Continuing Beyond the Hour of Code to Extend Computer Science Instruction

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
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Were you among the over 200,000 educators worldwide participating in the Hour of Code this year? This fabulous annual event provides information and inspiration for students of all ages to engage with coding, with no experience required. The benefits of coding and understanding computer science are well documented. Of all projected new jobs in STEM … read more »

Maker Education in Your Classroom

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
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What is maker education? In maker education, “students imagine, design, and create projects that align the content of learning with hands-on application” (Makered.org). Maker education was born from the maker movement, which believes that we are all “makers” and can be creators—not just consumers—of things. Makerspaces are specific spaces in schools, libraries, and community organizations … read more »

Celebrating Human Rights – Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All!

Author: Erica De Los Santos | Posted:
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My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together. – Desmond Tutu, South African Theologian and Human Activist In December, we celebrate Universal Human Rights Month, which honors the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an international document adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, … read more »

Winter Break Boredom Buster: No-Stress Activities for Students of Any Age

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
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Winter break is coming soon. It is a wonderful time to enjoy the holidays with family, clear the mind, and take stock of the upcoming new year. Most adults appreciate the opportunity to take some time off, but often we hear from our children that they are bored.  Here are some family-friendly, low-stress suggestions to … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Phrase.It – Part 2

Author: Melissa Henning | Posted:
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In Part 1 of this blog post, we introduced you to Phrase.It—a simple website that allows you to add cartoon speech bubbles to any photo—and discussed applying the SAMR Model and the Triple E Framework to using Phrase.It in your instruction. Today’s post offers detailed instructions for using this tool and shares classroom ideas. Phrase.It: … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Phrase.It – Part 1

Author: Melissa Henning | Posted:
Categories: Tech Tool of the Month | Tags: , , ,
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Phrase.It is an easy-to-use website that allows you to add cartoon speech bubbles to any photo in seconds without requiring registration or membership. You can upload an image from your device or use one from the site’s stock photo collection, then select one of five different types of speech bubbles to drag and drop anywhere … read more »

Hour of Code: Are You Ready?

Author: Kevin Bower | Posted:
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“A computer is a bicycle for your mind.” Steve Jobs Code.org (reviewed here) launched the Hour of Code™ during Computer Science Education Week in December 2013. Students and teachers were invited to complete Blockly (reviewed here) tutorials, which use a programming language similar to Scratch (reviewed here). President Obama, Bill Gates, and various celebrities supported the … read more »

Bring NaNoWriMo to Your Classroom!

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
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What is NaNoWriMo?!? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month! Taking place every November since 1999, it is a challenge to would-be writers of all ages, including students. The adult challenge is to begin a novel on November 1 and have a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. The young writers’ version challenges … read more »

Sesame Street’s Influence on Education: What Can Educators Learn?

Author: Erica De Los Santos | Posted:
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“It’s not whether children learn from television, it’s what children learn from television…because everything that children see on television is teaching them something.” – Joan Ganz Cooney, co-creator of Sesame Street On November 10, 1969, Sesame Street made its television debut. Sesame Street. This revolutionary show has taught generations of young children various skills, from … read more »