a four day conference.  So much learning!

Makerspace

Two years ago I converted my classroom to a Makerspace environment.  In preparing for a couple of professional development sessions we are presenting this summer, I have been reflecting on what has helped the Makerspace concept be successful in my classroom.  Here are some tips!


Makerspace Tips

M - Make learning meaningful.  Makerspaces are full of opportunities.  Students can "make" to show their learning on a topic, demonstrating how they are meeting the learning standards for your district.  They can "make" as part of genius hour/passion projects/independent study/innovation hour. They can make in response to a teacher prompt.  Or, they can make as part of a PBL project.

A - Ask for donations of supplies.  Give parents, staff, and the community a list of materials you would like to add to your space.  I have received LEGOs, wood and foam scraps,  sewing supplies, art materials, and more.  People are very generous, and are often looking for a place to donate things they no longer use.

K - Keep it organized.  I use tubs to sort cardboard, plastic, and Styrofoam.   I put pictures in LEGO kits to help keep the pieces in the right place.  I sort materials by the type of supply. Ikea has fun and inexpensive containers, and the dollar spot at Target is a great place to visit. (Okay, Target in general is a great place to visit.)

E - Expand the possibilities of your space.  Find open-ended supplies that will enable students to do a variety of different things.  Some examples include Makey Makey, Green Screen, Raspberry Pis, Circuit Stickers, Squishy Circuits, and Roominate.

R - Robotics.  There are some really cool robots available to add to your space, in a range of prices.  I have added Ozobot, Wonder Workshop's Dash and Dot, Cubelets, Snap Rover, and LEGO WeDo.

S -  Start with what you already have.  I started with the art supplies that had accumulated over 18 years of teaching.  My first summer, I saved cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  I collected cardboard boxes, plastic lids, Styrofoam from packages, and plastic containers from food items.  If you have an iPad, you can download a stop motion animation app and be on your way.  Kids can take apart old technology to see how it works, then repurpose the materials to make something new.

P - Passion Projects.  If you run a genius hour/innovation hour/20% time, students can use the materials in your Makerspace to create "answers" to "problems" they have identified.

A - Add materials over time.  Start adding materials in your classroom budget.  Write proposals and grants through websites like Donors Choose, Think It Up, Kids in Need, and local foundations.

C -  Challenges.  There are so many challenges out there.  Use your Makerspace to participate in the International Cardboard Challenge, LEGO creative uses challenge, Wonder Workshop Robotics Competition, Hour of Code, Rube Goldberg Challenge, or Google Science Fair.  Watch social media channels to spot additional challenges ~ they pop up all the time!

E - Even more ideas.  Play with polymers.  Use 3D Doodler Pens. Try claymation.  Solve a problem in the world.  Complete a STEM challenge.  Learn to program.  Just tinker!

But, most importantly, keep it organized!

A few things I have made for my Makerspace:

Download an "I'm a Maker" poster.

Try Makerspace Idea Cards if kids need an idea to get started.

Link to the Makerspace Poster at the top of this post.


What tips do you have for Makerspaces?

Tech Tip Tuesday

Read the original post on how I use Tech Tip Tuesday.


"Teachery" Tech Tips for this week:

It's summer, so my focus will be on Tech Tips that can help teachers in their classrooms.

1.  ViewPure allows you to "watch YouTube videos without comments, ads, or other distractions".  It's in beta, and just as awesome as it sounds!  I've been using it extensively this week while I've been building a course in Moodle (which is equally awesome for blended learning).

2.  EdPuzzle allows you to crop, add your own audio track, record audio notes, and ask questions of the viewers.  You can pull videos directly from YouTube, Khan Academy, LearnZillion, National Geographic, TED Talks, Vimeo, and more!  You can even use content developed by other EdPuzzle users.  It will send your creations directly to your Google Classroom, if you wish, or you can use the URL link.  Another exceptional tool for blended learning!

3.  youcubed, sponsored by Stanford University, offers a week of iMath with lessons and activities for use in your classroom.  Jo Boaler specializes in growth mindsets and the field of math, and offers an extensive research-based collection of amazing resources on the site.  Check it out!

What have you been using this week?

Motivation Monday and Game Review

I have never been able to draw.  I have a standard stick person (which covers both genders and all ages), a stick animal (which encompasses animals of the land, see, and air), and a basic house, tree, and flower.  Any time I play a game with my own children that requires drawing, I just groan.  And silently question why Santa brought those games to begin with - what WAS he thinking?

This winter, Santa brought an independent drawing game that both the kids and I LOVE.  Not because I can draw now, but because it requires creative thought!  (And, one person can play by themselves, relieving me from a drawing requirement.)


It is called The Extraordinaires Design Studio.

The Extraordinaire Design Studio (affiliate link)

The Extraordinaire Design Studio is described as "a creative thinking game for problem solvers. If you've ever wondered what it's like to invent a music player for a robot, a remote control for a pirate, or a cooking utensil for a vampire teen, this game is for you."  This is an amazing opportunity for children to be creative!

In the above image, my daughter drew the Extraordinaire  card "future child" and the project  card "ceremony place".  Her design title is China's New Year, and she has created a transportation tube, reusable fireworks (maybe because our family describes fireworks as watching your money burn up in front of you), a hover board, a floating dragon, and the future child with flaps and rocket boots.

As for me, I still can't draw.  But, I am trying.  I have been working on developing a Growth Mindset along with my students, grades kindergarten through eighth.  In most areas, I do have a growth mindset, but when it comes to drawing, I have a fixed mindset.  Fixed as in "set in concrete and never going to change type of mindset".  So, as an example to my students, I am working on drawing.  I know that I will never be great at drawing, but I can get better.

Here is a "before" example:

We were playing Who What Where Jr. The Funny Drawing Game for Kids.  In this game, you draw three cards: a who, a what, and a where, and combine them into a picture.  Using my interpretive skills, I think this example was a snake/worm, flying a kite, in a barn.  My family always lets me draw multiple cards of each category, knowing that I need to find something that I can make halfway recognizable for them.

I recently discovered the book You Can Draw in 30 Days: The Fun, Easy Way to Learn to Draw in One Month or Less.  I am actually only on day seven in the book, it has been about four months, but I am learning to draw!

You Can Draw in 30 Days (affiliate link)

Here are my "learning to draw" examples:

Day 3 Advanced Level Spheres

Day 6 Stacking Tables

While my drawings are more recognizable (my goal), and a huge step forward from the snake/worm flying a kite in a barn, I still need the heavily structured advice of the book.  I can work step-by-step through a lesson and draw a picture that my family can recognize.  I am not yet able to transfer my skills to a random drawing situation (which I still avoid at all costs).  But, I have only completed seven lessons (in four months).  And, as I tell my students, a growth mindset means "I can work hard and improve", so I will keep working.

What are you working on?