constructivism – Page 10 – Sylvia Libow Martinez

May 12, 2009

Back to New York

I’ll be off to New York for two events this week and next. First up is a two-day workshop in Brooklyn with middle school students and their science teachers. We are wrapping up a year of working with Brooklyn middle schools doing integrated science and technology projects. These projects include robotics and programming in MicroWorlds, combined with technology literacy certification through TechYES Science.

This workshop will be led by Dr. Gary Stager, who has been working with these schools since a summer kickoff workshop last year. It’s always exciting and fun to have workshops that involve students, and I expect this will be no exception!

Next I’ll be in Rye Brook, New York, for the NYSCATE Metro conference. This is a always a great opportunity for schools in the eastern half of New York to get together and share the progress they are making in technology integration. I’m sure a major topic of discussion will be the one-time ed-tech funding coming soon from the federal stimulus package. (Our website has more details and links to information about that.)

If you are in New York City or going to the Metro conference, be sure to say hello!

Sylvia

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May 11, 2009

Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009

Constructivist Celebration logo The third annual Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009 in Washington DC is now open for registration!

Join colleagues in a daylong celebration of creativity, computing & constructivist learning on June 28th, 2009. This is the day before the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, DC starts.

The Constructivist Celebration is an opportunity for you to let your creativity run free with the world’s best open-ended software tools in a great setting with enthusiastic colleagues who share your commitment to children, computing, creativity and constructivism. You might think of this stimulating event as a spa day for your mind and soul!

The day kicks off with a keynote, by Gary Stager “What Makes a Great Project?,” and a presentation by Melinda Kolk on unleashing student creativity.

Then you will enjoy five hours of creativity on your own laptop using software provided by consortium members FableVision, Inspiration, LCSI, and Tech4Learning. Representatives of SchooKiT and Generation YES will also be on-hand to assist.

The day ends with an inspirational talk by best-selling author, illustrator, animator and software developer, Peter Reynolds and an opportunity to reflect on the day.

The Constructivist Celebration is an incredibly affordable event for you and your colleagues. $35 gets you hundreds of dollars worth of open-ended creativity software, a great lunch and the day’s activities.

The Constructivist Celebration @ NECC
June 28, 2009, 9:00 – 4:00 PM
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC

Find out more and register today at:

http://www.constructivistconsortium.org

Sylvia

May 1, 2009May 8, 2017

Last chance for free ebook from ASCD

Update – this offer is now expired. You can still get the e-book for $9.95 (or $7.95 if you are an ASCD member.) Still a pretty good deal if you ask me!

May 6, 2009 is the last day to download a free ebook, Educating the Whole Child, from ASCD. After this, this 366 page e-book will only be available for a fee.

Do students really want to learn? Can schools and classrooms become joyful? Are there natural links between standard curriculum and what motivates students to learn? Explore these and other questions in this e-book collection of articles from Educational Leadership by renowned authors such as Carol Ann Tomlinson, Richard Sagor, Nel Noddings, Thomas R. Guskey, and Allison Zmuda.

Besides these fabulous and well-known authors, you will also get our article, Working with Tech-Savvy Kids, along with other articles by Will Richardson, king of the edu-bloggers, and many more.

Don’t miss out on this free offer!

Educating the Whole Child ebook – free download link (valid April 15 – May 6, 2009)

Sylvia

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April 28, 2009May 8, 2017

Part 2: What Makes a Good Project

Creative Educator magazine has Part 2 of the article series What Makes a Good Project by Gary Stager.

In Raising our Standards, Developing Projects that Endure, Stager argues that good projects meet higher standards than those found in state mandated lists of curricular objectives.

I suggest that educators plan and evaluate student projects based on a loftier set of goals. Teachers should embrace the aesthetic of an artist or critic and create opportunities for project development that strive to satisfy the following criteria. Is the project:

• Beautiful
• Thoughtful
• Personally meaningful
• Sophisticated
• Shareable with a respect for the audience
• Moving
• Enduring

Read the article online here, or download the PDF here.

I recommended Part 1 in this blog post last November, and highlighted the other excellent articles (still free, still online!) found in that issue here.

March 16, 2009

Quote for the day

“Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more science than a heap of stones is a house.” – Poincaré 1905

March 4, 2009

Constructivist Celebration in the Northwest

The first ever Constructivist Celebration in the Pacific Northwest is an opportunity for you to let your creativity run free with the world’s best open-ended software tools in a collaborative setting with enthusiastic colleagues who share your commitment to children, computing, creativity and constructivism. You might think of this as a spa day for your mind and soul!

Pacific Northwest Constructivist Celebration
Saturday May 16, 2009
Puget Sound ESD (Renton, WA – Seattle area)

Participants will enjoy the day’s activities, complimentary creativity software and a hearty lunch all for just $55. This event is a joint effort between the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE), and the Constructivist Consortium.

Dr. Dennis Harper, founder of Generation YES will be there too!

Go to www.constructivistconsortium.org for more information and to register. Space is limited and past events have sold out quickly.

Sylvia

February 27, 2009

Lessons Learned: Please teach kids programming, Mr. President

The focus on “21st century skills” while scrupulously avoiding the only real new 21st century skill completely puzzles me. This post nails it… please read…

So all I’m asking, on behalf of the thousands of nerds who could one day change the world for the better, is that we give them access to simple, open, programmable devices; a little time to work on them; and a safe space to work in. They’ll take it from there. They don’t need adult supervision, or a certified curriculum. If we network them together, they’ll answer each others’ questions and collaborate on projects we can hardly imagine.

– Eric Ries of Lessons Learned Please teach kids programming, Mr. President

Sylvia

December 1, 2008May 8, 2017

Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge 2009

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

November 16, 2008

Children are collaboration machines

I loved finding this blog post, Why Am I Surprised? from mom and tech integration coach Melanie Holtsman. Melanie shares a wonderful anecdote (and the cutest picture ever) about her five year old twins and their Nintendo DSs.

But I was surprised when I heard them giggling at the same time and it occurred to me…if they are playing two different games, then why are they laughing at the same time? I went to investigate and this is what I discovered.

They were texting each other!

First of all, I didn’t know that a Nintendo DS had this feature. Second of all, my twins are non-readers and non-writers. So how were they texting? In rebus style!

I shouldn’t be surprised. This is why I love technology. Kids do things with technology that exceed my expectations. All. the. time.

So – did you see that? These kids are “non-readers and non-writers” but they are natural collaborators and communicators. This is a perfect example of what kids do ALL the time if we set up the conditions, encourage them, and then LET THEM. They will exceed expectations, as Melanie says, “All. the. time.”

Sylvia

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November 12, 2008May 8, 2017

What Makes a Good Project?

The Creative Educator magazine is running 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!”

Update – Part 2 of this article is now online! Part 2: What Makes a Good Project