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Scooped by
John Evans
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Instead of struggling to find information, 21st century students are overwhelmed with it — websites, blogs, databases, magazines, books, documentaries, newspapers, television shows, organizations, advertisements, and agencies are all available at their fingertips. Teachers must guide their students through it all to achieve information literacy and become savvy consumers of information.
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John Evans
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Our campus moved to a combination fixed/flexible schedule, which has allowed our students additional opportunities to visit the makerspace outside of their normal library time. Currently, Monday and Fridays are open check-out days and have also become open makerspace days. Makerspace Monday and Fun Friday have become a way for students to have additional time to invent, create, and make. During these days students can visit the library with a makerspace pass. The pass is laminated and has a place for the teacher to write in the student’s name and amount of time they can visit the makerspace with a dry erase marker making the pass reusable.
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John Evans
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Not long ago, a filmmaker wouldn’t dream of shooting a movie on a phone because the quality was so inferior to what you could capture on pricier devices. But that’s changing. Consider this: The most recent project from the renowned American film director Steven Soderbergh, “Unsane,” was shot entirely on an iPhone.
Today, there are lots of reasons everyone from pro photographers to amateur shutterbugs are using phones to shoot video projects.
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John Evans
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Math matters for computer science because it teaches students how to use abstract language, work with algorithms, self-analyze their computational thinking, and accurately modeling real-world solutions.
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John Evans
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In today's classroom STEM is a vital topic covered universally. With that being said, more and more students are being introduce to coding and programming earlier then ever before. Best of all, new technology and apps makes it easier and easier for students to learn these useful skills. Below is a list of some of the best resources for students and educators looking to learn how to program and code.
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John Evans
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From programmable LEGO robots to mobile apps like Hopscotch, there’s no shortage of games and toys designed to get children interested in computer science. But when it comes to adults, the options to learn how to code start to look a lot less like fun and a lot more like classwork.
Over the past nine months, Google has been trying to change that through Grasshopper, a mobile game meant to teach adults the basic principles of coding. Although five thousand people have already graduated from Grasshopper’s JavaScript Fundamentals course while the app has been in testing, the search giant is revealing it and making it publicly available for the first time on Wednesday. The game is launching for iOS and Android out of Area 120, Google’s internal workshop for experimental projects.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Google Arts & Cutlture is one of the best educational platforms for virtually exploring world museums. It allows you to search for, access and explore beautiful artworks from all around the world. You can create collections of your favourite artworks and share them with others, take ‘guided tours curated by experts’, step ‘inside the most famous museums in the world and visit iconic landmarks’. You can also use the search tool to find local museums and cultural events around your area.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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A long time ago I responded to Ian Sands on twitter asking for digital images of children's art that he could offer to his high school students to play with as they learn to animate. Some of his students selected my students "He Came with the Chair" paintings. The animations turned out SO adorable and inspiring-see example below or check them all out here. It has been one of my goals to figure out an elementary level lesson with a straightforward app that would give my students the experience of animating their own artwork in the same style. I think I might have figured it out. This technique isn't perfect, but, it will work.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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For Earth Day and Earth Week, your students can create their own Google logo that celebrates what they care about in the world.
As the Scratch Project Page states, students can make a Google logo that celebrates what you care about. Show your appreciation for your favorite animal, share ways to protect the environment or encourage others to be mindful of their energy use.
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John Evans
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"In the face of something like automation, the people-facing jobs are the ones that are going to stay. So we urgently need to equip young people with those skills — critical thinking, problem-solving and communica"
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John Evans
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Pexels is another good website where you can access and find free photos to use in your instruction. Photos in Pexels are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) which allows you to re-use them for personal as well as comercial purposes and usually without the need for attribution. You can also edit photos you find on Pexels the way you want. You can crop, annotate, and add filters.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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The most effective way to test student understanding is to do it while the lesson’s still going on. Asking students to fill out a questionnaire and then correcting misunderstandings during the next class period won’t work because students have already moved on. You’ve got to take advantage of the moment. If you hope to spend the majority of your time getting through to students, and not just talking, then understanding must be measured and dealt with as soon as the first frown appears on a face.
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John Evans
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There are research teams around the world dedicated to finding a remedy for the growing plastic pollution crisis, but now it seems that one group of scientists have found a feasible answer -- and they stumbled upon it by accident. Researchers studying a newly-discovered bacterium found that with a few tweaks, the bug can be turned into a mutant enzyme that starts eating plastic in a matter of days, compared to the centuries it takes for plastic to break down in the ocean.
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John Evans
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I almost wrote an article about this, but Sensible Prepper did such a great job on this subject that I figured I may as well just share his video.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Makerspaces are becoming a big deal for schools all over the world. In these unique areas, student ingenuity takes the lead. From primary to senior grades makerspaces drive innovation, creativity, and critical thinking. Since their popularity is increasing, you can source makerspace project ideas from lots of educators and entrepreneurs who have had success with them.
If you’re new to the idea, this video gives a simple description of what makerspaces are. The key ideas behind them are geared toward creativity and problem-solving. This is why they’re on the rise in education (and why shop class isn’t just for the big kids anymore).
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Scooped by
John Evans
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STEM and Computational Thinking go together. Today’s guest is a PhD, Biomedical engineer and STEM Teacher. Stephanie Zeiger helps us see the potential of STEM and computational thinking.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Learning experiences in education are rapidly evolving as augmented reality and virtual reality are making their way into classrooms. First, it is important to distinguish the difference between these two technologies. Augmented reality (AR) superimposes a computer-image overlay on an existing environment. For instance, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin can pop up in the middle of your classroom using AR Flashcard's Abraham Lincoln app. Virtual reality (VR) is more immersive in that it takes us some place else usually by using VR goggles or glasses. An example of virtual reality would be diving deep into the ocean to swim with sharks and experience the ocean habitat using Google Cardboard's VR Abyss. Both AR and VR provide unique learning opportunities that children would never be able to experience just by reading a textbook or visiting a website. This post focuses on how educators can use augmented reality to help support instruction.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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"Deep machine learning will likely automate the writing of code relatively quickly. Creativity is going to be far more important in a future where software can code better than we can"
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Since the turn of this century, the “4C’s of 21st century” skills—critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication—have seen growing recognition as essential ingredients of school curricula. This shift has prompted an uptake in pedagogies and frameworks such as project-based learning, inquiry learning, and deeper learning across all levels of K-12 that emphasize higher order thinking over rote learning. I argue that we need computational thinking (CT) to be another core skill—or the “5th C” of 21st century skills—that is taught to all students.
There is growing recognition in the education systems around the globe that being able to problem-solve computationally—that is, to think logically and algorithmically, and use computational tools for creating artifacts including models and data visualizations—is rapidly becoming a prerequisite competency for all fields.
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John Evans
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"Elementary-age students struggle with the disconnect between the finished design or model and the long print times. This gets in the way of the iteration process and causes a lot of frustration. Multiply that by many classes and you have a significant backup of days or weeks. This year I decided that I wanted our fourth graders, to walk away with at least one substantial and meaningful print. "
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John Evans
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If you need to mix up your bedtime story routine a little bit, the Global Space Education Foundation has just the thing for you: Story Time in Space. It’s exactly what it sounds like — astronauts on various missions in space read popular children’s books while floating about, and the videos are edited and shared with kids way down on Earth.
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John Evans
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The Finns are pretty bemused by Americans’ preoccupation with whether to put iPads in every classroom. If a tablet would enhance learning, great. If it wouldn’t, skip it. Move on. The whole thing is a little tilting-at-windmills, anyway.
That was the gist of the conversation one recent morning at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., where diplomats and experts gathered to celebrate the country’s education accomplishments as Finland turns 100. And Americans could stand to take notes. (Yes, from Finland—again.)
Coding and programming are now part of the curriculum in the Scandinavian country, and they’re subjects kids tackle from a young age. But unlike in some parts of the United States where learning to code is an isolated skill, Finnish children are taught to think of coding and programming more as tools to be explored and utilized across multiple subjects.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Teaching financial literacy in the classroom is one promising way to improve financial capacity for today’s young people.
Today’s young people face an overwhelming number of complex financial decisions. However, many are unprepared to make informed financial choices as they move into adulthood. In fact, three out of four young adults cannot answer basic financial questions.
Teaching financial literacy in the classroom is one promising way to improve financial capacity for today’s young people. Research shows that by the age of 12, students will develop an economic understanding that researchers describe as “essentially adult”. By including lessons on smart money habits early in their cognitive development, we can encourage young people to save money, foster family conversations, a
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Scooped by
John Evans
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I have a few sayings I often use in my teacher education courses and PD workshops for teachers related to active listening. They include:
If the teacher is doing more talking than the students, then this is a problem.
One of the biggest gifts we, as educators, can give to our learners is to be truly present for them; to deeply listen to what they have to say.
What this boils down to, for me, is the teacher being an active listener. I get to practice what I preach on a regular basis as I teach gifted elementary students three days a week. For this academic year, I decided to become even more intentional in practicing active listening with the students. I hope my intention has benefitted them. I know there have been benefits for me. I get to really relish in how they see the world. Their stories, ideas, jokes, and wit are often amazing; and I get great joy in hearing them. I also get to witness the joy and excitement through their faces and body language when I respond in awe with what they shared with me."
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Scooped by
John Evans
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How does it feel to be old, or colour blind, or the victim of bullying?
Virtual reality can now help us to temporarily live others' experiences, and this may have important psychological benefits. Watch the video above to find out more.
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