Design Thinking & littleBits Projects. Sound too complex?
Don’t worry, even the youngest maker can open this gate into the world of electronics. During my review of the new Student STEAM, I had my 7-year-old experiment with the new set. Within a few minutes, she began tinkering with the logic gate concept: She quickly pulled out the forkBit and added a few inputs and outputs. She said, ‘Mom, why isn’t this working?’ Sounds fun, but why the library?
Education Week. Washington Few trends in K-12 ed tech are as hot—or as under-researched—as "Maker" education.
The term generally refers to using a wide variety of hands-on activities (such as building, computer programming, and sewing) to support academic learning and the development of a mindset that values playfulness and experimentation, growth and iteration, and collaboration and community. Learn to Code with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Minecraft. Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science, has created a fun way for students to learn the basics of coding.
Teaming up with Disney and Lucasfilm, they’ve launched Star Wars: Building a Galaxy with Code, a tutorial designed to teach students to write JavaScript as they guide Star Wars characters through a fun mission. The module is designed for kids 11 and up. (Adults, that could definitely apply to you.) There’s also a separate beginner’s tutorial for kids between the ages of 6 and 10.
If Star Wars doesn’t hold appeal, then you can always learn to code through the ever-popular video game Minecraft. More Code.org tutorials can be found here. MinecraftEDU - STEM Curriculum Resources by Dr. Wesley Fryer. MinecraftEDU Redstone Engineering Challenge (our culminating semester project) 2015 MinecraftEDU Screenshots: April 6 - April 8 2014 MinecraftEDU Screenshots: Aug 22 - Aug 25 - Sep 5-8 - Sep 22-24 - October Geometry Challenge Geometry Building Challenge (Fall 2014) MinecraftEDU Building Challenge (Oct 2014) MinecraftEDU Building Challenge (Oct 2014) Build a house including a living room with an exact AREA of 50 Minecraft blocks.Build an animal corral or area outside the house with an exact PERIMETER of 24 blocks.Creatively integrate a HEXAGON and OCTAGON into your build.
Minecraft Club At School Is More Than Just A Game. Download PDF There’s a gentle buzz of conversation in Holly Brown’s classroom Monday afternoon.
Basic, Intermediate and Advanced MinecraftEDU Challenges. After three consecutive snow days starting last Friday, we’re finally back to school this week on Wednesday and my STEM class will be exploring MinecraftEDU a second week.
With the help of my 16 year old son, who is a Minecraft expert, I created three different challenges for students to try based on their past experiences and skill levels with Minecraft. Some of my students are experts, while others have only played Minecraft the 40 minutes we spent in the program last week. I added links to these resources on the MinecraftEDU page of my STEM curriculum resource site. 10 Tips for Running an Elementary School Computer Club. While I’m a software developer by trade, I’m also the mother of two school-aged kids, so one of my pastimes is volunteering in various capacities at our local public elementary school.
At some point early this school year, in a moment of temporary insanity, I found myself nodding my head “Yes” when a wiser full-time-working parent would be saying “No”, and next thing you know, I had agreed to lead an after-school Computer Club for 4th and 5th graders. Something I’ve observed that you may have also: by the time a kid is 9 or 10 years old, they are already incredibly capable of wasting copious amounts of time on a computer. This age group (ok, all age groups?) Would happily spend all their time playing computer games — Minecraft being the game of choice these days.
My goal with Computer Club was to get the kids away from just playing games and into creating something with their computers — maybe even creating their own games. However, the language is only half the battle. 1. 2. What does Minecraft look like in a school? Since its release in 2009, Minecraft has made its way into 60 million homes worldwide and has become the best-selling PC game of all time.
The game can now be played on multiple platforms, including XBox, Playstation, and most smart phones and tablets. There are Youtube videos with literally millions of views of people playing Minecraft while providing their own commentary. Shoppers can now purchase Lego sets, T-shirts, keychains, books, foam pickaxes, costumes, and so much more. Minecraft Club: Want to bring the hottest game into your classroom or library? Here's how. Illustration by David Plunkert.
By Sarah Ludwig Lately, there’s been more drama than usual in our library. Seven Steps to Setting up a Minecraft Club at your School. [This post originally appeared on GamingEdus.org, but you missed it, didn’t you?]
With October behind us and the school year in full swing here in Ontario, I finally got a chance to do something I enjoy each year: starting a new Minecraft club at school. Minecraft clubs are popping up at schools all over the world and for good reason: they’re fun and an amazing way to introduce your students to all awesomeness of Minecraft.
But with the runaway zombies and piles of TNT come many questions for teachers looking to set up a Minecraft club at their schools for the first time. From getting started to making sure the lava runs smoothly, here are seven steps to setting up a Minecraft club at your school. 1. I know it’s really exciting to think about bringing Minecraft into your school, but before you place your first block, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. 2. 3. Just like it takes many builders to create those epic Minecraft constructions, running a club takes a team of teachers. 4. 5. 6. Advice for starting a Minecraft club - The Minecraft Teacher. Maker Education. Middle School Maker Journey: First Month's Reflections.
It's been a heady first month in Northfield Community Middle School's Technology, Engineering, and Design program. Kids are raving, parents are beaming, and it was a great start. But . . . what assumptions have we made that were valid? School Libraries and Makerspaces: Can They Coexist? More and more schools are coming to value maker education and exploring ways to create makerspaces in their schools. Many schools are discussing how they might utilize their library to facilitate this.
As my school has increased our commitment to constructionist learning and maker education over the last few years, we have done so in close collaboration with our school library. In exploring the relationship between the school library and school makerspace, it's not difficult to see why conversations about the growth of makerspaces are often tied to the conversation about the future of libraries. Both makerspaces and libraries are constructivist learning spaces that share a number of common goals, while approaching them in different ways and through very different material resources. Similar Yet Distinct. Knoxcraft. In 2013 Year 5 completed an 8 week unit on the Gold Fields which involved them researching about early Australian gold mining and building their own mining towns in our Knoxcraft server. Below are some parent’s comments. Check out the Gold Mining introduction movie in this blog. I just wanted to add my thoughts on our Minecraft experience this term.
MakerSpace: The Online Community for Makers. Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch. Creating School Library Makerspaces. While there is no clear, single definition to the term makerspaces (Burke, 2013; Fontichiaro, as cited in Bell, 2015), there are commonalities existing in terms of features, functions, goals and activities that makerspaces provide. A makerspace is a place where people gather as communities to be innovative, create and collaborate, to share knowledge, tools and resources (Britton, 2012). Coding for Beginners – primary – lunchtime library activity. Making Room for Making. As a teacher, the library has always been an important, almost sacred place for me to go with my students. It was an opportunity to use the computer lab once in a while and look for books to help support research.
Coding for Beginners in a library Makerspace. AHS Makerspace. Creating School Library Makerspaces.