ASSESSING CREATIVITY: A REFLECTION ON GRADING MAKER PROJECTS
“How am I going to grade this?” That was the first thought that came to mind once the creative and fun designs lay on my desk. This was the first time I used a Design and Making activity in my AP World History class. I was so excited and eager to design and implement this […]
Read MoreDESIGN AND MAKING IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: AN MAET AND CEP811 REFLECTION
The Social Sciences, and history in general, are notorious for boredom. Two cliches are often represented in the history classroom: the boring old teacher whom no doubt was related to the teacher from Ferris Buller’s Day Off or some athletics coach. Indeed, History is right behind Math in courses student’s seem to love or despise, […]
Read More6 REASONS WHY SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASSES NEED TO “MAKE”
Making is deep in our DNA. Indeed, is not the process of making, playing, and improving something how we naturally learn? My first encounter with a hammer and nails, a rope and make-shift pulley system came to us while creating a fort high in an olive tree grove next to our house. Through trial and […]
Read More(Re)Creating A Flexible Learning Classroom Environment
Starting out as a High School teacher, I went right to where I was comfortable. I had spent years delivering speeches and lectures. I knew how to lecture well. I created elaborate supportive keynotes rich in media, and lectured every day, in every class, for years. My classroom reflected it. It was designed like a […]
Read MoreTRADE ROUTES and TECHNOLOGY: AN EDTECH AND MAKER LESSON PLAN
Students need to engage with the profound topics of the past in new and fresh ways. Gone are the days of dusty old tomes and boring old lectures. Thus, it is no mystery that many students hate History and think it is so dull. I want to be part of a movement that makes history […]
Read MoreCREATING CREATORS: PERSONALIZED LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY
Personalized learning and technology create creators. A personalized approach to learning dictates less and provides space for the authentic voices and choices of students. Moreover, this approach naturally lends itself to making. Richard Culatta argues that technology affords this possibility in the education system. If used correctly, technology can create a learning environment where students […]
Read MoreTRANSFORMING THAT DUSTY OLD MAP: CHIBITRONICS, PAPER CIRCUITS, AND INTERACTIVE MAPS
At Aquinas High School (the school at which I teach) has a saying: “turning today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.” Yet I wonder, what world are our students stepping into? It seems like something out of a sci-fi flick, but this year’s freshman will graduate High School in 2022. Of that group, the four-year college-student will […]
Read MoreSUSHI REMIX
Context and Theory All cultures emerge from influence, mixing, and remixing. Food culture is rife with examples of regional influences and transformations. Indeed, like all human activity, people have a desire to make good food—not only for themselves but for those around them. If there ever were a more consistent type of “making culture,” it […]
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