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"So here's the thing, we've all seen the presentations on the value of authentic learning and there is no doubt that creating meaningful learning experiences is paramount. And, incorporated wisely, with intention and forethought, giving students the opportunity to create digitally is a powerful tool. But creating on the devices is only half of the picture - less than half even. Last year, I visited a school and saw a group of Kindergarten students thrilled to show off their understanding using Doodle Buddy. I observed a student create a masterpiece. He looked at me eagerly, "Now what?" We held up the iPad and his peers applauded. Sharing it beyond the class however was not in the cards that day. I was struck by the lightening fast speed with which he lost interest in the whole activity as soon as he realized the sharing stopped at the classroom door."

"Magnetic building toys are among the most popular STEM construction options for a number of simple reasons. They are robust and affordable. There are no batteries required (magnets are always on). And they straddle a number of important engineering concepts such as design, structure, geometry and are an excellent stepping stone to more complex conversations around physics and electronics. While magnets alone (or the ones stuck to the fridge door) can provide hours of fun, the below nine magnetic building toys have all been created especially for children who have that engineering streak. Take a look and see how magnets can motivate learning in your children!"

"This web site is designed to foster visual creativity by making stories out of photos. It is based completely on the Five Card Nancy game devised by comics guru Scott McCloud and the nifty web version at 741.5 Comics. However, rather than using randomly chosen panels of the old Nancy comic, my version draws upon collections of photos specified by a tag in flickr. You are dealt five random photos for each draw, and your task is to select one each time to add to your building set of images, that taken together as a final set of 5 - tell a story in pictures. When you are done, you can add a title and explanation, and save the story. You can easily put a link in your resume or send to your Mom (she may print it out and tape it to the fridge, or she may criticize your creativity, your mileage and mom may vary). Plus we offer the ability to tweet your story or use an embed code to add it to your own web site."

"Start the NEW YEAR the right way! For January we have one inspiring quote for you for every day of the month! Every morning, write down the positive quote of the day on a piece of paper, put it in your wallet so you can look at it a few times during the day. Write it on a post-it and hang it on your fridge or your computer. Take a picture and save it has your phone or computer background for the day! Make it your motto of the day! Share it! Every morning write down the quote of the day and make sure to hand that note to someone else on that day to spread more positive vibes and energies to those around you as well!"

"I hope you'll agree with me that we have a serious lack of female engineers, software developers, architects, and mathematicians. Women are painfully underrepresented in the industries and fields responsible for making the products we all use on a daily basis. Women are under-represented in creating the software that makes everything from fridges to turbines "smarter." Women are under-represented in engineering products including those that help us live healthier & safer lives. Women are under-represented in leading research and experimentation. The problem is significant & complex. Many governments & businesses including Apple & Google are actively working to root-cause why the results are so dramatic, and what business, governments and individuals can do to reverse the tide. "

"Much like cooking, computational thinking begins with a feat of imagination, the ability to envision how digitized information-ticket sales, customer addresses, the temperature in your fridge, the sequence of events to start a car engine, anything that can be sorted, counted, or tracked-could be combined and changed into something new by applying various computational techniques. From there, it's all about "decomposing" big tasks into a logical series of smaller steps, just like a recipe."

"The familiar grumble of your stomach hits every day at 11:30 a.m. as you sink further down into your desk chair. You need some fresh lunch ideas. And oh, we've got 'em-a whopping 100 ideas on what to pack for office lunches, to be exact. Some are recipes, some are loose guidelines, and some are honestly desperate-measure fridge clean-outs that we can all relate to. For even more lunch inspiration, learn how to meal prep like a pro or check out these big batch ideas to get you through the week. If you've got a brilliant lunch idea that we missed, make sure to let us know on Facebook and Instagram. "

WordMagnets is a simple tool that allows you to paste text into a field and then click a couple of times to change the text into word tiles a little like fridge magnets that you can drag and rearrange.

You are dealt five random photos for each draw, and your task is to select one each time to add to a selection of images, that taken together as a final set of 5 images- tell a story in pictures. When you are done, you the option to add a title and explanation, then you can save the story so you can put a link in your resume or send to your Mom (she pay print it out and tape it to the fridge, or she may criticize your creativity, your mileage and mom may vary). Plus we offer the ability to tweet your story! via Langwitches

"Unfortunately, the way computer science is currently taught in high school tends to throw students into the programming deep end, reinforcing the notion that code is just for coders, not artists or doctors or librarians. But there is good news: Researchers have been experimenting with new ways of teaching computer science, with intriguing results. For one thing, they've seen that leading with computational thinking instead of code itself, and helping students imagine how being computer savvy could help them in any career, boosts the number of girls and kids of color taking-and sticking with-computer science. Upending our notions of what it means to interface with computers could help democratize the biggest engine of wealth since the Industrial Revolution."