Tag: Ok Go

3-12, Apps, Art, Education, Math, Science, Videos, Websites

OK Go Sandbox

Terri Eichholz

If you have ever seen a music video by “OK Go,” then you cannot fail to be in awe of the band’s incredible creativity.  In every production, you can tell that they spent a lot of time on brainstorming, working hard, and having fun.  Even more notable, though, is how much math and science must be used to create these complex feats of artistic expression.

In cooperation with the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas (seriously wish this had been a thing at my university!), OK Go has designed a new website, the OK Go Sandbox, that provides resources for educators to use with students for STEAM activities based on a few of their music videos.

Each of the music videos currently featured on the site has a link to educational materials that include free downloads, challenges for the students, additional videos, and suggested activities.  From making flipbooks to experimenting with sounds made by different “found” instruments, this resource explores the astonishing potential of merging science with art.  Some of the challenges can be used with the Google Science Journal (a free app available for both Android and iOS).

It looks like this is a dynamic project that is encouraging advice from educators, so be sure to visit this page for more information on how to get involved.

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OK Go Sandbox
Creative Thinking, K-12, Student Products, Videos

National Day of Making

Terri Eichholz

making stuff

I know this is a big shock to my regular readers, but I happen to be a huge fan of creativity – which includes making “stuff.”  If you need proof, you can take a look at yesterday’s post, or maybe this one.

Apparently, I am not the only famous person who believes in the power of making.  A few other people happen to think it’s pretty cool, too: Joey Hudy, Super Awesome Sylvia, Google, etc… Oh, and the band, “OK Go” and the President of the United States.

President Obama has declared tomorrow, June 18th, 2014, as a National Day of Making.  On that date, the White House is sponsoring a Maker Faire.  But you don’t have to be present to participate. Anyone can be a maker pretty much anywhere (although I probably would not say that sentence in front of my gifted students, as they would be more than happy to point out places that might not be conducive to making, such as a court room during a trial).  For ideas on how to get involved, check out the video from OK Go embedded below, as well as some of these links: