I’ve been using this blog and Pinterest to promote the importance of teaching programming to students for awhile now. One of the benefits that I see is how coding makes natural connections to Systems Thinking. Some of my favorite FREE programming apps are: Daisy the Dinosaur, Cargo-Bot, and Hopscotch. While these are definitely fun apps, … Read more
I have two things to share for today’s “Phun Phriday” post. With our participation in the Global Cardboard Challenge preoccupying me, I have been obsessing about any topic in tweets, posts, or online articles related to making and/or building. First up is a series of products from “Roominate”, which are billed as “Hands-On, Building, Circuits, … Read more
I would not recommend undertaking this project. But you should totally do it. I’ll be honest. I think a lot of my “pioneering spirit” has something to do with my complete lack of foresight. If you ask me to do something and outline all of the obstacles, there is a large chance I am going … Read more
According to the article on PR Web, “Educade provides a one-stop shop for K-12 teachers and parents seeking to understand how to effectively use 21st century teaching tools, such as apps and games, as well as low and no tech tools that focus on hands-on making.” It is a site that is in Beta right … Read more
My 2nd grade GT class started working on their Global Cardboard Challenge projects yesterday, and I am so glad we are participating this year! I mentioned the Global Cardboard Challenge in a recent post, and the kids were amazed when I showed them that Nirvan Mullick (the director of Caine’s Arcade, and one of the … Read more
While discussing Genius Hour with some colleagues last week, we all agreed on the value of reflection at the end of each Genius Hour period. It is vital to guide the students through an evaluation of their work during that time, and to discuss any obstacles or room for improvement. It is also important to … Read more