Chris Aviles

Make it real and make it relevant are the two core values I kept in mind when I was designing FH Leads, my 8th grade consulting firm.

I made a lot of mistakes when I first introduced gamification. Since then, I’ve learned a lot of best practices for introducing gamification (or anything new, really) to students.

This year,Rachel Cheafskyand I have worked hard to implement a version ofmy gamification systemthat meets the needs of her classroom

Our fifth and sixth grade student-run business,FH Gizmos, landed a manufacturing contract withSlack.

Designing for Slack was different. My kids have neverdesigned for a real client let alone a client across the country from them.

ThroughTeched Up Teacher, FH Gizmos, and SiLAS I’ve come to realize the power of teaching students through the lens of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has taken over my life!

If you watch my video, you are legally required tolike my Facebook pageandgive your students at least one hour of class time to pursue a passion project.

Sickles Studios is our student-run news show.

Instead of using negative reinforcement, my achievements can be used to reward students each and every time they meet a teachers expectations encouragingthe behavior to become habit.

Our goalis to get our kids thinkingnowabout real-world problems that will likely affect them when they’re older.

The tech and tools were a bottleneck for us. We had old laptops that couldn’t do things like edit videos, make games, or produce 3D renderings.

In theInnovation Lab, our fifth and sixth grade blended learning makerspace, we see students once a week for the entire school year.

The world of edtech is abuzzas many districts are starting to experiment with Google Classroom’s new Guardian Summaries feature.

"I was determined to help these students find success, but I didn’t know how I was going to accomplish that."

I wanted to jump onfor a quick post about an update to Google Apps for Education that seems to have flown under the radar thanks toall the otheramazing updates Google has rolled out this summer.

I started the year with my gamification basics:Epic Meaning,Leaderboards,Achievements, andItem Shopsystem I’ve been developingfor years. Then things changed.

We talked to teachers using Google Classroom and CS First for the first time, and also heard how first time EdTech Coaches are rolling out Google Apps in their district.

Exposing students to entrepreneurshipis more important than ever.

Our special guest wasJonathan Rochelle, Director of Product Managementfor Google Apps for Education.