The Power of Instagram to Connect With Students

The Power of Instagram to Connect With Students // Instagram is a powerful tool for connecting with your students and community. Here are some ways to utilize IG.

I’ve long used Instagram as a way to reach out to my students.  It started back when I first got an iPad through DonorsChoose at my previous library (before I had a personal smartphone).  Some of my former students (now adults) still follow that account and keep in touch.  When I started at Tampa Prep, … Read more

How to Run a Tech Take Apart Workshop in Your Makerspace

How to run a tech take apart workshop in your makerspace // Learn how to plan for, setup and run a tech take apart workshop in your makerspace

  How to Run a Tech Take Apart Workshop in Your Makerspace Tech Take Apart is a fun, low-budget activity that gets students excited about seeing how the inner workings of electronics function.  That being said, my first time attempting this activity with middle school students was a disaster (so much so that I only … Read more

Read this Book: From the Campfire to the Holodeck

From the Campfire to the Holodeck - David Thornburg's amazing work looks at four primordial learning metaphors: campfires, watering holes, caves and life. He discusses why each one is essential for student learning in our schools.

From the Campfire to the Holodeck (2014) is David Thornburg’s updated work on his theory of the primordial learning metaphors and how they fit in with today’s modern educational spaces.   I’m currently researching and writing for book #2, which will be about learning space design and libraries (more info soon).  In just about every book … Read more

AASL Post: How to Connect Students to the World with the Cardboard Challenge

How to Connect Students to the World With the Cardboard Challenge | In my AASL post, I talk about how maker projects and makerspaces are fantastic for connecting your students globally. Here's how you can use the Global Cardboard Challenge and Skype.

Connecting Students to the World Through the Cardboard Challenge Makerspaces and maker projects can be amazing catalysts for connecting your students with others. The Imagination Foundation’s Global Cardboard Challenge is one of my favorite maker activities to help my students feel connected to the world and see the power of making. Combine that with a Skype … Read more

Celebrating Hour of Code at Stewart MS

This past week, we celebrated Hour of Code week at Stewart.  It was pretty low-key overall, but we had some fun activities going on to get our students into coding.  One of the activities we had was inspired by Laura Fleming‘s digital breadcrumbs.  I put up a few different coding sites on our interactive whiteboard … Read more