Group items tagged

"Bloom's Taxonomy is a useful tool for assessment design, but using it only for that function is like using a race car to go to the grocery-a huge waste of potential. In an upcoming post we're going to look at better use of Bloom's taxonomy in the classroom, but during research for that post it became interesting how many variations there are of the original work. While a handful of the charts below only show aesthetic changes compared to others, most are concept maps of sorts-with graphic design that signifies extended function (power verbs), detail (clear explanations), or features of some sort (Bloom's Taxonomy tasks by level)."

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. 

"Figurative speech is the language we use to spice up our writing. Besides their aesthetic value , figurative expressions and axioms cast a flavour of 'writerly professionalism' on the written piece. It does take so much practice for students to be adept at the use of figurative language and there are no shortcuts to learn that quickly. There are however some useful tips to help them in their learning process. Periodic table of the figures of speech is an example of a very good document students can draw on to consolidate and learn different ways to use figures of speech."

"Wow, what can we say! This past summer we decided to start a learning space design challenge on ClassroomCribs.com to highlight all of the amazing "cribs" that you have designed for students. Instead of just "aesthetics" we focused this challenge on brain-friendly learning spaces that promoted deep learning and engagement through design. And we were blown away by the response! Over 4,000 educators have joined our Classroom Cribs learning community and many of you sent in videos of your learning space as part of the challenge."

"The dance of printing a document, taking a pen and signing it, then scanning and emailing it to a banker or client is one I think we've all done. It's also extremely inefficient, not to mention annoying. The Mac's handy-dandy Preview app makes it possible to fill out and digitally sign a document, but it's just as easy to sign from an iOS device, and of course there is no shortage of apps for that. I've whittled that selection down to these five that cover all the bases, letting you sign, fill out forms, connect to your cloud storage accounts, and use's iOS 8's share extension, among other features. The differences between them boil down to aesthetics, workflow, and pricing-which means one of them is probably just right for you."

"Tinkering activities provide a powerful way to inspire students' interest, engagement, and understanding in science. The Tinkering Fundamentals course will help educators and enthusiasts develop a practice of tinkering and making. This course will focus on key design elements of high-quality, science-rich tinkering activities, effective facilitation strategies and environmental organization. Watch Intro Video About the Course The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making.  We see tinkering as a serious endeavor -- one that is generalizable across content and especially good at interweaving disciplines in a way that leads to complex projects and individualized learning opportunities.   Tinkering has recently been introduced into the educational field as a potential driver of creativity, excitement, and innovation in science learning. It is seen by many as an effective means to engage in exploring STEM concepts, practices and phenomena. Tinkering typically blends the high and low tech tools of science along with a strong aesthetic dimension that supports children's (and adults) self expression.  For over a decade, the Exploratorium has been developing science-rich tinkering activities. Working with learning scientists, we have identified a set of design principles and indicators of learning that can help you to integrate tinkering activities into your elementary and middle school science programs. This course will focus on key design elements of high quality science-rich tinkering activities, facilitation strategies, and environmental organization. Selected  tinkering activities will be centered around circuits for this course.  We will review the ways in which tinkering supports science learning through providing opportunities to deepen engagement, intentionality, innovation, collaboration, and understanding. This course will excite you, inspire you, and get you tinkering in

"Today there are many resources for people to learn code. The Barbies and GI Joes of yesteryear have become tablets and smart phones. Young kids, such as 12-year-old Thomas Suarez, who gave this excellent TED Talk, are learning advanced forms of coding that few adults even fully grasp. The following is a list of websites online that offer free tutorials and courses for children that want to learn how to code. And even if you are not a kid, you might learn a thing or two. We reviewed a collection of websites and the following three are the best that we found, incorporating various features that put them above the rest. We went through all the most popular coding websites on the Internet and found the three best free coding websites, based on the following criteria: ● Ease of use ● Aesthetics ● Fun ● Effectiveness ● Free Without further ado, the following are the best coding websites we found that was designed especially with kids in mind."

""How did you get your kids to do that?" It's a question I often get from colleagues when they see a picture a student took in my digital photography class - a class I dub iPhoneography, as much for the ubiquitous accessory that many of my middleschoolers wield like an appendage as for the hipster play on words, although the name belies the fact that any smart phone will do. That, and an eye for observing the sometimes aesthetic but always interesting minutiae of the day-to-day, or what Picasso called, "the dust of everyday life." Sound pretentious? Sure, but that doesn't mean it isn't doable for 12- and 13-year-olds."

"I was not one of those LEGO® kids growing up. Sure, my brothers had LEGO bricks, and every so often I'd kidnap some tiny LEGO men for a make-believe game. But I didn't truly appreciate the engineering capacity of those studded plastic bricks. They were just so rigidly rectangular! As an adult, I've come to appreciate LEGO, both for its rectilinear aesthetic, and even more so, for its mathematical might. In the classroom, the tiny bricks are now my favorite possibility-packed math manipulative! Read on for a sampling of math activities that use LEGO pieces to build and reinforce key math concepts."

"3D printing has been around for a long time, but only recently has it become available to the general public. My friends and family still think of a 3D printer as some sort of miracle device that can make whatever you want at the push of a button. Of course, we as creators know that it takes a lot of work to go from an initial idea to a final 3D printed product. There was a period of time where everyone was telling me I HAD to make prosthetic hands because I own this futuristic 3D printer and I had a social responsibility to use it for the forces of good.  I think of 3d printers like any other tool such as a table saw or lathe. Sure you can make just about anything, but what do you want to make? I've always loved the aesthetic of boy's action toys so I couldn't resist the opportunity to make my own action figures."

Walk into any McDonald's, anywhere in the world, and you know where you are and what to expect. For the homesick traveller, the consistency of McDonald's' design aesthetic is comforting. You know how this is going to work, you understand what to do, and you know what you are likely to get. McDonald's requires minimal cognitive load on the customer's behalf.

Try to remember those days with wildflowers blooming along the coast and sea breeze blowing. Greatly inspired by the fascinating coastal views in Ogunquit, a city bursting with arts and culture, our Ogunquit Papasan round swivel accent chair adds outpouring vigor and aesthetics to your daily life.