I have always enjoyed the Adobe Suite for both vector and bitmap graphic design. And while I continue to use this professional software suite, it often does not fit a school's budget when trying to support a 1:1 laptop program. As such, I continue to explore less expensive (or free) programs that students can use.... Continue Reading →
Working with middle school students on cardboard prototypes presents a number of challenges. Students at this age have had varying levels of experience making proper and accurate measurement, using tools effectively for cutting and marking, working with glue, and understanding design to a level that is up to the task of creating a three-dimensional prototype... Continue Reading →
I am always eager to discover ways to integrate what we do in the Design+Code+Make classes into other curricular areas. It is an opportunity to collaborate with a colleague on a fun, engaging unit of study, and makes the work that students do more meaningful. Over the past couple of years, the 6th graders learned... Continue Reading →
We often hear about an Invitation to Play as an open-ended hands-on activity used mostly in preschools, or at least among younger age children. This concept, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching, "encourages children to learn through exploration, by providing materials that 'invite them to play' in a creative, non-directive way, with no... Continue Reading →
TLDR: Download PDF now! This is the first in a series of Table-Top Tips I am creating for my students to use. These tips are designed to be printed, then assembled accordion-style. I provide these so that students can have quick access to the basic concepts I cover during the instructional stages of any new... Continue Reading →
From the iconic Kevin Costner film, Field of Dreams, comes the now famous line "If you build it, they will come." Over the years, I have heard maker educators use this same line when speaking about their personal efforts to bring a maker space to the school in which they work. There's even a documentary by... Continue Reading →
Our sixth graders are finishing up their work on the Legends of the Trash Creatures project. This interdisciplinary, environmentally focused project tasks students with (among many other requirements) the creation of a 5' tall creature made of trash and embedded with Hummingbird Robotics to allow it to sense the environment and react with sound, lights,... Continue Reading →
What is Social Entrepreneurship? When we hear the word “entrepreneur” we immediately conjure up images of an innovator, risk-taker, and creator. An entrepreneur is someone who sees a problem, develops a solution to that problem, and builds a business around that solution. By a similar token, a social entrepreneur applies these same skills toward problems... Continue Reading →
Introduction For the past couple of months I have worked on a project that has actually been years in the making, at least in my mind. Year after year, I saved up a number of old Altoids mint tins, knowing that I would start a project with them some day. I didn’t know precisely what... Continue Reading →
As the calendar year comes to an end, I write this one last post to share the importance of making and creativity for one's own personal growth and satisfaction. As maker educators, we spend a good deal of time working with students on their journeys into design, building, invention, and exploration. It is equally important,... Continue Reading →
