Group items tagged

"Hot Apps for HOTS is an excellent guide packed full of apps and activities to support higher order thinking skills (HOTS). I learned about this eBook from a post by Tony Vincent in Learning in Hand almost a month ago and since then I downloaded the guide and read it from cover to cover and was really thrilled by the depth and practicality of the learning materials provided by the authors: Lisa Johnson and Yolanda."

"If I touch a hot stove and burn my hand, I immediately learn that touching a hot stove results in a burned hand. My brain makes the connection almost simultaneously. There's little need for reflection because the "hot stove=burn" connection is one that my mind makes almost immediately. Similarly, suppose I'm driving in bad weather and going WAY TOO FAST for the conditions. If my car spins out and I find myself stuck in a ditch, I've learned a lesson about driving in bad weather. Again, the connection is almost instantaneous. Academic learning however is seldom that obvious."

"Apps and web apps are only as purposeful as the products and projects that they are used to create. After spending copious amounts of time publishing "Hot Apps 4 HOTS" to iBooks, I felt I should allocate some time to focus on web apps and how they too can be used to support higher order thinking skills."

"Tissue paper hot air balloons are one of those powerful STEM learning experiences that lend themselves so well to being cross-curricular."

"Pinterest: A Beginner's Guide to the Hot New Social Network"

"When it comes to education, it seems no matter where in the world you are from, the same innovative practices bring us together. This week at Microsoft's Partners in Learning Global Forum hundreds of educators from more than 80 countries came together to showcase, learn, discuss and think about innovative teaching, learning, and leading practices. "

"As we approach the end of the school year, I have been looking back at some of the topics I have written about this year. One of the most popular topics (which I wrote about back in September) was homework. "

"There are page turner Magazines on the iPad that are basically PDF versions of the print version. Becoming more popular are the magazines that have hot spot areas, video, scrollable articles and inter magazine linking. While these interactive magazines are being produced by large magazine publishers once a month, Engadget is creating their full featured content "Dristo" weekly. Grab the app and you will get an overview page of all of the 'magazines' published. Tap the ones you want to download and read within the same app."

"Every new classroom project must satisfy available resources within three dimensions: 1) time, 2) money and 3) physical space. The 2016 New Media Consortium Horizon Report for K-12 Education anticipates that makerspaces will be highly adopted in schools across the country within the next year. Maker education and makerspaces are the hot topic in STEM education right now. Over the last year I have worked with many teachers in a professional development environment who are simultaneously enthusiastic about the idea of a makerspace, and frustrated by the limitations of space in their schedule, budget and classroom layout. We all want a makerspace, but how do we make that happen within these constraints?"

"Makerspaces are a really hot commodity in schools and the focus of a lot of the conversation that surrounds improving learning spaces.  That's exciting, and an opportunity to provide new spaces that add capability for students and teachers is always a good thing. So, given this interest, what are some design questions to consider when thinking of adding a space that has maker capabilities?  Here are my top five which focus on the design of such a space:"

"There are various types of student inquiry. How many of them do you know? Thanks to a post I found on Twitter, you're about to know about all of them. I watch social media closely and it's my job to share some of the hot topics on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other outlets that teachers, principals, students, and parents are contributing."

I can't tell you how excited I am… February's going to be BIG!! There are 28 days (plus an extra for leap year this year) pack-filled with hands-on STEM activities for kids.  I've partnered with some of my favorite bloggers and here's a little math to show you just how BIG this is…  60 activities + 29 bloggers = an AHmazing month of hands-on science, tech, engineering & math for your kiddos at home and in the classroom. We've broken it down into four different hot topics: STEM Goes Green, STEM Challenges, Coding for Kids and STEM On a Budget.  So bookmark this page & come back each day to see the next project!"

"To be honest, I had longed for the epic Lego wall that has graced so many makerspace blogs and websites.  But I didn't have the wall space for it, and I prefer furniture and resources that can serve dual purposes. Being a proponent of Theodore Roosevelt's motto of "Do what you can with what you have where you are" I became resourceful.  So with my Scholastic Book Fair points, I chose a metal cabinet from the rewards catalog to serve as both makerspace storage and a movable awesome Lego wall. With some heavy-duty magnets affixed to the back with a hot glue gun, our baseplates could be used both horizontally and vertically.  Bound by limitations, I was able to find a away to create something new that would fit the needs of our library and our students."

"We are excited to launch the Maker Space at NIST International School!  But what exactly is making, design thinking and Maker Spaces anyway? How do they relate to the NIST mission and values, and how do we integrate them authentically into learning? Who are they appropriate for? What does the research say? There are many questions which surround this hot topic-  which is a good thing!! This website was designed to help students, parents and teachers answer some of those questions and act as a guide as we go on this journey together.  So grab your goggles and tool belt, and come on in..."

"Higher education issues have been one of the hot topics of the current presidential race, with candidates touching on reducing student loan debt and improving college access. However, what has rarely come up is whether or not college is even the best option for each and every student. The general message in popular culture and political debates is that attending and graduating from a traditional four-year college is the only way to find a fruitful job after high school. However, there are a number of alternatives for students who don't necessarily want to take out loans or the academic focus of a traditional university experience, and these alternatives can still lead to fulfilling careers. Called career technical, professional, and trade or vocational training, these programs are typically offered at high schools, two-year colleges, and through other outlets."

"Few trends in K-12 ed tech are as hot-or as under-researched-as "Maker" education. The term generally refers to using a wide variety of hands-on activities (such as building, computer programming, and sewing) to support academic learning and the development of a mindset that values playfulness and experimentation, growth and iteration, and collaboration and community.  Typically, "Making" involves attempting to solve a particular problem, creating a physical or digital artifact, and sharing that product with a larger audience. Often, such work is guided by the notion that process is more important than results. The Maker Movement has its roots outside of school, in institutions such as science museums and in the informal activities that everyday people have taken part in for generations. It began exploding about a decade ago, thanks in large part to the enthusiastic audience of Make magazine and the popularity of public events such as Maker Faires (the most well-known of which was hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2014.) The rise of cheap digital tools, including microcontroller platforms such as Arduino and rapid-prototyping tools such as 3-D printers, has in recent years lent the movement a decidedly techie flavor. Efforts to bring Making and "Maker spaces" into K-12 schools are still "nascent," said Erica Halverson, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a leading researcher into Maker education. But that's changing fast."

"With some thick cardboard, a cutting knife, some hot glue, a ruler, and probably a bit of trial and error, you can create your own DIY coin sorting machine. The key to the sorting "mechanism" is to cut the right size holes in the correct order-smallest to largest. Watch this how-to video from The Q."