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CYCLES OF LEARNING

deep cycles of learning can occur.

The Students Are Watching

9/20/2016

From The Students Are Watching, by Theodore R. Sizer and Nancy Faust Sizer

“They watch us all the time. The students, that is. They listen to us, sometimes. They learn from all that watching and listening. Be quiet. Don’t cheat. Pick up. Don’t lie. Be nice. Don’t fight. They attend to us, more than we usually realize.”

Human-Centered Design and the "MakeyMakey"

9/17/2016

I recently gave my robotics students an invention challenge using the MakeyMakey designed to tackle the perceived conceptual disconnect many science students feel between the living and the nonliving world. Click here to access a copy of the invention cycle template students used.

The prompt was simple: Invent and build a prototype that solves a problem for another living individual. Below are a few examples of student prototypes:

Sharing Written Work Through "Snapshots"

9/17/2016

Years ago I wrote a post about using the webcam "Snapshot" feature to share student work. Click here to read. Nearly four years ago, many tech strategies leveraged in my teaching have come and gone, but that one little hack has never left. The power of sharing written work in a GoogleDoc that I can then comment on is, in my practices as a science teacher, priceless.

Below is an image of a student product:

Below is a video that models how to insert an image as a webcam snapshot:

Keynote Presentation & Online Courses

9/13/2016

Over the past few months I have received many requests for recorded versions of a Keynote presentation on the relationship between the Hero's Journey and the Lesson Planning Process. I finally found the time to record it. Click here to access.

If you are interested in the content from the keynote, I am in the process of recording a series of online courses for interested educators and districts to access specifics around the technology and structures I find helpful when planning and implementing lessons. Click here to access.

Sparking Curiosity Tool Kit

9/10/2016

Excited to share this quick, "Sparking Curiosity" document I put together for my colleagues. The document outlines past and current research on Curiosity as well as practical examples across disciplines.