Information Technology Education

Back in the spring, I was asked to direct a STEM summer academy.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create a summer experience for grades 4-8 learners that would be the best STEM experience they could ever have!  As I was brainstorming ideas, I decided it would have to be all about the kids having a maker experience in every sense of the word - three strands all centered on making and creating. 1)  Code-makers:  Here, the students used Google CS-First and App Inventor to create games and apps.  They engaged in pair-programming and had a lot of fun 'making' with code. 2)  STEM-makers:  In this strand, the students created using science, technology, engineering, and math.  The room was full of "junk" that they used to make Rube Goldberg devices.  They had Ozobot and Sphero challenges.  For Ozobot, they had to design the longest course in black marker on an 8.5 x 11 inch size sheet of paper.  Then, they ran their ozobots on t...

Excited to share about an article just published in Desert Ridge Lifestyles: STEM in the Middle Explorer Middle School and its diverse STEM offerings Contributed by Janice Mak STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, emphasizes the interdisciplinary approach to teaching students about these areas that is critical to society both now and in the future.  Explorer Middle School is unique in its approach to meeting the educational needs in this area through its pioneering approach and reputation as a school leading the way in technology.  From its diverse elective course offerings to its extracurricular STEM club, it is a unique place for middle school students to explore in a hands-on, minds-on way areas that interest them. Electives In its signature Project Lead the Way program, Explorer Middle School students learn about engineering firsthand by designing and testing windmills, robots and more.  Offered at both the introductory and advanced levels, studen...

I just returned from ISTE that was in Philly this year.  It was an incredible few days with ed tech enthusiasts from around the world.  I also gave my first Ignite talk...but first, a confession.  When I first submitted by Ignite proposal to be considered for acceptance, I actually had no idea about what an Ignite talk was.  I just knew it was a 5 minute presentation.  Before my proposal was accepted, I attended a conference that had a few Ignite speeches and when I realized what I signed up for, my heart dropped just a little.  And then when I found out my proposal was accepted, it dropped a little more.  At the same time, it was a challenge I knew I wanted to accept.  Since learning about them, I have wanted to use it with my students as a final performance-based assessment.  What a great way for them to distill the really important info into a meaningful presentation format! So, I got to work on my slides and really did some reflection - w...

Fascinating article I just read that I wanted to share... What is code?  by Paul Ford  Read HERE Love these quotes: " Code has been my life, and it has been your life, too. It is time to understand how it all works." " The code is the art." " Every day is Arbor Day in Codeville." The whole article reminded me of one of my third grade students.  A few years ago, when she first started coding, she was struck by the realization that if she understood how computers think, she can show them how she thinks.  

Since the Nepal disaster, I was seeking for ways to bring this into my classroom and when I came across the Amplify Challenge, I had found it.  The Refugee Education Challenge calls for us to tackle the following issue found here : How might we improve learning and expand education opportunities for refugees around the world? I thought this would be a powerful way for my students to connect on a visceral level with the events occurring not only in Nepal, but in warzones and other disaster-hit zones.  For them to see that not every child has access to a free, high-quality education is eye-opening and for them to see an opportunity to contribute their ideas even more so.  This was a novel experience for them to apply the concept of human-centered design to a real-world issue.  The first step?  Researching and brainstorming solutions to one of five challenges facing refugee education: 1.  Supporting teaching and learning 2.  Vocational training and entrep...

As you can tell from the blogs lately, we've been putting our Makerbot to good use with plenty of innovative and creative designs, not to mention iterations.  A student recently came up with the idea to design and print the parts to create an underwater robot. Here are labeled drawings of his initial design in his engineering-design notebook: Here is a picture of the 3D printed parts, motors, propellers, and joysticks: And, here is a short video description of his robot...

I have been exploring sketch-noting and brain-doodling lately and thought it would be a great vehicle my students to think, process, and organize information.  I started off with a class discussion and asking my students what they find challenging about note-taking.  Many of them shared that they found it hard to keep up with the speaker, and others said that they sometimes wrote so furiously that they couldn't understand their own handwriting when it came time to study for the tests.  Others shared how they found it difficult to make sense of their notes.  Sketch-noting seemed a great way to address some of these issues.  Introducing it through sample images of sketchnoting from Google images and sites like Sketchnote Army  was a great way to start.  For more tutorials and ideas of places to start with doodling, I went to Brain Doodle s. Here, there are lessons, videos, tutorials, and a gallery of images.  I  really like this sketch-note ex...