Posts Tagged ‘project’
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
It’s back!
The Constructing Modern Knowledge Summer Institute will return for a second year this July 13-16 in Manchester, NH. Constructing Modern Knowledge is a minds-on institute for educators committed to creativity, collaboration and computing. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in intensive computer-rich project development with peers and a world-class faculty. Inspirational guest speakers and social events round out the fantastic event.
This year’s lineup includes:
- Deborah Meier - has spent more than four decades working in public education as a teacher, writer and public advocate. Meier was the first pubic school educator to be named a MacArthur Genius and is the author of many award-winning books on education. Meier is the co-author, with Diane Ravitch, of the exceptional blog Bridging Differences.
- Herbert Kohl - A recipient of the National Book Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, Herbert Kohl was a founder and the first director of the Teachers & Writers Collaborative in New York City. Kohl has spent more than forty years as a progressive teacher, teacher educator and author of dozens of classic education books.
- Gary Stager - laptop pioneer, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. Gary is the convener of the CMK Summer Institute.
- and more!
I’ll be back too - last year was a learning experience for me (my CMK08 reflective blog post) and I expect this year to be even better.
By the way - take advantage of the super early bird registration, only $550 (US) by January 1, 2009. The price includes social events, software, and more!
Sylvia
Tags: cmk09, collaboration, computer, constructing modern knowledge, constructivism, constructivist, educator, institute, integration, learning, Lego, Logo, PBL, professional development, programming, project, robotics, staff, summer, teacher, technology, training, workshop
Posted in Generation YES | Comments Off
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
From Chris Craft:
For those of you who remember Life Round Here 2007 you may be excited to know that Life Round Here 2009 is now accepting participants!
What we really want students to do is, “Tell us, what’s it really like to live where you live”.
You can use any of a wide variety of tools to create the story, from Microsoft Photostory to Apple iMovie to Voicethread to anything else you can think of.
The requirements are fairly much the same:
- It must involve students from 10 - 13 years old.
- Your class/school/group must be able to publish six stories.
- The stories must be in English or have subtitles in English.
- Stories must be published and “watchable” by March 31, 2009.
I would also appreciate it if you would consider spreading the word. The official tag for this year’s project is liferoundhere09.
Tags: collaboration, digital storytelling, global, liferoundhere09, project, story, student, video
Posted in contests, global, student project samples, student voice | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 1st, 2008
Ever question why technology seems to have gone missing in so many math and science classrooms? What happened to the “compute” in computing? Wondering what STEM really looks like?
Yes, technology, math, and science can be friends!
Constructing Modern Knowledge is organizing a one-of-a-kind educational event for January 22, 2009 at Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy. Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge is a minds-on institute for K-12 teachers, administrators and technology coordinators looking for practical and inspirational ways to use computers to enhance S.T.E.M. learning. Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge is a pre-conference event for Educon 2.1, an innovative conference and conversation about the future of education.
The presenters represent high-tech pioneers and seasoned veterans at the forefront of innovation in math, science and computing. Read more about them here.
Come to Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge and stay for Educon 2.1!
- Early-bird registration (before December 15) - $100
- Regular registration - $130
You may register for both Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge and Educon 2.1 with one click.
Sylvia
Tags: cmk09, cmmsk09, collaboration, compute, computer, constructing modern knowledge, constructivism, constructivist, educator, institute, integration, learning, math, professional development, programming, project, robotics, Science, staff, STEM, teacher, technology, training, workshop
Posted in conferences, constructivism, professional development | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 24th, 2008
Last week I mentioned the article What Makes a Good Project? Eight elements to great project design by Gary Stager in the Creative Educator magazine.
I hope you had a chance to look at the whole Creative Educator magazine, because it’s great. It’s published twice a year by Tech4Learning, publisher of creativity software for K-12 schools
The Creative Educator is fully available online, and in addition to the project article, this month’s issue has some great articles.
- Universal design - tales from a 4th grade classroom about using software that includes ALL students
- Bloom and Marzano for the 21st century
- Digital Storytelling
- Portfolios - and an interview with Helen Barrett, a pioneer and thought-leader of the digital portfolio movement
- Lessons and ideas from classroom teachers using creativity software to enhance learning
The articles are all online, and every issue can be downloaded as a PDF. But if you live in the U.S. there’s also a way to get the good ol’ fashioned paper version for FREE - just subscribe here.
Sylvia
Tags: article, bloom, creative, Creative Educator, creativity, education, integration, learning, magazine, marzano, PBL, portfolio, project, project-based learning, projects, student project samples, Tech4Learning, technology
Posted in fun/free stuff, student project samples | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
In the November 2008 issue of The Creative Educator magazine, there is the first of a two-part article on project- based learning by Gary Stager and illustrated by Peter Reynolds.
What Makes a Good Project? covers eight elements of projects that make them worth doing:
- Purpose and relevance
- Sufficient time
- Complexity
- Intensity
- Connected to others
- Access to materials
- Shareable
- Novelty
Stager concludes with questions teachers can ask themselves to improve the design of project-based learning experiences for students.
Project-based learning does take extra work to design and implement, but the results are worth it for everyone involved. So if you make the effort, it’s worth doing it right. As Stager says, “Making things is better than being passive, but making good things is even better!”
Sylvia
May 1, 2009 update - Part 2 of this article is now online! Part 2: What Makes a Good Project
Tags: creative, education, educator, gary stager, good, PBL, peter reynolds, project, project-based learning, projects, technology
Posted in In the news, constructivism, fun/free stuff, professional development | 5 Comments »
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
Well, it seems like I just got back from T+L in Seattle and I’m off again.
First to Chester County in Pennsylvania where I’ll be meeting with several schools about our student technology programs. One of their districts, Coatesville, will be using TechYES Science for student tech literacy certification using science projects. I’m looking forward to meeting up with some PA friends as well.
Then a couple of stops in New Jersey and on to New York. I’m honored to be a featured speaker at the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Educational Information Technology Conference, NEIT 2008.
“NEIT 2008 is an unconference planned for technologists and librarians. Our unconference relies on the open space technology for creating workshops, discussions, breakout groups, etc.”
This is the first time I’ve heard of open space technology. Wikipedia describes it as a method of self-organizing that can be applied to gatherings of any size to quickly tackle complex issues. It sounds a bit like FutureSearch, which I’m more familiar with, but definitely something worth knowing about!
The EdTechTalk podcast this week featured a conversation about the plans and goals for the NYSAIS event.
Plus, this conference is at the beautiful Mohonk Mountain House and you can’t beat that for open space!
Sylvia
Tags: Chester County IU, Coatesville, literacy, Mohonk, neit2008, NYSAIS, open space, project, student, technology
Posted in Generation YES, TechYES, conferences | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 31st, 2008
Kern Kelley’s students in Maine have created a web-enabled comic book style help guide for the Google Doc applications they are using. Kern blogs at The Tech Curve, and I’ve written about Kern and his students before, they are very involved in student-centered ways to use technology.
Direct link to: Overview of the Google Online Applications
This is a terrific project for students, and useful for a school! Since you create it yourself, students can add customized details about your server and network, remind readers about the Acceptable Use Policies, and make suggestions for using these tools.
I’ve blogged about student-created video help guides before, and all the reasons that these are terrific projects for students. These comic-book creations are another idea to accomplish the same goals!
The online PDF viewer is called Issuu (pronounce “issue”). It’s a new, free Web 2.0 application. You upload a PDF and it converts it to a very slick looking viewer. There are tools to share these through email or embed them in a blog, Facebook site, or other ways. It’s new, so take care in its use with students. The user agreement does say you have to be 18 to upload. I didn’t see anything “bad” in the PDFs that are shared on the home page, but you never know.
Sylvia
Tags: creation, help guides, PDF viewer, project, student
Posted in blogs, cool links, fun/free stuff, student project samples, web 2.0 | 1 Comment »
