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"What is the best strategy for starting a makerspace in your school? How long should you take to plan your makerspace before you get started? Is flying by the seat of your pants a good idea or a bad one? What are the key features of an 8 foot tall DIY teeter totter? Stay tuned for the answers in today's podcast.  Our guest today is Laura Fleming.  Laura is a librarian and media specialist at New Milford High School in Jew Jersey.  A little over a year ago, she started a makerspace in her library, and the results have been unbelievable.  I'm not a big fan of spoilers, so let's get straight to the interview."

"Don't let anyone tell you that the iPad doesn't play well with Google Apps! There are now 50 Google Apps for iOS. Let's dive-in, and discover the best Google Apps for the iPad. Learn practical tips and tricks to save you time and storage space, practical integration ideas for the classroom and shared iPads, and ways to stay more productive with Google."

"Tiny Tap is one of the free iPad and Android apps that continues to stay in my Best of the Web presentations. Whenever I show it off there is always a great response to it. Tiny Tap allows you to create simple games based on pictures that you take. The purpose of the games you build is to help young students (pre-K through grade 4) practice identifying objects and patterns."

"Soon after Maryanne Wolf published "Proust and the Squid," a history of the science and the development of the reading brain from antiquity to the twenty-first century, she began to receive letters from readers. Hundreds of them. While the backgrounds of the writers varied, a theme began to emerge: the more reading moved online, the less students seemed to understand. There were the architects who wrote to her about students who relied so heavily on ready digital information that they were unprepared to address basic problems onsite. There were the neurosurgeons who worried about the "cut-and-paste chart mentality" that their students exhibited, missing crucial details because they failed to delve deeply enough into any one case. And there were, of course, the English teachers who lamented that no one wanted to read Henry James anymore. As the letters continued to pour in, Wolf experienced a growing realization: in the seven years it had taken her to research and write her account, reading had changed profoundly-and the ramifications could be felt far beyond English departments and libraries. She called the rude awakening her "Rip van Winkle moment," and decided that it was important enough to warrant another book. What was going on with these students and professionals? Was the digital format to blame for their superficial approaches, or was something else at work?"

Really interesting information on being a better online reader. The author suggests the following: "Maybe the decline of deep reading isn't due to reading skill atrophy but to the need to develop a very different sort of skill, that of teaching yourself to focus your attention. (Interestingly, Coiro found that gamers were often better online readers: they were more comfortable in the medium and better able to stay on task.)"

""Sorry, that's a great idea, but we can't build it here." That's my nightmare. A student in the STEAM Room, our student Makerspace, approaching me with a brilliant project concept requiring some reasonable tool we didn't even consider. Of course, there are worse nightmares involving our reciprocating saw or our drill press, but those scenarios are easier to plan around. How do you come up with an all-encompassing list of tools and materials that will facilitate every student's wildest dreams, while staying within budget and within space constraints? How can you avoid stifling creativity when you haven't even polled your students for their interest areas? How do you know when your Makerspace is complete?"

"Most teenagers in the United States start the school day too early each morning, robbing them of the sleep they need to concentrate properly and remain healthy, according to a study. Fewer than one in five middle and high schools in the United States start at 8:30 am or later, as recommended, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has found that adolescents are biologically programmed to stay asleep longer than adults."

"The same organization that challenges students to compete in cyber-security competitions now wants to help younger students learn cyber-security. The Air Force Association's CyberPatriot program office has put together a free kit to teach K-6 students how to stay safe online."

Get IN SHAPE for teaching and stay INSPIRED all the year through... Whether you're a newbie feeling IN OVER YOUR HEAD or a veteran teacher IN A RUT, you'll find ideas and plans to keep you energized. Even if you have everything completely IN CONTROL, be sure to check out the creative ideas and time-saving tips to help keep you on top of your game throughout the entire school year

From the site - "The courses are designed so teachers can apply what they've learned immediately to the classroom. In addition, each course is designed to be completed in 90 minutes or less so teachers can stay focused on learning one topic at a time." Some courses are FREE others are at a pretty low cost.

Use Google Sites to: * Plan club meetings and activities * Share info on a secure company intranet * Collaborate on a team project * Stay connected with family members

How many "training sessions" have you sat through where you're eyes started to roll into the back of your head and you couldn't stay focused no matter how hard you tried?

Helping tween girls stay interested in STEM with a place all their own. - Chris Ludwig