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The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $100 million in the United States to advance workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. The Siemens Foundation's mission is inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning that is the hallmark of Siemens' companies.

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Engineering is Elementary | Developed by the Museum of Science, Boston

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Engineering is Elementary | Developed by the Museum of Science, Boston

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The Future Engineering Workforce

Drones. Autonomous cars. Robots. Apps that monitor and improve our lives. Engineering and Computer Science are advancing at staggering speeds and changing the way we think, work, communicate and interact. The pace of innovation is so rapid that new technologies of today may be obsolete in just a few years. In fact, experts predict that 65 percent of the jobs that today's K-6 children will hold haven't even been invented yet.

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EIE Museum of Science| Engineering is Elementary | STEM Education

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EiE, the curricula division of the Museum of Science, Boston, offers curricula, training, and materials you need to implement STEM across your school.

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This app is brought to you by The Math Learning Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to K-12 math education since 1976. Visit us at:

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Prodigy Math Game - Learn Math for Free. Forever.

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Prodigy Math Game - Learn Math for Free. Forever.

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Illuminations Home - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Robotics is an emerging educational field with unlimited potential for engaging students and teaching them the most important skills they need to know. Skills like coding, problem solving, and creativity are the foundation for 21st century success and it takes innovative educators and a line of useful tools to help today's students develop these essential abilities.

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7 Apps for Teaching Children Coding Skills | Edutopia

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7 Apps for Teaching Children Coding Skills | Edutopia

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It's hard to imagine a single career that doesn't have a need for someone who can code. Everything that "just works" has some type of code that makes it run. Coding (a.k.a. programming) is all around us. That's why all the cool kids are coding . . . or should be. Programming is not just the province of pale twenty-somethings in skinny jeans, hunched over three monitors, swigging Red Bull. Not any more! The newest pint-sized coders have just begun elementary school.

If you're concerned that that a) elementary school students don't have the ability to code, b) there's no room in the curriculum, and c) you don't possess coding chops to teach programming skills, throw out those worries. The following sites and apps can help anyone who has basic reading skills grasp the basics of thinking and planning in order to make things happen (the whole purpose of coding) and create applications: interactive games, quizzes, animations, etc. Best of all, many of these tools are free, or almost free, and require no coding background or expertise!

In no particular order, we have listed all the coding apps that are appropriate for young learners. We've used many of them with elementary-aged students.

Platform: Web
Cost: $2 per student
GameStar Mechanic teaches kids, ages 7-14, to design their own video games. Your students will love completing different self-paced quests while learning to build game levels. The site integrates critical thinking and problem-solving tasks. An app embedded within Edmodo makes logins easy for students.

We hope these descriptions have whetted your appetite and that you'll incorporate coding into your curriculum. Even if a student never intends to pursue programming as a career, learning to code will still foster problem-solving skills, spark creativity and enhance logical thinking. Code.org, a pro-coding education nonprofit, features dozens of quotations about computer programming from famous and important people who believe that coding should be part of the core curriculum for every child. One of our favorite quotes is by Maria Klawe, a computer programmer and inventor who says, "Coding is today's language of creativity. All our children deserve a chance to become creators instead of consumers of computer science [emphasis added]."

How have you brought coding into your classroom? Do you have any resources to share?

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7 Apps for Teaching Children Coding Skills

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If you're concerned that a) elementary school students don't have the ability to code, b) there's no room in the curriculum, and c) you don't possess coding chops to teach programming skills, throw out those worries. Explore these free, or almost free, tools, sites and apps that require no coding background or expertise.

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The Tech Edvocate’s List of 57 STEM Apps, Tools & Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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The Tech Edvocate’s List of 57 STEM Apps, Tools & Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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The Tech Edvocate's List of 57 STEM Apps, Tools & Resources

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Everyone knows that many students in the US are not prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (also known as STEM). Students in the US routinely score low on math and science tests, lagging behind other industrialized nations.

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inspiration and information – The Making of an Elementary School Makerspace

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inspiration and information – The Making of an Elementary School Makerspace

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The Making of an Elementary School Makerspace

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Maker Space Design & Implementation: Classroom re-design to facilitate the 4 C's: Resources for Teaching & Learning in a Maker Space Teaching About Inventors and Inventions: Maker Clubs & More: https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/neil_gershenfeld_on_fab_labs.html Agencies Involved in Making
A great movie to show the power of creation is Big Hero 6, especially this scene which shows how many attempts and revisions it took for Tadashi to create Baymax:

Even more resources available from the IMLS and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75okexRzWMk Reasons for adding Maker Spaces: The Making of Making: The rise of the maker movement in schools When Students Drive Improvement Average is Over: Education and the global economy School Sleuth: The Case of the Wired Classroom: A PBS Program on the use and misuse of technology in classrooms. Create a Maker Culture by...

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12 Emerging Educational Uses of Technology That are the Most Exciting Right Now — Emerging Education Technologies

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12 Emerging Educational Uses of Technology That are the Most Exciting Right Now — Emerging Education Technologies

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As we Enter a new School Year, Which Uses of Technology Hold the Most Promise to Impact Learning?

Well, it's that time of year again ... the start of a new school year. With it often comes the irresistible urge to make another list, or even better ... many lists! Lists help us to plan, and they can also help us reflect and assess.

One list I really enjoy putting together as we head into a new academic year is an updated look at which educational uses of technology have shown the most promise over the last year. Which tools and techniques most excite me as I look forward to another year of striving for continuous improvement as a teacher, technologist, and #edtech advocate? And as different technology uses take the spotlight, which of them are standing out a little less?

So, looking back and thinking forward, here are a dozen instructional uses of technology that are the most compelling right now. Some of these are BIG ideas, driving real change in our classrooms and schools, and some are simpler concepts that are making small but meaningful changes in how we engage our students on a day to day basis.

Augmented Reality

AR is just so much fun and comes in many different flavors. Everything from free or inexpensive smartphone apps to full blown 3D workstations like those from zSpace. AR is just one of the coolest educational technologies that many educators have not even come across yet! To better understand AR in the classroom, check out how these teachers and students are using augmented reality.

Adaptive Learning & Competency Based Education

I've heard people refer to Adaptive Learning and CBE as one and the same, but to my way of thinking, they are very related but still distinct. That being said, I've listed them here together because they are based on the same fundamental concept - learning paths and tools that can adapt to what a student knows and doesn't know, and allow them to master materials at their own pace.

Adaptive Learning still has a while to go to make it to mainstream, but tools like Moby Max have led the way in the elementary and secondary levels, and now LMS's common to higher ed are increasingly seeking to add Adaptive functionality ( Britespace from D2L is a good example). The pace of adoption is quickening.

CBE is essentially a fundamental change to how students get credentialed, which is largely enabled by Adaptive Learning tools and pathways. CBE basically the traditional 'clock hour' as the measurement of learning with, well ... learning. SNHU's President Paul LeBlanc gives a great overview of CBE and its potential in this interview. CBE is changing higher education in a serious way, helping to decrease the cost of, and time to, degree attainment. This is a huge boost to busy working adult students.

The Flipped Classroom

The Flipped Classroom continues to emerge as one of the most exciting grassroots movements in the academic world. Teachers all across the world are trying it and loving it. Make no mistake, the flipped classroom is no "trend" - it is a clear reflection of how technology truly can be a powerful tool for educators who are inspired to do the very best by their students. For two years running, the vaunted Horizon Report from ELI & NMH has noted the flipped classroom as being ready for widespread adoption right now, and teachers and schools have been implementing at a rapid rate! Flip on!

Student Response Systems

Engaging with students and gathering feedback are two core benefits of technology in the classroom and Student Response Systems are designed to that end. While 'SRS' technology is by no means new, it has morphed considerably over the years, and continues to evolve and emerge.

The first SRS were costly proprietary clickers, but today's best SRS are free and device independent, which is opening them up to many more educators to use in their classrooms. Tools like Kahoot, Socrative, and Quiz socket enable students to participate in interactive surveys, questions, quizzes, etc., from a phone, tablet, or computer. There is also a great low-tech alternative called ' Plickers ' that has garnered a lot of well deserved attention.

Video Collaboration Tools

The power of today's easy to use video solutions is empowering teachers to bring the world into their classroom, and to make themselves more available to students. This is another technology that is by no means new, but it continues to evolve steadily. Thanks to the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone, video is becoming an anytime, anywhere solution. In addition to live collaboration, tools like Movenote and VoiceThread make it possible to collaborate via video asynchronously.

If you aren't leveraging the power of video to bring guest speakers into your classroom, interact with other classrooms across the world, or let a home-bound student participate in class, you are missing out on a world of possibilities.

Social Learning in Online Courses

I truly believe that better incorporation of social learning is vital to making online learning more engaging. Many online programs struggle to attain retention rates similar to most in-seat programs. One of the elements generally lacking in online learning (but natural to the face-to-face classroom) is a healthy level of social interaction. When online teachers make the effort to build social interaction into the digital classroom, they create multiple opportunities to enhance engagement and improve learning outcomes. The growing adoption of online learning makes it more important than ever that online courses incorporate social interaction into their lesson plans and assignments.

3D Printing

Not everyone has access to 3d printing yet, but I have little doubt most schools will by the end of this decade. 3D printing is an amazing "maker" tool, and teachers and schools are doing exciting things with this technology. If you don't have access to 3D printing, check your local library system and nearby universities, as many are starting to serve as hubs for 3d printing.

Interactive Collaboration Tools

This is one of the most commonly sought types of teaching and learning tools, and the Web delivers! There are so many good free tools that can be used to create opportunities to collaborate via digital technology in (and out of) the classroom. Check out these 20 Fun Free Tools for Interactive Classroom Collaboration for a wide variety of tools and ideas.

Tools to Embed Questions in Videos

Admittedly, this is not the kind of game changing ed tech idea that others on this list are, but I still think it is worth noting. Over the last year, EdPuzzle, EduCanon, and Zaption are a few of the tools that I have seen mentioned over and over in the ed tech social media over the last year. This capability has just 'blown up' over the last year or so, getting a lot of attention, and for good reason. What a powerful instructional idea! Take any of the kazillion videos available on YouTube (or one you made and published there) and require readers to reply to questions at any point in the video. Deliver these in a setting that reduces most of the distracting clutter of YouTube. Sound good? Heck yeah! Have you tried this yet? What are you waiting for? Click here and see how easy it is!

Open Educational Resources

The concept of Open Educational Resources has been around for decades, but the effort to get faculty informed and to advocate for a move to these low cost, adaptable resources has a long way to go. I did see some nice progress this year in my own little corner of the world. We have used various techniques and resources, including OER, to lower the costs of text books at The College of Westchester. I believe the future has never looked brighter for Open Educational Resources.

"Mobile First or Mobile Only"

I heard (former Seton Hill CIO and current Robots-n-Pencils CEO) Phil Komarny say it quite a few years back and it often echoes in my head: "Think Mobile First or Mobile Only". It's so true - mobile is changing everything and education is no exception. This is surely an area where we are going to continue to see big changes as the world slowly gets its head around the way the powerful devices so many of us have in our hands can seriously change how we communicate, connect, reach out, access content, research, learn, think, act, ... and the list just keeps growing.

If learning really can take place any time, any where, shouldn't we encourage it? This is yet another change that is happening whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. More teachers are embracing the power of this device as an instructional aid.

So there you have it ...

These are the academic uses of technology that are putting a smile on my face these days, sowing hope in my heart, and inspiring my desire to help make a difference. What do you think? What excites you? What are the #edtech ideas, tools, and techniques that you think hold the most promise to make an impact and improve learning for your students?

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12 Emerging Educational Uses of Technology That are the Most Exciting Right Now

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Well, it's that time of year again ... the start of a new school year. With it often comes the irresistible urge to make another list, or even better ... many lists! Lists help us to plan, and they can also help us reflect and assess.

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8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle — Emerging Education Technologies

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8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle — Emerging Education Technologies

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Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it

The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model provides a technique for moving through degrees of technology adoption to find more meaningful uses of technology in teaching and move away from simply using edtech for tech's sake.

We recently discussed the SAMR model during an Academic Technology Work Group meeting at The College of Westchester. We examined the video, SAMR in 120 Seconds. One thing that really struck me is how much the example helped, so I made it a point to gather and/or create some more examples.

Following are 8 examples of the SAMR process, each taking an example of a typical classroom exercise that does not use technology and walking it through each phase of SAMR. For half of these, I searched and borrowed from examples that teachers had written about online (original sources are provided - in some cases I tweaked the example a bit). I also created examples of my own. In working through this, it became apparent to me that while Substitution and Augmentation can be relatively straightforward conceptually, there is even more room for interpretation when it comes to Modification and Redefinition.

The goal of this exercise was to help me (and readers) better understand the SAMR model, and to really see how lessons and assessments can be transformed while considering the benefits of evolving them through these stages. I find it particularly interesting to see the vast difference between the original lesson and the redefined lesson - there is often a much wider range of skills required in the latter stages, and lessons can become much more engaging and collaborative when modified or redefined.

Lesson: Writing a Short Paper
Taken from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/08/samr-model-explained-through-examples.html. A modification of an idea found at https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples. Taken from: https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples and modified. Idea taken from: https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model and slightly modified. In this example, we take a simple form of assessment and evolve it into a collaborative group project.
Original Assignment: A hand written paper.

Lesson: Geography & Travel

Original Assignment: An overview of a location consisting of hand written content supplemented with compiled cut-and-pasted magazine clippings.

Lesson: Understanding Shakespeare

Original Assignment: Read a Shakespeare play in traditional printed format.

An Assessment Exercise
Original Assignment: Show understanding of fractions on a worksheet by coloring in blocks.
Original Assignment: Take a quiz, answers handwritten in a printed form.

Following are some example lessons, evolved through the SAMR model, that I have tried my hand at creating.It's easy to get caught up in worrying about how effectively an approach constitutes "modification" or "redefinition", but that's not the point of the exercise. To my way of thinking, it's more about understanding the difference between a just replacing or augmenting a "paper" lesson with a "digital" one and actually evolving it in a beneficial way and exploring new possibilities.

Lesson: Art/Painting
Creative Commons license image source.
Original Assignment: Drawing a picture using traditional brush, paint, paper. Of course, there is a a big difference between doing this by hand in the traditional manner and doing it digitally. Digitally is by no means better, it is just different and opens up some interesting possibilities.

Substitution: Use a digital drawing/painting program (like MS Paint) to draw/paint a picture.

Augmentation: Use a tool that allows the creation of your masterpiece to be layed back (like Educreations, for example).

Modification: Pull a background image to use as a canvas. You could even scan something hand drawn and use that.

Redefinition: Create Artwork Collaboratively using a Collaborative Online Whiteboard (like Twiddla or one of these other tools).

Lesson: Email Etiquette

Original lesson: Review printed copies of Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines.

Lesson: Learning Fractions

Substitution: Use an Excel Worksheet to let students color in the blocks.

Augmentation: Use Google Sheets to let students color in the blocks, where the teacher can offer feedback directly on Google Sheets.

Modification: Use Google Sheets and direct students to online examples and supplementary learning materials for areas that they might struggle with.

Redefinition: Use a Fractions App instead (here are a handful of examples for iOS devices).

Lesson: Phys Ed - Learning To Hit a Baseball Well

Original Assignment: Learning how to hit a baseball by watching and listening to a Coach or Phys Ed instructor show you and then trying it yourself.

Hopefully these example of lessons modified through the SAMR cycle help to encourage you to think about how you leverage technology to make some of your lessons more interactive, collaborative, and engaging with some of the many great technology tools available today! Here is a set of tools that may be helpful when working to evolve your lessons: 10 of the Most Engaging Uses of Instructional Technology (with Dozens of Resources and Tools).

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8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle - Emerging Education Technologies

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Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.

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7 Fun and Creative Apps and Websites That Teach Kids to Code — Emerging Education Technologies

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7 Fun and Creative Apps and Websites That Teach Kids to Code — Emerging Education Technologies

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These iOS and Web Apps are Visually Oriented and Kid-Friendly and Help to Build Critical Logic and Problem Solving Skills

Computer coding is becoming an increasingly popular activity for today's technology oriented kids. Even kids who do not plan to grow up and become computer programmers are enjoying the control and autonomy that coding delivers.

Coding encourages kids to be creative, think logically and develop critical thinking skills that they will need throughout their lives.

The skills young students develop through these early coding experiences can also help them to succeed in their education. With coding, kids get to try out new solutions to problems and tinker around with what can happen in various situations. The following seven visually oriented and child-friendly apps can help to teach even the youngest children how to code.

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is excellent for young children and beginner coders. Children are provided with simple tools that are visually based and kids can use them to make games based upon characters that they choose.

Within the app, there are tutorials that show how to put bits of code together in a logical way. Kids can drag and drop instructions to form a script with a command that their chosen characters execute. Once children develop the list of instructions, they then get to see what the character does and they can make certain tweaks to change what happens.

Tynker lets students build modification for the hugely popular Minecraft game. It has a free section that helps kids to learn about coding in a visual process and in chunks that progress from simple to more complex. The color coded blocks are a benefit to children who are visual learners. These lessons include simple projects and puzzles, while the section that requires a fee includes more extensive programming lessons.

Kids get to choose their own characters and start building their own programs to share with their friends and parents. The programs can also be shared within the Tynker forums, which also offer tips on the coding process.

Scratch

Developed by students at MIT in 2003, Scratch is one of the earliest programming languages developed for kids aged 8 to 16. It is a visually based set of instructions that are connected into bricks and put together to create an animation of sprites.

Kids put their thinking skills to work by using the bricks to trigger loops, play sounds and create variables to put together animations or different games. This app can help to build confidence in kids who start out thinking that coding is too complex.

Daisy the Dinosaur

Daisy the Dinosaur is an early introduction to coding, with visually based instructions that allow kids to engage in either a challenge or free play. Kids choose a command such as "jump" or "spin" from a list of options and drag it to the actions list. They can then include variables such as repeat and see Daisy do what they instructed her to.

The app gives children insight into how specific codes can result in certain outcomes. It is a great choice for kids who require simple and clear instructions and guidance.

Move the Turtle

With Move the Turtle, kids are able to learn the beginning aspects of coding by building and using an interactive game with a turtle. This app is ideal for young children as well as older kids who have never tried coding before. The game is sorted into chapters of increasing skill levels, which allows your child to have one success and then try a new challenge at coding.

As kids achieve a goal, they earn stars and are then able to progress. There are pre-set projects kids can try and the app will provide them with feedback if they make mistakes, which gives your child the opportunity to try again.

This app is a great example of how beneficial technology can be. Not only does it help children learn to code but it can also teach kids many different skills such as critical thinking, geometry and graphing.

CodeMonkey

In CodeMonkey, kids code a program to help a monkey find its lost bananas. The game is a series of puzzles that require kids to write and then do test runs of their code. The codes help to direct the monkey toward its bananas. A split screen makes it easier for your child to see what is going on and shows instantaneous results of instructions and actions.

Multiple levels help kids to advance their coding skills through an incremental approach. With each goal that is achieved, your child earns stars to unlock the next level. This is a more challenging coding app than a drag and drop system, which makes it a great option for older kids who are interested in more complex coding.

Vidcode

The Vidcode app is aimed at teenage girls who are often left out in coding and computer programming technology. This app puts together creativity, social media, and self-expression and allows children to upload photos and videos and turn them into music videos, memes, and animations.

While doing this, children learn that the code is what makes each action take place. In this split-screen app, instructions appear on one side and helpful hints are on the other side.

Kids have the option to link the finished projects to their social media accounts and share them with friends and family. This is a great app for teens who have never coded before.
Conclusion
No matter whether your child has a solid interest or a passing one, these coding apps can help to build logical, critical, and creative thinking skills. Your child will experience early successes at using coding. These successes can be a solid foundation for future computer programming.

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7 Fun and Creative Apps and Websites That Teach Kids to Code

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Computer coding is becoming an increasingly popular activity for today's technology oriented kids. Even kids who do not plan to grow up and become computer programmers are enjoying the control and autonomy that coding delivers. Coding encourages kids to be creative, think logically and develop critical thinking skills that they will need throughout their lives.

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10 Creative Ways To Use Video in Your School - Flipped Learning Network Hub

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10 Creative Ways To Use Video in Your School - Flipped Learning Network Hub

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How to Protect Students While Integrating Social Media in Classroom Instruction and Assignments — Emerging Education Technologies

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How to Protect Students While Integrating Social Media in Classroom Instruction and Assignments — Emerging Education Technologies

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Key Considerations When Introducing Social Media Applications, to Help Ensure Student Privacy and Safety

Technology continues to roll onward at its customary pace, presenting exciting advances in education, as in many other fields. Teachers are incorporating technology at an increasing pace in 2014, utilizing cutting-edge teaching aids in their classrooms - and beyond. In this modern era, many technologies develop a following in the consumer markets and then bridge the gap into the academics and the professional world. Social Media fits that pattern. Once applications like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, became a part of many people's personal lives, they soon see increasing adoption by business, and by education.

While social media applications create new opportunities for teachers and students, there are potential issues to address before mixing kids with technology that could potentially put them at risk. Here we examine some of these, and consider what can be done to address those risks before they become a problem.

It Starts with Policy

The first step toward protecting young students using social media is to clearly articulate policies within schools. Social media blurs the lines between professional and personal interactions, so engaging students through these channels must include very clear boundaries and calculated approaches from teachers and school administration.

Sharing too much, for example, can end-up compromising student privacy. Posting pictures and other student information on blogs or social media sites, for example, places students' privacy in jeopardy and opens the door for virtual opportunists with ulterior motives. While connecting with students outside the classroom is the future of instruction, it must unfold deliberately, with very clear boundaries in-place.

Here are a couple resources that can help educators sculpt an appropriate policy for their schools:

Keep in mind as well that in addition to following school policies, teachers inspiring learning via social media and expecting students to access these tools outside of the classroom should make sure parents are aware of expectations, and the intended goals and benefits.

Content Filtering & Malware Protection

Computers used in classrooms and school networks must be set-up appropriately. Firewalls installed on school networks can limit the types of sites being accessed, and prohibit students from opening malicious email attachments and other malware. Filtering software provides further fortification, restricting access to specific types of sites and content.

Malware exists in many forms and best practices on networks and computers can go a long way towards ensuring that the use of social media doesn't fall victim to these malicious software applications. Be sure to talk with your institution's technology staff about filtering, firewalls, and other forms of malware protection.

Consider Education-Specific Alternatives to Mass Market Social Media Tools

Many educations-specific applications leverage functionality that many of us have become familiar with through popular social media applications. One good example is Edmodo, a free application that brings Learning Management System style functionality to thousands of K-12 schools, with a user interface that is reminiscent of Facebook. With discussion groups, easy ability to link out to other web content, and other capabilities that we take for granted from our use of mass market social networking tools, Edmodo is a easy to adopt.

Tools like Edmodo engage and encourage students and teacher alike through familiar formats and essential functions. Edmodo allows teachers to post and receive assignments online, and access to information is specifically limited to those invited to share. While instructors have access to everything, they also control information shared on the private site. Parents are brought into the loop using access codes, allowing them to be informed and aware. Teachers are able to send quick messages too, which students receive using computers, tablets and even by way of an iPhone app.

Many of these special features provide the best of both worlds - familiar, essential functionality, with education-specific requirements like close attention to privacy. Another such application is Diipo, which furnishes comparable features for K-12 instruction.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is another technology issue facing educators who are embracing social media in the classroom. Stopbullying.gov offers these tips for protecting students from cyberbullies:

Remain aware of what your children are doing online.

Establish rules related to Internet use.

Stay tuned-in to school policies regarding online interactions.

Additional Internet Safety Resources for the Classroom

Keeping students safe from the risks associated with social media use while helping them work through assignments and develop essential 21 st century skills is a win-win situation. There are other considerations to be aware of in addition to the above. Here's a few more resources focused on Internet safety in the classroom to review to try help cover all your bases:

As technology moves forward, teachers continue to tread the fine line between its practical uses and the risks associated with virtual education. Well-crafted school policies and safe platforms for educators help keep kids safe from malware, cyberbullies and opportunists, while parental engagement and diligent monitoring are additional techniques that can help position teaching with social media for success.

What are your experiences with this? If you have feedback, insights, or commentary to offer, please share. Other teachers and students will benefit from your input.
Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Worried about Students Searching the Web Safely? 8 Safe Search Engines for Kids
10 Teaching with Technology Mistakes You Want to Avoid Making
Do Social Media Benefit College Students by Engaging Them in the Course Material?

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How to Protect Students While Integrating Social Media in Classroom Instruction and Assignments

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Technology continues to roll onward at its customary pace, presenting exciting advances in education, as in many other fields. Teachers are incorporating technology at an increasing pace in 2014, utilizing cutting-edge teaching aids in their classrooms - and beyond.

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8 Techniques and Tools for Creating Lessons That Actively Engage Students — Emerging Education Technologies

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8 Techniques and Tools for Creating Lessons That Actively Engage Students — Emerging Education Technologies

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A Fresh Look at Ideas and Tools to Create Lessons & Assignments That Don't Bore Students

A couple years ago, I wrote the article 8 Engaging Ways to use Technology in the Classroom to Create Lessons That Aren't Boring. This article offers dozens of powerful free tech tools, and ideas for using them to create fun lessons that position students to create their own learning experiences.

While a few years in real time can be like a decade in "tech time", these ideas are as fresh and relevant now as the moment I first wrote them.

When I stumbled across this article again recently, it struck me that was a great target for a "make-over". Some content is just ideal for re-creation in another format. Turning a post like this into a slide deck provides a vehicle that allows for a more gradual exploration of the ideas and resources offered in it. It shines a light on the concepts and tools being written about.
If you like this, click on over to Slideshare and check out our other great presentations!

Kelly Walsh is Chief Information Officer at The College of Westchester, in White Plains, NY, where he also teaches. In 2009, Walsh founded EmergingEdTech.com. He frequently delivers presentations and training on a variety of education and technology topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh became the Community Administrator for the Flipped Learning Network in June of 2016. He also writes the "Technology Perspectives" Column for University Business magazine. In his "spare time" he writes, records, and performs original music ... stop by kwalshmusic.com and have a listen! [Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own, or those of other writers, and not those of my employer. - K. Walsh]

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8 Techniques and Tools for Creating Lessons That Actively Engage Students

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A couple years ago, I wrote the article 8 Engaging Ways to use Technology in the Classroom to Create Lessons That Aren't Boring. This article offers dozens of powerful free tech tools, and ideas for using them to create fun lessons that position students to create their own learning experiences.

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Getting to Know the Makerspace Movement in Education — Emerging Education Technologies

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Getting to Know the Makerspace Movement in Education — Emerging Education Technologies

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The Makerspace Movement is Making Waves in Classrooms Everywhere. So What's it all About?
I've been increasingly interested in learning more about the Makerspace Movement as a teaching and learning tool. Technology can certainly play a part in being a "Maker" as a student in a classroom, but it doesn't necessarily have to. But even when it doesn't, it fits right in with concepts like Active Learning and Project Based Learning that we love to explore here (these can also use tech, but do not have to). Today's post from guest writer James Broadbean gives us a good overview of this growing trend in today's innovative teaching practices. - KW
Have the children of today lost the ability to create and invent? Has the replacement of Legos and Play-Doh with iPads and Xboxes' removed the natural curiosity to make things in our youth? Pioneers of the emerging 'Makerspace Movement' will disagree and instead suggest that students just need the space and time to let their creativity flourish.

Part of the trending 'DIY Culture', the 'Maker' subculture refers to the ideology of cutting out the middleman and creating your own product or idea which can then be shared or improved upon. The ideology of the Maker Movement is to discover through the sharing of ideas and many enthusiasts use the internet to find like-minded people to commune with.
Image Source: http://selkirklibrary.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/its-the-new-library-thing-the-makerspace-movement/
Maker culture utilizes the developing technological advances to further knowledge rather than allowing the technology to replace it. Extremely popular websites such as Etsy, which showcases handmade goods and makes huge revenues, are essentially maker communities that demonstrate the growing power of the trend.

Making Space for Makers in Education

Today, learning institutions are beginning to embrace the Maker culture and are providing children with 'Makerspaces' that deliver a platform for making things and learning through hands-on design. The makeshift areas are often just unused storage spaces, classrooms or libraries with resources such as- electronics, metalwork, woodwork, robotics and arts and crafts that children can use.

The idea of these Makerspaces is to allow the student to discover, invent and understand through 'making'. To engage students and teach them the practical skills that are important in today's technological age. The program does not intend to replace the traditional educational format, rather it is supposed that they can coexist.

A school in Virginia, US has hit the headlines with their Makerspace Program and the schools innovative philosophy has other institutions re-thinking their learning environments. The school has transformed their library into a Maker Space area with 3D printers and computer repair and programming zones which students can attend, run and share ideas within.

Several schools, colleges and universities are considering implementing such areas in their establishments but it doesn't have to be big budget. Makerspaces can be as simple as a room with building blocks and paint as long as the viewpoint of the teachers is to champion creativity and innovation through making. However, for more advanced tools schools can apply for sponsorships or grants through sites such as 'Botball' or they can fund the project materials online through DonorsChoose.org.

Resources to Learn More

Here is a selection of web resources that are great sites for learning more about what's going on with the Makerspace movement in our schools:

The current educational system is often criticized for being stale and outdated so it is important that projects such as the Makerspace Movement are recognized. The world is changing rapidly and it is essential that our teaching techniques follow suit to maintain their relevance.

The Makerspace Movement is here to stay and should be welcomed and encouraged!

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Education Technology Thought Leader Interview - Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D.
20 Fun Free Tools for Interactive Classroom Collaboration
Student Created Content is an Exciting and Inspiring Learning Tool that Teaches Many Skills

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Getting to Know the Makerspace Movement in Education

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I've been increasingly interested in learning more about the Makerspace Movement as a teaching and learning tool. Technology can certainly play a part in being a "Maker" as a student in a classroom, but it doesn't necessarily have to.

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A Practical Guide to Teaching Children Basic Math Concepts Using LEGO Bricks

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A Practical Guide to Teaching Children Basic Math Concepts Using LEGO Bricks

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Scholastic has created a guide to teaching children basic math concepts with LEGO bricks. The guide includes descriptions and example photographs demonstrating how the bricks can be used to show concepts like fractions, square numbers, and averages, and it also features sample worksheets teachers can use in class.

The guide points out the benefits of using a tool that children are likely already familiar with to teach them new concepts, but also encourages teachers who may not have grown up with LEGO to spend some time playing with them to generate some ideas of their own.

photos via Scholastic

via Design You Trust

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A Practical Guide to Teaching Children Basic Math Concepts Using LEGO Bricks

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Scholastic has created a guide to teaching children basic math concepts with LEGO bricks. The guide includes descriptions and example photographs demonstrating how the bricks can be used to show concepts like fractions, square numbers, and averages, and it also features sample worksheets teachers can use in class.

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Don’t Have Your Head “Up in the Clouds” with Metadata

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Don’t Have Your Head “Up in the Clouds” with Metadata

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While project-based learning has existed for decades, design thinking has recently entered the education lexicon, even though its history can be traced back to Herbert A. Simon's 1969 book The Sciences of the Artificial. So why the resurgence of these ideas?

Lately, I have heard teachers and school leaders express a common frustration: "We are _______ years into a _______ initiative, and nothing seems to have changed." Despite redesigning learning spaces, adding technology, or even flipping instruction, they still struggle to innovate or positively change the classroom experience. Imagine innovation as a three-legged stool. Many schools have changed the environment leg, but not the other two legs: the behaviors and beliefs of the teachers, administrators, and students.

Consider this conundrum: much of what we know about teaching comes from 16+ years of observation as students. In no other profession do you spend that much time watching the previous generation before being told to change everything once you take control. Without the framework or scaffolding for that change, it's truly unreasonable to tell educators, "OK, start innovating."

If we look at the science of improvement, systematic change occurs between the contexts of justification (what we know) and discovery (the process of innovation). What if we view PBL and design thinking as possible bridges between those two contexts? What if these frameworks could serve as the justification for discovering new classroom practice?

PBL and 21st-Century Skills

Encouraging students to engage in inquiry, explore real-world contexts, and share their learning lies at the heart of PBL. As an instructional framework, it allows teachers to achieve these goals while still meeting curriculum requirements.

Last spring, Billy Corcoran designed a PBL experience for his fourth-grade class in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. In addition to meeting a multitude of standards, he created an opportunity for his students to make personal connections within their community.

The technology and content requirements for this project had previously existed. The innovation occurred in the shift in behavior and beliefs. He used PBL to:

Guide his students' problem solving

Support their collaboration and critical thinking

Provide voice and choice in how they demonstrated their learning

Empower them to realize that their contributions to the community make a tangible difference

A project like Billy's can seem daunting. However, viewing PBL as a process rather than a product means that teachers can fit it within existing curricular objectives, as exemplified by Jodie Deinhammer. Though her science students ultimately work toward larger projects (this year, they will collaborate on a multi-touch book for the Dallas Zoo as well as contribute to an iTunes U course called Life Science), individual classes still address specific skills such as vocabulary acquisition or research. In Jodie's classrooms, students drive their own learning, make real-world connections, and learn that they have a voice to share well beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom.

Combining Design Thinking and PBL

Creating true PBL experiences is hard! Moving from projects to PBL can feel overwhelming. Design thinking provides another potential form of teacher scaffolding to help craft these experiences.

According to the Stanford d-School process guide, design thinking begins with empathy:

What do your students consider important?

Which topics spark their curiosity?

How might they want to engage with this specific content?

How might they choose to demonstrate their learning?

Jodie approaches each new year with objectives and goals, but no plans. During the first five days of school, she seeks out her students' curiosities and passions so that she can leverage their interests to drive curriculum throughout the year.

In the next phase of design thinking, you define a problem. In school terms, this could be a curricular unit, a set of skills, or a broader community challenge. Recently, I used design thinking to prepare a professional development workshop. As I read through participants' online discussion posts, I realized the problem: they had never been students with technology. They didn't know what it felt like to learn in a non-traditional classroom, and so they struggled to create one for their own students. I had now defined the problem that this workshop needed to address.

With the problem articulated, start generating ideas. During the ideate phase, the goal is breadth because the answer may not be readily apparent. Many of these ideas then turn into prototypes, simplified versions of potential solutions. As teachers, consider the power of prototyping learning objectives or lesson plans with colleagues. This gives you the freedom to experiment without concerns about failing with students. When ready, produce the final lesson, unit, activity, or even a complete PBL experience.

Christine Boyer, a fifth-grade teacher at Heathcote School in New York, used design thinking to transform her rocketry unit:

Before design thinking, I really told the kids what they were going to build, and it was a very "cookie cutter" type project. Design thinking changed not only this project, but my approach to teaching.

Christine worked through the design thinking process to better connect with students, define the problems in her curriculum, test potential solutions with colleagues, and then produce new curriculum plans. Ultimately, she shifted her practice from disseminating procedures to fostering a culture of innovation.

Tony Wagner, author of Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World, writes that today's students exist in an "innovation economy." They need to become not only problem solvers, but also problem seekers -- those who can look for solutions in contexts where one never previously existed. As educators, we face a daunting task to bridge our requirements for today with our students' requirements for tomorrow. PBL and design thinking may provide two avenues to scaffold our own thinking and instruction as we move toward innovating our classrooms and schools.

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While project-based learning has existed for decades, design thinking has recently entered the education lexicon, even though its history can be traced back to Herbert A. Simon's 1969 book The Sciences of the Artificial. So why the resurgence of these ideas?

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10 Digital Citizenship Resources | K-12 Blueprint

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10 Digital Citizenship Resources | K-12 Blueprint

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In the last two posts I have been providing ideas and reflection regarding the use of the internet in the classroom. You can explore these posts in the links that follow this paragraph. With the opening of classroom walls allowing for virtual journeys on the worldwide web comes the need to provide classroom educators and students with resources regarding proper learning and citizenship on the internet. I believe this is essential to the success of any e-learning, blended learning, and on-line learning program. It is important that educators teach and model proper digital citizenship. It is equally important that the school curriculum has digital citizenship standards embedded in the curriculum. Many of the free resources listed below provide some wonderful possibilities for educators committed to the amazing learning opportunities the internet provides. Please note that the first four areas to explore come from Common Sense Media, an amazing education resource sites! Enjoy exploring and sharing all of the resources, and come back for the next post providing even more! Also, feel free to explore the past two posts of this series in the immediate links below.
Ten Digital Citizenship Resources
1. Common Sense Media Student Video Library
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/video/educators
The Common Sense Media Student Video Library has more than 20 videos that are each 2-4 minutes long. Use them in conjunction with their corresponding lesson plans, or use them to jump start a conversation with your students

2. Digital Citizenship Classroom Posters
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/posters
Download these from Common Sense Media colorful POSTERS to remind your students about digital citizenship and device care and maintenance. These posters could be the perfect addition to any classroom.

3. Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence
Use Common Sense Media's Scope & Sequence tool to find the lessons that are just right for your classroom. These cross-curricular units spiral to address digital literacy and citizenship topics in an age-appropriate way. Browse by grade band or click a category to highlight the lessons that address that topic. You can download a PDF of the Scope and Sequence ( english) (en español).

4. Free Cyber-bullying Tool Kits For all levels of teachers
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/cyberbullying-toolkit
Click link for what you might need: Elementary...Middle School...High School
Every day, you see how Cyber-bullying hurts students, disrupts classrooms, and impacts your school's culture. So how should you handle it? What are the right things to do and say? What can you do today that will help your students avoid this pitfall of our digital world? Common Sense Media has created these free toolkits to help you take on those questions and take an effective stand against Cyber-bullying. So start here. Use it now. Rely on it to start your year off right.

5. PBS Webonauts Academy
http://pbskids.org/webonauts/about/
Webonauts Internet Academy is a web original game for PBS KIDS GO! that gives kids 8- to 10-year-old an opportunity to have some fun while exploring what it means to be a citizen in a web-infused‚ information-rich world. It is an engaging experience on its own but becomes all the more powerful when parents and teachers use game play as a springboard for conversations about media literacy and citizenship in the 21st Century.

6. Netsmartz Teens
http://www.nsteens.org/
NSTeens.org was created through a partnership between Sprint® and the Internet safety experts at NetSmartz® Workshop, a program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®. Through animated videos, short films, games, and interactive comics, NSTeens teaches tweens and teens about making safer choices online. Teaching materials are available for intermediate, middle school, and high school educators so they can bring these engaging lessons right into the classroom. All resources on NSTeens.org are available free of charge. Check out the how to use page.... http://www.nsteens.org/Educators

7. Netzsmartz Workshop
http://www.netsmartz.org
Check out the workshop page where you will find material for different groups. NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational program that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, and educators. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates.

8. Ikeepsafe
https://ikeepsafe.org/resources/] Here you will find a goldmine of wonderful resources with some great suggestions for working with kids of all ages, including:

Fauxpaw for Early Elementary - http://archive.ikeepsafe.org/parents/fauxpaw/ - This is an engaging program that any young student will enjoy and learn from.

Privacy and Reputation Online lesson plans http://goo.gl/DoZmmg
9. Digital Education Revolution http://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/index.htm
This Australian Website asks the question, Do you use the internet to share information about yourself or others, communicate with friends, comment on what you see online, play games, get material for an assignment or buy stuff online? If you answered YES to any of these, you are a digital citizen. Why is digital citizenship important? Do you want to get the best out of using the internet and keep yourself and others safe and healthy in an online world? Use these materials to learn what it takes to become a positive digital citizen
Michael Gorman has overseen a one-to-one laptop program and digital professional development for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has also served as a consultant for Discovery Education, ISTE, My Big Campus, and November Learning; served on the National Faculty for BIE (BUCK Institute); and been an adviser for Tech & Learning magazine. His awards have included district Teacher of the Year, Indiana state Teacher of the Year semi-finalist, Indiana STEM Educator of the Year, Advocate for Johns Hopkins University, and Microsoft's Global Education Hero award. Mike maintains his award winning 21centuryedtech Blog and also posts articles at T&L and November Learning.
10. Media Education Lab
http://mediaeducationlab.com/curriculum/materials
The Media Education Lab from the University of Rhode Island is one of the leading providers of multimedia curriculum resources for K-12 media literacy education. Take advantage of our extensive collection of free resources. You will be amazed at tall of the digital and media education possibilities.

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10 Digital Citizenship Resources - Web in the Classroom Part 3

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In the last two posts I have been providing ideas and reflection regarding the use of the internet in the classroom. You can explore these posts in the links that follow this paragraph. With the opening of classroom walls allowing for virtual journeys on the worldwide web comes the need to provide classroom educators and students with resources regarding proper learning and citizenship on the internet.

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Your help could further MMSA's vision of a brighter STEM future for the State of Maine and the nation. Today, I ask you to support MMSA and become a part of the movement to support exciting new ways for our youth to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math.

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Create a Program or Opportunity Sign up for Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance Provider Portal Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance now allows qualified users to create an organization's profile and get discovered instantly by families and partners seeking offerings like yours. Create a Program or Opportunity

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‘Makerspaces’ for science instruction also proving helpful for English learners | EdSource

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‘Makerspaces’ for science instruction also proving helpful for English learners | EdSource

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Credit: PAT MAIO / EDSOURCE TODAY

Educators are finding that the new "makerspace" movement - a strategy to teach K-12 students science, math and technology through hands-on activities - is providing the added benefit of helping English learners become more proficient in the language.

In makerspaces, students gather a few times a week in a separate classroom, library or museum for a group project using such technologies and materials as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, textiles, wood and wires to construct robots and other electronic gadgets. The teaching technique has been around since the early 2000s, and educators have applauded the idea for helping teach science, especially at a time when California and other states are phasing in the Next Generation Science Standards, which emphasize practical application of science over rote learning.

But now experts are also seeing makerspaces as a valuable tool for helping improve English, as children talk through their work in teams and keep journals to record their progress.

"This is our first full year of having a makerspace here. It's an effective use of time," said Ken Garcia, principal at Wilson Elementary School in Sanger, an agricultural town southeast of Fresno and one of the newer places where the maker movement has expanded.

Dale Dougherty, an author and publisher who launched Make Magazine in 2005and organized the first Maker Faire in 2006 in San Mateo, said makerspaces effectively build confidence with English learners so that they can become more successful academically overall.

"Generally, 'making' can engage English learner kids who don't do well, or fit well in the traditional academic setting, and are just behind," Dougherty observed. "A makerspace gives them the confidence to do things. My involvement in 'making' and education isn't to say we'll get more kids in Ivy League schools. But rather kids are bored, disengaged and defeated by a school system, and we can make good learners out of them."

He said that although English learners have no problem communicating with each other, they do have problems communicating with the teacher in a traditional classroom. "It's hard to demonstrate proficiency when they think of themselves as poor learners and the system designates them as such," Dougherty said.

At Wilson, about 49 percent of its 452 students in the 2015-16 school year were classified as English learners, and 95 percent as Latino, according to the latest available demographic information from DataQuest and the school. Many of the students are children of migrant farmworkers whose parents sometimes are forced to pull them out of school when employment opportunities arise elsewhere across California's Central Valley.

The school's 4th- and 5th-graders meet three mornings a week in an otherwise unused classroom as part of their regular science coursework. They use hammers, pliers and other tools to build projects, using such things as Styrofoam, wire, paper and screws.

In addition to learning science, Garcia said the makerspace has given English learners "a new way of engaging in English" as teachers encourage them to use complete sentences in talking through their collaborations and recording their observations in their journals.

"This is our first full year of having a makerspace here. It's an effective use of time," said Ken Garcia, Wilson Elementary's principal.

"I learned English by being in it, not just reading a worksheet or book," said 24-year-old Elizabeth Garcia, a teaching assistant at Wilson who is studying to become a biochemist at nearby Reedley College. "Here the students have an opportunity to learn English and not feel pressured in the classroom. A makerspace environment forces kids to interact."

Last week, a 4th grade class at Wilson completed work building a small animal robot - or "bot" - made of wood, wires, batteries and gears that had painted paper masks resembling coyotes, lions, pigs, rabbits and turtles. A bot is a rudimentary device that runs automated tasks powered by a battery. The devices made by students here shake, walk small distances and have blinking lights to simulate eyes.

"I love it," said Tania Braxton, a 4th grade teacher. "It's a lot different than teaching from a textbook. It allows students to explore and helps them to explain things through speaking and listening."

English learners agreed.

"I get to voice my opinion a lot more than before," 4th-grader Maelena Perez said in English.

"It's a lot of fun," said classmate Ariel Porras.

Journals are a key part of instruction. In one exercise, as students recorded their work, they were encouraged to refer to a word list posted on a classroom wall to ensure spelling accuracy.

"Expressing their ideas in notebooks is important. It's not just about tinkering," said Jerry Valadez, president of Community Science Workshop Network, which runs the Wilson makerspace and others in Fresno, Watsonville, Greenfield and Salinas. Of the English learner students, he added, "The makerspaces help these underserved kids believe that they can be scientists or an engineer. It allows them to walk with a little more confidence."

Valadez also is working with Fresno State University to set up a teacher-training program next summer for teachers to learn how to establish a makerspace at their schools. Valadez said he intends to hold the training at his science, art and music academy, SAM Academy for short, located a few blocks from Wilson Elementary.

He said that makerspaces are an effective way to reach out to English learners. "It's a way for them to verbalize the language instead of trying to learn English out of a textbook," said Valadez, who notes that the majority of his SAM Academy students are Latinos looking for ways to improve their language skills after school.

The makerspace movement has caught the attention of other higher education institutions, in part because of its benefits for English learners.

At Sonoma State University, one of the California State University system's 23 campuses, educators have begun developing the country's first " maker certificate" online program to help teachers in California form makerspace learning centers in their local schools. The university has been offering a 50-hour certificate program for the past two years, but now wants to expand it statewide by turning it into an online course.

Sonoma State is also in preliminary talks with three other CSU schools - Bakersfield, Monterey Bay and San Diego - to create partnerships for the program, according to Carlos Ayala, Sonoma State's dean of education. His school offers its maker certificate program in partnership with the local Sonoma County Office of Education, an arrangement that Ayala said he wants other CSU campuses to replicate.

"My long-term goal is to get this in teacher preparation programs in the CSU system across the state," Ayala said.

"Any time students come together and share knowledge, that creates an opportunity for learning English," he added. "That is a place where you will start seeing potential research come out in the future. It's pretty powerful."

Jessica Parker, a community manager with the Oakland-based Maker Education Initiative, which helps school districts form makerspaces, agreed.

"We are seeing 'maker' educators show up in droves to meet up with others," said Parker, who pointed to a doubling in one year of educators attending an annual maker educator convening conference in May.

She said makerspaces are a critical component in working with English learners. "I'm seeing them being established throughout the central and southern parts of California with that idea in mind," she said.

Last fall, San Diego State University began offering the first-ever master's level, three-unit course for creating makerspaces, according to Donna Ross, an education professor with the university's Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education.

"For English learners, a makerspace starts them with the hands-on piece and adds language as they need it. It's a more natural way to learn the language," she said. "You can memorize a lot of vocabulary (in a regular classroom), but if you need to explain what you're doing, you'll learn English better."

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'Makerspaces' for science instruction also proving helpful for English learners

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Credit: PAT MAIO / EDSOURCE TODAY Educators are finding that the new "makerspace" movement - a strategy to teach K-12 students science, math and technology through hands-on activities - is providing the added benefit of helping English learners become more proficient in the language.

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Free Online Engineering Resources | STEMfinity

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Free Online Engineering Resources | STEMfinity

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Free Online Engineering Resources | STEMfinity

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Paper Circuits Greeting Cards - Activity - www.teachengineering.org

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Paper Circuits Greeting Cards - Activity - www.teachengineering.org

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Light up your love with paper circuits this Valentine's Day-no soldering required! Create a sure-to-impress flashing birthday card or design a light-up Christmas card-all with paper circuits! In this activity, students are guided through the process to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED) and small electronic components such as a LilyPad Button Board. Making light-up greeting cards with paper circuitry is great way to teach the basics of how circuits function while giving students an outlet to express their artistic creativity.

Pre-Req Knowledge

Some familiarity with electronic circuits and a working knowledge of the function of LEDs, batteries and wires. If new to working with electronics, see the Additional Multimedia Support Section for suggested online resources.

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

Design a product (a light-up pop-up greeting card) from a template, utilizing symbols and a model.

Troubleshoot and iterate through different designs.

Explain how a paper circuit works, including which electrical components accomplish which task.

Educational Standards
Suggest an alignment not listed above

Materials List

Each student/card needs:

adhesive-backed copper tape, 5-mm width, ~18-inches per card; such as from a spool of 50 feet for $3 from SparkFun at https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10561

1 (or more) LED; use the smallest size you can find so it does not add much bulk to the folded greeting card, such as 3-mm size for 35¢ each; for extra flair, consider using 3-mm, color-changing cycling RGB LEDs for 50¢ each; alternatively, cut apart individual LEDs from a set of LET string lights and then use a hobby knife to scrape the coating off the wires before using OR experiment with different LEDs to find what works best for the project objectives

coin cell battery, 12-mm size, such as SparkFun's CR1225 for $2

LilyPad Button Board for $1.50 OR LilyPad Slide Switch for $2.50

2 sheets of cardstock, 8.5 x 11-inch, may be different colors, on which the teacher prints a template

I <3 U Template, Pixel Heart Template or Frame Template, one template per student/card; printed out on cardstock (2 pages per template)

(optional) vellum or parchment paper, to create a diffused effect for LEDs, such as in the center of the heart in the I <3 U design

scissors or hobby knife (can share among a few students)

needle nose pliers, to bend wire (can share among a few students)

To share with the entire class:

clear tape

glue stick or glue

decorating supplies such as stickers, markers, paper and paints, to embellish card designs

Making Light-Up Pop-Up Greeting Cards Presentation, a PowerPoint® file, to project to the class, make selected handouts or use as a teacher preparation resource

Introduction/Motivation

Have you ever wanted to give someone a Valentine's card or a greeting card of some kind, and wanted to really impress them? Are you feel limited or bored with making the same old drawings with pencil, pen or marker? Did you know it is possible to create greeting cards that light up? Well today is your chance to make the best Valentine's Day (or birthday, Arbor Day, holiday, etc.) card ever!

In this activity, you will get to design, customize and create your own light-up card that is powered with a mini battery, an LED (or multiple LEDs), and a circuit made of copper tape. Your design is totally up to you, but templates are available if you want some ideas. (Adjust the previous sentence depending on the teacher's planned use of the provided three templates.)

A very important aspect of engineering is creativity. Engineers often need to think creatively in order to dream up the amazing new technologies that have never existed before. It is not possible until you dream it, so today is your chance to think like an engineer and create something special and all your own!

Vocabulary/Definitions

A roughly circular line, route or movement that starts and finishes at the same place.

electricity: The transfer of energy resulting from the flow of charged particles (such as electrons).

A subatomic particle found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids.

paper circuit: A low-voltage electronic circuit created on paper using conductive copper tape, LEDs and a power source such as a small battery.

Procedure
Before the Activity

Gather materials.

Print the greeting card templates on cardstock: I <3 U Template, Pixel Heart Template and Frame Template, one template per student/card. You may want to pick just one template that every student makes, or print an assortment of the provided three templates, or make the activity more free-form and not use the provided templates. Tips: Printing the templates might require that you adjust your printer's margins or choose the "Fit to Page" print setting. The card template is slightly smaller than standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper, so make sure to cut along the outer black border (or have students do this) for the final cards.

Set up a computer and projector to show the class the 13-slide Making Light-Up Pop-Up Greeting Cards Presentation, a PowerPoint® file. Alternatively, as makes sense for your class, just show/make handouts of certain slides for students or use the slides as a teacher preparation resource.

With the Students

1. Begin with the pre-activity assessment about basic circuitry. Present the Introduction/Motivation content to the class. Then hand out the supplies and begin the presentation.

2. Create copper traces: Begin the project by using copper tape to create a path for electricity. Notice that the card templates have icons to help in constructing the circuit; notice the symbols for cut, fold, copper tape, cut tape, LED, button and battery (see slide 5).

1. Line A: Look at the template and find a circle marked A. Peel away a few inches of the paper backing from the copper tape and stick it down along the gray line. Cut the tape when you reach the scissors icon.

2. Line B: Place copper tape along Line B, which includes a corner. To keep a solid connection of copper around corners, use a folding technique to press the tape into the shape (see Figure 1 and slide 6).

Start by sticking the copper tape down along Line B until you reach the corner.

After the copper tape reaches the corner, start to fold the tape backward on itself. Use a fingernail or pen to give it a good crease along the fold.

Fold the tape back to approximately the width of the gray line and then carefully move the tape at a right angle from the copper tape already taped down. Notice that a second fold forms out of the corner point. Press the second fold down and then tape it flat against the paper. Note that the neatness of the fold does not matter too much since it will be covered by the pop-up in the end.

When you reach the scissors icon, cut the tape.

Line C: This stretch of copper tape also forms a battery holder (see Figure 2 and slide 8).

Start by folding one-half inch of copper tape onto itself, sticking the adhesive sides together to form a flap. Doing this enables the top of the copper to fold down over the coin cell battery. Since the battery's positive side is the top and its negative side is the bottom, doing this creates a "battery sandwich" with copper tape touching each side.

We will not install the battery until the end of the project, so leave the flap be and lay the copper tape down along Line C, making a similar fold at the corner as previously done for Line B.

When you reach the scissors icon, cut the tape.

1. Fold the card in half along the dotted center line before moving onto the next step. Tip: It is easier to make a crisp and neat fold now, before the circuit components are added to the paper.

2. Prepare and place the LED(s): Now that the copper is in place, it is time to add the light. Each template has an LED symbol that shows a shaped wire. Using this method helps us remember which LED side is positive or negative. Share with the class the following excerpt from the light-emitting diodes tutorial about LED polarity:

In electronics, polarity indicates whether a circuit component is symmetrical or not. LEDs, being diodes, only permit current to flow in one direction. And no current flow means no light. Luckily, this also means that you cannot break an LED by plugging it in backwards. Rather, it just won't work. The positive side of an LED is called the "anode" and is marked by having a longer "lead," or leg. The other, negative side of the LED is called the "cathode." Current flows from the anode to the cathode and never in the opposite direction. A reversed LED can keep an entire circuit from operating correctly by blocking current flow. So if adding an LED seems to break your circuit, try flipping it around.

Bend a standard LED to prepare it for the circuit (see Figure 3 and slide 9):

Using pliers (or your finger), bend flat the longer leg of the LED. Then shape the wire into a zigzag shape. Be careful not to break the wire by bending back and forth over the same bend too many times.

Next, bend the other leg flat and curl it into a spiral by using the tip of a pliers to lightly grab the end of the wire and curl it around the tool.

Once all wire shaping is complete, place the LED on a table or flat surface to make sure it lays flat and with the bulb upright. If not, make any adjustments now.

Line up the positive (longer) LED lead with the copper tape marked + (plus) and the negative with - (minus). Use clear tape over the wire to hold it down to the copper.

1. Attach a button/switch: Next, place the LilyPad button on the oval icon on the template, facing up (see slide 10). It does not matter which side touches positive and negative. Make sure the conductive pads on the bottom of the button touch the copper tape, then tape down the ends with clear tape. Be careful not to tape directly over the push part of the button or it may interfere with the ability to press it. As an alternative, use a LilyPad switch instead of a button; the installation is the same.

2. Insert a battery: Once all the components are installed, test the circuit by adding a battery (see Figure 4 and slide 8). Carefully slip the battery underneath the copper tape flap made earlier and center it inside the circle icon. Make sure the positive side of the battery (top, marked with the battery model and +) is facing up. Press the copper flap over the battery, and tape it down with clear tape.

3. Now, press the button, and the LED should light up! See the Troubleshooting Tips if it does not.

Prepare the pop-up: Now cut out the pop-up pieces and do some careful folding (see slides 11-12). As needed, click the links below for detailed guidance on assembling the pop-up cards.

I <3 U instructions: It is easiest to glue a piece of vellum or parchment paper to the back of the heart outline before folding this pop-up. Since the original project is in Korean, you may want to watch this (4:27-minute) YouTube video tutorial that shows the process.

Pixel heart instructions: This card can be tricky to pop up since it has so many small cuts. It helps to use a pencil or thin marker to pull up the folds one at a time from the bottom of the heart up to the top.

Frame instructions: The folding instructions for the window card at this Christmas Pop-Up Card tutorial are helpful. Place a piece of parchment paper or vellum behind the frame to create a base on which to attach stickers or cut outs, or to draw on with markers. This template is a blank canvas awaiting students' unique messages and scenes.

When the pop-ups are constructed and ready to light up, carefully place them over the copper tape circuit. Glue or tape the corners down to adhere to the backing (see Figure 5 as an example). Gently fold down the pop-up to close the card.

Finally, use a marker or stickers to indicate where to push the button.

Add additional decorations to make the card extra special.

Conclude by asking the post-activity reflection questions as described in the Assessment section.

Attachments

Safety Issues

Never connect the positive and negative terminals of a battery directly together as this causes a short circuit and the connecting material may become very hot.

Depending on the age of the students, have them especially use care with the hobby knives, which are very sharp.

Troubleshooting Tips

Most activity snags are solved by emphasizing the importance of a "continuous circuit." Doing this encourages students to check for loose and broken interconnections, or torn circuit elements. When in doubt, substitute a new circuit element (that is, an LED, battery, button, wire, etc.). Other tips:

Check the tape connections: Use a fingernail or pencil to make sure the tape is firmly adhering the components to the copper tape.

Check the battery: Make sure the battery is sandwiched firmly between the top and bottom copper tape lines and that the top copper does not accidentally touching the bottom of the battery.

Check the LED wires: Double check that the wires did not accidently break while bending them into shapes with the pliers.

Assessment
Pre-Activity Assessment
Prior Knowledge: In an informal discussion, quiz students about the key elements of basic circuity to see what they know about the essential circuit components and the importance of creating a continuous circuit. As necessary, refer to the diagram on slide 2 in the Making Light-Up Pop-Up Greeting Cards Presentation.
Activity Embedded Assessment
Engagement: Observe students during the activity to make sure each makes forward progress and does not get stuck at any step of the process.
Post-Activity Assessment
Reflection Questions: As a class discussion or a journal writing assignment, ask students the following questions:

What is the minimum number of parts you needed to make your finished product? Name them.

What was one problem you encountered and how did you overcome it?

What is your most favorite aspect of your design?

What makes your design unique?

What improvements or new ideas would you implement in designing another light-up greeting card?

Activity Extensions

Try these techniques with other pop-up designs or have students create their own. Ask students: Can you figure out how to adapt the copper tape path to fit your card choice? Further ideas and card variations:

Activity Scaling

For more advanced students, challenge them to add more LEDs and/or sensors and buzzers to their greeting card paper circuits.

Additional Multimedia Support

A helpful diagram for making paper circuits: https://learn.sparkfun.com/resources/65

If new to working with electronics, check out these helpful readings:

References

Activity adapted from SparkFun and Angela Sheehan's Light-Up Valentine Cards activity at https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/light-up-valentine-cards#introduction

Contributors Angela Sheehan; Devin Rourke

Copyright © 2017 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2014 SparkFun Education

Supporting Program SparkFun Education

Last modified: May 4, 2017

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Paper Circuits Greeting Cards - Activity

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Light up your love with paper circuits this Valentine's Day-no soldering required! Create a sure-to-impress flashing birthday card or design a light-up Christmas card-all with paper circuits! In this activity, students are guided through the process to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED) and small electronic components such as a LilyPad Button Board.