http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/01/28/why-we-all-need-time-to-tinker-with-tech/1/

Why We All Need Time to Tinker With Tech

This was a good article on many levels. The last paragraph captured most of the main ideas:

"Tinkering is not about the product, it’s about the process. Enjoy the journey and don’t focus so much on having a spiffy product that can be presented or showcased. There is a time and a place for presenting, but true integration is about the journey and what was learned along the way. Tinkering is messy, but fosters deeper learning because learners are doing the thinking. Embrace it. Find balance. Find relief in the fact that you do not have to have all of the answers."
In the engineering and electronics design classes I teach, they may not finish their final projects. So the question becomes, "how do you assess?"  I focus more on a presentation of how students have developed their projects. I want them to dig into topics and building things that interest and challenge them, more than having prescribed, artificial due dates. Yes, during the course they are required to finish some prescribed projects in a time-frame and there is the need for kids to learn project management skills in any class. But the last one is for them. For each project they present the Design Process they followed (see previous post on a diagram we follow and design presentations about), and reflect on what worked, what did not. It was nice to see some validation from another corner with this philosophy. 

Career Day

So our school recently had career day. About 40 professionals from the professional world came to talk to students in various sessions that students attended. A very worthwhile morning was spent learning about engineering, nutrition, law, medicine, event planning, radio and a host of other occupations. Through it all, common themes seemed to come from all of the speakers though.
Get to know people- network. Another was approach and manage and solve problems in a organized manner- project management. This one made me think of how engineers approach and solve problems and develop solutions. In my tech department we are testing a design process model that we are using to help assess this process that students go through to help give them a strategy to solve problems and build things. Here is the model, a life skill model, which is directly related to aspects of our Profile of Graduate- problem solver, creativity and communicator we are trying to develop in students. Any feedback is welcome! It got me thinking about if it was possible to maybe develop a problem-solving model for every class that is taught. Writing courses use a writing process....Science has the Scientific Method....Library/Research as a variety of research methodologies...Social Studies has inquiry models....but what are the threads that are common in all of them? Basically problem solving, communicating the solution somehow, and project management/work habits.

Are you learning or are you App'ing?

I came across this article and had to agree with what it had to say. Too many times tech integration is learning how to use an app. Yes, some instruction on technology concepts or how to use a software is required before students are able to use it to demonstrate higher-level thinking. But t

10 Most Powerful Uses of Technology for Education

To Restate what the article said (although it was missing #4 :-):
1. Critical Thinking
2. Mobile Learning
3. Access to Education
5. Continuous Feedback
6. Unlimited and Immediate Learning
7. Creation and Contribution
8. Social Connectedness
9. Global Awareness
10. Understanding Learning

The Innovator’s Mindset

I really like this thoughtful post from Mr. George Couros about taking the Growth Mindset one step further: http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4728 

Fixed Mindset –> Growth Mindset –> Innovator Mindset

Yes, people can move from a Fixed Mindset and become open to learning (a Growth Mindset), but then what? Is it enough to learn for learnings sake? Is that the end game? Or should people then be able to apply what they have learned to solve problems and create new thoughts, ideas and products? I would argue that applying what is learned the higher order attribute between learning and applying. So even though having a Growth Mindset is powerful, it is still not as powerful as an Innovator Mindset.

In education, this applies to how students can best learn. Many would suggest to allowing students to create and build things: a constructivist, hands-on, project-based approach to learning are some of the most powerful ways for students to learn and be engaged in their learning. Invent to Learn if you will...

10 Tools for Educators to Master this Summer

I am reposting a link to a great website with some great tools for educators.
http://gettingsmart.com/2013/07/10-tools-every-teacher-should-master-this-summer/

I love the LiveSlide and UJam and Biblionasium tools!

Techie Shop Class

create- not consume

The family business growing up (and still is), was building custom homes. I grew up helping build houses in the summer and I partially paid for college by framing houses, plumbing, roofing and building stuff. I was one of the first in my family to graduate from college. My father, grandfather, uncles, cousins, brothers are general contractors who built homes for people. Everyone of them had and still have, a shop/garage filled with machines for cutting, machining, building and constructing. They smell of wood chips, mechanics, oil and going into their shops is always fun. Some of my best memories are of making bird houses, model boats, modifying my bicycle handlebars with welding torch, fixing my lawnmower engine with my grandfather and dad.  In high school, I took AP classes in all subject areas, but my favorite class was...shop and woodworking class. Although at the time I thought it was lots of hard sweaty work, I realize now that I was lucky growing up having these experiences and learning how to build stuff. So many of my peers (and students) are helpless when it comes to knowing about tools and how to fix things so I get asked how to fix stuff at their houses occasionally.

I guess my construction background is what has naturally attracted me to teaching technology to teachers and students. Using and integrating technology naturally allows students to CREATE instead of CONSUME and is very CONSTRUCTIONIST and PROJECT-BASED in nature. If you have read my early blog posts, you would know how exciting this is to me as a vehicle for teaching kids. In the last couple of years the Maker Movement has taken off, and one of the bibles of this movement is Invent to Learn. I am currently attending the ASB Unplugged conference in India,  which has a strand dealing with the Maker Movement and I am really excited to share what I learn on this blog and through my twitter. I am lucky enough to be launching the first class at my high school (calling it Design Technology), which is our techie-shop class. In its first year, it has proved to be a hit, with all the spots filled up, and talk of expanding it to another course. It is really exciting to see what my students are coming up with. Because of the interest, the goal is to outfit it with 3D printing, a 3-Axis CNC router, laser etching,  Arduino's, 3D designing software and differentiated, project-based learning. All of this equipment can be used cross-departmentally and cross-divisionally. I work at an american international school, with a 1:1 program in MS and HS. Lots of great classes and a wonderful faculty geared to get kids into the college of their dreams...but no shop class :-) ... I have taught similar pre-engineering and design-type classes in the past, but I hate to say it- the British curriculum and IB curriculum are way ahead in this area of creative innovation than american international schools have been with Design Tech-type courses where kids design and manufacture stuff. President Obama has recently called for more entrepreneurial skills to be taught to students. Should the dream be to work for someone else after they get out from college, or for students to be allowed to generate their own ideas and create companies and jobs for others?...More coming on the development of the Maker Movement at my school. Stay tuned!

Creating vs Consuming

In my previous blog post I talked about my schools recent revamp of it's tech plan and tech vision. We came to the realization that we want to find ways for students to be creators and not so much consumers. More entrepreneurial and innovative. So to create these opportunities, we are looking at how to incorporate more STEAM opportunities for students in the form of MakerSpaces, an AV studioYour school and Googles 9 Principles for Innovation describes what we are trying to accomplish.  Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication are key components. I will keep you posted!
and video broadcasting, robots and programming and even revamping our scheduling of classes. It is an exciting time to be at my school and I am excited to be a part of the planning and implementation of the vision for our students. I feel that this is the right way to prepare our students for the future in order to help them to pursue their dreams and be innovative. This recent blog post: