This was a great moment in our special needs STEM hour. Coding seems to take on added relevance when it controls a physical object and not just objects on the screen.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Middle Schoolers Review Oregon Trail...And...It...Is...Awesome!
Here is a great game review of the original Oregon Trail that many of us Gen-Xers played on the Apple II. It comes from a pair of students in the game design program at William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge, NJ.
The reviewers take viewers through the interface, game controllers, and game play. For being just in middle school, credit goes to the reviewers for not spending any time on just ripping the game to shreds. In fact these guys are actually pretty complimentary.
"A big part of the game is that it is really realistic," one of them states in the opening overview. "Everyone in your party could actually die."
One great part comes when playing the game, the students are notified of a family member dying of typhoid. "We'll just continue like we know what that is," one remarks.
The part that does my heart the best though is the reviewers enthusiastically showing the audience how to hunt for food. It's great to see that 35 years and generations of players later, it's still a favorite part of the game.
Great work guys! I really enjoyed it.
The reviewers take viewers through the interface, game controllers, and game play. For being just in middle school, credit goes to the reviewers for not spending any time on just ripping the game to shreds. In fact these guys are actually pretty complimentary.
"A big part of the game is that it is really realistic," one of them states in the opening overview. "Everyone in your party could actually die."
One great part comes when playing the game, the students are notified of a family member dying of typhoid. "We'll just continue like we know what that is," one remarks.
The part that does my heart the best though is the reviewers enthusiastically showing the audience how to hunt for food. It's great to see that 35 years and generations of players later, it's still a favorite part of the game.
Great work guys! I really enjoyed it.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Connect Agriculture and STEM Through Coding
In our third grade STEM classes at Hamilton Community Schools we spend a lot of time investigating the science and technology of farming. Hamilton straddles Allegan and Ottawa Counties in Michigan, the two top ag producing counties in the state. All of our students are either involved in farming or know other families who are. In STEM we show them how being successful as farmers takes high levels of scientific knowledge, technical skills, and an increasing level of innovation. Even though we live right in the middle of the "farm belt", every kid across America needs an understanding of how and where our food is produced. Whether you're in Hamilton, Michigan or Brooklyn this unit can deepen understanding and open minds to all that is involved with feeding a nation.
Here is a progression of activities I do to build these skills with a heavy focus on engineering and computer science.
Open Their Eyes: Most of our kids have seen the big pieces of machinery out in the fields plowing and harvesting but only a few have actually had the chance to get up close. YouTube provides a bunch of great videos that take kids inside the machinery and highlight technical advances.
•Farmers Reap the Benefit of Driverless Tractor Tech - CBS This Morning
•John Deere: Improving Farm Efficiency with Technology
•2016 John Deere Combine Features Video
These videos are great for showing kids what is already in use and can spark the innovative imagination as we move forward by asking them to design the farm equipment of the future.
For an overall look into the real lives of a variety of different types of farmers, nothing beats DiscoveringFarmland.com from the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. Lesson plans, digital interactive games, and clips from the documentary Farmland highlight what is available.
Practice: The American Farm Bureau offers a great set of farming-based games and their Equipment Engineer game fits perfectly into this unit. Learners travel around the world and are given agricultural scenarios where they pick the best equipment for the job. Through the game, they are gaining knowledge of the way different pieces can be used as well as how farm equipment solves a wide range of challenges.
Get Designing: This is also a great spot to introduce the Design Process and for kids the PBS series "Design Squad" provides lots of resources like cool graphics and the "Kid Engineer" videos are super helpful, especially the Bike Trailer one.
For creating designs we use Apple's Keynote on our iPads. There is a lot that can be done with the app besides making slideshows. Kids use their imagination to start designing what could be possible in futuristic farm equipment. This is a great activity for detailing designs and the really great Keynote users even are able to animate their designs. Video of our students designing.
[caption id="attachment_1573" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Students use Keynote on the iPad to design farm equipment.[/caption]
Building for Function: It is one thing to dream up the future but it is a big task to actually build something functional, even if it is a model made of Legos. This can be a difficult hurdle for kids to clear because for most of them all of their use of Legos has been purely imaginary. We spend time building vehicles with Legos that must be powered by a robotic Sphero. Here is where young engineers get really good at analyzing flaws and making tweaks as part of the design process. We start off building vehicles that can move straight ahead as just accomplishing that can be a task. Eventually students get to where the vehicles can actually maneuver around the playground.
[caption id="attachment_1574" align="alignleft" width="425"]
Students engineer a Lego vehicle powered by a Sphero.[/caption]
Bring in the Computational Thinking: The great thing about Spheros is that their movement can be controlled down to a fraction of a second by the Tickle app. By using a block programming, kids sort and build out a list of commands for the Sphero to perform. When we first start with the Lego vehicles, we simply tell the device to go as fast as it can in one direction. We ramp the coding up greatly when we start to simulate jobs machinery would perform on the farm.
Students are given a small plot of ground on the playground (or in the gym depending on weather) and have to program the Sphero to "plow" or "harvest" the field. Below is some sample starter code that students might assemble for their Sphero.
[caption id="attachment_1575" align="aligncenter" width="525"]
Block coding in the Tickle app used to control robotic Spheros[/caption]
Not only are there tremendous calculations our third graders are making like angles, velocity, and time, but there is a deeper benefit in the way they must think logically to make something real actually happen. They create loops of commands and must algebraically figure a number of variables.
Last year was my first year as a STEM teacher after having taught 16 years in a technology-only classroom. By far the greatest reward was seeing students grab a sense of power over their world when they were able to program an app to make something real happen. It is one thing to program something on a screen, but when they can send a robotic sphere all of the way to the office from their classroom, they become real "do-ers" full of confidence to tackle real tasks.
Putting it All Together: This unit starts with gaining understanding and then progresses to imagining and eventually building and controlling. It takes time and patience and not all kids will progress at the same rate and some may not even finish it...and that is okay. Those who progress really quickly can be given extra challenges. I am planning on giving my "high flyers" a kite, a 3D printing pen and a GoPro and ask them to create a tool a farmer could use to survey crops. We will spend six weeks (meeting once a week for an hour) on this project this year but no matter where individuals are on our last session, we will dedicate a major chunk of time to discussing how the innovation we simulated helps preserve resources and promotes sustainability.
Evaluations and Reflections: Our STEM classes focus heavily on the Next Gen Science Engineering Standards. We are constantly monitoring how individuals are progressing through:
•Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
•Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
•Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
We also write, sketch, and reflect daily in STEM journals that students use from kindergarten through fourth grade. We talk about how STEM time is different than any other time at school. We are not just doing school, we are together designers, engineers, and scientists and journals and sketchbooks are tools these people use to do their jobs.
As we continue to develop our STEM classes we are discovering the power in tying STEM concepts like design and coding with real-life challenges rooted in our community. Someday we hope that our current students will not only graduate and do great things...but will do those great things right here in Hamilton.
Follow our Hamilton STEM adventures at TinyUrl.com/HawkSTEM
Catch us on Twitter and Instagram as @htownstem
Here is a progression of activities I do to build these skills with a heavy focus on engineering and computer science.
Open Their Eyes: Most of our kids have seen the big pieces of machinery out in the fields plowing and harvesting but only a few have actually had the chance to get up close. YouTube provides a bunch of great videos that take kids inside the machinery and highlight technical advances.
•Farmers Reap the Benefit of Driverless Tractor Tech - CBS This Morning
•John Deere: Improving Farm Efficiency with Technology
•2016 John Deere Combine Features Video
These videos are great for showing kids what is already in use and can spark the innovative imagination as we move forward by asking them to design the farm equipment of the future.
For an overall look into the real lives of a variety of different types of farmers, nothing beats DiscoveringFarmland.com from the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. Lesson plans, digital interactive games, and clips from the documentary Farmland highlight what is available.
Practice: The American Farm Bureau offers a great set of farming-based games and their Equipment Engineer game fits perfectly into this unit. Learners travel around the world and are given agricultural scenarios where they pick the best equipment for the job. Through the game, they are gaining knowledge of the way different pieces can be used as well as how farm equipment solves a wide range of challenges.
Get Designing: This is also a great spot to introduce the Design Process and for kids the PBS series "Design Squad" provides lots of resources like cool graphics and the "Kid Engineer" videos are super helpful, especially the Bike Trailer one.
For creating designs we use Apple's Keynote on our iPads. There is a lot that can be done with the app besides making slideshows. Kids use their imagination to start designing what could be possible in futuristic farm equipment. This is a great activity for detailing designs and the really great Keynote users even are able to animate their designs. Video of our students designing.
[caption id="attachment_1573" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Students use Keynote on the iPad to design farm equipment.[/caption]Building for Function: It is one thing to dream up the future but it is a big task to actually build something functional, even if it is a model made of Legos. This can be a difficult hurdle for kids to clear because for most of them all of their use of Legos has been purely imaginary. We spend time building vehicles with Legos that must be powered by a robotic Sphero. Here is where young engineers get really good at analyzing flaws and making tweaks as part of the design process. We start off building vehicles that can move straight ahead as just accomplishing that can be a task. Eventually students get to where the vehicles can actually maneuver around the playground.
[caption id="attachment_1574" align="alignleft" width="425"]
Students engineer a Lego vehicle powered by a Sphero.[/caption]Bring in the Computational Thinking: The great thing about Spheros is that their movement can be controlled down to a fraction of a second by the Tickle app. By using a block programming, kids sort and build out a list of commands for the Sphero to perform. When we first start with the Lego vehicles, we simply tell the device to go as fast as it can in one direction. We ramp the coding up greatly when we start to simulate jobs machinery would perform on the farm.
Students are given a small plot of ground on the playground (or in the gym depending on weather) and have to program the Sphero to "plow" or "harvest" the field. Below is some sample starter code that students might assemble for their Sphero.
[caption id="attachment_1575" align="aligncenter" width="525"]
Block coding in the Tickle app used to control robotic Spheros[/caption]Not only are there tremendous calculations our third graders are making like angles, velocity, and time, but there is a deeper benefit in the way they must think logically to make something real actually happen. They create loops of commands and must algebraically figure a number of variables.
Last year was my first year as a STEM teacher after having taught 16 years in a technology-only classroom. By far the greatest reward was seeing students grab a sense of power over their world when they were able to program an app to make something real happen. It is one thing to program something on a screen, but when they can send a robotic sphere all of the way to the office from their classroom, they become real "do-ers" full of confidence to tackle real tasks.
Putting it All Together: This unit starts with gaining understanding and then progresses to imagining and eventually building and controlling. It takes time and patience and not all kids will progress at the same rate and some may not even finish it...and that is okay. Those who progress really quickly can be given extra challenges. I am planning on giving my "high flyers" a kite, a 3D printing pen and a GoPro and ask them to create a tool a farmer could use to survey crops. We will spend six weeks (meeting once a week for an hour) on this project this year but no matter where individuals are on our last session, we will dedicate a major chunk of time to discussing how the innovation we simulated helps preserve resources and promotes sustainability.
Evaluations and Reflections: Our STEM classes focus heavily on the Next Gen Science Engineering Standards. We are constantly monitoring how individuals are progressing through:
•Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
•Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
•Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
We also write, sketch, and reflect daily in STEM journals that students use from kindergarten through fourth grade. We talk about how STEM time is different than any other time at school. We are not just doing school, we are together designers, engineers, and scientists and journals and sketchbooks are tools these people use to do their jobs.
As we continue to develop our STEM classes we are discovering the power in tying STEM concepts like design and coding with real-life challenges rooted in our community. Someday we hope that our current students will not only graduate and do great things...but will do those great things right here in Hamilton.
Follow our Hamilton STEM adventures at TinyUrl.com/HawkSTEM
Catch us on Twitter and Instagram as @htownstem
Saturday, March 25, 2017
#AppleTeacher iBooks Collection - Teaching with Mac OS Sierra
Whether you've set it as a professional goal to earn Apple Teacher certification or just want to sharpen your abilities to teach with a Mac, this iBooks collection from Apple Education has everything you need to up your
game. All books are free and feature realistic teaching scenarios. The Teaching with iPad collection is also available in iTunesU and the iBooks store.
game. All books are free and feature realistic teaching scenarios. The Teaching with iPad collection is also available in iTunesU and the iBooks store.
| Mac OS Starter Guide | iBook |
| Enhancing Productivity with Mac | iBook |
| Fostering Creativity with Mac | iBook |
| Pages for Mac | iBook |
| Keynote for Mac | iBook |
| Numbers for Mac | iBook |
| iMovie for Mac | iBook |
| GarageBand for Mac | iBook |
Friday, February 24, 2017
Learning with Mr. Losik: Student Friendly Research Links
At my classrom site MrLosik.blogspot.com I just added a list of updated elementary level links for research. After doing some routine maintenance on the site, I discovered that many of my go-to links for years had bitten the cyber-dust or have been essentially left for dead. Here is a link to the updated list.
Check out: Learning with Mr. Losik: Student Friendly Research Links
Check out: Learning with Mr. Losik: Student Friendly Research Links
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Take a Virtual Field Trip to 3M with Discovery Education
Discovery Education has done some great virtual field trips from all over the world but their most recent from 3M's innovation labs might be one of their best ever. With one exciting revelation after another, classes can explore the science behind some of the things we use constantly like the screens on our smart phones and tablets. The video is available on demand and hosted by one of the hosts of Science Channel's relaunch of Mythbusters.Check out www.youngscientistlab.com/vft to watch now.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
"Wide-Open Spaces" Want creative thinkers? Help kids create, says Mitch Resnick – MIT Spectrum
THE LIFELONG KINDERGARTEN GROUP AT THE MIT MEDIA LAB, led by Mitchel Resnick SM ’88, PhD ’92, is known for its educational innovations: the Computer Clubhouse Network, an after-school environment where kids from underserved communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies; a 30-year collaboration with the LEGO company begun by Resnick’s mentor, the late MIT professor Seymour Papert, which yielded the robotics kits branded as LEGO Mindstorms; and Scratch, a visual programming language
Read an Interview with Mitchel Resnick on the idea of letting kids create: Wide-Open Spaces – MIT Spectrum
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Hottest Tech Toys from Toy Fair 2017
From VR-powered drones to life-like robots and digitally-connected teddy bears, New York Toy Fair had lots of great gadgets.
You are about to read this article on FaceTime for PC Download App Windows & Mac here. Install Download FaceTime for PC using this free software Bluestacks and make FaceTime calls on your windows PC or Laptop
Check out "Tom's Guide": The Hottest Tech Toys from Toy Fair 2017
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Hamilton Codes with Swift Playgrounds
Fourth Graders are the perfect age for learning to code. Apple's Swift Playgrounds combines fun challenges that build upon each other to increase student skills. It's fun and engaging and builds many other thinking skills.
Apple also provides great teaching materials in its Swift iTunes U courses.
Apple also provides great teaching materials in its Swift iTunes U courses.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community
One late summer evening I was enjoying the company of several other educators who were all presenters at the next day’s large edtech conference. Somehow a little friendly razzing found its way in my direction. The other teachers in the group were giving me a hard time about all of the “corporate” ties I have.Check out the whole article at the new MACUL Community: Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community
The users which we provide to your app who use and review your app will surely spend few days playing with your apps iPhone app rating And spending time on your app is one of the criterion of ranking which you get in our package as bonus
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Embrace The Learning Curve This Christmas Morning
The more I talk to kids about what they are dreaming about showing up under the Christmas tree, the more I hear about really cool, high tech gadgets like virtual reality headsets, 3D printers, robots like Spheros or Ozobots, and drones.
Here is a newsflash. All of those items are amazing and all of those items can be really hard to use at the start. I am not trying to play The Grinch here; I am telling you now so you can be ready for the learning curve.
When kids dream of drones, they don't dream of a parent muttering words that could get them on the naughty list while trying to assemble it. They don't dream of an endless series of 3 second flights either. They dream of that thing lifting off in the living room and capturing with its camera the majesty of a Christmas morning. Reality is that these toys can make many dreams come true but it will take time. Here are some tips.
1. Prepare yourself. Whether you receive the gift or give the gift, understand that the cool stuff you saw happening in the YouTube promotional video probably was highly edited and performed by the inventors of the device. Make that kind of high level use your goal....someday, not right out of the box.
2. Seek out help. Speaking of YouTube, most companies now post many product support videos online. When I bought my XYZ Mini Maker 3D printer I found their online support videos to be far more detailed and helpful than the printed instructions. You can also often find videos created by other users of the product that share their own tweaks and helpful hints. Use all of the knowledge that exists and that people are willing to share. It can make a big difference.
3. Make it about the journey. Instead of pouting that your first 3D printed phone case turned out more like something stuck to the pan at the bottom of great grandma's egg casserole, have a laugh and know your skills will greatly improve. Try and figure out what went wrong so you can improve upon future designs. Keep that lumpy pile of goo so that when you are cranking out really cool stuff you can look back and see how far you have come. It has taken me months to produce anything really useful with my printer.
4. Remember 1 thing. Everything is awesome! We are so lucky to be living in the day and age we do....especially over the holidays. If you need a reminder, just listen to the old Christmas carol "Up on the Housetop." Here is what those kids got from Dear Old Saint Nick:
"Next comes the stocking of little Will
Oh, just see what a glorious fill
Here is a hammer and lots of tacks
Also a ball and a whip that cracks"
No VR headset for little Will? Bummer. Poor Will probably had to go fix the roof and then drive the oxen to town that day once all of the wrapping paper was cleaned up. The point is.....if you get something amazing, be grateful, and when (not if) it doesn't work perfectly right at the start, be happy about that. Don't get mad. Getter better at it.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Keep Rowing | The Players' Tribune #RTB
Whether you're into College Football or not, the infectious PJ Fleck and his "Row The Boat" philosophy translate well to any school or classroom culture. Having earned my Masters degree from Western, it is great to see the amazing things Fleck and the team are doing on the field, but it's what's happening behind the scenes that is the most inspiring.
The Players Tribune is easily my favorite sports publication, probably because it speaks to the life experiences and not just to the box scores. Give it a read.
Article: Keep Rowing | The Players' Tribune
The Players Tribune is easily my favorite sports publication, probably because it speaks to the life experiences and not just to the box scores. Give it a read.
You see, I don’t ask my players for their very best only on game day. I push them to hold themselves to that standard every single day.
Article: Keep Rowing | The Players' Tribune
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Use Swift Playgrounds Resources with any Coding Program
Apple's Swift Playgrounds app and their "Everyone Can Code" initiative is a great program for learning the coding language that powers iOS apps. Not only is there a puzzle-based app an immersive learning experience, there are numerous teacher resources in both iBooks and iTunes U. For iBooks there are three teacher guides: Level 1 and 2, Level 3, and App Development.
Now, the Swift Playgrounds program might not be a fit for every classroom because it has to be done on an iPad running iOS 10 and be one of the following generations: iPad Air, iPad mini 2 or newer, or any size iPad Pro. I work out of four elementary schools and only one has iPads that can run the app.
Even though I use other others like studio.code.org and Google CS-First in my other buildings, there are still a lot of great resources that Apple offers that I use as demonstration even when our activities are Scratch-based. Fellow Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers hosts a number of videos within the iTunes U course that explain concepts like algorithms and functions but don't reference Swift specifically. I have found them to be great, concise explanations my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders really understand. Sometime you just need someone else to explain it.
So, it doesn't matter what coding instructions you are using. Take a look inside of what Apple offers for Swift Playgrounds. You might find a lot that is useful.
[caption id="attachment_1428" align="aligncenter" width="452"]
Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers explains functions in an iTunes U course.[/caption]
Now, the Swift Playgrounds program might not be a fit for every classroom because it has to be done on an iPad running iOS 10 and be one of the following generations: iPad Air, iPad mini 2 or newer, or any size iPad Pro. I work out of four elementary schools and only one has iPads that can run the app.
This is the online version Chromecast manual. It is the best user guide on setup and using Chromecast. Chromecast Setup Tap “Set Up” under the option for your Chromecast and follow the prompts.
Even though I use other others like studio.code.org and Google CS-First in my other buildings, there are still a lot of great resources that Apple offers that I use as demonstration even when our activities are Scratch-based. Fellow Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers hosts a number of videos within the iTunes U course that explain concepts like algorithms and functions but don't reference Swift specifically. I have found them to be great, concise explanations my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders really understand. Sometime you just need someone else to explain it.
So, it doesn't matter what coding instructions you are using. Take a look inside of what Apple offers for Swift Playgrounds. You might find a lot that is useful.
[caption id="attachment_1428" align="aligncenter" width="452"]
Apple Distinguished Educator Gabriella Meyers explains functions in an iTunes U course.[/caption]
Monday, November 28, 2016
Find Great Apple Teacher Resources In iBooks Store
Whether you are pursuing the various badges that Apple now offers as part of its Apple Teacher program or just looking to sharpen your Mac and iPad skills, the iBooks store is full of great resources. Two series of multi-touch iBooks are available for using iPads and Macs in the classroom. Here are some of the titles available.
Each iBook contain video tutorials that allows the user to actually see the skill being performed in detail. Below is a page from the iMovie for Mac guide.
Additionally, Apple Teacher just began offering a path for earning badges for its new coding tutorial app Swift Playgrounds.
Below is a direct link to the iBooks resources. For more information about the program, click here.
Each iBook contain video tutorials that allows the user to actually see the skill being performed in detail. Below is a page from the iMovie for Mac guide.
Additionally, Apple Teacher just began offering a path for earning badges for its new coding tutorial app Swift Playgrounds.
Below is a direct link to the iBooks resources. For more information about the program, click here.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Top Gifts for Young Engineers - 2016 Edition - Left Brain Craft Brain
The Top Gifts for Young Engineers gift guide is packed full of STEM toys and activities that will keep kids having fun and learning this Christmas.
Pro Kabaddi, a first significant initiative of Mashal Sports, takes our truly indigenous sport of Kabaddi to levels of new professionalism. Pro Kabaddi Live Season 5 will start from 28 July 2017 yes book your calendar please, because this monsoon is going to be more thriller than a privbous season.
Source: Top Gifts for Young Engineers - 2016 Edition - Left Brain Craft Brain
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Win an Agricultural Grant for Your Middle School #ScienceOfSoil
Official Discovery Education Release:
Second Annual Let it Grow Contest is Now Open!
Second Annual Let it Grow Contest is Now Open!
Discovery Education and the Nutrients for Life Foundation have joined forces again to give six lucky schools a chance to win big with the Let it Grow Contest.
Open to educators and community adults nationwide, the Let it Grow Contest encourages entrants to vote DAILY for a middle school* of their choice for a chance to win an agricultural grant, which could be used towards a school garden or gardening supplies, and more!
Check out the Prizing:
Open to educators and community adults nationwide, the Let it Grow Contest encourages entrants to vote DAILY for a middle school* of their choice for a chance to win an agricultural grant, which could be used towards a school garden or gardening supplies, and more!
Check out the Prizing:
- One Grand Prize winning school will receive a $5,000 agricultural grant and an introduction to a local agronomist!
- Five Runners-Up will each win a $1,000 agricultural grant and an opportunity to win a celebratory winner event.
Entering is Easy:
- Answer five soil related quiz questions to unlock the contest application
- Find Your school and provide your contact information
- Most importantly, come back and enter daily
- Don't forget to share with your friends for extra entries!
*Includes all 6-8 public, private, and parochial schools, or schools with a middle component, e.g. K-12 institutions.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Voting open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., age 18+. Subject to Official Rules. Voting ends 3/14/17 at 5:00PM ET. Void where prohibited by law.
For more FREE soil science resources, click here.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Voting open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., age 18+. Subject to Official Rules. Voting ends 3/14/17 at 5:00PM ET. Void where prohibited by law.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Remix...Don't Reinvent STEM Lesson Plans
As I get ready to embark on my newest adventure of switching from an elementary Infotech teacher to an elementary STEM teacher, I have been doing a lot of lesson planning.
Luckily there are tons of STEM lesson plans readily available on the web. Some obviously are better than others but here is a list of the best ones I have encountered. Check them out.
CUE SteamPunk
Sphero SPRK Lessons
Dash and Dot Curriculum
Polar 3D Printer Cloud
Brian Briggs • Rock Star Drone Academy • Coding Playground
Engineering is Elementary
Cogniflex is a nootropic equation that guarantees to soar your fixation and lift your inventiveness utilizing research-upheld regular fixings. Here's our Cogniflex Review 2017. Cogniflex is a dietary supplement that comes in bundles of 60 cases. By taking two cases each day, you can purportedly appreciate nootropic benefits.
STEM Collaborative • 2
NC State: The Engineering Place
STEMpact: Lesson Design Resources • Sample Plans
Lesson Plan Template • 2
Luckily there are tons of STEM lesson plans readily available on the web. Some obviously are better than others but here is a list of the best ones I have encountered. Check them out.
CUE SteamPunk
Sphero SPRK Lessons
Dash and Dot Curriculum
Polar 3D Printer Cloud
Brian Briggs • Rock Star Drone Academy • Coding Playground
Engineering is Elementary
Cogniflex is a nootropic equation that guarantees to soar your fixation and lift your inventiveness utilizing research-upheld regular fixings. Here's our Cogniflex Review 2017. Cogniflex is a dietary supplement that comes in bundles of 60 cases. By taking two cases each day, you can purportedly appreciate nootropic benefits.
STEM Collaborative • 2
NC State: The Engineering Place
STEMpact: Lesson Design Resources • Sample Plans
Lesson Plan Template • 2
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
10 Ways To Stop the Summer Slide
The following was posted for my elementary kids on my classroom blog mrlosik.blogspot.com. I am sharing it here to offer up some ideas teachers can use to help their own students avoid the "summer slide".
Don't let the last nine months of hard work simply slip away. Here are tens ways to keep the knowledge, creativity, and problem solving growing.
1. Read. Our local libraries are amazing places and wonderfully cool on hot days. Holland's Herrick District Library has lot of summer activities planned and so does the Saugatuck Douglas Library. The Kent District Library in Grand Rapids does too if your family is up for a little reading road trip. Best of all, they are all free. Another free online resource is the Michigan Electronic Library's kids section.
Your family can also sign up for Epic Books and have unlimited access to all kinds of digital books for your iPad or tablet. Think of it like Netflix for books with tons of the best titles like Big Nate and Bad Kitty. Epic is $4.99 per month and the first month is free. That's less than a pizza and whether you like fiction or non-fiction, there is something for everybody.
2. Practice Math Facts. Teaching and learning are a lot like playing sports. Professional football players don't just sit around all summer waiting for training camp. They are doing something everyday to become faster, stronger, and smarter. Whether it's running, lifting weights, or perfecting how to better cover a pass, they know without it, they won't be successful. The same is true with math facts. The more they become automatic, the more you can move on to more exciting stuff. Spend time on IXL and XtraMath this summer building your speed, strength, and brain. Here is the Blue Star IXL login.
3. Build Something. One of the main reasons we do math is so we can make cool stuff. Anybody can be a worksheet monkey but is really special to do something with your math skills. Whether you are just nailing wood together on a workbench or creating your own iPad speakers you have to be able to measure your pieces and solve equations. Check out Instructables.com and you will be amazed at all of the projects from simple to mind-blowing. Most even use things you just have lying around the house.4. Get Outside and Explore. Did you know that in Michigan you are never more than six miles from water? West Michigan is literally one of the best places on earth to spend the summer. Whether it is a visit to a park, the woods, or the beach there are great places to explore just minutes from your house. The Shore Acres Park near the Felt Mansion has all of that and more. Walk the trails and check out the different trees and then look for fossils, sea glass, and special rocks on beach. The Lake Michigan Rock Picker's Guide is a great book for identifying what you find. Here is a cool blog with some other information. Pier Cove, Westside County Park, Douglas Beach, and Laketown Beach are all free and close by.
5. Grow Something and Eat It. You might live on a big farm or you might live in a tiny apartment, but everyone has enough room for a flower pot or planter. Go big on a whole garden or just spend a buck or two on some green bean seeds and plant them in sturdy pot. Give them water and sun and soon you will have a beanstalk offering up a crisp healthy snack. Gardening Fundamentals is a great place to start. Print out the journal to track your gardening.
6. Learn to Code. Why just play video games when you can learn an entire new language and build your own? Visit CODE.org and work on a couple of challenges like the Mindcraft, Star Wars or Frozen ones. If you get caught by the coding bug, keep going and try one of their 20 Hour Courses. There is something for every grade level from pre-school on up. Completing these courses will actually give you a nice boost on a career in computer science or set you up to build your own game.
7. Catch the Olympic Spirit. The world's best athletes are headed to Rio de Janeiro in August for the 2016 summer Olympics. Sharpen your geography and boost your knowledge by digging into the history of the games, researching your favorite athletes, and making the flags you find most interesting. Teachervision.com has a great site for getting started. NBC will provide hundreds of hours of coverage but you don't have to wait until August. Check out NBCOlympics.com now to learn all about what is coming up from Rio.
8. Play60. Just go outside and play. You don't have to spend money going to a sports or summer camp. It doesn't even matter if there are any other kids around either. Speaking of Olympics, set up your own events even if you just draw a line, pick up a rock, and jump as far as you can. Set the rock down next to where your back heel landed. Try to beat it. If you want to do some moving with a pro athlete, check out Washington Redskins' Ryan Kerrigan leading some agility activities from Discovery Education and the NFL. Getting creative outside is great for mind and body.
9. Go new places. If you have opportunity to take a trip, understand how lucky you are to be getting out and experiencing new places. Just paying attention to how the scenery changes or the importance of physical and human-created landmarks is the best social studies lesson anybody can have. Even if it doesn't work out for your family to embark on an epic journey just go somewhere different like a park you've never explored. Try to unplug as much as possible but if you are going to bring along a device use it to capture and then share the adventure. Here are some great apps for that.
10. Do Something For Someone Else. No matter what you do this summer, do something for someone else. The real reward is the feeling you get inside. I've always believed true friendship is true service so just randomly decide to help someone do something like empty the dishwasher or even clean your room without being told. The more you volunteer your time and talents, the more likely you will return to school in the fall ready to be the kind of kid that makes any school a better place to be.
Our summer vacation is something we can't take for granted. Find a nice balance of recovering from this school year, resting up for the next one, and finding ways to keep your brain firing while you make it the best one ever!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
10 Ways Glowforge Can Disrupt Education
It's been a long time since I have been more excited about the introduction of a piece of technology than I am for the Glowforge.
Aside from all of the personal ways I can see Glowforge help bring my creativity to life, this single device has the potential to revolutionize so many of the ways we do things in the typical school. I have often said, "There is a lot of money to be made in education...just not in teaching." Schools spend a ton of money that goes to vendors, but here are 10 ways a single Glowforge can change that.
1. Die Cut Letters - The Ellison die cut machines have dominated the bulletin board making market my entire career and their stuff is expensive. A single set of alphabet tiles runs $500 and it takes a ton of time to plan and cut that "Hurry Spring" signage. With a Glowforge you can throw a stack of construction paper into the machine and have your whole set of cut-outs zipped out in a couple of minutes...and you're not stuck with one font either. If you can type it on an device, you can cut it out of construction paper.
2. Mothers Day Gifts - Think about the huge ramp-up in production value that the average elementary school class could do when it comes to personalized gift crafting. Goodbye paper plate bouquets and hello personalized wooden votive candle holders.
3. Awards and Trophies - Athletic departments and honor societies spend huge amounts of their budgets on trophies, plaques, and awards. Think about the amount of money that could be saved if schools just bought the raw materials and engraved all of their own awards. What if a school created a class where kids designed and created all of the awards? A teacher may have to do final names but 90% of the work could be student driven and done at a fraction of the dough Ned at the trophy shop is charging.
4. Inventory Engraving - Speaking of engraving...instead of a jittery hand with an engraving pen or a sticker that is easily removed, schools could engrave items like laptops and iPads with attractive, permanent identifiers.
Check out what Glowforge designers have done with a Macbook.
5. Staff ID Badges - Get creative and save money by creating personalized staff or visitor badges by cutting and engraving them from your choice of materials.
6. Pro-Style Locker Labels - If you have ever seen an interview from a professional or big-time college sports locker room then you've seen the fancy headers above each locker sporting the athlete's name, number, and team logo. With some creativity and cheap 1"x2" lumber, a school could give its athletes the pro treatment.
7. School Spirit Items - Lots of schools sell items as fundraisers and to boost school spirit. Instead of eating up profits by going to one of the national suppliers, schools could begin buying blank stock items and doing the engraving and laser cutting themselves with a Glowforge. You can't screen print with it but you can create some amazing luggage tags, pendants, and other personalized signage that can generate spirit, pride, and revenue.
8. Etsy Class - Think of all of the economics and entrepreneurship that can be experienced when students begin to design, create, and market products with a Glowforge. With sites like Etsy and Mercari as global marketplaces, individual students may begin to peddle their wares to the far reaches of the Internet. It sure beats 180 days of PowerPoint lectures and worksheets.
9. Trick Out Your Office Space - With every Glowforge purchase comes access to the members' catalog that features projects ready to print and assembly.
This iPhone stand is one example of the cool stuff that staff can create for themselves and add a high end, start-up, feel to the workplace. There are a ton of neat items like this available. Glowforge features a similar computer stand in many of its promotional materials that was cut as flat pieces and then glued together.
10. Hands-on Classroom Products - Instead of buying any of these items, just create your own.
Aside from all of the personal ways I can see Glowforge help bring my creativity to life, this single device has the potential to revolutionize so many of the ways we do things in the typical school. I have often said, "There is a lot of money to be made in education...just not in teaching." Schools spend a ton of money that goes to vendors, but here are 10 ways a single Glowforge can change that.
1. Die Cut Letters - The Ellison die cut machines have dominated the bulletin board making market my entire career and their stuff is expensive. A single set of alphabet tiles runs $500 and it takes a ton of time to plan and cut that "Hurry Spring" signage. With a Glowforge you can throw a stack of construction paper into the machine and have your whole set of cut-outs zipped out in a couple of minutes...and you're not stuck with one font either. If you can type it on an device, you can cut it out of construction paper.
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2. Mothers Day Gifts - Think about the huge ramp-up in production value that the average elementary school class could do when it comes to personalized gift crafting. Goodbye paper plate bouquets and hello personalized wooden votive candle holders.
3. Awards and Trophies - Athletic departments and honor societies spend huge amounts of their budgets on trophies, plaques, and awards. Think about the amount of money that could be saved if schools just bought the raw materials and engraved all of their own awards. What if a school created a class where kids designed and created all of the awards? A teacher may have to do final names but 90% of the work could be student driven and done at a fraction of the dough Ned at the trophy shop is charging.
4. Inventory Engraving - Speaking of engraving...instead of a jittery hand with an engraving pen or a sticker that is easily removed, schools could engrave items like laptops and iPads with attractive, permanent identifiers.
Check out what Glowforge designers have done with a Macbook.5. Staff ID Badges - Get creative and save money by creating personalized staff or visitor badges by cutting and engraving them from your choice of materials.
6. Pro-Style Locker Labels - If you have ever seen an interview from a professional or big-time college sports locker room then you've seen the fancy headers above each locker sporting the athlete's name, number, and team logo. With some creativity and cheap 1"x2" lumber, a school could give its athletes the pro treatment.
7. School Spirit Items - Lots of schools sell items as fundraisers and to boost school spirit. Instead of eating up profits by going to one of the national suppliers, schools could begin buying blank stock items and doing the engraving and laser cutting themselves with a Glowforge. You can't screen print with it but you can create some amazing luggage tags, pendants, and other personalized signage that can generate spirit, pride, and revenue.
8. Etsy Class - Think of all of the economics and entrepreneurship that can be experienced when students begin to design, create, and market products with a Glowforge. With sites like Etsy and Mercari as global marketplaces, individual students may begin to peddle their wares to the far reaches of the Internet. It sure beats 180 days of PowerPoint lectures and worksheets.
9. Trick Out Your Office Space - With every Glowforge purchase comes access to the members' catalog that features projects ready to print and assembly.
This iPhone stand is one example of the cool stuff that staff can create for themselves and add a high end, start-up, feel to the workplace. There are a ton of neat items like this available. Glowforge features a similar computer stand in many of its promotional materials that was cut as flat pieces and then glued together.10. Hands-on Classroom Products - Instead of buying any of these items, just create your own.
•Wooden or Acrylic Cut-out Letters and Numbers for the early elementary classroom
•Wooden or Acrylic Cut-out Shapes or other math manipulates that can be used K-12
•3D Geometrical Shapes that can be cut from all kinds of materials from cardboard to plastics
•United States or World Puzzles cut from plywood or plastic. Team with the art teacher and have kids paint and label each state or country.
•3D Models of Landmarks can be elaborately created by cutting flat slices and assembling a bunch of pieces like this Space Needle or just cut and engrave a 2D image on piece of wood thick enough to stand up on its own or with a small additional brace.
Like I said, I haven't been more excited about a piece of technology in a long time. It can turn all kinds of creative dreams into reality but it has nearly infinite potential to impact how we do things and what we can create in our schools.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
PBS Kids: Design Squad Explains Design Thinking
Here are the best six minutes and thirty seconds I have spent this school year when it comes to understanding and teaching the design process to my students.
You may not use the same D-Think vocabulary but watching these kids complete the steps it takes to address and solve a problem is a great tool for students to learn and internalize the approach.
In addition, the Design Squad section on PBSkids.org is loaded with more videos, full episodes of the series targeted toward preteens and teens, as well as creative problem solving games. Our fourth graders are not only excelling at the activities they are also applying the design process to other projects we are completing.
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You may not use the same D-Think vocabulary but watching these kids complete the steps it takes to address and solve a problem is a great tool for students to learn and internalize the approach.
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In addition, the Design Squad section on PBSkids.org is loaded with more videos, full episodes of the series targeted toward preteens and teens, as well as creative problem solving games. Our fourth graders are not only excelling at the activities they are also applying the design process to other projects we are completing.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Bluestacks full Version free download for Android Handset
BlueStacks App Player is an apparatus that enables you to run Android applications on your PC with an agreeable menu. From its interface, you'll have the capacity to deal with every one of the elements on your virtual gadget, and download and introduce huge amounts of various applications in only a couple of moments.
When beginning to run the program, it'll inquire as to whether you have an Android telephone. In the event that you do, you'll have the capacity to connect it up with the program and match up the greater part of your applications and assignments on the record you're right now utilizing. In the event that, then again, you don't have an Android telephone, that won't be a lot of an issue in any case, given that despite everything you'll have the capacity to download applications and utilize them.
Bluestacks full Version free download - You'll have a few distinct alternatives to download applications: utilizing the local application store connected to Bluestacks; getting to Google Play from your program, or downloading APK documents. With regards to the next download choices, this application works simply like a genuine Android gadget.
Framework controls are anything but difficult to utilize appropriate from your mouse where clicking replaces tapping and motions by mapping certain activities on your console. You'll additionally dependably have the capacity to utilize your outside gamepad or depend on the first material components in the event that you're utilizing a tablet or PC with a touch screen work. You'll likewise have the capacity to reproduce applications that utilization an accelerometer just by writing into your console.
Least prerequisite for Bluestacks include: 2 GB or higher memory, 4 GB space in hard drive, and Direct X 9.0 or higher installed.[13] The client additionally requires overseer benefits, can't keep running on the client's PC if BitDefender is introduced and the client's PC realistic cards ought to be refreshed to the most recent renditions.
Bluestacks full Version free download for Android Handset
When beginning to run the program, it'll inquire as to whether you have an Android telephone. In the event that you do, you'll have the capacity to connect it up with the program and match up the greater part of your applications and assignments on the record you're right now utilizing. In the event that, then again, you don't have an Android telephone, that won't be a lot of an issue in any case, given that despite everything you'll have the capacity to download applications and utilize them.
Bluestacks full Version free download - You'll have a few distinct alternatives to download applications: utilizing the local application store connected to Bluestacks; getting to Google Play from your program, or downloading APK documents. With regards to the next download choices, this application works simply like a genuine Android gadget.
Framework controls are anything but difficult to utilize appropriate from your mouse where clicking replaces tapping and motions by mapping certain activities on your console. You'll additionally dependably have the capacity to utilize your outside gamepad or depend on the first material components in the event that you're utilizing a tablet or PC with a touch screen work. You'll likewise have the capacity to reproduce applications that utilization an accelerometer just by writing into your console.
Least prerequisite for Bluestacks include: 2 GB or higher memory, 4 GB space in hard drive, and Direct X 9.0 or higher installed.[13] The client additionally requires overseer benefits, can't keep running on the client's PC if BitDefender is introduced and the client's PC realistic cards ought to be refreshed to the most recent renditions.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Honor an Educational Superstar With a DENny Award
We are surrounded daily by great educators who change lives daily and are inspiring to their colleagues. Honor their greatness by nominating them for Discovery Education DENny Award.
2016 DENny Awards- Call for Nominations
Have you seen a colleague sharing his or her passion for Discovery Education? Do you know someone who is transforming learning in the classroom with Discovery Education? Is there a school or district administrator you believe deserves recognition? We know amazing things are happening in the classrooms and schools of Discovery Educators every day. We need your help celebrating them. Help us discover all the great examples of Discovery Education in action in your school and district by nominating a fellow Discovery Educator for a DENny Award.
Nominate a great teacher today.
2016 DENny Awards- Call for Nominations
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Have you seen a colleague sharing his or her passion for Discovery Education? Do you know someone who is transforming learning in the classroom with Discovery Education? Is there a school or district administrator you believe deserves recognition? We know amazing things are happening in the classrooms and schools of Discovery Educators every day. We need your help celebrating them. Help us discover all the great examples of Discovery Education in action in your school and district by nominating a fellow Discovery Educator for a DENny Award.
Nominate a great teacher today.
MACUL Announces Spectacular 2017 Lineup of Keynote Speakers
2017 MACUL CONFERENCE
March 15-17 | Cobo Center | Detroit, MI
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Internationally Acclaimed Expert on Creativity and Innovation and Author, Finding Your Element, The Element and Out of Our Minds
Friday - March 17
World-renowned game designer, Inventor of SuperBetter, Author of the NYT bestseller Reality Is Broken, and Advisor and affiliate researcher with the Institute For The Future
OnePlus 5 Android smartphone. Not announced yet. Features 3G, 5.5″ Optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Dual 16 MP camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth.The OnePlus 5 design represents a step backwards for a company that has increasingly come to be seen as "all grown up".
Chief Technology Officer, PLAYDATE Co-founder, White House Champion of Change, Google Certified Innovator & Apple Distinguished Educator
Visit maculconference.org for more information.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Epic, Brain Pop, and Seesaw Lead the Educational Migration to Apple TV OS
Just a couple of weeks ago it was hard for me to justify paying nearly double for the newest generation of Apple TV for classrooms compared to the previous generation. In my living room tons of great entertainment apps make the difference well worth the money. In the classroom there have not been many reasons to not just buy the cheaper model since Airplay is really the feature most want.
My thinking is starting to change now that educational entities are starting to code for the TVOS platform. There is still a lot of space for growth but three key players are charting a course through these open waters.
Epic - Think "Netflix meets Childrens Lit." This great site is full of the latest children's fiction and non-fiction and is 100% free for elementary teachers and librarians. These aren't poorly made ebooks; they are digital versions of some of the most-loved and newest books on the market. With the AppleTV app teachers can display the book on the big screen and read it aloud to the class. No more sore arms and no more hearing, "I can't see," as you try to read a picture book aloud to the class. Several books even have a "read to me" feature.
BrainPop Jr. - Movie of the Week - BrainPop has been producing great non-fiction animated shorts for years and now has brought its K-3 focused "Brain Pop Jr. Movie of the Week" to TVOS. Check out a different one each week with included educational activities. BrainPop Jr. subscribers can also login and access even more content.
Seesaw - This digital portfolio suite is taking classrooms by storm and now it comes to the Apple TV. Teachers can log in to their classroom accounts and share on a big screen examples of student work or create slide shows and galleries. Think of how cool that would be to have playing during conferences or parents' night. Parents can log in to the app at home and then be connected with their child's individual portfolio. Now there is a great way for kids to show off some accomplishments the next time grandparents come to visit.
There are other non-education-specific apps too that could lend themselves to the educational setting. Word Girl and Super Why are great programs available through the PBS Kids app and a number of virtual planetariums are now available on TVOS.
Let's hope that more educational entities continue to write for Apple's newest platform, further bolstering an argument for choosing the newest generation of Apple TV over the previous generation.
My thinking is starting to change now that educational entities are starting to code for the TVOS platform. There is still a lot of space for growth but three key players are charting a course through these open waters.
Epic - Think "Netflix meets Childrens Lit." This great site is full of the latest children's fiction and non-fiction and is 100% free for elementary teachers and librarians. These aren't poorly made ebooks; they are digital versions of some of the most-loved and newest books on the market. With the AppleTV app teachers can display the book on the big screen and read it aloud to the class. No more sore arms and no more hearing, "I can't see," as you try to read a picture book aloud to the class. Several books even have a "read to me" feature.
BrainPop Jr. - Movie of the Week - BrainPop has been producing great non-fiction animated shorts for years and now has brought its K-3 focused "Brain Pop Jr. Movie of the Week" to TVOS. Check out a different one each week with included educational activities. BrainPop Jr. subscribers can also login and access even more content.Seesaw - This digital portfolio suite is taking classrooms by storm and now it comes to the Apple TV. Teachers can log in to their classroom accounts and share on a big screen examples of student work or create slide shows and galleries. Think of how cool that would be to have playing during conferences or parents' night. Parents can log in to the app at home and then be connected with their child's individual portfolio. Now there is a great way for kids to show off some accomplishments the next time grandparents come to visit.
There are other non-education-specific apps too that could lend themselves to the educational setting. Word Girl and Super Why are great programs available through the PBS Kids app and a number of virtual planetariums are now available on TVOS.
Let's hope that more educational entities continue to write for Apple's newest platform, further bolstering an argument for choosing the newest generation of Apple TV over the previous generation.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Fidgits: Fabulous Design-Thinking Problem-Solvers from PBS Kids
PBS has a great show called the Design Squad and with it comes a ton of fabulous challenges at PBSkids.org where users have to save little robotic creatures called Fidgits.
Teaching the design process has found a home at the core of a ton of my teaching in our elementary technology classes. "Fidgits" lets kids design their own fictional robotic creatures or perform a number of challenges to save Fidgits in danger.
How many challenges can you complete?
Although I use a pared-down version of the formal design process, I start in second grade at teaching kids that every challenge requires them to follow the design process.
1) Define the problem
2) Ideate
3) Prototype your solution.
4) Test
5) Repeat the process until it is perfect.
Fidgits is a great exercise for practicing that mindset.
Play now.
Teaching the design process has found a home at the core of a ton of my teaching in our elementary technology classes. "Fidgits" lets kids design their own fictional robotic creatures or perform a number of challenges to save Fidgits in danger.How many challenges can you complete?
Although I use a pared-down version of the formal design process, I start in second grade at teaching kids that every challenge requires them to follow the design process.
1) Define the problem
2) Ideate
3) Prototype your solution.
4) Test
5) Repeat the process until it is perfect.
Fidgits is a great exercise for practicing that mindset.
Play now.
#MiGoogleFest Returns in August
It was a smashing success last Fall and it is coming back for its second year. MACUL presents Google Fest 2016 at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids on August 9 and 10.Tuesday the 9th will feature a series of specialized "camps" for administrators and users with varying skill levels. Incredible educator and all-around good dude Kyle Pace will keynote the conference portion on Wednesday the 10th.
GoogleFEST
#migooglefest
August 9 & 10, 2016
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Grand Rapids, MI
Registration Cost:
- One day: $89
- Two days: $169
Keynote Speaker: Kyle Pace is an Instructional Technology Specialist and Google for Education Certified Innovator that has worked with K-12 teachers in his current school district to provide instructional technology professional development since 2004. For more information about Kyle, visit googlefest.macul.org.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Amazing Pinterest Board from Apple: iOS Lesson Ideas for Teachers
Check out the following Pinterest board from Apple's App Store that is loaded with lesson ideas for using iOS apps in the classroom.
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Thursday, March 24, 2016
Get an Insiders’ Look at the the S.T.E.A.M. behind Madden NFL
Join Redskins Quarterback Kirk Cousins for an all-access pass inside EA SPORTS
Discovery Education, EA SPORTS, and the NFLPA have joined forces to give your middle school students an insider's view of EA TIBURON (where the magic of Madden NFL is created). Join the EA SPORTS Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers team to see S.T.E.A.M. in action: we'll meet the animators, producers, engineers, and designers who create some of the world's coolest games. You'll even get to see one student experience the motion capture process, with a special surprise result!
Good for athletes and mathletes alike, #MagicOfMaddenVFT is your chance to join Redskins Quarterback Kirk Cousins as we travel beyond the classroom walls and into the game!
April 14, 1:00 PM EST
Ask the Coach
Don't forget to submit your students' questions ahead of time and Kirk Cousins or EA SPORTS may answer them during the live event. Questions can be submitted HERE.
Prep the Team
Before the virtual field trip, explore a variety of educator resources at EA SPORTS Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers, including an educational interactive developed for grades 5-9.
Be sure to share why you're excited using #MagicOfMaddenVFT!
reposted from Discovery Education
Friday, March 11, 2016
#MACUL16 Movie Making McGyver Session Wrap Up
Thanks to everybody who came out to my Movie Making session this morning. I loved the enthusiasm lots of people shared and I was blown away by all of the great tips shared in the slide deck of tips and tricks. Please email, tweet, or text questions or ideas this morning or the post generated.Attendee creativity lower thirds slides - Introduction in Google Slides of how just a picture can totally ramp up your experience. Make a copy and tweak them for yourself.
Attendee generated slide deck of tips and tricks for creating video in the classroom - Note: I was completely blown away when I opened this after session. Great ideas all generated in 10 minutes at the end of the session. Please add yours even if you didn't attend the session.
We never quite made it to looking at this Google Site but please upload examples or share links to great resources to help other educators get ideas or examples of student/staff videos.
Other links and stuff I thought we would have time to cover but realized an hour is very little time.
Prelinger Archive at Archive.org
Pixect.com - Web based selfie cam and picture editor
Here are links for my EdCamp MacGyver video making session from last weekend.
iMovie Fifth Grade Book Reports
iOS Apps for mashing up movies
iMovie
Keynote
Replay
Splice
Action Movie FX
Canva
Path On - Swipe To Type
DoInk
WeVideo
iCloud.com
Video Story Problems
Preserving History
Caterpillar Nurse Cam
Covering Hawkeye Sports
Practical example of using the Shooting Gallery
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Formative Assessment/Screencasting
ShowMe app - ExplainEverything - Educreations
Only you can prevent Vertical Video Syndrome
Green Screen Effects Folder - VeeScope Live
Dave Tchozewski - Green Screen Resources
Keynote Animation Project from Linda Dong
Monday, March 7, 2016
"Participation Medals Are Not the Real World": the Wit and Wisdom of Curt Schilling
Last night I had the opportunity to visit my alma mater Hillsdale College and the kickoff to its "Sports and Character" symposium.
World Series MVP Curt Schilling was the speaker and leadership was his primary theme. Schilling is best remembered for his bloody sock in Game Six of the ALCS in 2004. A lot was made of the courage it took for Schilling to pitch with an ankle tendon sutured in place and that he was a hero to the long suffering Red Sox nation.
"I only did what I thought every one of my teammates would have done," Schilling stated. "In our world the words 'hero', 'great', and 'courage' have really been diminished." He also mentioned that he had never been more at ease on the mound and credited a casual conversation with God that eased the nerves and any doubts about the ankle holding up. "That night I had a moment of true faith. Never in my life was I more relaxed and enjoyed playing the game more."
Most of the night's talk was a set of stories of both sporting and personal highs and lows. It's quite evident that Schilling has taken every experience and learned something that has either helped him grow or is something he can share to help others grow as well.
[caption id="attachment_1345" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Curt Schilling sharing his life experiences on Sunday night.[/caption]
Here are some quotes on a number of topics that give insight into the wit and wisdom of Curt Schilling.
On parents who push their kids too much in sports: "If you make your kid love a sport they will quit the minute you can't make them love it anymore."
On the "real world" that the college students will soon face: "Participation medals aren't the real world." and "If you leave your house every morning waiting to be patted on the ass for a job well done, it's not going to happen. That's because the rest of the world now is too busy waiting to be patted on the ass for a job well done."
On becoming the first team in Major League history to come back from a three games to none deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series: "I told my teammates down 0-3 that we don't have to win the next four games. We don't have to even win the next game. All we have to do is win the next at-bat and the at-bat after that and we'll be fine. Just focus at the task at hand."
What I found most applicable to my career as an educator was the time he spent talking about leadership and accountability.
"Anyone can be a leader but there are so few true leaders."
"Leaders get paid to produce. Everyone else gets paid to work."
"You can get a job anywhere but it is really hard to find a place where you are inspired everyday. That's what real leaders do. They inspire people who are excited to come do what it is they do everyday."
On lessons in accountability he learned from the failure of his 38 Studios video game company and the $50,000,000 he lost of his own money in the venture.
"When you put your head on your pillow there's no escaping by making excuses that losing the 50 million was somebody else's fault...If you want to know what accountability is try having to tell someone their job no longer exists because of your mistakes."
Another part of the talk that really resonated with my life as a technology teacher and a dad of a daughter. A year ago Schilling began receiving an onslaught vulgar tweets directed at his daughter Gabby. Using his tech skills, Schilling tracked down the trolls and contacted their parents, bosses, and colleges. Several of the trolls were college athletes and immediately were cut from their respective teams.
"4 kids lost $140,000 of scholarships for 140 characters."
"It's hard to explain to kids 'forever' because the Internet is forever."
All insightful thoughts. Probably the best thing that Curt Schilling modeled on Sunday night in Hillsdale is that you can be a world famous professional athlete but you still face the same ups and downs and trials that everyone else faces. The key is to learn from each of those trials and grow.
An hour well spent.
World Series MVP Curt Schilling was the speaker and leadership was his primary theme. Schilling is best remembered for his bloody sock in Game Six of the ALCS in 2004. A lot was made of the courage it took for Schilling to pitch with an ankle tendon sutured in place and that he was a hero to the long suffering Red Sox nation.
"I only did what I thought every one of my teammates would have done," Schilling stated. "In our world the words 'hero', 'great', and 'courage' have really been diminished." He also mentioned that he had never been more at ease on the mound and credited a casual conversation with God that eased the nerves and any doubts about the ankle holding up. "That night I had a moment of true faith. Never in my life was I more relaxed and enjoyed playing the game more."
Most of the night's talk was a set of stories of both sporting and personal highs and lows. It's quite evident that Schilling has taken every experience and learned something that has either helped him grow or is something he can share to help others grow as well.
[caption id="attachment_1345" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Curt Schilling sharing his life experiences on Sunday night.[/caption]Here are some quotes on a number of topics that give insight into the wit and wisdom of Curt Schilling.
On parents who push their kids too much in sports: "If you make your kid love a sport they will quit the minute you can't make them love it anymore."
On the "real world" that the college students will soon face: "Participation medals aren't the real world." and "If you leave your house every morning waiting to be patted on the ass for a job well done, it's not going to happen. That's because the rest of the world now is too busy waiting to be patted on the ass for a job well done."
On becoming the first team in Major League history to come back from a three games to none deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series: "I told my teammates down 0-3 that we don't have to win the next four games. We don't have to even win the next game. All we have to do is win the next at-bat and the at-bat after that and we'll be fine. Just focus at the task at hand."
What I found most applicable to my career as an educator was the time he spent talking about leadership and accountability.
"Anyone can be a leader but there are so few true leaders."
"Leaders get paid to produce. Everyone else gets paid to work."
"You can get a job anywhere but it is really hard to find a place where you are inspired everyday. That's what real leaders do. They inspire people who are excited to come do what it is they do everyday."
On lessons in accountability he learned from the failure of his 38 Studios video game company and the $50,000,000 he lost of his own money in the venture.
"When you put your head on your pillow there's no escaping by making excuses that losing the 50 million was somebody else's fault...If you want to know what accountability is try having to tell someone their job no longer exists because of your mistakes."
Another part of the talk that really resonated with my life as a technology teacher and a dad of a daughter. A year ago Schilling began receiving an onslaught vulgar tweets directed at his daughter Gabby. Using his tech skills, Schilling tracked down the trolls and contacted their parents, bosses, and colleges. Several of the trolls were college athletes and immediately were cut from their respective teams.
"4 kids lost $140,000 of scholarships for 140 characters."
"It's hard to explain to kids 'forever' because the Internet is forever."
All insightful thoughts. Probably the best thing that Curt Schilling modeled on Sunday night in Hillsdale is that you can be a world famous professional athlete but you still face the same ups and downs and trials that everyone else faces. The key is to learn from each of those trials and grow.
An hour well spent.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Movie Making MacGyver Stuff - #EdCampOAISD #MACUL16
Here are links for my EdCamp and MACUL MacGyver video making sessions
iMovie Fifth Grade Book Reports
iOS Apps
iMovie
Keynote
Replay
Splice
Avid Pinnacle Studio Pro
Action Movie FX
Canva
Path On - Swipe To Type
DoInk
WeVideo
iCloud.com
Video Story Problems
Preserving History
Caterpillar Nurse Cam
Covering Hawkeye Sports
Practical example of using the Shooting Gallery
Formative Assessment/Screencasting
ShowMe app - ExplainEverything - Educreations
Only you can prevent Vertical Video Syndrome
Green Screen Effects Folder - VeeScope Live
Dave Tchozewski - Green Screen Resources
Keynote Animation Project from Linda Dong
iMovie Fifth Grade Book Reports
iOS Apps
iMovie
Keynote
Replay
Splice
Action Movie FX
Canva
Path On - Swipe To Type
DoInk
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WeVideo
iCloud.com
Video Story Problems
Preserving History
Caterpillar Nurse Cam
Covering Hawkeye Sports
Practical example of using the Shooting Gallery
Formative Assessment/Screencasting
ShowMe app - ExplainEverything - Educreations
Only you can prevent Vertical Video Syndrome
Green Screen Effects Folder - VeeScope Live
Dave Tchozewski - Green Screen Resources
Keynote Animation Project from Linda Dong
Monday, February 29, 2016
60 Second Tour of Kiddle.co - Kid Safe Search Engine
Parents and teachers rejoice! The best safe search engine for our kids is the new Kiddle.co. Not only are search results safe, they are from selected sites and prioritized by readability and depth. Icons are nice and big and image searches won't return any random inappropriateness. News and video results actually contain quality content that kids can understand and use.
A couple of disclaimers: Kiddle looks like a Google product but IS NOT owned or operated by Google. It runs off of Google's safe search. Also, it is not completely fool-proof. Some reports of questionable returns have popped up across the web. Thanks to Karen Bosch for sharing this article about that.
Let's just call Kiddle "the safest search engine yet". Always, always supervise searching and help kids evaluate the usefulness of search results.
A couple of disclaimers: Kiddle looks like a Google product but IS NOT owned or operated by Google. It runs off of Google's safe search. Also, it is not completely fool-proof. Some reports of questionable returns have popped up across the web. Thanks to Karen Bosch for sharing this article about that.
Let's just call Kiddle "the safest search engine yet". Always, always supervise searching and help kids evaluate the usefulness of search results.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
It's Time for an Educational Jailbreak
Coding, Maker Space, Video, Photography, Graphic Design, Sound Engineering, and countless other great educational innovations have suffered far too long in the educational prisons of the world. It is time we break them out and truly integrate them into the core curriculum.
Coding is math. Video editing is story telling. Making is practical application of all kinds of "core" skills. They have to move though beyond being viewed as clubs, fun Friday activities, or just stuff hippies do to avoid integrating fully into society.
The education establishment has this terrible tendency to bottle up and lock away approaches to teaching and learning that don't look like something it experienced in the classroom twenty years ago or worse isn't obviously a part of subject areas measured by state assessments.
My former district took away specials like gym and art and made them test prep time. Recess was all but eliminated for more reading instruction. So much for educating the whole child.
This has to stop.
We can lament this all we want and nothing will change or we can begin to focus on the pedagogy and develop sound ways that coding builds success in the algebra classroom and that iMovie Book Trailers build excitement for reading and a demonstration of literacy. That is how we break down the prison walls that are keeping great innovation on the fringes of education and not at its core.
Coding is math. Video editing is story telling. Making is practical application of all kinds of "core" skills. They have to move though beyond being viewed as clubs, fun Friday activities, or just stuff hippies do to avoid integrating fully into society.
The education establishment has this terrible tendency to bottle up and lock away approaches to teaching and learning that don't look like something it experienced in the classroom twenty years ago or worse isn't obviously a part of subject areas measured by state assessments.
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My former district took away specials like gym and art and made them test prep time. Recess was all but eliminated for more reading instruction. So much for educating the whole child.
This has to stop.
We can lament this all we want and nothing will change or we can begin to focus on the pedagogy and develop sound ways that coding builds success in the algebra classroom and that iMovie Book Trailers build excitement for reading and a demonstration of literacy. That is how we break down the prison walls that are keeping great innovation on the fringes of education and not at its core.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Help Your Students Evaluate Credible Sources
Here is a Google Slides deck to guide your students through the evaluation of credible sources. To use it, simply access the slides here and then ask students to make a copy under file.
There seems to be some controversy out there about the value of Wikipedia. The way I approach it and explain it to students on that slide is that needs to be used with other credible sources but typically it can be very valuable. Taking a look at the history of changes in the Charge of the Light Brigade is a true eye opener as to all of the work the nerds who write these articles really put into accuracy and detail. I guarantee whoever wrote the Encyclopedia Britannica's article on the Charge of the Light Brigade did not do this much work.
The rest of the slides are pretty self-explanatory and we have a lot of fun with sites highlighting the plight of the Pacific Tree Octopus and whale watching on the Great Lakes.
There seems to be some controversy out there about the value of Wikipedia. The way I approach it and explain it to students on that slide is that needs to be used with other credible sources but typically it can be very valuable. Taking a look at the history of changes in the Charge of the Light Brigade is a true eye opener as to all of the work the nerds who write these articles really put into accuracy and detail. I guarantee whoever wrote the Encyclopedia Britannica's article on the Charge of the Light Brigade did not do this much work.
The rest of the slides are pretty self-explanatory and we have a lot of fun with sites highlighting the plight of the Pacific Tree Octopus and whale watching on the Great Lakes.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
#CUERockStar Black Label Day 2: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Here is an avalanche of links to activities and resources all designed to draw kids in and make them love learning. This list will grow as we work today.
MrLosik.Blogspot.com - My Classroom Blog - Make A Flake, Lego, Zimmer Twins, Lots More
Flocabulary
Kahoot.it
Shark Tank
STREAM School
Iron Chef Lesson Design
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
Discovery Education Corporate Partnerships
Coverning Hawkeye Sports
Shooting Gallery
Genius Hour
Genius Bar
Curriculum Nest
MrLosik.Blogspot.com - My Classroom Blog - Make A Flake, Lego, Zimmer Twins, Lots More
Flocabulary
Kahoot.it
Shark Tank
STREAM School
Iron Chef Lesson Design
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
Discovery Education Corporate Partnerships
Coverning Hawkeye Sports
Shooting Gallery
Genius Hour
Genius Bar
Curriculum Nest
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