Tag: Learning

Tour of 3D Printing Lab

3D PrinterYesterday I had the opportunity to take one of my graduate classes on a tour of new 3D Printing Lab in the University of Memphis Library. We received training in computer-aided design (CAD) and use of the 3D printer, and had the opportunity to see it in action. Our conversation about integrating 3D printers with learning was packed with ideas and I left feeling energized. Additional educational uses have been popping into my mind since.

The following video and photos showcase some of the various projects that were printed. The Memphis skyline is my favorite and look even more impressive in-person.

The following album offers snapshots and captions of our tour.

Discussion

  1. What experiences have you had with 3D printing?
  2. Can you see potential ways to connect 3D printing with learning?

Win Prizes in IDT Memphis’ Picture Scavenger Hunt at #AAIM14

Klikaklu“Treasure hunts are a fun way for students to use problem solving skills, to work in teams, to practice comprehensions skills, and to use technology resources all while practicing subject matter” (Source).

Klikaklu has reinvented the scavenger hunt. The iOS app allows you to create a treasure hunt based on images. It is a photo hunt game that uses your phone’s GPS, camera, and advanced image matching technology. It’s a great way to quickly create and play treasure hunts! Share hunts privately with friends and family, or leave them in public places for students and others to find. Lead people to new and interesting spots. Reveal secrets and rewards when they crack your clues. No geocaching boxes or QR codes are necessary, so you can create hunts around school, in national parks, museums, at the public library, or on field trips – any place you want to add an element of challenge or mystery, or share information with others.

AAIM Conference

Educators at the 2014 AAIM Conference can download the app and begin competing for prizes in IDT Memphis‘ virtual scavenger hunt. Our scavenger hunt is a very simple demonstration of how the app works and the game is played. Browse through the resources below for ideas for using Klikalu at your school.

Tutorial

Resources

Pirate Day Treasure Hunts

iPad Orienteering with Klikaklu

Reinventing the Scavenger Hunt

The Teacher’s Quick Guide to Scavenger Hunts

Make Your Own Treasure Hunt

PLNs: An Overview

“With Web 2.0 resources and social media students can connect to share ideas, engage in inquiry, and search for additional information. Sometimes called learning communities, collaboration among students and teachers expands educational possibilities through electronic connectedness. Wagner’s (2008) suggestions for improving learning opportunities outline many types of strategies that can effectively integrate technology with learning. Wagner’s ideas that learners need to be engaged in experiences that frame their thinking can be facilitated by current Web 2.0 resources and social media. Students can now engage in critical thinking and problem solving while collaborating and communicating with others and by using curiosity and imagination to explore new ideas. The Web 2.0 tools and social media described in this chapter target those skills and provide students with many types of learning opportunities beyond simple information access” (Source).

“Building a personal learning network requires that you not only seek to learn from others, but also that you also help others in the network learn. Even when you are a novice in a field of learning, you can still make contributions.” — Daniel R. Tobin

Lesson

  1. Introduction to Personal Learning Networks by Wikipedia.
  2. Personal Learning Networks by Education 2020
  3. Using Digital Technologies and Personal Learning Networks to Enhance Learning – These are the slides, resources, and video recording from my keynote presentation at the Podstock Conference. Use the following “reading prompts” to guide you as you view and reflect on the content.
    1. To what does “alphabet soup” refer?
    2. What are some of the characteristics of PLNs?
    3. Note some of the benefits of PLNs related to teaching and learning.
    4. How are the ideas presented connected to what you already know?
    5. What new ideas did you get that extended or pushed your thinking in new directions?
  4. What My PLN Means to Me – This come from a collaborative activity at a teacher professional development workshop. The virtual post-it note Web 2.0 tool, Padlet, was used for brainstorm and share.

Talking Ed.: FIRST Robotics

Talking Ed.: FIRST Robotics

Talking Ed. with Tod Traughber

Episode 005 (View entire series)

The mission of FIRST is “to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership” (Source). The organization seeks to show students of every age that science, technology, and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but are proven paths to successful careers and a bright future for us all.

Tod Traughber is one of my doctoral students and he coordinates the judges for one of the regional FIRST Robotics Competitions. In brief conversations here and there, Tod had been trying to convey to me just how amazing the organization is and how exciting the competitions are. I was blown away once we were able to dedicate some time to discuss nothing but FIRST. Their mission and activities are something that I believe many students, teachers, and schools would love to be a part of. Thus, I invited Tod to participate in the following interview in hopes that we could get this great information out to everyone.

A Student’s Thoughts on Visible Thinking

Analogy: Thinking and PizzaThis young lady shares a few thoughts about visible thinking. She explains that “when you do Visible Thinking it helps you understand more and learn more than you thought you know.” I especially like the analogy she makes between thinking and pizza. I hadn’t heard that one before.

It’s great to see how much she values thinking and metacognition.

Thoughts on Visible Thinking from Bemis Elementary School on Vimeo.

Image Source: Wikipedia

hgsepzfol #hgsepzfol

Making: It’s More than Just Working with One’s Hands

Maker Education“That time in the shop saved my life. Putting aside the anxiety and worry for an hour or two, while I worked on a project or took a class at TechShop, could always turn my mood around, or at minimum kept me distracted enough to do something productive. The patience of the teachers and the encouragement of others around the shop was my lifeline. Eventually, that became the new normal. It still is. Just keep going: moving forward, working on the next thing, and helping as many other people as possible.”

From The Audacity of Making by David Lang (@davidlang)

Image Source: chicago.tinkeringschool.com

hgsepzfol #hgsepzfol

2nd Graders Remember Dr. King

Here are some resources and ideas to help everyone learn about the life and important contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King.

You can learn a lot from simply watching this video developed by (I think) a 2nd grade class (Please help me find the original source so that I can properly cite and acknowledge their outstanding work.).

EdTech Ideas

You and your students could also make your thinking visible using technologies such as: Google Slides or Prezi, Storybird, ToonDoo or Pixton, Blubbr, Pinterest or Learnist in combination with AudioBoo or  Soundcloud, Glogster, Dipity, VoiceThread, SlideCast, Zentation, or GoAnimate or PowToon.

Photo Album

Here are a few of my photos from what was then the recently finished Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Google Glass in the Classroom

Glass in the Class

The following is a collection of resources for those seeking to learn more about using Google Glass in educational settings. There are some exciting potential uses and some issues that require serious consideration as the evolution of wearable technology evolves.

Seeing the Classroom through Google Glass

Margaret Powers writes, “As a reflective educator, your goal is to be constantly documenting and learning in the classroom. With Google Glass, that process can be much easier.”

Full Article

A First Look at How Educators Are Really Using Google Glass

“While educators may be impressed by augmented reality features from at-a-glance navigation to spoken Google search-and-response, they frequently save their best praise for Glass’ eye-level video-capture function.”

Full Article

Google Glass: Making Learning Visible with Wearable Technology

“Google Glass provides the educator a means for “making learning visible” (MLV), and can assist with the “observation and documentation in deepening and extending children’s and adults’ learning” that the Project Zero researches from Harvard and Reggio Emilia, who developed MLV, identified as key to effective teaching. The paradox of MLV is that documenting one’s process within the workflow must itself be invisible if it is to be seamless and not “get in the way” of the actual work.” Stacey Goodman provides a nice overview of the technology and presents some potential classroom uses.

Full Article

Reflections on Using Google Glass

Ben is “a special education teacher, and as of late there have been a ton of examples of Glass helping people with disabilities.  If you just look at theGoogle Glass Google+ community you can read about them there. Truly amazing things will come of Glass for people with disabilities.” Ben Hommerding reflects on his experiences with Glass in a series of three blog posts.

Reflection 1, Reflection 2, and Reflection 3

Additional Reading

Innovative Learning Solution’s early ideas about Google Glass.

Cecil College uses latest Google technology in classroom

Is Google Glass Suitable for Schools?

Related News

Image Source: garysking.wordpress.com

Making Mathematics Visible

Math ConnectionsAs a math teacher I would sometimes hear students ask, “When are we going to use this in real life.” I worked hard to provide students with practical experiences and tangible answers to this question as I think doing so helps with transference and engagement. I relied on feedback from my father (an architect, contractor, and farmer) and my friends that work in the areas of engineering, accounting/finance/sales, and healthcare for ideas and real-world examples that I could use in my classroom. I think the students and I would have also enjoyed having examples similar to the ones included in the following video. Amazing!

BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS from PARACHUTES.TV on Vimeo.

Image Source: alibris.com

Related articles

hgsepzfol #hgsepzfol

Apple vs. Google: A Rural School District’s Perspective

Chrome AppleI enjoyed listening to the following interview from Robert Scoble. On his Facebook wall Robert states that he learned “from an Indiana school superintendent, all about how Google Chromebooks are really changing what he can do and why Android tablets are coming on strong against the iPad” (Source).

What are your thoughts and experiences related to these platforms and tools?