Technology

A Spirit of Innovation: Get your stomp rocket ready!

Posted on by ski626

One of the questions that we consistently reflect on at MHS is how to motivate students who feel disconnected from school and learning. This year, one group of teachers expressed the idea that our school needs a place for students to experiment and create with their own hands. We have many students who are eager for this type of learning, but with increased academic requirements and limited budgets, our wood shops and consumer arts courses disappeared a long time ago. Other than Project Lead the Way, which is not available for everyone, there is very little opportunity for students to have the “hands-on” learning experiences that they are craving.

After great consideration, I hit upon the idea of a “MakersSpace.” MakersSpaces have become wildly popular in the past few years. According to MakersSpaces.Com, a Makers Space is a “community center of tools” and is a wonderful way to democratize engineering education. (http://spaces.makerspace.com) Makers Spaces can encompass all sorts of materials, from computers, sewing machines, hammers, etc. The design is up to the creator. Through the task of plain old tinkering, MakerSpaces help to build student confidence, foster deeper student understanding and teach collaboration.

Fortunately for our school, I was given the opportunity to write a grant through our local BOCES to help provide students with the chance to create, design and build. Under the leadership of my Earth Science teacher, Trace Keller, we decided to incorporate the idea of a Maker Space through a new club next year entitled “Robot Wars.” The club will be a place where we can encourage playfulness and inspire curiosity among students. Students will have the chance to create robots, small machines or just “tinker” if they choose. The club will be our “laboratory of inquiry” where students can work with the questions in mind, “how do things work? And why do things work that way?”

The teacher ran an introductory activity to attract students to the club, and it was a huge hit. From just a soda bottle, some tubing and a marshmallow, students were able to create stomp rockets that flew thirty feet off the ground. It was so much fun and drew the attraction of students who don’t normally stay after school. The success of the activity solidified our thinking, and we enthusiastically moved forward to create our MakersSpace Club.

To get started, we ordered $5,000 worth of materials, including everything from glue guns, and goggles to Lego robot kits. Although we were fortunate to receive our funding from a state grant, Edutopia wrote a very helpful post that lists several other possibilities for schools to get needed resources.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/6-strategies-funding-makerspace-paloma-garcia-lopez

At MHS, we hope to create an inspirational and innovative lab where through inquiry, play, and collaboration, students’ curiosity and understanding deepens. Although we are starting small with an after-school club, the possibilities for further growth are endless. Hopefully, one day we can find space for a full-time playroom where students can just stop by to experiment.

Information on this topic is readily available for anyone who wants to start their own MakerSpace. The following link is a helpful place to begin. http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/a-librarians-guide-to-makerspaces/

 

Stomp Rocket!
Stomp Rocket!

 

 

 

 

Keeping Up With REMIND

Posted on by ski626

Each day as I read through hundreds of Twitter posts, I am amazed at all of the new technology (Voxer, Domo, Edmodo, LiveBinders etc) that educators are embracing. The latest apps, software and technological advances are coming at light speed and each day I feel as if I am falling behind with the newest and greatest innovation for educators. That’s why this school year I have made a new commitment to explore one new app, platform or piece of software each month to educate myself and my faculty on the best new technology. My goal is to explore and integrate the technology into my own day and then introduce it to my faculty to enhance their “technology toolbox.” By the end of the year, teachers will have a variety of technology options to use in the classroom to enhance student learning.

I decided to begin with “REMIND” or formerly “Remind 101”. Remind is a free service that enables teachers to text students in their classes in a safe manner. The teacher and students never see each other’s phone numbers. I thought that this would also be a good tool to use as an administrator. It takes a long time to input every faculty member’s phone number into a group text and REMIND enables everyone to sign up easily through one email invitation. I began using REMIND last January as an easy way to text my entire faculty with the latest information. My original goal was to use REMIND as a way to communicate with faculty during a crisis. However, I ended up using it for much more! Throughout the past six months, I have used REMIND as a fast communication method to remind faculty about upcoming meetings, snow emergency, parking issues etc. and teachers appreciate getting their messages without having to check email.

Once I began to explore REMIND, I realized that I had only scratched the surface of what this service can do for all educators. Their website (https://www.remind.com) is well designed and is very “teacher friendly“ with a visionary mission, “to connect every teacher, student and parent to improve education.” REMIND has a “Teacher’s Board” that advises on all REMIND products to make everything as simple as possible for teachers with templates, resources, and a tip sheet with the top ways to use REMIND for teachers or coaches:

  1. Send reminders for homework, sports practice, a meeting etc.
  2. Send links to articles and resources
  3. Send pictures capturing the day’s lesson or events
  4. Send trivia or warm-up questions to students or test questions that can be scheduled.
  5. Send permission slips directly to parent’s phones
  6. Send assignments to student’s phones
  7. Send parents important information or information as simple as “Ask your son/daughter about today’s assembly.”
  8. Send encouraging words to students

This list gave me a great foundation for new ways I could use REMIND in my own school when classes begin next week. The website also posts helpful blogs with fantastic ideas to improve teacher-student communication.  For instance, REMIND can be a huge asset for the Guidance Department. Counselors can use REMIND to notify juniors and seniors of important deadlines or send scheduled videos or information on filling out applications and the FAFSA. REMIND is a great tool for coaches as well!  The volleyball coaches at Millbrook High School (@stolly23 @swb1321) have already signed up their teams for this school year as an easy way to notify families of games and practices.

With some creativity, REMIND can be used in a myriad of ways in schools to improve communication between teachers, students and families. If you have used REMIND, please share your story!