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"Fake news, unreliable websites, viral posts-you would think students who have grown up with the internet would easily navigate it all, but according to a study done by Stanford researchers, that couldn't be further from the truth. Researchers describe the results of the study done on middle school, high school and college students across the country as "bleak." Students were asked to judge advertisements, social media, video and photographic evidence, news reports and websites. Though researchers thought they were giving students simple tasks, they say that "in every case and at every level, we were taken aback by students' lack of preparation." As if that weren't bad enough, researchers go on to say, "At present, we worry that democracy is threatened by the ease at which disinformation about civic issues is allowed to spread and flourish." So what can educators do about the spread of fake news and our students' inability to recognize when they have been fooled? Lesson plans that explicitly address the new media literacy and task students to be responsible consumers and disseminators of news are a good place to start. Here are eight things that students need to know about fake news and the new media literacy:"

"Hold up.  Before you ask me what kind of 3d printer to buy, I want to introduce you to something even better. Someone, actually. Seymour Papert.  Let me guess, if you're like me, you were NOT introduced to him in your college coursework on education.  Then one day, you discovered his work and started reading it.  Articles dated from around the year you started kindergarten, talking about empowering children to use their creativity and how technology's role plays into all of that in a beautiful way. Then you realize this Maker Movement unfolding around us?  It's so NOT about products. It's not about the flashy kits and lists of things to order.  In fact, that STUFF is an INSULT to what it really is.  You don't need tons of expensive stuff or a special room where creativity is allowed.  You need to make the environment, wherever it may be, the kind of place that brings the makerspace OUT of each child.  And to do THAT? You just need to know your kids. What are their needs? What do they like? What are their passions? Empowerment comes out of connecting with kids and then letting them steer the ship."

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."

"Root looks like a smoke detector but is actually a sophisticated robot. A magnetic surface, wheels, and an impressive arsenal of sensors allow it to navigate a classroom white board. But Root isn't actually programmed to do anything. Its tasks and functionality hinge on a child's imagination. To operate - Root needs instructions, a line of code. Zivthan Dubrovsky of Harvard's Wyss Institute recalls testing out Root with kids for the first time. He asked them this: "Can you make a text based java script line follower? They go 'no that's hard, can't do that', but we can put level one in front of them and they can do it in minutes." Level one introduces kids to principles of programming using an interface of simple instruction and pictures. As they become more adept, they jump to levels 2 and 3, at which point writing computer code becomes second nature, according to Dubrovsky."

There is much to be learned from journeys. From stepping out of our doors and by placing one foot in front of the other making progress towards a planned destination. Journeys are a great metaphor for the challenges we face in our day to day lives and the parallels we draw may allow us to set a goal and achieve it despite the obstacles.

"This week I'd like to talk about a topic that has been a focus in my role as an Instructional Coach this past year - that of mathematical thinking, reasoning and proving. I supported teachers in my schools in these areas and it has been great to see students develop and demonstrate their mathematical thinking, aligned with learning goals and success criteria. When students reason and prove in mathematics, they are explaining their thinking and providing the evidence in a systematic manner using a variety of representations. Many times, it is difficult to understand what a student is showing in his/her work. Before I provide some suggestions, we need to understand what reasoning actually is; what is reasoning?"

Something is missing from my classroom lately and I am quite happy to have seen it disappear. It is the traditional line at the teacher's desk formed by students awaiting feedback on a recently completed piece of writing. What has replaced this is our use of Google Docs and Slides as a tool for the collaborative development of ideas from initial thinking and strategising through to final editing and refinement. It has introduced a new workflow to the class that both streamlines the process of providing feedback, allows for greater detail and transforms the process into one that is richly collaborative.

"Why is it that sometimes we only see the extremes in our work? Picture your strongest lessons, activities, and projects juxtaposed against ones that just didn't work, and that's how it's been so far with our Digital Shop capstone projects. Some experiences make me want to high-five the entire class all at once. Others deserve an epic facepalm. As of this writing, we still have a month of school left. How will the remaining capstones go? What have we learned in the process? Can we "fail up" and finish strong, sending kids into summer vacation with school-year memories that will last forever? As I explained in my April post, I wanted the capstone projects to: Be genuine design thinking experiences. Allow kids to showcase the skills and dispositions they worked to acquire all year. Be based on and help people from the community and the world. The results have been mixed, as this post will illustrate."

"One of the great things (among many) about 3D printing is that not only is it an important skill in itself, it's also a valuable tool for learning about other things. Just look at 3D printed organ models, for example - they're becoming increasingly common in hospitals and clinics as a way for surgeons to plan operations before operating, but they also allow medical students and professionals alike to study the human body - and all of its quirks and malfunctions - more closely and thoroughly than ever before. 3D printing, and its ability to create perfect replicas of microscopic particles and blow them up to thousands of times their original size, has also enabled researchers and students to study things like pollen, for example, in a tactile way that wasn't previously possible. At the other end of the spectrum, 3D printing can scale the universe down to a cube that can be held in the palm of a hand. There's virtually no limit to the concepts that can be elucidated with a 3D printer, and a group of scientists at the Institute of Materials Science in Barcelona (ICMAB) have designed a course that uses the technology to teach high school students about the growing field of materials science."

"Summer is fast approaching; this is the time of year when teachers are preparing students for exams and trying to keep their classes from descending into the Lord of the Flies. When it finally arrives, summer is an important time for busy educators and allows them to relax, recharge, and often work on honing their craft in both formal and informal professional development. With the more flexible work schedule of the summer, it is also a great time to build up your Professional Learning Network (PLN) - especially one that expands beyond the walls of the classroom. Here are a few resources to help you do just that:"

"When in Boston, I taught next to a Geometry teacher who would later go on to become Teacher of the Year. Lining the walls of his high school Geometry classroom, from floor to ceiling, were vocabulary words with drawings and examples. At the time I thought it was a bit extreme. I mean, aren't these kids in high school? Over the years since, I have come to realize just how important word walls are and that he was absolutely right in putting it all out there like that. If you think about it, there's a measly 5 year age difference between a 4th grader and a 9th grader. Yes, kids do grow up quick, but what is it about those 5 short years that suddenly allows students to remember and recall everything and no longer need visual reminders?"

"Have you found some amazing and cool videos on Facebook, and you are looking for a way on how to download them to your computer? Maybe, you have tried to get them, but you didn't find a solution or a working way. Really, it's so frustrating when you come across awesome videos on Facebook and you find yourself unable to save them to your PC for offline view. But no worries anymore, even if Facebook doesn't provide an option to download and save videos to your computer or any other device, In this post, I'm going to share with you a fantastic trick that will allow you to download any public or private video from Facebook without using any software or plugin. So, let's get started!"

"When a board game is presented as a math game, I am always eager to try it out! Unfortunately, in many cases I find the math in these games are too straightforward with cards of math problems for players to solve, or numbered spaces to count. These games are usually far from fun, only allowing kids to practice math facts or formulas. They lack the opportunity for the player to choose from different actions, strategize or even plan ahead. The math in board games doesn't have to be so straightforward! Math is not just about numbers and formulas, and through games is one way we can experience the beauty of math all around us. There are many fun board games that integrate deeper mathematical thinking into the gameplay. These games help students develop skills such as multi-step problem-solving, spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, resource management and much more. Here's my list of go-to board games for engaging students in math through games!"

"I visited a classroom this morning as the supervisor of our Educational Technology practicum. I love visiting schools, not because it gives me a sense of "relevance" but because it allows me to do something I rarely got the chance to do as a classroom teacher: visit other classrooms and watch the amazing things that happen. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there is this question, "What do you forget when you leave the classroom?""

"For my series of instructional videos I have a green screen as my background. I then use software to replace the green color with different backgrounds. This chromakey effect allows me to place objects behind and in front of me. I think it helps my videos look slick and puts the focus on my content. I'm often asked about the set up I use to film my videos. Here's a 360 spherical photo that I've annotated. Feel free to scroll and zoom around to check out my setup."

"Learning to code is become increasingly prevalent in school curriculum's. From after-school clubs to dedicated class periods, coding and computer science curriculum are popping up in schools worldwide. One place surprising place where coding is also increasingly being used is in programs for students with learning disabilities."

"Librarians make a huge difference in our students lives. They are entrusted with a wide variety of educational tasks. Some of these tasks according to Queen University Library include: help students with information-related activities, assist students in developing information literacy skills that allows them to navigate and search the web effectively, collaborate with teachers in creating challenging project-based activities, run different literacy clubs, build library collections and many more."

""I keep reading about these design thinking consultants who will come to your school and help you redesign your programming. But to be honest, those things are way too expensive, and our budget doesn't really allow us flexibility for that. Please, please give us some cheaper options. Can we just do it ourselves? Are there good people to talk to or places online to go for stuff?"--Broke in Cincinnati"