Group items tagged

Making, Maker Centred Learning and STEAM fit neatly alongside Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) for many schools. Commonly this approach includes a constructivist view of knowledge and teachers seek to establish conditions which allow students to explore questions and ideas with greater independence than may occur in the traditional classroom.  Learning becomes a collaborative partnership between teachers and students with a clear focus on a learner centric approach.

The Makerspace initiative allows students and teachers access to resources to construct modern knowledge which enables them to build, explore, create and develop strong problem-solving skills. Most consider this as a purely "fun" activity, as a result guided by the teacher it naturally develops skills in many areas of STEAM. These resources are curated in "Pop-up Makerspace" units which can be flexibly used.

"At its simplest, making is the act of creating. Making can spur creativity, curiosity, collaboration, and confidence. Consider what can happen when making becomes an integral part of learning. Maker education harnesses the power of making to create an engaging and motivating learning experience. It is an interactive, open-ended approach that is learner-driven and allows for the time and space needed to develop diverse skills, knowledge, and ways of thinking. At Maker Ed, we believe that the design of any learning opportunity must recognize and celebrate every learner's ability to experience and influence their world. Maker education can achieve this ideal because it embodies these core values and goals."

Making is as old as learning itself. While the maker movement may only be about a decade old, the human desire to create dates back to the earliest forms of human activity, from making stone tools to drawing on cave walls (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014; Martinez & Stager, 2014). Thinkers such as Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Papert helped paved the way for the maker movement by stressing the importance of hands-on, student-centered, meaningful learning. Instead of viewing learning as the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student, these thinkers embraced the idea that children learn best when encouraged to discover, play, and experiment. More recently, maker education is being used as a way to connect do-it-yourself informal learning to classrooms. Driven by new technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, and kid-friendly coding, making is emerging as an effective way to introduce students to STEM, particularly women and minorities. By incorporating elements of making into the classroom, educators can bridge the gap between what students are passionate about and what they're learning in school.

"The gap between the skills people learn and the skills people need is becoming more obvious, as traditional learning falls short of equipping students with the knowledge they need to thrive, according to the World Economic Forum report New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning Through Technology. Today's job candidates must be able to collaborate, communicate and solve problems - skills developed mainly through social and emotional learning (SEL). Combined with traditional skills, this social and emotional proficiency will equip students to succeed in the evolving digital economy."

"School libraries are starting makerspaces all over the world. It's an exciting time in education as we rediscover the power of creativity. But many schools rush to start makerspaces so quickly that they neglect building the maker culture. Developing a maker culture is a lot like developing a love of reading, it takes time and persistence and it's totally worth it. Here's a few ways that you can work to cultivate a love of making and creativity in your students."

Use these images as stimulus for writing. The images in this group's photostream exude an immensely rich knowledge of the aesthetic makeup of a good photograph. Each visually appealing photo is composed and lit impeccably, following the rules of photography. 

"This afternoon, our Parker senior administration and IT teams gathered to approve a 1:1 iPad program that will start next year in grades 3-5. Our number one priority is to deliver adequate training to the teachers about how addition of these devices into the classroom environment can dramatically change our learning experience to become more student-centered, collaborative, project-based, exploratory, fluid, and open to the world knowledge base."

"Part of the benefit of jumping forward with a 1:1 iPad deployment like we have tried is that we get the opportunity to impart knowledge to other districts looking to do a similar initiative. While that might not seem like a benefit, it actually also means we can make some mistakes because there is not a long history of this type of deployment in the world. "

"Now Apple wants to help users achieve that limitless potential, with the free content-creation application iBooks Author. It aims to revolutionize modern textbooks by bringing interactivity to the learning experience. Not only can you add images to your pages, the reader can zoom in or out of them. You can insert Keynote slides, and embed movies that can be viewed inside a page or full screen. It's even possible to create short quizzes to test your readers' knowledge retention."

Teachers may spend their days imparting knowledge to others, but that doesn't mean they should stop learning themselves. Whether they choose to take classes, read books, or just talk with their colleagues, professional development offers a chance to become a better and wiser teacher.

"There can be no debate - our kids know more than most adults about technology. And at our school, there is no doubt our Year 5/6 students are our resident experts when it comes to iPads. Yet rather than be threatened by this, why not harness their enthusiasm and willingness to share their knowledge?"

"Apple has set the stage for a textbook revolution with the new iBooks 2 and free iBooks Author software, but as it turns out, that was only the first of the company's plans to unveil in New York City today -- Cupertino is also introducing a new iTunes U app for allowing colleges and universities to share their knowledge with the world."

Graphics of the SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition) and TPCK (technological, pedagogical, content, knowledge) models

TPCK means technological pedagogical content knowledge. SAMR means substitute augment modification redefinition. TPCK is an instructional model envisioned using a Venn diagram. SAMR refers to the effects of selected technology on student productivity and is envisioned in a hierarchical plan with redefinition representing the power of technology to transform learning output. Puentendura consulted with the state of Maine in its one-to-one computer implementation project.

Americans seem to be planning major change in technology integration in the classroom. By 2020, major changes need to happen at the intersection of knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content to leverage classroom practises with the affordances of the 21st century.

Graham Attwell reports that the English education minister has called for an open source curriculum. "Gove said three main things that technology can do for learning: - Disseminate knowledge incredibly widely. - Change the way teachers teach, with adaptive software personalising learning. - Allow teachers to assess pupils in more complex and sophisticated ways." Stephen Downes

About: They Don't Teach You This In School was founded with the aim of helping motivated young people get where they want to be faster, by learning from the knowledge and experience of today's adult generation.

Learn about Dickens' England. A fantastic way to give students background knowledge before reading a Dickens' novel.