I’ve used Teachers Pay Teachers throughout my career in education. It’s a fairly self-explanatory resource, but it provides a platform for educators to share the work they’ve created in the classroom, whether it’s a how-to for an instructional technology tool or a lesson planning template, with other educators for free or for a small fee. I’ve decided to start adding some free and for-pay resources of my own creation. Here’s my online store:
In my library and technology program, our K-5 students work tirelessly to think critically and solve problems. We do this through STEAM projects and the engineering process. When the students work through the engineering process, one of the steps includes searching for possible solutions to their problem. With the help of these STEAM books and resources, my students will have the opportunity to discover possible solutions through printed materials.
I’ve witnessed first-hand the excitement of my students when engaged in the engineering process.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) projects provide an excellent opportunity for cross-curricular projects where students apply all disciplines into their projects. They are willing to read as much as they can about the problem they’re trying to solve. They’ll apply mathematics to their problem by measuring and drawing items to scale. With the help of these materials, our students will continue this engagement through the engineering process.
LINK TO MY PROJECT: https://goo.gl/id5X9i
As Google has grown as a company over the last 20 years, so has many of the public’s mistrust in their data collection and sharing practices. Although as an educator, I appreciate the amount of free resources and training they offer through Google For Education. They recently released training sessions in the following areas:
1) Chromebooks — these devices are taking over the educational technology landscape by offering an inexpensive, cloud-based, simple alternative to Apple and other PC’s. In this training, users can expect to learn:
2) Digital Citizenship and Safety Course — Many adults went through an educational world without a readily available internet (at least those of us 35+) so many don’t have the necessary skills to teach online safety. This training can help educators learn:
I recently finished the Hacking PBL book from Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy. I’ve used Project Based Learning in my classroom for the last few years, but I felt as if there was more to learn about the process. Hacking PBL helped me create a planning tool and framework for each project I try with students. I really enjoyed the chapter on having students create questions. I highly recommend this book for any teacher looking to implement PBL in his/her classroom.
Hacking PBL website: http://hacklearning.org/hacking-project-based-learning-10/
Hacking PBL book: https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Project-Based-Learning-Classroom/dp/0986104981
My notes from Hacking PBL: https://goo.gl/XX3jCV
If I was to change anything, I would want to add a Google Doc where we could share out all the tricks we learned while working on TinkerCAD. I had teachers showing me tricks I didn’t know someone could do. It would be great to have one spot, like a Google Doc, where we could share all those fantastic ideas.
Jonathan Almon 