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"Leka DeGroot can relate to teachers who would like to bring coding to their classrooms but just can't fathom fitting it in. "Teachers often tell me, 'It sounds great but I don't have time, or I don't have the skills,' but you don't have to be a computer scientist to teach coding," assures DeGroot, a first grade teacher at Spirit Lake Elementary in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Just a few years ago DeGroot explored coding for the first time through Hour of Code. Today, she's a trainer for Code.org. She's driven by a desire to introduce students to computational thinking and integrating coding into the curriculum. "The basic concepts of listening to each other, communicating and collaborating, these are not just for computer science. We want every student to have those skills," DeGroot says. Even the youngest students benefit from the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that coding provides. Not only do kids learn from it, they love it! Recently, for example, collaborated with a teacher in Wisconsin to have students write loop code dances for each other and then held a Google Hangout dance party. "

"In our opinion, one of the biggest misconceptions in education is the idea that "the basics" must precede innovation. While foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy will always be necessary, there's no reason why we can't teach them alongside innovative practices."

"Look in the mirror. How exhausted are you? Stress is not something to ignore. It makes bright days feel foggy and contributes to negative health behaviors, obesity, and hypertension. So let's do something about that over winter break."

"Tis the season to be jolly, especially with the newest interactive and multimedia apps available to celebrate. Children, adolescents, and teens can create very meaningful gifts for friends and family members or get into the holiday spirit by using the suggested apps below. The apps are very easy to use, often free, and have various multimedia options. These apps integrate images, audio, text, video and extras."

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxYouth@FortGarry, where x = independently organized TED event.

"etworking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Take for example scientists; professional networks allow the scientific community to share discoveries much faster. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that "sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them." This idea embodies the true spirit of a successful professional learning network: collaboration for its own sake. "

"In the last few years iPads and Chromebooks have both seen astronomical growth in education becoming two of the most popular devices for classrooms and one-to-one programs. In light of that it's only natural that power users and fans will compare and contrast their merits, given that so many schools have limited funds for devices. That's basically the setup for this spirited debate by Jennifer Gibson, CEO of PD Learning Network and an iPad connoisseur and Rich Dixon, vice president of professional learning and a devoted Chromebook user. "Sometimes you're forced to have one or the other," Gibson said. Together the pair dissect everything from price - $400-$600 for an iPad mini; $250 for Rich's basic Chromebook - to mobility, weight, screen resolution, apps, and camera quality."

"As Halloween approaches, teachers and students alike may be preoccupied with costume planning, ghost stories, and (most importantly) candy. Here are five projects students can try out to capitalize on their Halloween spirit while expanding their knowledge of coding with Scratch."

"Get into the holiday spirit the Destination Imagination way-with a little creativity! For this year's Great Graham Cracker Challenge, we want you to design and create a graham cracker structure inspired by your favorite book. Your structure must incorporate at least two special features. Special features must be physical things that are attached to or associated with your graham cracker structure (e.g., extra floors, a magical cape, etc.)."

"There has been a big push in computer-science education in the last few years. The UK has made it part of its national curriculum, President Obama has pledged $4 billion toward a national computer-science initiative and a slew of toys and games designed to teach kids how to code have come to market. Even Apple got into the spirit with the introduction of Swift Playgrounds, an iPad app that instructs kids on the basics of the company's Swift programming language. Today, Google detailed its own big investment in computer-science education. It's called Project Bloks, an open hardware platform that anyone can use to create physical coding experiences for kids."

"You've read about the maker movement. You've seen the posts with 3D printers, laser cutters, and three-axis mills in shiny new labs. And you want your students to start making, too. But you've got one big problem: you don't have a full lab -- or even a 3D printer -- because, like many educators, you don't have the biggest budget. Maybe you have no budget at all. But what if you could get started making tomorrow and didn't need all the fancy tools to join this movement? Making starts with a mindset, and simple materials are all that you need to get started. There are resources all around you, materials hidden in plain sight, tools just waiting to be used for a creative purpose. And with a little dose of ingenuity, you'll have your students making in no time. One perfect way start making on the cheap is through upcycling, the intentional transformation of hard-to-recycle materials into new products, thus saving them from the landfill. This type of real-world project not only teaches making skills but also helps you integrate making into your subject area. Study material science, explore industrial design, or dig into environmental education. As an added bonus, a project like this ignites your students' entrepreneurial spirit. Here's the five-step strategy that I've used to get my students making products out of hard-to-recycle materials. These steps could be done in one class period each, but if you want more time for ideas and iteration, feel free to expand the timeline as you go. Expect a beautiful mess, a bit of chaos, and a lot of fun as your students start to save the landfills -- by design."

"What blog entries would you share with someone just getting started with an iPad initiative that was facing a bit of opposition in-house? Upon reflecting on that question--and you have to remember I've moved slowly from iPad antipathy to embracing iPads over the last year--I realized that there were a few blog entries that just might be helpful. So, in the spirit of being helpful, here is my round-up of iPad entries: "

"In the spirit of my last post, I would like to share another science apptivity for the iPad. I wish I could take credit for this one but Bryan P Doyle is the author of the resource. I had the pleasure of attending his session at the Area 7 Conference this summer."

"In the spirit of bringing more opportunities into learning environments, more and more schools are inviting students to bring their own technology. Shortened as BYOT or BYOD for Bring Your Own Device, the concept is catching on."

"The Maker movement continues to gain momentum. At this year's White House Science Fair, President Obama invited Super-Awesome Sylvia from Auburn, California to exhibit her water color robot as a representative of the Maker community. At the same event, the Corporation for National Service announced its commitment to place Americorps VISTAs in Maker movement organizations across the country. Maker Ed is placing those Maker VISTAs in makerspaces to help build their capacity for engaging low-income students as makers. In this spirit, we are starting to see more and more makerspaces springing up in schools across the country. If you are a teacher experimenting with making projects in your classroom, here are some successful fundraising strategies we've seen educators use to fund a makerspace for their school community. "

"If you've read my previous post about how we've been using Instagram in kindergarten, you'd know that we've been avid Instagrammers for the last couple of months. #mathphotoaday and #eduphotoaday have provided the basis for many terrific mini-lessons, and captioning photographs has provided authentic early writing practice. I've been amazed at how successfully my students have used Instagram and supporting apps such as Pic Collage, InstaCollage, and Color Splash. Last week, we were viewing our Instagram pictures on our SMART Board, and the kids were commenting on how beautiful a lot of them were. One little boy put up his hand and said, "Mrs. Caldwell, our Instagram pictures are so beautiful. I think that we should print them out and sell them and make money for our new playground." And just like that, a new project was born! Why does this always happen at the end of the school year when we have a million and one other things to do? But their enthusiasm was contagious and I agreed that it was a fantastic idea! And when a 6 year-old shows entrepreneurial spirit like that, who am I to stand in his way?"

"Mobile devices like iPads and Androids have transformed the way we experience boredom. No longer is a wayward commuter forced to play Snake or Tetris, occupying themselves in a hardly satisfying, and utterly pixelated virtual reality. The tablet or smart phone-wielding travelers can now immerse themselves in an entire library of art and culture-related distractions, finding solace in everything from a Vincent van Gogh game to a digital version of the Louvre. Just this week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a 140-year-old cultural stalwart of New York City, went the way of the future and introduced an iPhone app. Described as "exceedingly simple and modest" by Forbes, the move to make art more accessible is something we can't help but love. So, in the spirit of the Met's 21st century attitude, we've put together a list of mobile museums and art-honoring programs that will spark creativity in your everyday life. Behold, 18 apps every creative and artist type should download now:"

"We're just finishing up a massive project of creating a supplementary curriculum for Seattle's Summer School program. We realized that the spirit of the lessons was even more important than the content. To this end, we designed the activities to encourage students to own their mathematical experiences, to give kids an opportunity-and a reason-to fall in love with math. So we introduce our lessons with this list of the 5 principles that you can use in your math teaching to make the classroom hum. We wanted to share the list here, even though school is almost out. Let us know if these principles speak to you, and if there's anything you think we're missing."

"Since 2007, a diverse group of Pittsburgh's educators, funders, academics, and citizens-known as the Remake Learning Network-has emerged to exchange ideas and implement strategies to enhance the region's learning ecosystem. These efforts have provided the region's children and youth with novel, engaging, and relevant learning opportunities that help them thrive in school, college, and the workforce. Indeed, what began with small, informal discussions has blossomed into a full-fledged movement that is yielding notable results and earning national recognition. In the spirit of open innovation, the Network is building the Remake Learning Playbook, a field guide full of ideas and resources for supporting learning innovation networks. Filled with practical and actionable information to help other communities build on the Pittsburgh model for learning innovation."