EDUCATIONAL MAKERSPACES | Teacher Librarian Editor’s Note: This article, reprinted from the June 2014 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, is a thoughtful and insightful examination of the philosophy and pedagogical underpinnings of the maker movement. The authors’ analysis and argument are strong, and the benefits they tout are inspiring. The authors will follow up with two more articles on the maker movement which will be published in the next two issues of Teacher Librarian. To download a PDF version of this article, click here. Educational makerspaces (EM) and maker education (ME) have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach teaching and learning. In practical terms, educational makerspaces are the ideal environment for maker education. Makerspaces outside of the educational environment are adult playgrounds for thinking and whimsical construction. The maker education approach to learning is highly individual yet lives within certain boundaries. Invite curiosity. Inspire wonder.
edWeb: A professional online community for educators A Glimpse into the future of learning How to Get Free Leads and Traffic from YouTube? Tip #1: "Use the YouTube keyword research tool!" Did you know that YouTube has its own keyword research tool? No, it's not Adword keywords which we use to find niches, it's something which YouTube has built specifically for videos because people use different terms when searching for videos than when searching the web. For example, if someone is searching for "cake" on Google, it will show you the shops in your area or places you can order a cake - but when you search for "cake" on YouTube it will show you recipes on how to bake your own cake. Ask yourself before uploading your video, how much time did you spend on keyword research? Never forget that a video that doesn't show up in search results, no matter how good it may be, isn't very useful. Tip #2: "Don't tell too little or too much!" Article Video Robot videos work great when they are short and simple. Never forget that the whole point of creating videos is to generate free leads and traffic. Examples:
How the Maker Movement Is Moving into Classrooms The Maker movement is a unique combination of artistry, circuitry, and old-fashioned craftsmanship. Certainly, learning by doing or "making" has been happening since our ancestors refined the wheel. Don’t treat making as a sidebar to an already overtaxed curriculum. [S]tudents who are thus reputedly poor in mathematics show an entirely different attitude when the problem comes from a concrete situation and is related to other interests. In 1972, Seymour Papert predicted what many complain is the state of today's apps and programs for modern students: [T]he same old teaching becomes incredibly more expensive and biased toward its dumbest parts, namely the kind of rote learning in which measurable results can be obtained by treating the children like pigeons in a Skinner box. Indeed, many of us go on first our first techno-rush as kids playing with erector sets, Legos, and the Radio Shack electronic kits. Maker classrooms are active classrooms. Society's Move Toward Making Make Magazine
Fostering Creative Career Exploration - Creative Careers Careers Thanks to the new age of technology that we live in, working in the cultural and creative sector has never been so rewarding. Achieving any level of professional success requires creativity to some degree: the creativity to figure out new ways to do our jobs well, or the creativity to produce new ideas that advance our organizations. It’s ironic then that arts education—our primary means of fostering present and future generations of creative, innovative thinkers—has been cut from so many school curricula, and that careers in the arts aren’t encouraged with the same rigor as other professions. Chasing fulfillment I was fortunate. "By increasing access to art education, we are not only equipping our children with creative reasoning, but we are helping to cultivate arts appreciation within a new generation." According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, 3.2 percent of the nation’s 2011 GDP was attributable to arts and culture. The benefits of creativity
Five Ways to Use Online Portfolios in the Classroom Our digital world is transforming the way we learn, and today's teachers are tasked with the challenging job of sifting through the deluge of educational technologies and creating a meaningful learning experience for students. In my 15 years in education, I've seen firsthand how opportunities and a little guidance can positively impact a person's future and change the life path they're following. In fact, as a result of serving on the San Francisco School Board, where I learned about the obstacles to education, I've seen how creating learning opportunities can impact a long-term digital identity. Next-generation education portfolio platforms -- such as Digication, Pathbrite, Taskstream and Epsilen -- are one way for teachers to start early and educate students about how they can manage their own academic and professional accomplishments. 1. Build in Opportunities for Peer-to-Peer Learning 2. Sifting through the endless hoards of information on the Internet is becoming a necessary skill.
100 Factory Accelerated Designing Personalized Learning Experiences The phrase “personalized learning” gets tossed around a lot in education circles. Sometimes it’s used in the context of educational technology tools that offer lessons keyed to the academic level of individual students. Other times it’s referring to the personal touch of a teacher getting to know a student, learning about their interests and tailoring lessons to meet both their needs and their passion areas. Educator Mia MacMeekin has put together a clear infographic highlighting some of the ways teachers design “personalized” curriculum.
Arts Skills Map resources Suggested Action Steps and Resources In July 2010, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills unveiled the 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts, which demonstrates how the three Rs and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation) can be fused within arts curriculum. The map provides educator-created examples of how art subjects (dance, music, theatre, and visual and media arts) can be fused with skills to create engaging learning experiences that promote 21st century knowledge and skill acquisition. In addition to aligning teaching and learning to the demands of today’s world, the map cites specific student outcomes and provides project examples for grades four, eight and 12. The following material is designed to support the use of the map and is customized with suggested “action steps” for state policymakers, K-12 practitioners and arts advocates. Suggested Action Steps State Policymakers K-12 Practitioners Arts Advocates Resources
Why Your Creativity Needs Boundaries to Thrive The first few years after I decided to take my creative writing seriously, I couldn't overcome the nagging feeling that my fiction was simply a glorified hobby—like knitting or fishing. Plenty of people helped reinforce that. I'd be at a party filled with people who worked sensible office jobs when someone would find out I was writing a novel and tell me they'd been meaning to take up the hobby themselves—if only they had more time. But it's hard to justify carving out time every day in your busy schedule for "just a hobby." Creative work is hard. An interview with Godin appears in the book, Manage Your Day-to-Day, put out by 99U. 1. Setting aside time every day to do creative work keeps your momentum going. Cal Newport, a writer and professor at Georgetown University, calls these periods of uninterrupted creative work "daily focus blocks." 2. Most of us compulsively check email without stopping to think about it. 3. 4. Try making rules for yourself and see what happens. 5.