Flat for Education is a cloud-based solution to music teaching in a digital world. As such, this combines all you could need to teach music in a way that transcends the page and even any one device.

The idea here is to offer a teaching system that works for educators and students across and range of instruments and musical styles, while remaining accessible from any device.

This music theory and composition space serves to let students and teachers create, edit, share feedback, and engage on musical work all in one place.

Designed for classroom use, this makes for easy class management, music assignment generation, progress tracking, and more. This guide lays it all out so you can see how Flat could be of note in your class.

What is Flat for Education?

Flat for Education is beyond your basic notation editor as this goes way further to encompass music education support across a range of systems.

This offers notation, composition, collaboration, and assessment tools all in one place. That allows students and teachers to create, edit, and share musical scores, complete assignments, receive feedback, and engage with classmates in real time.

Beyond that, this also allows for schools and districts to manage classes, generate music assignments, track progress, and integrate with popular learning management systems such as Google Classroom, Canvas, and Microsoft Teams.

So while this is a music theory and composition workspace, it's also a lot more.

How does Flat for Education work?

Flat for Education is web-based so it can be used across devices without the need to install any software. Everything runs within the browser so it can be accessed from a laptop, tablet, or phone with ease.

Students can start working on making music using a notation editor, which supports more than 100 instruments. This offers instant playback, and tools to customize notational symbols and layouts.

Students immediately hear what they write, to deepen their understanding of pitch, rhythm, harmony, and musical structure.

Teachers can set assignments, with auto-grading worksheets and collaborative shared writing project options. After students have worked on an assignment, or co-edited in real-time, it can be easily shared and assessed easily thanks to LMS integration options.

What are the best Flat for Education features?

Flat for Education works across a wide range of users, from beginners to more advanced musicians, from writing melodies to creating full scores. Notes, rests, articulations, and dynamics are all easy to place and edit.

The ability to collaborate is a big part of the appeal here. Student groups can co-compose in real time, with teachers observing live edits and offering feedback. This can help to foster teamwork and mimic real-world creative workflows.

Integration with LMS options allow teachers to sync student rosters and share assignments directly within Google Classroom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and more.

Tasks are varied with options that include composition tasks and performance assignments with video and audio uploads, plus auto-graded theory worksheets that are ideal for assessing fundamentals.

Real-time feedback is helpful as teachers can comment on scores and rate submissions, and provide formative feedback live.

How much does Flat for Education cost?

Flat for Education offers a 30-day free trial, after which a paid plan is required.

Quotes are generally on a per institution basis so the price per user per year will vary depending on the needs. But there is a minimum of 50 users required for one of these plans.

Flat for Education best tips and tricks

Embed music theory
Use auto-graded worksheets to reinforce fundamentals such as intervals, key signatures, and rhythms. These can quickly check comprehension and free up class time for deeper discussion.

Use shared writing
Assign students into small groups to co-compose original pieces. Shared writing turns composition into an interactive teamwork experience.

Blend performance and notation
Have students not only compose but also perform their pieces by uploading audio or video recordings of themselves playing the scores.

The Xploris is a versatile, all-in-one educational platform designed for K-5 students, offering an engaging way to integrate science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) into the classroom.

This compact and portable device combines hands-on learning with advanced features such as built-in sensors for data collection, compatibility with coding languages such as Blockly and Python, and an intuitive interface that supports cross-curricular activities, which is at the heart of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Xploris: Getting Started

I found getting started with the Xploris very straightforward. The device's user-friendly, colorful interface and feature set really showed me how it can easily integrate into STEAM curriculums.

The Xploris platform is really a hands-on, cross-curricular learning platform that includes a one year subscription to the MyStemKits website as well as a two-hour online training course ($200 value). Both are accessible via a user code included with the device.

The website contains 31 standards-aligned lesson plans to utilize the devices onboard sensors for ambient temperature/external temperature, distance, light, sound level, and voltage. With these I am able to run science experiments, log and analyze data, create custom animations and music, as well as program it to provide output based on sensor readings.

The software and resources provided me with plenty of ideas and support for designing engaging lesson plans.

Xploris: Best Features

• Portability: This is a compact device that is easily recharged. The fun 16 x 16 pixel LED dot matrix display is clear and bright, allowing it to be easily used both indoors and out.
• Interdisciplinary Learning: Xploris seamlessly integrates science, data collection, coding, art, and control, allowing students to explore complex STEAM concepts in a cohesive manner.
• Sensor Suite: The Xploris’s five built-in sensors (light, temperature, sound, distance, and voltage) allow students to conduct a variety of experiments and collect real-time data.
• Coding: Xploris’s compatibility with Blockly and Python coding languages gives students the ability to to code animations and music.
• Software Platform: The Xplorilab can be used independent of software but the Xplorilab software is a very powerful and user-friendly solution that looks great on a computer screen as well as an interactive whiteboard.

Xploris: Key Specifications

• Auto-calibrated
• USB 2.0 and BLE 4.2 connectivity
• 150-hour battery life (with screen off), 8 hours (screen on)
• Servo outputs allow controlling small servos
• Image-based readings to enhance understanding
• Remote data collection.
• 100 samples/second max speed.
• 100,000 samples memory size
• 30 animations or 1,800 still image memory size
• 16 x 16 pixel LED dot matrix display
• Rechargeable LiPO 3.7V battery
• Windows 11, Android, iOS compatibility

Xploris: Pricing

The Xploris STEAM are generally sold in bundles and have educational pricing. Education pricing is around $2,900 for a bundle. Refer to the Xploris for reseller information and pricing details.

Xploris: Key Takeaways

The Xploris is a comprehensive solution offering integration between STEAM subjects, making it a valuable tool for educators looking to provide a cross-curricular learning experience. The Xploris device is very user-friendly, allowing educators and students to focus on teaching and learning rather than learning how to use the technology.

The Xploris is also cost effective since it combines multiple tools into one device, which could help schools reduce overall costs of a STEAM program’s equipment.

The device can stand-alone by itself, but the additional software and lesson platforms give educators the flexibility to create lessons that encourage creativity and engagement through interactive hands-on projects.

Ultimately, this is a solution with the features that will definitely improve students' interest and learning in STEAM related subjects.

• Educator Edtech Reviews

Since the pandemic, many schools have been struggling to implement ways to audit their STEAM-related tech. Whether their laptops are broken, their microscopes are missing, or they have equipment in boxes in a closet somewhere, many STEAM tools of the trade go unchecked. This can lead to unnecessary funds being used on tech that may already exist in a school or at another school in your district.

Here we speak with Kerri Wall, Senior Digital Innovation Administrator for the School District of Indian River County in Florida, about her innovative STEAM Checkout system, how it helps keep tech organized, how it helps save money, and how you can do something similar.

STEAM Checkout: How it Works

Keeping track of the sheer amount of STEAM tech in your school can be a daunting task, even for a dedicated inventory specialist. Even if you believe you know everything about what your building is housing, you might be surprised at what you find (or don’t find). Having a system in place makes for easier inventory and accurate record keeping, and that is the essence of Wall’s STEAM Checkout program

“I took over this position in visual integration and we were looking for LEGO spike robots for a class,” says Wall. “A teacher had requested them. We knew we had them in the district and they were somewhere. So we started looking for them. We still had classroom carts, and so we were going through the classrooms looking for computers that might have been stowed away. There was just an enormous amount of materials that were in closets. It was truly shocking.”

And thus, STEAM Checkout was born.

“What we did was we said, ‘We want to gather all of the resources that are in the district and put them in a centralized location and manage them,’” Wall says. “I had to do a lot of promising to schools that [if it’s your equipment, you’ll get first dibs]. We’ll make sure we get everything back, and then we will expand what you have access to. And I had several schools that I had a really good relationship with, so they were really all about that collaboration.”

Being able to pool resources district wide and have a multitude of devices at district disposal enriches the experience of each school involved, simplifies the organization process, and helps to reduce overall spending.

Another aspect of the STEAM Checkout system is the inclusion of professional development to ensure that educators are well-versed in how all available technology works. One aspect of school technology not being used, as Wall points out, is that teachers shy away from what is unfamiliar.

“We purchased our K-5 laptops, lab discs…and teachers weren’t using them,” says Wall. “They didn’t know what they were. So with creating the central checkout, we also had to provide PD. We’re really lucky that our district does a district-wide PD day as our kickoff to teacher planning. At that PD session we did an entire half-day session on all the equipment that was available on STEAM Checkout. They called it ‘tech tapas’. You spent 20 minutes and you put your hands [on a piece of technology], you did a little activity, and then we handed them a lesson plan.”

With this process in place, no one person holds all the information about the technology available in a classroom, school, or the district. All teachers involved in the PD session are able to use all of the tech available through the STEAM Checkout system.

How Can You Create Your Own STEAM Checkout?

Putting together a program such as STEAM Checkout is no small feat, but the payoff is clear when an entire district can share its resources. As Wall explains, getting everyone on the same page–or spreadsheet–is a good place to start.

“So the first step is we created a shared file,” says Wall. “We had a STEAM coordinator, and what they wanted to do is they wanted to know what the schools had. So they created a shared file. Here’s a tab for every school you have. Tell us what you have.”

What happens if a school misreports their inventory?

“You have to be boots on the ground,” explains Wall. “You have to be hands on the doors. Open the doors and look through the closet and take pictures and write it down. It’s laborious, but it has paid off so much for us…we did it. It was 22 days because we had 22 sites, and we just went all hands on deck. We went room to room, closet to closet. We documented, we wrote, we took pictures, and then we compiled a full list. That was such a financial savings because the district was buying supplies that the schools had. That was year one.”

After you compile the list, what next?

“Year Two was ‘Who will share,’’’ says Wall. “Let’s at least get some things that we can share [among the district]. Then Year Three was the true STEAM Checkout and organization. But you do have to have someone who centrally manages the equipment and the sharing of the equipment. I’m blessed that we have the space, that we have a location where we can house everything and can move it around the district. We have a delivery guy whose whole job is to pick up broken computers and return repaired computers. We just added STEAM Checkout to his route.”

Inventory, organization, and logistics are essential to getting a system such as this off the ground. And as Wall mentions, don’t be dismayed if it takes a while to get started.

“If somebody truly wants to do this, it’s at least a three-year process,” says Wall. “Year One is inventory. Year Two is the baby steps of getting buy in and participation. Year Three would be actually taking ownership of the supplies and figuring out how to organize them, house them, move them, and load them out.”

If you’re intent on changing how your district uses and shares its tech, a STEAM Checkout system can go a long way in achieving that goal.

• Best STEM Apps For Education
• Best Practices for Implementing STEM Resources

In two years the United States of America will celebrate its 250th birthday. This momentous event will also celebrate the American spirit, marking our penchant for innovation and advancement.

Recently, I had the privilege of accompanying some amazing students for some awe-inspiring science experiments thanks to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) and their partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Bring Me Your Scientific, Your Innovative

The day began with a trip to the Statue of Liberty. As many may know, the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. by way of France to commemorate the creation of our government. What some may not realize is that the island that Lady Liberty occupies is, itself, a park.

The event, dubbed the American Innovation Learning Lunchbox STEAM Kit Distribution, saw students from the Special Music School in Manhattan, New York, travel by ferry to Liberty Island to take part in a private tour of the statue and island, an interactive demonstration of the kits they would receive, and special-made American Innovation Learning Lunchboxes.

Once there, we made our way up the lengthy, narrow stairs of the Statue of Liberty, learning interesting facts about its construction, maintenance, and importance. Afterward, we convened behind the statue to watch as Dr. Frederic Bertley, COSI President and CEO, and Stephen White, VP of External Affairs, Strategic Initiatives, and Business Development, conducted three amazing science experiments, something which has never been done before on Liberty Island.

For the second part of our day, I accompanied COSI to the Locke School of Arts and Engineering, where the students gathered in the yard to watch Bertley and White conduct science experiments to the delight of the young faces.

The best part was that each student, both from Special Music School and Locke School of Arts and Engineering, received an American Innovation Learning Lunchbox so they could conduct their own experiments at home.

Bringing the Wonder of Science Home

I had the opportunity to speak with Bertley about the importance of introducing students to science with an emphasis on hands-on learning.

“This event was a mashup of several ideas,” said Bertley. “So we at COSI realized that, as much as we love our physical building, our bricks and mortar, our museums, because of the computers we have in our pockets, we have access to pretty much everything. So if you want to see and experience cool stuff from 50, 100, 200 years ago, you have to go to a museum. That’s where the art was. That’s where the hands-on activities were.”

Then, when the pandemic hit, COSI came up with an idea to keep students engrossed in science.

“When our doors were closed and people couldn’t come to COSI, we said, ‘We’re going to put COSI in a box,’” Bertley said. “We created a water kit, a nature kit, a human body kit, a dinosaur kit, and with each iteration, we had a lot of support.”

And how did the idea to celebrate America’s birthday come to be included?

“First, talking about American innovation,” said Bertley, “We’re celebrating 250 years of this great country. How great would it be if we did [science experiments] at Liberty Island, in front of the Statue of Liberty, which is not just for the United States, but the world’s symbol of freedom, liberty, and innovation. That’s why we’re here.”

The students enjoyed the day, the experiments, and showed a real enthusiasm for the science they experienced. It may very well be that within this group was the next influential scientist who will have been inspired by COSI and will help shape the next 250 years.

• Teaching Robotics And STEM With The Help Of 3D Printers
• Using the U.S. National Parks to Support STEM Learning

A longtime challenge of teaching STEM with robots is that when parts break or need to be replaced that often means purchasing more expensive components for an already expensive product.

Krzysztof Szyliński, a teacher at the Vocational Training Centre & School Complex No. 1 in Stargard, Poland, doesn’t worry about this happening with his students. That’s because the robots his students use come with a 3D printer with repairs in mind.

“Students can take measurements of damaged elements themselves, and then model them in CAD, and print them,” Szyliński says. “The measurements made force the student to perform mathematical calculations, the design develops spatial imagination, and the result is a printout of a finished element.”

Szyliński is one of several teachers I spoke with in Poland (via email with the help of a translator) who is using Astorino robots. Made by Kawasaki Robotics and development partner Astor, these recently debuted in the U.S. and lend themselves well to incorporating 3D printing into robotics education.

Szyliński and his colleagues recently shared tips for teaching robotics and 3D printing to support student success and job training in STEM.

Teaching With Robots: Letting Students Lead

Robotics, as with many STEM subjects, needs to be hands-on for the students. That’s why Paweł Derwich at the Electrical and Electronic School Complex in Toruń, Poland, advises not solving problems that come up for students.

“Help as much as it is needed but give them the opportunity to come up with different solutions on their own,” Derwich says. “The most important thing here [for student] is to create your own algorithms in programs and draw conclusions from any failures.” He adds that students should be reminded that making mistakes at this stage are to be expected and a key part of the learning process.

Sławomir Szymanowski agrees. “We must make sure that students do not passively accept technology and technical solutions,” says Szymanowski, a teacher at the Technical School Complex in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland. “We want them to be creators, to be able to create not only programs for a robot or a PLC, but also machine parts or elements of robotic production lines.”

Benefits of 3D Printing

Incorporating 3D printing into robotics education in particular, and STEM education in general, offers many lessons for students, say the educators interviewed for this story.

“Spatial modeling develops many skills and competencies,” Szymanowski says. “In addition to teamwork and developing creativity, 3D printing teaches a technical approach to many areas of life, including those related to robotics or broadly understood industrial automation.”

He adds, “When we develop even the simplest element for printing, we first have to imagine it. 3D modeling develops spatial skills and spatial visualization. When we reconstruct machine components, we have to take them apart, analyze, measure, or at least determine their size and proportions.”

Real-World Jobs Training And Beyond

Utilizing robotics lessons alongside lessons in 3D printing helps students develop skills that can lead to jobs. But it’s important for these lessons to be designed with the current and ever-evolving needs of the industry in mind.

“Teachers should be open to cooperation with companies where students will find employment in the future,” Szyliński says. “It is important to educate staff who not only have general knowledge of the educational material but also take into account the needs of the local labor market.” He adds this isn’t always easy. “The challenge for me, as a robotics teacher, is to meet expectations regarding the educational process and to properly prepare students for the requirements of the labor market – industry 4.0.”

For his part, Szymanowski says that one way to accomplish your objectives as a robotics instructor is to embrace the STEM concept of learning through discovery. "Such classes activate students very much, and give them a lot of joy when they are allowed to create and discover on their own," he says. "They do not passively participate in the teaching and learning process, but even create it and to some extent even direct it."

• Drone Soccer Looks Like Robot Quidditch. Here’s How Educators Are Using It
• Using AI and Robots To Build Social Connections For All Students

Frax is a web-based tool for teaching students fractions, which uses games to make it fun and engaging.

According to its makers, ExploreLearning, fraction knowledge in grade five can predict student success in algebra and more. Using research-based training, these games help students understand fractions as numbers and better relate to numbers in general.

ESSA Tier 2 research shows using Frax results in a 3x growth for third graders and a 5x improvement for fourth graders. It also supports STEM learning.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Frax and how it can work for your classroom.

What is Frax?

Frax is a digital game-based learning tool that focuses on teaching and mastering fractions. Aimed at third, fourth, and fifth graders specifically, this platform aims to make fraction learning fun and engaging.

Through a series of games, with characters the students come to know, progress can be made through a fictional world in which knowing fractions helps conquer the game's challenges.

The game not only uses missions as a way to break up concepts but also offers tokens as rewards. These can be used to attain items in a store, all of which adds to the immersive nature of this gaming world that keeps students learning.

How does Frax work?

Frax can be accessed right away, with a free 30-day trial. License options are then available, suited to varying levels that will unlock the entire product. Add your class of students and they can begin learning on any web-browser device immediately.

Students have their own accounts so they can progress, leave, and come back to continue from where they paused. The levels of the game vary with challenges facing our space-travelling characters, each requiring some sort of fraction arithmetic.

For example, a ravine could be created by a robot that our hero needs to cross and so it gets broken into five blocks that students need to drag and drop to get the right number -- five fifths -- into the spaces so the character can progress.

So a basic understanding of fractions is required but it is also very self-explanatory, which should mean all students are able to progress using this tool with minimal teacher support required.

What are the best Frax features?

Frax is fun. It's got space cats as the main characters, sees flying robots and quirky aliens make appearances, and lets the kids become the heroes. That helps to make it easy for students to keep coming back, continue learning, and to make progress toward mastery with minimal effort.

The fact that the game scaffolds fraction concepts and the math fits the storyline, all leaves it feeling seamless. This continues beyond the game as teachers can track student progress from a dashboard, ideal for guiding them to help students progress.

Tasks get progressively harder to help students grow, and at the end of each mission there is a short assessment with questions. This allows students to cement the learning but also for teachers to see how they're taking in what they're learning.

Usefully, teachers can move students ahead if needed. Although with a very compelling storyline, most will likely want to play through anyway.

How much does Frax cost?

Frax offers a free trial and is then charged for at various price points to suit needs.

The free trial lasts for 30 days and can be used by teachers, schools, or districts.

The pricing is then bespoke with rates varying to suit the levels of teacher, school, or district plans.

Frax best tips and tricks

Work in groups
Place students in ability groups so you can more easily assess and give guidance on a group-by-group basis.

Ask questions
Have students ask one another the questions at the end of sections so they can explore their mechanics more deeply together.

Teach in character
Use the game characters as you teach fractions in class, helping students touch what they know as you push to the new.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Technology’s dizzying rate of evolution is a challenge for education, which often has struggled to keep pace. But it’s critical for educators to embrace technology and create opportunities for their students to do so also.

During the recent Tech & Learning Northeast Regional Leadership Summit at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, event host Dr. Adam Phyall, Director of Professional Learning and Leadership at All4Ed, discussed how to do this by changing your approach to learning spaces so as to empower students with technology and help genuinely prepare for their careers–and the future–they will encounter.

“Future-proofing doesn’t work,” said Phyall, adding that technology is always evolving and even though it’s a challenge to keep up, educators must at least try.

Looking Back But Moving Forward

Using vivid examples of video games, computers, and other technology from the childhoods of attendees (brick phones and Commodore 64s, anyone?), Phyall discussed how each of those now-outdated devices was an emerging technology at one point. He talked about being in high school in 1994 when the internet was first “becoming a thing,” pointing out all the jobs that didn’t exist at that point but subsequently cascaded from it. He then compared that to the sea change that AI and other innovations are driving today, and the related need to ready students for similar yet-to-be-created jobs and innovations.

Obviously, one key to effectively preparing students for the future is providing opportunities to explore these new technologies. “Do we have spaces in our schools where students can see emerging tech?” asked Phyall. “Or are we just teaching the Civil War?” While acknowledging that yes, history does need to be taught as part of a basic knowledge base, schools need to go beyond that. “Can you solve tomorrow’s problem with yesterday’s information?” he asked rhetorically, noting that providing hands-on opportunities with emerging technologies is critical to build student engagement and drive learning.

He also pointed out that by not offering these opportunities, it perpetuates inequities in schools as students of color tend to be behind when it comes to technology access and equity.

In addition to these hand-on opportunities, Phyall said that it’s also critical for educators to embrace and teach AI, particularly the ethics and best practices involved, because it is and will continue to be a big part of life for students going forward. In that vein, he said that banning AI is not helping anyone, adding that one of his students told him, “Teachers think we don’t have the internet at home.”

Real-Life Inspiration

During his keynote, Phyall also shared some of his recent battle with gallbladder cancer. (He’s now three months clean, woohoo!) He explained how this experience inspired his daughter to want to follow a career path that helps her create a cancer-screening device so no one ever has to go through what he did. He reiterated that exposure to such real-life situations can provide unexpected opportunities.

“Kids are going to use these new tools in ways we don’t know,” said Phyall. “Our call to action is to create spaces to empower students and give them the tools to thrive and solve tomorrow’s problems.”

• Regional Leadership Summit

Sam Labs is a STEAM learning platform that uses the physical and digital worlds combined to provide a powerful student learning experience.

This represents a way to teach students, from as young as Kindergarten thru grade 8, to work with block-based learning and coding. The use of the company's physical blocks makes this a real hands-on experience that can engage across wide ranging levels of students.

This is a creative way for students to plan, build, and learn with designs that guide them into the world of coding and beyond. And since this moves beyond the company's own hardware basics to more mainstream offerings from LEGO, it can be a super engaging experience that intensifies over time.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Sam Labs so you can decide if it's a useful tool for your classroom.

What is Sam Labs?

Sam Labs is a company that offers wireless digital blocks that work in conjunction with its app and online platform to teach block-based learning and coding.

Sam Labs works by allowing students of varying ages and abilities to design and create processes using its blocks and coding software combination. The idea is to work on STEAM learning, block-based teaching, and coding skills all in one place.

Since this kit can be made to interact with other software and have physical actions, it allows students to be super creative and generate flows and interactions limited only by their imaginations. A great way to start thinking about learning electric engineering, for example, from a very young age.

Crucially, this is all curriculum-focused and comes with a selection of resources to make teaching as straightforward as possible, including lesson plans and standards-aligned maps.

How does Sam Labs work?

Sam Labs works using a combination of its own Bluetooth wireless blocks and its Sam Labs app, which is available on a selection of devices including iOS and Android. Pair the app and the hardware and you're ready to start exploring the possibilities.

These blocks can be used in several formats, limited only by your budget, and features DC motors, LED lights, buttons, audio devices, and even LEGO attachments. Combine these to carry out actions in the real-world. So students start digitally, perhaps linking a social media cue such as sending a message, with a real-world result, such as a block lighting up to show their phone has a new message waiting. 

While that sounds open-ended, and it is, there is also a lot of structured learning. This works well for students to see what can be possible, but also for educators that may need to work toward a specific learning goal or program. 

Enough guidance is available here to help even novice coding educators to get started with ease. A physics teacher can use this to show the effects of force and motion, for example, while teaching coding skills at the same time.

What are the best Sam Labs features?

Sam Labs is quite straightforward and intuitive to use, making it accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities. But it can also be scaled up to offer a more challenging experience that ensures learning even for the more advanced students. 

For teachers new to the platform, there is an option to get a demonstration by a Sam Labs professional. Plenty of support resources are also available, including guidance videos, lesson plans, lesson packs, activities, and great 24/7 customer support. 

A wide range of blocks are offered but you can also use this setup with LEGO, which can mean taking advantage of a kit the school, or students, already own. This can breath new life into toys and make for a great way to repurpose technology in a resourceful and ecologically responsible way. 

Usefully, this can be more real-world, with basic block building for younger students, or it can be more code-focused for older and more advanced students who want to work on their programming and engineering skills.

All the handouts and lessons that teachers can access are also editable, so you can adapt these to suit the lesson focus, making this a quick and easy way to teach. Since the software breaks down into Maker, STEAM, and Learn to Code sections, it's easy to teach at the level and skill focus that is required. 

How much does Sam Labs cost?

Sam Labs offers varying price points, which you can calculate on the company's website by inputting what you need, be it a school or district account for example. You can also tailor the needs based on Code, Maker, or STEAM solutions.

An example is for a single educator teaching a class of 35 or less in California, with the Learn to Code package. This was quoted at $499 per year, plus a one-time hardware fee of $1,899 to get started.

Lots of variations are offered, on this so it's worth putting in your needs to see what the price will look like for you. This can be done at the Sam Labs price calculator.

Sam Labs best tips and tricks

Build a circuit
Use the kit to create circuits to teach students about energy, solar power, exchange systems, and more, with real-world actions to hit the points home.

Re-purpose LEGO
Get your old LEGO blocks and use these as part of the kit to teach from a place kids already know, building blocks, with new software code learning along the way.

Use the class
Create a challenge in the room to be fixed, such as an alert system when homework is handed in or a door closing device on a class-based timer.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

STEAM education levels the playing field for students, according to Dr. Holly Gerlach, Solution Architect at LEGO Education. 

“Simply stated, STEAM learning is an equalizer,” Gerlach said. “STEAM is such a critical component of not only where we presently are at this given moment, but when we think to the future, it is a critical component of how we are continuously evolving.” 

Gerlach spoke during a recent Tech & Learning webinar hosted by Dr. Kecia Ray. The webinar also featured Jillian Johnson, a STEM Educator, Curriculum Designer, and Innovation Specialist & Learning Consultant at Andover Elementary School in Florida, and Daniel Buhrow, a 3rd-5th Grade Gifted & Talented STEAM teacher at Webb Elementary McKinney ISD in Texas. 

Watch the full webinar here. 

Key Takeaways

Foster Imagination 

Johnson said that when students are being creative there’s a spark behind their eyes. “Sometimes the traditional form of education that we're used to, it stifles that spark, it stifles that creativity,” she said. 

Encouraging STEAM and creativity can help students keep that spark while learning. “We're seeing how important that imagination is, how much we have to showcase that, and the students want to showcase that because those ideas set them apart from one another," she said. "When they are building something with their LEGO, it's them creating whatever they imagine and that is the most unique, precious quality that we have.” 

Buhrow agreed. “We do a great job with our code and maker spaces to incorporate a lot of these team-centered ideas,” he said. However, students always want more and he advised educators to channel that joy for learning in these kinds of skills that we're looking for with these STEM careers. 

Educators Don’t Need Coding Experience 

Many teachers pause when they hear 'coding' and therefore shy away from teaching that area of STEM or STEAM, but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

“It feels intimidating when you say 'code,'” Johnson said. “But you do not have to be an experienced coder in order to teach the skills that are necessary to learn code. So a lot of the things that a good educator is already doing within their class to teach their math standards or their ELA standards, those are the same types of strategies that you would use to teach code because really you're more of the facilitator or the coach guiding them to get there.” 

Buhrow said this was exactly his experience with teaching code. “It's just a matter of having that flexible mindset going in, I had no formal training on it either. I started off by just taking one of the LEGO kits home and testing it out myself and seeing what worked,” he said. “There's always a kid in there who's going to be able to do this better than you will, and that's awesome.” 

Highlight Diversity of Opportunity in STEAM 

People don’t always realize just how many fields and subfields STEAM interacts with but it’s important to make students aware of those opportunities. “We need to show diversity in STEAM careers,” Buhrow said. 

For instance, there is a whole world of food and environmental science of which many are unaware. “In food science you could be the packaging engineer, you could be the marketer. You could be the research chef,” Buhrow said. “You could be working in sustainability and working with new materials on how to get rid of cardboard.” 

Get Started With Your STEAM Program Today 

Educators interested in starting to put more of an emphasis on discovery-based STEAM learning often hesitate before implementing lessons, but the panelists urged teachers to jump in.  

Gerlach said teachers can find opportunities to change the way they’re teaching their current curriculum requirements by looking to other educators and by implementing new STEAM lessons in smaller increments. 

The most important step to take, however, is that first step. “I always say you have to start somewhere,” Gerlach said. “What is this small thing that we can start today because the best day to change something or to try something is today." 

• Tech & Learning Webinars

When educators in the Wichita Falls ISD in Texas began planning to launch a mobile STEM lab by refurbishing an old school bus, they didn’t realize this type of project was already a thing in other districts. 

“We thought we were coming up with a genius idea of a mobile STEM lab and found out that nope, there are some other ones out there,” says Dr. Peter E. Griffiths, the district’s associate superintendent, who also received the Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award. 

However, while mobile STEM buses may exist in other districts across the country, the newly unveiled STEAM Machine is still very much one-of-a-kind as is the story of how the school district came together with dedicated community partners to build it. 

The Idea for The STEAM Machine 

The idea for the STEAM Machine grew out of Griffiths and his colleagues' wish to provide more access to career and technical education (CTE) experiences for students during COVID. The district’s gifted/talented (GT) students had previously had the opportunity to travel to STEM facilities and learn coding and other technical skills, but COVID made that more difficult. 

“We just started talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to take some of this stuff and take it to the schools?'” Griffiths says. They soon realized that they could retrofit an old bus and the benefits of a mobile STEM lab would provide increased access to CTE and STEM even when COVID restrictions were lifted. 

“This is a way that we're taking what we do for the GT kids, and we're taking it to all the kids,” Griffiths says. 

Someone early on suggested they call it the STEAM Machine, which reminded Griffiths of the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo and seemed perfect. 

Building and Funding The STEAM Machine  

Districts auction off buses when the vehicles become too old and accumulate too many miles for the stresses of everyday commutes and transportation. Griffiths and his colleagues decided to reroute one of those soon-to-be auctioned vehicles. “Give me your 'best worst' bus,” Griffiths says they asked the transportation department. 

The district’s “best worst” could still run but was old and ugly. “It looked like a prison bus,” Griffiths says. Soon, however, the process of transforming that vehicle would begin. 

Griffiths reached out to Reuben Rodriguez, owner of Reuben’s House of Classics, a local car refurbishment company, and explained what they wanted to do. Rodriguez agreed to work with the district on the price provided they could send CTE students to help with some of the restoration work. 

The district was able to obtain a $40,000 West Foundation grant for the bus renovations. “Then we used Title IV funding to help pay for all the gizmos and gadgets that go into the bus,” Griffiths says. “So in the end, we got this whole bus and it cost us zero in general funds.”  

The STEAM Machine in Action  

The STEAM Machine looks like a device from a video game or a real-life Lego truck, and operates as a mobile makerspace. It has two touchscreen TVs on its exterior and more gadgets inside. It comes complete with drones and drone obstacle courses that will help students learn about coding and the fun that can be had from the experience. 

“It’s pretty awesome,” Griffiths says. “Those are things that a lot of these kids have never experienced before.” 

To operate the bus, the district has hired a retiring GTA teacher who will now take the bus to various schools and engage in different lessons with students and educators. Bringing the bus from the dream stage to fruition has taken a lot of perseverance, resiliency, and collaboration between educators and the community, Griffiths says.  

“Coming out of COVID, we were so concerned about kids losing out on experiences again, and this was a solution,” he says. “COVID is over with but we weren't going to let this go.” 

• The Benefits of Early STEM Education
• Tapping the Potential of Learning Through Play in STEAM Programs

Stranger Things may owe its existence to a high school drama teacher named Hope Hynes Love. 

An important seed of inspiration for the ultra-popular Netflix show was planted when the show’s creators, twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, were in high school and took classes with Love at Charles E. Jordan High in Durham, North Carolina. 

“We had an amazing drama teacher – Hope Hynes (at Jordan High School). She was incredible,” Matt Dufer told the North Carolina Arts Council in 2017. “She more than anyone influenced us. We’re terrible actors, but I just wanted to be part of the drama department because she is an incredible director. She was fantastic with kids, and fantastic with people who hadn’t acted much. She was brilliant, and I still pull from the lessons I learned from her.” 

In fact, one of the Duffer brothers earliest film-making endeavors was a documentary about high school theatrical production led by Love. 

In anticipation of the release of part 2 of season 4 of Stranger Things on July 1, we spoke with Love who is now the Artistic Director at East Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina. Like any good teacher, she does not take credit for student achievements and downplays the role she played in helping to inspire the Duffer brothers’ immense success. However, she did share tips for educators on how they can inspire students and impart important life lessons through the arts. 

Don’t Go Into Drama (Or Any Profession) for The Glory 

Pursuing a career in acting, directing, or writing for the accolades is an unhealthy way to pursue the profession, Love says. “If you're doing this for the applause, go away, you won't survive in this profession,” she says. “That is the one thing I absolutely tell children.”

Instead, she tells students to get into these professions for love of the craft. She also advises them to get used to rejections and has realistic conversations about what a career in the arts entails. 

“Can you deal with your finances being up and down?” she asks. “Do you have the discipline? What are the other side gigs that you can do? Do you have the family support system and financial support system?” 

For most students, pursuing a career in the arts means developing related skills they can use while they wait for roles. That’s why her program encourages actors to develop their tech theater skills and vice versa, so advanced students graduate as what she calls “tractors,” who are capable of undertaking whatever task is needed for a production. “If you want to be a working professional, you better be a tractor,” she says. As the Duffers have demonstrated, there are plenty of theatrical career opportunities beyond acting. 

Learning to Read Subtext 

While arts funding in schools is seemingly perpetually on the cutting block, Hope says the lessons theater teaches are invaluable, even for students who don’t go on to create hit Netflix shows. 

For instance, students in Love’s classes learn to read people’s body language. “People lie with their words; we do not lie with our breath or our bodies,” she says. “So when my mom says, ‘No, it's fine,’ but I see her furrowed brow, and I see that she's holding her breath, and I see that her fists are clenched, it tells me that it’s not fine.” 

She teaches students that people can be complicated. “They have an internal life, and they have a fantasy life,” she says. “Who they really are and who they think they are–those things don't always align.” 

This is, of course, useful for actors who need to convey subtext and multiple levels of meaning in a scene, yet it translates to so many other aspects of life. “I have a former student who's a lawyer now and he's like, ‘That one I use a lot,’” she says. 

Students who take directing classes also learn life skills that are applicable to starting their own businesses and working in nonprofits, such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, among many other real-world skills.  

Overcoming Trauma 

Perhaps the biggest benefit of theatrical training is the way art is a vehicle to overcome trauma. 

“If your child's a doctor, they're going to lose somebody someday,” she says. They can learn to process that trauma if they can find a way to be resilient in their soul. Singing in the car on the way home, for example, or going to choir practice, can be useful coping mechanisms.  

The pandemic has made clear just how important resilience is, but the role art plays and can play in that is not always appreciated. “The way we respond and recover from any kind of trauma is art,” Love says. “When we are stuck, the first way we get moving again, individually, as a society, period, are the arts.” 

Engaging with and creating art is even more rewarding, and high school drama programs are the last opportunity students have to learn from and gain access to what Love calls “a large, large bucket of human resilience.” 

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We know children thrive through play, but did you know that learning through play is a powerful research-backed strategy to boost student engagement in the classroom?

“When students are playing, they’re unlocking their natural curiosity and finding their joy in learning,” said Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, US, for LEGO Education, during a recent virtual Tech & Learning roundtable discussion. “And when students learn in a purposeful, hands-on way it builds their confidence, and lessons can really become more motivating and meaningful. Purposeful play is rooted in pedagogical approaches, such as project-based learning, and it's really known to increase student learning outcomes."

During the event, experts shared evidence from both research and practice that demonstrate the connection between play and learning. Attendees heard about strategies and resources to incorporate purposeful play into their STEAM classrooms to help kids develop cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and creative skills, all using a research-based approach and real classroom examples.

The roundtable is available free on-demand here

Key Takeaways

Failing Forward. Learning through play allows students to try things and fail, and then learn from that, said Nash. “If we can have that meaningful failure, if we give students an opportunity to unlock their thinking and make their thinking visible and share what it looks like as they're creating and building, and we give them that chance to fail with it and learn from that – hey, it's not a failure, it's just an iteration of learning,” she said. “And now, they’re like, ‘I'm gonna be able to take some knowledge and change that, tweak it, and try something else out.’”

Obviously, hands-on tools such as LEGO Education building kits and solutions provide these opportunities. “LEGO has such a great low floor and high ceiling for learning,” said Susan McGrath, District Digital Learning Coach for Fayette County Public Schools in Kentucky. “It accommodates failure and creates some great productive struggle. I feel like I'm tricking them sometimes into learning.”

Future ready. Having such a familiar tool as LEGO available is especially helpful with younger students. “Being able to introduce LEGO tools into the classroom allowed my first-grade students to work and learn at their own pace, and be comfortable. For many of them, this was their first in-person experience in school,” said Joey Tanaka, EdTech and Robotics Specialist at Bertschi School in Seattle and a LEGO Education Master Educator. “Our job is to find the right learning level for each student.” 

When introducing a tool such as a LEGO kit, to get a sense of it, Tanaka likes to first give it to someone who is competent and then a student who maybe has never worked with LEGO. “Recently, on the very first night I gave a kit to a student, I got this late-night email from her mother, and I was like, ‘Oh, great. Maybe I should have coached her more and provided more guidance.’ And the email said this: ‘We really didn't have time to help her, and so we just passed her the box.’ Then they heard this: ‘This is like the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!’” 

Using playful and hands-on learning can sometimes engage students who might not otherwise participate, said McGrath. It also can open the door to other opportunities and types of learning.

“Research just continues to show that if we can embed the knowledge and skills, if we can embed that social-emotional learning through those types of experiences, at the end of the day, our students become confident and resilient learners,” said Nash. “They're going to be ready for whatever that future holds.”

Cross-curricular connections. A hands-on such as a robotics kit can be used to make connections across content areas. For example, Tanaka discussed how he watched as one student tried to create a faster car, and how adding elements to boost power, such as extra engines and wheels, didn’t really add to the speed. As the student worked, he started to explore other variables, including weight and air resistance, which opened the door to a physics lesson. “This is a perfect example of how our goal as teachers is really to have the kids puzzle things out on their own,” he said. “LEGO is really excellent for that, showing kids things that are really hard to show at times, like motion or speed. It was just a phenomenal moment as a teacher.”

McGrath is working with her district’s math and science specialists to bring in LEGO Education into more classrooms. “I actually was at one of our elementary schools, and they brought in their science class to the library for a STEM lesson. And we did a LEGO activity  and the students loved it. And to hear them talk with the science teacher about concepts that she had already been teaching – I wish I had a picture of her face because she was kind of jaw-dropped as the students were mentioning things she had talked about, and they were actually seeing it in action in their build.”

Just do it. In regard to adopting STEAM learning through play, McGrath said to educators, “Don't be afraid. Jump in. Try just try.”

“Be flexible,” said Tanaka.

“You can do it,” said McGrath. “Just have faith.”

• Recent Tech & Learning Webinars

As an academic subject, music is like no other. It consists not only of theory, notes, scales, and harmonies, but also the capacity to deeply move its listeners and practitioners. This mysterious influence that music exerts can be a powerful means to engage the minds and hearts of learners of any age.

The free online music lessons, activities, and apps below will bring the joy of music into any classroom or subject, whether it be language arts, history, math or science.

Best Free Music Lessons and Activities

WEB

Virtual Theremin
If you’re thinking, “Hmm, theremin, that sounds familiar – what is it?” recall classic movies such as The Day The Earth Stood Still and Spellbound. Typically employed to create an other-worldly or eerie atmosphere, the theremin relies not on touch, but rather on the operator’s hand movements through the instrument's capacitor field. Use your mouse or webcam to play this delightful virtual theremin. A user’s operation manual offers practical guidance. No account required.

Ableton’s Free Synthesizer Learning Tool
Learn to play a synthesizer, right in your browser window. Drag the circle around the square to create various sounds. For a more nuanced approach, open your game in Playground, which allows adjustment of amplitude, frequency, pitch and other properties. No account required.

The Music Lab
A citizen-science experiment conducted by researchers at Yale University, the Music Lab offers a wide selection of musical games that test your ability to distinguish sounds and rhythms as well as your musical I.Q. and style. Be a part of citizen science and have fun while you’re doing it! No account required, but players must anonymously answer a few simple questions prior to playing.

Teach Rock
Fine selection of diverse lessons and activities covering the arts to geography to STEAM topics. Each lesson is based on a rock music composition or artist whose work illuminates the questions posed. Lessons include objectives, activities, images, videos, handouts, teacher’s guide, questions, and lesson extensions.

Music Producer Masterclass: Making Electronic Music
A free course that uses the popular FL Studio software to teach students how to create, mix, and edit electronic music and songs. High-quality video instructions guide learners through the course modules, from developing musical ideas to publishing music online. Students who successfully pass the course’s final assessment will receive a certificate of completion.

Fiddlerman
An amazingly comprehensive free resource for students of any age and experience level who want to boost their violin skills and knowledge. Run by professional concert master Pierre Holstein, aka Fiddlerman, Fiddleman.com boasts an active user forum in addition to its extensive tools for learning violin, from video tutorials to sheet music to basics for beginners. Be sure to check out the annual Christmas project, in which users collaborate by uploading a recording of themselves playing or singing a beloved Christmas tune such as “White Christmas.” Super fun.

Omni Online Music Maker
Are you familiar with hexany? How about hirajōshi? You may have no idea about these terms, but if I said “major,” you'd probably guess that we’re talking about musical scales. Omni is devoted to digital investigation of 40 musical scales, spanning the globe. This brilliantly simple site provides an online keyboard and choice of scale, reverb, and sustain. Use your mouse to play, and your ears to note, the differences and similarities.

Inside the Orchestra Virtual School Curriculum
Dedicated to cultivating music appreciation in children, the nonprofit organization Inside the Orchestra provides a wealth of free virtual music programs in English, Spanish, and French. Lessons and activities include STEM topics, musical storytime, outdoor musical games, and much more.

Inside the Orchestra Online Musical Games
Fine assortment of online musical games, ideal for K-6 kids. Students can test their recognition of musical instruments, create a music map, or play musical bingo. For an extra challenge, have interested students compose their own works using the built-in digital keyboard. In English, Spanish, and French.

Google Tools and Activities for Music Education
Edtech guru and Google apps expert Eric Curts dives into 12 online music tools that allow users to experiment with musical ideas right in their browser windows. Conduct an orchestra, “see” music, or create your own beats. Serious learning that’s seriously fun.

New York Philharmonic Digital Education Resources
Videos, detailed lessons and teaching guides from New York Philharmonic musicians. Arranged by grade, these lessons offer imaginative and unexpected ways to think about, learn, and practice music. Almost as exhilarating as being there.

VIDEO

Polyphonic Overtone Singing Explained
If you’ve never heard polyphonic overtone singing, you ought to check out this star of the field, Anna-Maria Hefele. She demonstrates this other-worldly sounding vocalization and provides a thorough explanation of the phenomenon. Hefele’s YouTube channel offers many other fascinating videos exploring oversinging.

Violin Lab Channel
Professional violinist and educator Beth Blackerby seeks to explain the science and art of violin playing so that all violin enthusiasts can improve their performance. Although targeted at adults, the videos are perfect for self-motivated students of any age, covering topics such as “8 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Learned To Play Violin,” “Vibrato Basics,” and “ Unwanted Bow Bounces.” Her clear, straightforward style makes it easy for anyone to grasp the concepts demonstrated.

Drumeo Free Drum Lessons
An impressive assortment of free videos aimed at not only aspiring drummers, but also advanced students. Explore diverse playlists such as Lessons for Beginners, Advanced Drum Lessons, Must-Know Drum Grooves, Electronic Drums, and many more.

APPS

Perfect Ear: Music & Rhythm
Android | iOS
Train your ear and mind using Perfect Ear’s exercises in scales, chords, intervals, and rhythm.

Piano Chord, Scale, Progression Companion
Android | iOS
Top-rated by users, this piano chords and scales “dictionary” allows budding musicians and composers to practice both musical play and composition.

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• How It's Done: Enhancing Music Class With Technology

Who: Tzvi Hametz, Creativity and Innovation Director at Gindi Maimonides Academy and LEGO Education Master Educator 

Where: Los Angeles, California 

When school abruptly shut down in March, much of the instruction was limited by the conditions of distance learning. When planning for the start of the 2020-21 school year, I was determined to keep hands-on, playful learning going because I believe it is important, especially during times of crisis. I knew that students would be even more engaged and have better learning outcomes if I could send home the STEAM solutions I use in the classroom. 

At Gindi Maimonides Academy in Los Angeles, where I work as the Creativity and Innovation Director, we serve grades K-8 and a diverse set of students across varying learning levels. I oversee the technology curriculum and integration of edtech platforms, and the course most near and dear to my heart is our Innovation program, which teaches STEAM learning. I’m proud to say that it’s a beloved program at every grade level because it brings students together to get hands-on experiences and learn through play, providing a much-needed sensory break from traditional classwork. 

I like to think of these courses as “where the rubber meets the road,” because students can take their knowledge from class and apply it in a creative and playful way.

How it's been working

I was able to coordinate with a handful of my Innovation class students to send home the LEGO Education solutions they would ordinarily use in the classroom.

While using the sets at home, students have embarked on a project that reflects what we are facing in the world right now. Inspired by the challenge to #RebuildTheWorld, students are rethinking their schools, homes, communities, houses of worship, and play spaces to consider what would we do if we could build these spaces all over again. When the world reopens, what do we want it to look like? What should we consider and what are our inspirations? Asking questions like these helps inspire students and encourages them to think in unique and out-of-the box ways.  

Positive results

This has become a positive inflection of playful learning throughout several classes. Students and teachers are clamoring to get the opportunity to use STEAM solutions in their virtual classrooms. In the meantime, many teachers are coming up with ways to carve out space for playful learning in their valuable class time on their own. 

Pro tips

Encourage asynchronous learning: When sending home any sort of hands-on STEAM tools, I recommend keeping the learning asynchronous to allow students to explore and learn in their own time. I check in with students individually to help as needed, but for the most part, I suggest having students lead their own learning. Create broad checkpoints to direct and scaffold learning without showing students exactly where to go.

Help get them oriented: We ran through virtual builds using CoderZ Adventure Course and MakeCode to help students become familiar with coding virtually before getting hands-on. Starting virtually helped students build their confidence and acted as the orientation into using robotics. 

Create challenges: In my arena, students are not graded for their work, so they are able to try new builds and codes without fear of failing a class. No matter your school’s grading policy, it’s important to create a safe space for students to embrace meaningful failure and build their confidence to take risks and try new things. Framing tasks as challenges give them a chance to test their ideas, fail and try again, making the learning even more engaging. 

Use a variety of resources: We are using Khan Academy and Disney’s Imagineering in a Box course as a framework for this particular hands-on STEAM learning virtual curriculum, guided by our school’s dual-curriculum approach. Whatever you’re doing, whether in-person or virtual, there is likely already a resource available to help guide you, and a quick Google search or asking your peers can save you invaluable time and energy.

Keep it clean: Sanitization is more important than ever. We are planning to keep supplies with one student per semester and then swap with a buddy mid-year following a stop at my lab to ensure all pieces have been properly cleaned. I’ve heard examples from teachers who are making cleaning part of the learning process by starting and finishing the lesson with it. 

Who: Erik Murray, Middle School STEM Teacher, LEGO Education Master Educator 

Where: Lexington Public Schools, Lexington, MA

What: Creating LEGO Education Bingo Boards to help educators and parents teach STEAM at home

As schools across the country began to close in response to COVID-19, my first thought, like thousands of other teachers across the world, was, “How can I supplement my teaching so my students can continue to learn during these unusual times.” You see, I’m a middle school STEM teacher, which means I’m used to providing my students with hands-on, tactical projects. I’m used to pushing my students to build robots, having my students work in groups and build together. How was I going to continue pushing my students to get hands-on and think like an engineer while they were at home? 

Not all students have access to computers, but it’s still important they continue to have hands-on projects, just like in the classroom, to keep them engaged and excited. I connected with our 6th grade math teacher to think through ways for educators –- and parents -– to continue teaching STEAM skills at home in a fun, interactive way. 

Before schools closed, we just started using the new LEGO Education SPIKE Prime kits in our classroom to get students learning STEAM skills through hands-on learning. It was a great tool because it provided low-floor, high-ceiling tasks such as the Hopper Race, in which you design prototypes to find the most effective way to move a robot without wheels, to more difficult projects such as Design for Someone, in which students could stretch their STEAM skills by trying to solve real-world problems.

Read more: LEGO Education Spike Prime In-School Review from Tech & Learning

I wanted to replicate the same hands-on and low-floor, high-ceiling experience for all my students -- and students around the world. Something that allows students feel confident in the projects they were completing at home. 

When looking at the way SPIKE Prime lessons are set up, you’ll see that basic instructions are provided, but students are encouraged to use their creativity to make their own unique creations by placing the bricks differently or writing a different code. I wanted to bring that approach to remote STEAM learning, where there’s a simple path for students to follow, but they can really dive in and make the project their own. I also wanted to create something that students would be able to do by themselves or with their parents; something flexible that would engage and enrich students’ learning. 

That’s where the LEGO Education Bingo Board comes in. Using the standard format of a Bingo Board, I filled in the squares with ideas on how to use LEGO bricks at home in innovative and creative ways to continue teaching students STEAM skills through hands-on activities. 

Positive Results

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from my students, peers and other educators online about the Bingo Boards. 

Since everyone’s world is shrinking a little right now, I wanted to help get students outside and active so I recently created a Bingo Board with outside STEAM activities to do in your backyard. For kids without yards, there are things to do from their window. It’s also been a positive project for me and a great diversion from everything going on now. 

Biggest Challenge

Not all students have access to the same types of materials or environments, so I try to make sure the Bingo Boards have a variety of actions that are broad and open-ended. Students who don’t have certain materials can use their creativity to use what they do have and still participate.

Finding Funding

It’s free! You can create your own Bingo Boards, or follow me on Twitter at @MrSTEmurray to use or get inspired by boards I create.  

Pro Tips

Keep it simple! Don’t expect kids to sit down and write or read something -– make it tactical or hands-on. You’ll notice that each Bingo square is short, with less than three sentences. For example, “design a bridge with LEGO bricks that can support a rock the size of your hand.” That keeps the action on point and simple for your kids to follow.

For teachers, don’t assume students have a computer, tablet or Internet access. Instead, think about what they have around them and what can engage them, whether that’s LEGO bricks or sticks and stones outside. I’d also recommend that any lesson you add into your own Bingo Board should serve as a mental escape for students to take their mind off the stressful world around them and allow them to still be kids and have fun. 

For parents, look for things around the house to leverage as a teaching moment. For example, using LEGO bricks to design what their bedroom looks like -– or what their dream bedroom looks like. Asking questions like, “What did you learn?” “How did you learn it?” and “Why does it matter?” are all great questions that are part of the formative assessment process. 

More Tools

Twitter is a great resource for getting inspired and connected with educators to get new ideas. 

LEGO is also sharing daily play challenges, new play ideas and live build-a-longs on social media using the hashtag #letsbuildtogether and at lego.com/letsbuildtogether. 

With so many resources available, remember not to get overwhelmed. These activities are meant to be engaging, encouraging and most importantly, fun! 

A new initiative from LEGO offers new ways to help families stay creative, curious and connected while at home during this time of  Covid-19 pandemic, including:

• Daily play challenges, new play ideas and live build-a-longs will be shared on social media using the hashtag #letsbuildtogether and at www.lego.com/letsbuildtogether. 
• As part of this initiative, a $50m USD donation from the LEGO Foundation will provide vulnerable children with essential supplies and learning through play support. 
• Teachers and parents can read these 10 tips for at home learning with all ages and types of learners in mind.

Acer America invites TCEA 2020 attendees to the following sessions to learn more about advanced tech for their schools and classrooms, and for the chance to win Acer products:

Esports Experience Area: Acer to host Q&A and competition demos highlighting why Esports is becoming the fastest-growing activity in K-12 education as a way to support STEAM curriculum. The emphasis will be on student participation including game play, management, content creation, shoutcasting, promotions and more.

• Feb 4, 3-5pm: Reception, Q&A
• Feb 4, 5-7pm: League of Legends, University of Texas, El Paso Demo Competition
• Feb 5, 1-3pm: Demo Competition
• Feb 5, 3-3:30pm: Transforming Screen Time to Learning Time with eSports
• Feb 6, 1-3pm: Demo Competition

Sessions Room M6: During the following educational sessions, a winner will be chosen to win a Chromebook Tab 10 (9 winners) or a TravelMate Spin B118 (1 winner). See the full schedule and sign up here.

• Building Student STEAM skills with Acer Repair Certification eLearning Program
• Transforming Screen Time to Learning Time
• Student Centered Learning with Inclusive Microsoft Education Tools
• Exploring the Chrome App Hub Ecosystem: This session is one of the first to include hands-on training on Google’s new Creativity apps for Chromebooks. It will address how these apps can be quickly deployed and easily managed at scale with the Google Admin Console. As one of Google’s select launch partners, Acer is committed to helping teachers and administrators empower their students with these new powerful creativity tools.

Products Highlighted

Acer will highlight new products for education customers during the above sessions:

• The ConceptD 7 is Acer’s notebook for creative uses including graphic design, film/photo editing, and shoutcasting Esports tournaments. Features include a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics, a 4K UHD PANTONE Validated display with 100% Adobe RGB color gamut and Delta E <2 color accuracy.
• The Acer C871 Chromebook tackles complex classes like coding with up to 10th-Gen Intel Core i3 processors and extra vertical viewing space on the 3:2 aspect ratio display. It meets MIL-STD 810G standards and offers a reinforced hinge, shock-absorbing bumper, and a keyboard with mechanically anchored keys and more.
• The Acer Predator Triton 500 features NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, a 15.6-inch 300 nit-display with a 144Hz refresh rate, an overclockable NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with Max-Q design and a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor.

More information on Acer products for education can be found at Acer America’s education site.

It actually is quite obvious that the Arts should be included in STEM education. The idea of STEAM brings out the skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication that are so important in the work place. A look at the works of Leonardo da Vinci will attest to this! The very first time I heard the idea of integrating the Arts into STEM education was while watching a 2009 keynote made by Daniel Pink at the NECC  Conference in Washington DC… yes prior to ISTE Conferences!  

1. NPR Where Science Meets Art – Some exceptional Podcasts integrating Science and Art. Many of these titles will allow for student reflection and questions as they begin to see how the Arts and Science can be integrated.
2. Arts Edge – A fantastic resource from the Kennedy Center hosting numerous lessons that integrate Art into the curriculum.You will discover a focus  on ways to support innovative teaching with the arts, and meet changing trends in education and to accommodate the ever-evolving impact of technology in our lives. This amazing collection of free digital resources—including lesson plans, audio stories, video clips, and interactive online modules—has been streamlined for easier browsing and upgraded to leverage best practices in educational media and multimedia-supported
3. BabbleDabbleDo –  This is a site that allows students to explore and engage with their right brain. This is important in our tech saturated world. This site provides that creative angle that puts kids in that out of the box mode while exploring concepts in science, math, and engineering.  The site proclaims that the best part of creating is the process.And I truly I believe that EVERYONE IS CREATIVE.
4. STEM to STEAM -The STEM to STEAM initiative, championed by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), is supported by teachers, researchers, policy makers, students, and business people from RISD and beyond.
5. Why Scientific Innovation Needs The Arts – Explore this wonderful article from the Guardian that explains the connection between science and the arts. Great read to support STEAM thinking in any educational setting.
6. OER Commons – Take a look at these results from a search I did for  STEAM based activities. There are some powerful lessons that bring the arts into the classroom. Since it is OER (Open Education Resources) it is free.
7. Teach Hub Technology and STEAM – Take a look at these possibilities for connecting standards, technology integration, and STEAM.
8. Edutopia STEAM Resources – One of the finest education sites brings STEAM to the forefront. Enjoy this engaging journey.  You will discover information, examples, and tools related to incorporating aspects of the arts, design, and the humanities into STEM-based school activities.
9. Odyssey of the Mind – This  international educational program provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems.
10. Lemon Lime Adventures 50 STEAM Projects and Activities – Take some time to look through the various links on this page. You are bound to find some great possibilities that will fit your standards.
11. Autodesk Digital Steam Workshop – Digital STEAM projects are designed by Autodesk’s network of expert educators, designers and student alumni as exciting complements to core Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Art (STEAM) curriculum. Each project aligns with common core and national standards and delivers measurable learning while using free software.
12. National Gallery of Art  – You will find organized into thematic units, each grade-level-specific lesson plan focuses on a single work of art and can be executed within one to two class periods. These lessons meet the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Visual Arts curriculum standards
13. Exploratorium – Take a look at the entire site, but especially explore the Art related material.  In fact this link brings you to the Tinkering STudio. You will find lessons that allow you to connect with other subject areas including the STEM disciplines. You will get a new definition of exploring through the Exploratorium,
14. The Art Institute of Chicago – Explore these wonderful lessons that cover Science and the Arts. It just might have you and your students look at Art in a whole different way. Best of all you will discover some STEAM possibilities.
15. Lesson Plans and resources for Art Integration – This Edutopia Article has a rich assortment of lessons and resources to integrate Art into curricular areas including Math, Science, and Design. A great read that will lead to some wonderful opportunities.
16. CIESE Online – CIESE  (Center for Innovation and Science Education) sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet.  Each project has a brief description and links to the National Science Standards and NCTM math standards it supports
17. Masterpieces to Math – A wonderful article that focuses on how to incorporate art in math. Learn how to use Art to teach fractions, decimals, and percent equivalents. You will look at Math in a whole new STEAMie way.
18. Space School Musical – Your students will enjoy joining teenager Hannah on a trip through the solar system in this ultra-cool edu-tainment “hip-hopera” that uses song and dance to introduce the planets, moons, asteroids and more. Educators can download the lyrics for students to learn and perform the routines for themselves or just play the videos in class. There are also links provided for more in-depth activities.
19. Cardboard Challenge – Not everything needs high tech and expensive resources. A lot can be done with a cardboard box and a lot of imagination. Check out this amazing challenge from the Imagine Foundation. Take a moment to watch the video. You and your students will want to be involved with this amazing low tech, high engagement possibility.
20. KinderArt – Discover Fine Art lessons as they apply to all different subject areas. Lessons are searchable by grade and subject. Some great ideas to integrate with.
21. Share Space Foundation – The ShareSpace Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring children’s passions for science, technology, engineering, arts and math by providing innovative, interactive educational tools to educators across the country.  ShareSpace has reached more than 250,000 children across the globe through strategic partnerships and the engaging Giant Mars Map™.
22. Scratch –  With Scratch, kids can program their own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively . All of this is possible while essential skills for life in the 21st century are facilitated. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.
23. Teacher Vision Art and Math –Students will enjoy participating in math class with our art activities for teachers of any grade level, from elementary to high school.  You will find opportunities to mix numbers with creativity and art activities that your students will love. There are lessons for creating counting books, crafts that encourage measuring, geometry printables to color, sculpting activities, and much more!  Introduce new concepts or reinforce topics your students have already learned.
24. Eurekus – This is a site with STEAM powered discovery. Discover the many free lessons that bring the left brain world alive in the the right brain.
25. Left Brain Craft Brain – Discover this blog with great activities and possibilities to engage the whole brain in the engineering process. It is a self-proclaimed mega monster of STEAM posts.  You will find some of the coolest science, technology, engineering, art and math projects from some of the most creative bloggers out there.
26. What is STEAM ? – This is an amazing resource site from the Education Closet. here you will find some great lessons that are aligned to the standards of STEM and Art curriculum. Be sure to read the blogs, links, news, and research. Be sure to check out all the possibilities on this site by clicking the menu. You will even find a STEAM-based magazine.
27. The Stanford Design School – Get ready for some innovative lessons that include the design process. You will find an abundance of material and resources to bring innovation to your STEAM program.
28. National Association For Music Education – Take some time at this site. Explore the curriculum along with awesome teacher resources. This is a great site that might tune up some of that important STEAM education.
29. STEAM Art Lessons – Take a look at these wonderful STEAM based art lessons from an amazing elementary Art teacher. There are some wonderful ideas for bringing the curriculum together.
30. How To Smile – This is an amazing collecting of some of the best educational materials, learning activities, tools, and services. They are all designed especially for those who teach school-aged kids in activity-based settings. This site is sponsored by a group of science museums dedicated to bringing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) out of the academic cloister and into the wider world. This is a great place to Make STEM happen!
31. New York Times Lesson Plans – I include this because you will find a collection of amazing lessons that cross all areas. Best of all, they bring the creativity and innovation into these lessons which is the foundation for the arts.
32. Art in Action – Take a look at these mini Art lessons that allow students to get in that right brain frame of mind.
33. PBS STEM Collection – PBS Learning Media has great resources. Check them all out. This link brings you to the STEM Collection.
34. Project Pals – A great article that looks at STEM/STEAM possibilities in the world of PBL for all grade levels.
35. Learn It By Art – Take any subject… you can learn it by using Art. What might you find?
36. Fizzics Education – Learn how Art and the Design Process come together to make great lessons.
37. Four Skills From STEAM Education – Check out this 2019 article from Teach Thought on the benefits of providing a STEAM Education.
38. EGFI – This is an amazing site for some wonderful STEAM Resources. You will find lessons ready to get your students designing.
39. Instructables – Check out these 100 STEAM projects for kids.
40. Full STEAM Ahead – A great collection of resources and ideas on STEAM from Concordia University in Portland Oregon.
41. 36 Resources for STEM Project Based Learning – If you’re a teacher or  looking for ideas for STEM project-based learning activities, then you’ve come to the right place.
42. The STEM Laboratory – These 50+ STEM projects are sure to keep little scientists engaged, learning and well-prepared for their STEM-filled future.
43. A Guide for Women in STEM: Closing the Gender Gap - A guide from Master's in Data Science that provides information about the current gender and diversity gaps in STEM university studies and careers, reasons for those gaps, and strategies to help promote inclusivity in STEM-related industries.

cross-posted at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com

Michael Gorman oversees one-to-one laptop programs and digital professional development for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a consultant for Discovery Education, ISTE, My Big Campus, and November Learning and is on the National Faculty for The Buck Institute for Education. His awards include district Teacher of the Year, Indiana STEM Educator of the Year and Microsoft’s 365 Global Education Hero. Read more at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com.

LEGO® Education is celebrating its 40th birthday with the worldwide launch of its newest educational solution, LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime. SPIKE Prime brings together LEGO bricks, a programmable, multi-port Hub, sensors and motors all powered by the SPIKE App based on the Scratch coding language, along with 32 lesson plans. SPIKE Prime will continue LEGO Education’s legacy since 1980 as a pioneer in hands-on learning, transforming the way students learn STEAM subjects.

LEGO Education SPIKE Prime is available for purchase today for $329.95, and will be featured at the Bett Show in London on January 22-25.

With teacher training, getting-started guides, and free lesson plans, SPIKE Prime is designed to be easy for teachers to integrate into curriculum. Three in-person training courses delivered by LEGO Education Academy-certified teacher trainers are also available to ensure teachers have everything they need to integrate SPIKE Prime into existing curriculum and lesson plans.

LEGO Education Master Educator Program

Applications for the 2020 Master Educator cohort are now being accepted. Interested educators in Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are invited to apply through April 30, 2020. Details about the program, application process and program eligibility can be found at: LEGOeducation.com/MasterEducators.

To learn more about LEGO Education’s new solution, visit: www.legoeducation.com/meetSPIKEprime.

Features:

• Designed for ages 10+, grades 6-8
• Costs $329.95 per set, which can be shared by two students at a time
• Based on the drag-and-drop Scratch coding platform and available for iOS, Chrome, Windows 10, Mac and Android
• 32 lessons help get teachers started and make integrating SPIKE Prime into a variety of classes from science and math to social studies and language arts incredibly easy
• Ensures that multiple classrooms can share sets within a school with streamlined 45-minute build + lesson time
• Includes 11 new innovative elements developed by LEGO Education and the LEGO Group, first seen in SPIKE Prime
• Available for purchase on the LEGO Education website or through authorize resellers
• Brings STEAM creativity and engagement into afterschool programs, robotics clubs, coding programs and maker spaces with the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Expansion Set by LEGO Education (sold separately)
• The Expansion Set and Competition Ready unit can now be used in competition by robotics competition teams, including FIRST® LEGO® League and World Robot Olympiad

Vernier Software & Technology has partnered with SAM Labs to teach middle school students coding and computational thinking skills through data-collection STEAM activities. Students can use a variety of Go Direct sensors with SAM Labs STEAM Kits and the Google Workbench programming canvas to collect real-time experiment data and bring their SAM Labs projects to life. 

SAM Labs STEAM Kits are available in three versions based on class size and provide all the materials teachers need, including teacher-created lesson plans, step-by-step activities, and comprehensive technical support. Once students build their projects using the kits’ programmable SAM Blocks, they can connect the Go Direct sensors using Bluetooth® wireless technology in Google Workbench and build Blockly programs that make the hardware interact. 

Teachers will be able to access a new series of free Blockly coding activities in Google Workbench that interact with Vernier sensors. These activities are designed to engage students in science, develop coding skills, and practice peer collaboration. In an introductory activity, students integrate Vernier sensors with Google Sheets and SAM Labs blocks to design an experiment to explore the factors that affect electromagnetic strength. Each of these activities comes with complete teacher resources and materials to help them get started teaching these important skills. 

Vernier Go Direct sensors that are compatible with the SAM Labs STEAM kits include the Motion Detector, Force and Acceleration Sensor, Sound Sensor, 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor, and Temperature Probe.

To learn more about the Vernier and SAM Labs partnership, visit www.vernier.com/sam-labs.

Root Coding

First-rate versatile robot for all ages

Pros: Dive right into the fun with accessible intro tutorials, no experience needed.

Cons: Most free content focuses on Level 1 activities for younger students; more advanced instruction requires a paid subscription.

Bottom Line: By encouraging artistic design and creative problem-solving, Root Coding fits right into your STEAM curriculum.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

“… all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other people’s ideas, analyzers of evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on this most complex world.” – Deborah Meier

I had an amazing time sharing with Texas teachers at the TCCA Conference! Below are the slides and resources for my first presentation, STEAM Up the Learning! Many of the missions in my new book, Hacking Digital Learning with Missions, are aimed at inspiring students to think critically, focus on questions versus answers, conduct hands-on research, and make a difference in the world with their innovations. The field of Science, Technology, Engineering, ART and Math (STEM/STEAM) is at the heart of innovation, discovery and curiosity. The resources below will help you support your students by walking them through the steps of the Engineering Design Process and also helping them understand the importance of STEM and being a problem solver!

50 Resources

These are 6 characteristics of a great STEAM lesson I’ve adapted from EdWeek:

• Connect & integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math
• Real world learning
• Hands-on inquiry
• Cooperative learning
• Multiple right answers
• Engineering Design Process (EDP)gy6

Where to find activities, projects and lessons:

• The Science Demo Guy’s website has free STEM and Engineering Design Process posters and experiments to download and print.
• NASA has amazing resources for educators, including free projects, lesson plans, videos, and interactives! Students can join the competitions for free when you set up a free Future Engineers account for them.
• Sign up for a free Mystery Science membership and receive access to tons of awesome standard aligned lesson plans and projects.
• The Exploratorium lets you search by content area for experiments with inexpensive household items and materials.
• TeachEngineering is a free K to 12 STEM curriculum.
• Kidtown is a free comic with facts about science, nature, and people.
• Find STEM resources and projects with Google templates free to edit and use from the school I teach at here.

• The Driving Question Tubric is a free hands-on project to help students create driving questions.
• My school uses the Lulzbot Mini 3D printer.
       I recommend Tinkercad and Thingiverse for 3D printing projects, tutorials, and templates for K to 12.
       I recommend Tinkercad and Thingiverse for 3D printing projects, tutorials, and templates for K to 12.

Find web apps and tools for students to design innovations in my article, Mock It Up! 9 Tools for Learners to Design, Blueprint, and Visualize Their Innovations.

• Some recommended tools are 3D Paint (software), Google Draw, Draw and Tell iOS app, Sketch.io and Pixlr (no registration required).
• Co-Spaces is a great educational tool to get students to design and create their own virtual reality and augmented reality builds.

• Get students to design using different types of paper and formats (blueprints, graph paper, grids, 3D, etc.) and give them different design challenges, such as designing for an amusement park, an art history mini-golf course, a future city, or a playground.
• The Kentucky Virtual Library has an incredible interactive infographic that walks students through the research process!
• Click here  to make a copy of the Research Choice Menu template I created with recommended research websites for K-12. Edit as you like and discover kid-friendly search engines in my post, Top Research Websites, Search Engines, and a Research Choice Menu for K-12 Students.
• Students can add research and ideas to a Linoit/Padlet sticky note board, a Bubbl.us cognitive map, Livebinders, or Wakelet.
• Send them on field research. In Texas, I’d take my students collecting water samples with SAWS engineers, bird watching with park rangers, and fossil hunting with a paleontologist.
• Students can create games and learn coding!  Check out my Coding Activities on my blog. Some suggested tools and apps, include Kodable, Tynker, Code Monkey, and Lightbot. Upper elementary to 12th grade will enjoy Code.org and Made With Code. Click here for more coding apps and web tools!
• Tiny Tap is an iOS app for students to create learning games, interactive presentations and quizzes.
• Math Science Music has several lesson ideas and interactive resources for a variety of ages that use music to teach math concepts.
• Desmos has several cool interactive and visual lesson ideas and resources for students, like this one about angles, graphing, and basketball.
• Citizen science is defined by Oxford Dictionary as scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions.
      Find projects open to students and the public at SciStarter.com,  Zooniverse.org, and the iNaturalist iOS/Android app.
  
• Get students to learn math and science through cooking. Find science recipes here!
• Science Bob’s site – Science recipes for fake blood, slime, and potions. All perfect for Halloween!
• Take them on walks exploring the nature around them.They can create digital books classifying rocks, identifying bugs, naming plants and potential uses, or capturing the sounds of various birds. Try Buncee or Book Creator to create your digital scrapbooks.
• Get students to design infographics to visualize data with tools like Genial.ly, Canva, Piktochart, Easel.ly, Visme, Infogr.am, and Smore.
• The Be Internet Awesome curriculum by Google has different activities and lessons on how to spot fake news.
• Common Sense Education has a free K to 12 curriculum that covers information literacy and digital citizenship.
• Students can create their own augmented reality experiences to encourage peers to explore the great outdoors using Layar and Blippar.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

KinderLab Robotics today announced a new three-month KIBO Home Robotics Course that enables home educators and caregivers to introduce coding and robotics to their young learners without computers or screen time. The course provides a step-by-step curriculum to teach coding, robotics, and STEAM concepts, and includes use of a KIBO 18 Robot Kit to support the curriculum. 

With the three-month KIBO Home Robotics Course, home educators have full support from KinderLab Robotics as they integrate coding and robotics into their homeschool curriculum. The course integrates arts and crafts into STEAM learning. Coding becomes a new literacy that children can use to explore their other subjects more deeply. 

The KIBO Home Robotics Course is available now at KinderLabRobotics.com/at-home.

SAM Labs today announced the launch of new coding and problem-solving curriculum and resources for kindergarten and first-grade students (K-1). 

The new K-1 product line will begin in kindergarten with a series of ten hands-on learning lessons focused on skills such as creativity, problem-solving, sequencing and basic technologies. Nine first grade program lessons will be introduced shortly afterward and both programs will be available in January 2020. The new K-1 courses will be standards-aligned in science, math, and language. 

The K-1 courses will introduce Baby Blocky and a comic strip focused on solving a problem. Instructional guidance will highlight skills such as coding, creativity, exploration, sorting and classifying, solution thinking, collaboration, and finding multiple solutions to a single challenge. 

Each SAM product is designed to enable non-technical teachers to deliver STEAM, coding, and problem-solving experiences to their classrooms through standards-compliant, ready-to-use teaching kits.

This week, SAM Labs also released a comprehensive guide on all things STEAM K-12 and its Ultimate Edtech Grant Writing Guide and list of grants. 

OK Go Sandbox

Creative music video-inspired STEAM design challenges

Pros: Fun music videos are a great hook; kids are motivated to create their own innovations using STEAM skills.

Cons: Lessons are organized on the site by music video, making it hard for teachers to match activities to their specific needs.

Bottom Line: After watching OK Go music videos, kids will be excited to make new creations by integrating art, science, and math.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

From our friends at Tom's Guide: From classrooms to design shops, 3D printers have found an audience with students, makers and industrial designers. And as you would expect for a product that appeals to everyone from professional designers to educators to hobbyists, even the best 3D printers vary wildly in the features they offer and how much they cost.

Why this matters: STEM teaching and technology in the 21st century K12 classroom are crucial to preparing students for college and careers - and 3D printers are becoming an affordable way to engage learners in STEM topics.  That's why K12 administrators, IT specialists and teachers need to know the benefits, drawbacks and costs of the latest 3D printers. Read the full report at www.tomsguide.com

Robotics and educational STEAM company Sphero and electronic building block littleBits have announced that they are joining forces to provide STEAM and coding solutions for classrooms and homes worldwide. 

With the addition of the littleBits line, Sphero will now feature a portfolio of over 140 patents in robotics, electronics, software, and the Internet of Things. Teachers will have access to hundreds of thousands of community-generated inventions and activities, and over a thousand lessons tied to NGSS, CSTA and Common Core standards. 

SAM Labs

Kids use block code and wireless blocks to program, design, and create

Pros: Students will love the hands-on creation process and interactive features that bring their designs to life.

Cons: The site is slow to load, and costs for the various blocks and kits can add up quickly.

Bottom Line: With some perseverance, it's a great fit for PBL and STEAM, helping students learn programming skills and engineering concepts through invention.

Read more.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed byCommon Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

Slapping the term STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths) on a toy, even one with questionable educational value, has become a popular way for companies to convince parents a product is worth buying their kids. That’s rarely the case, but amongst all the noise there are a few companies producing toys that can genuinely help foster a child’s mind and make learning enjoyable, including Kano, whose DIY computer kits have been upgraded to full-fledged PCs running Windows.

Back in 2014, Kano’s first DIY computer kit, a Kickstarter-launched £150 Raspberry Pi-powered system running Linux and a custom front end, helped introduce kids to the basics of how a computer was assembled, and what one could do with it through a collection of easy access programming apps and games. It could also run Minecraft, an easy way to drum up interest in computers among the younger set, but not much else.

A few years later, Kano introduced a £280 Computer Kit Touch, an all-in-one touchscreen system that introduced additional hardware concepts like how the touch sensing screens on smartphones and tablets worked. It was also powered by a custom Raspberry Pi unit, but introduced a rechargeable battery so it was portable like a laptop. As with the original version, assembly didn’t require soldering irons, or having to learn the artful skill of applying thermal paste to a processor. It instead provided a basic knowledge of the various components inside a computer, and how they all work together.

Kano’s latest DIY creation is called the Kano PC, and it’s effectively exactly that. Instead of a Raspberry Pi, it’s powered by a 1.44 GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8350 quad-core processor with 4GB of DDR3L RAM and 64GB of storage which can be further expanded with a microSD card. It’s got dual band wifi, Bluetooth, a pair of USB ports, and a headphone jack (yay!).

Its 11.6-inch touchscreen can be supplemented with an external monitor using the Kano PC’s HDMI port, and its detachable keyboard almost makes this seem like the most affordable Surface touchscreen laptop on the market, because Kano has officially partnered for Microsoft with this one. So instead of running Linux with a custom front-end, it actually runs Windows 10 S, which is the lite version of the OS designed for systems like this that don’t have a lot of processing horsepower to spare.

The kit still includes Kano’s STEAM-focused apps which help introduce kids to advanced concepts like coding using accessible games and fun activities, but it also comes with a 3D painting app that can produce 3D models compatible with a 3D, and Microsoft Teams, because it’s never too early to introduce your kids to the joys of corporate life. Microsoft is even including a copy of Minecraft: Education Edition, but the Kano PC will also have access to the Windows app store. Which means, yes, it can run Office as well. Who knows, maybe your kid will fall in love with PowerPoint?

The Kano PC will be available in October, and despite the hefty upgrades over the previous £280 touchscreen kit, this version will cost just £20 more at £300 ($375). It’s not quite a super cheap alternative to a Surface laptop or tablet, however. The easy to assemble DIY components mean the Kano PC ends up a little bulky given its specs, but it’s a great first computer for kids that will potentially still be useful for homework once they hit school.

Featured image: Kano

cross posted at Gizmodo.co.uk

Workbench

Find and assign STEAM tasks with dynamic project-based learning hub

Pros: Lessons that are ready to use and easy to assign provide opportunities for teachers to differentiate and for students to think critically.

Cons: Many lessons require investment in a variety of partner technologies, and feedback capability is limited.

Bottom Line: Dynamic resource for finding, creating, and rating lessons that support STEAM and PBL.

Read more.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed byCommon Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

Since the Apollo 11 Moon landing 50 years ago, generations of school children have seen how the real-world application of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) can lead to awe-inspiring achievements. Boxlight Corporation (BOXL), the Aldrin Family Foundation (AFF) and ShareSpace Education (SSE) today announced that they are partnering to provide K-12 schools with new educational tools for STEAM learning. 

As part of this partnership, Boxlight will integrate SSE’s Giant Moon Map™ and Giant Mars Map™ programs into the Mimio MyBot educational robotics system. Boxlight and SSE will join forces during the 2019-20 school year to offer the solution to K-12 districts and schools across the United States, with a focus on reaching under-served urban communities.

The Mimio MyBot system helps students develop core skills in programming, engineering and robotics. It includes the Wi-Fi enabled Fusion™ robotic controller, an interface, educational content, and building components. In addition, the system will include SSE’s Giant Mars Map and Giant Moon Map. The interactive space map programs feature lessons and activities to help children develop an understanding of real-world, STEAM-based concepts while promoting communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills.

For more information, visit:

• boxlight.com/sharespace
• https://aldrinfoundation.org/
• https://sharespace.org/

LEGO® Education announces a new cohort of U.S. LEGO Education Master Educators, a community of early learning through high school educators who use LEGO Education hands-on learning solutions in their classrooms. With the new cohort, the U.S. program now includes more than 200 members, representing local school districts from 39 states, who embody the LEGO Education mission of enabling success for all students through hands-on learning.

“As educators, we teach our students about the value of collaboration and teamwork. Those skills are just as valuable to us, and the community created within the LEGO Education Master Program shows how working together can mean better outcomes for all of our students,” said 2018 LEGO Education Master Educator and teacher Rebecca McKeithen. “I’m constantly learning new things from my peers that I would miss out on without a program like this. As a Master Educator, I benefit from the professional development and ultimately my students do too.”

The LEGO Education Master Educator Program connects like-minded educators to share knowledge and ideas for student success through hands-on learning in classrooms. Participants also provide valuable feedback on solutions and programs to LEGO Education. Applications to join this year’s LEGO Education Master Educator Program U.S. cohort are still open and interested educators are invited to apply. Program eligibility will be added for additional countries later this year.

To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit: LEGOeducation.com/MasterEducators.

Here's a surprise: middle schoolers aren't very confident in the education system. That's according to Lego Education, anyway, which has announced the Spike Prime kit to help encourage middle schoolers to care about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).

Spike Prime combines the instantly recognizable Lego bricks with a programmable multi-port hub, sensors, motors and a Spike app based on the Scratch programming language. The company said that it will create lessons "aligned to certain standards," many of which are supposed to take less than 45 minutes to complete, (which seems to be around the length of a class period).

Lego Education tapped the Harris Poll company to conduct a "Confidence in Learning Poll" meant to help it "understand the role confidence plays in STEAM learning." The Harris Poll studied 5,002 students, 5,001 parents and 1,152 teachers in five countries. It found that only 17 percent of students were "very confident" studying STEAM subjects, while many (47 percent) also "avoid subjects [they] have failed before."

“The Confidence Poll data shows that most students say if they failed at something once, they don’t want to try again," Lego Education president Esben Stærk Jørgensen said in the company's announcement. "With Spike Prime and the lessons featured in the Spike app, these children will be inspired to experiment with different solutions, try new things and ultimately become more confident learners. And for teachers, time is the ultimate barrier. The lesson plans, resources and models make it so easy for teachers to integrate Spike Prime into the classroom.”

Lego Education developed a new type of brick, the integrator brick, to allow Spike Prime to incorporate both the Lego Technic (Lego automobile line) and Lego system platforms. The integrator brick is said to be one of 11 new elements (pieces) of the Lego System in Play, which is the foundational aspect of Lego that allows it to make a reported 19 billion elements every year, each of which is compatible with all of the pieces released before it.

Those characteristics should make Lego a natural fit for hands-on projects. They're intuitive to use and flexible enough to let someone explore their imagination. Yet, they're restrictive enough that there are natural limits to their use. (As anyone who's tried to build a tower of Lego bricks inevitably discovered when they A) ran out of bricks or B) realized that even bright bits of multicolored plastic need something called "structural integrity.")

Spike Prime is available for pre-order in the U.S. now for $330. Lego Education said it plans to release the product in all markets by August 2019, but it's not clear if that will be a staggered rollout or if it plans to launch in non-U.S. markets at the same time.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other Lego products to explore, as well as an entire world of STEM toys (missing the "Arts" from STEAM) just waiting to be discovered.

Ozobot announces Ozobot Classroom, a patent-pending, STEAM learning management system that helps teachers manage lessons and student engagement. The new platform, launching this fall, introduces coding skills to students and creates opportunity for collaboration in the classroom.

Once a teacher has signed up for Ozobot Classroom, he or she will learn how to code through Bot Camp. In this training program, educators have access to a variety of tools and resources to guide their students through lessons. 

Ozobot Classroom allows teachers to track screen-free coding activities in real time.  Once students have started interacting with their robots, the platform will then provide lesson recommendations and build a curriculum based on the individualized student data.

To learn more or sign up for a training demo, visit https://ozobot.com/stem-education/classroom

littleBits has announced littleBits Classroom, an online collection of STEAM and coding lessons and resources. The platform allows teachers to  source lesson plans and activities aligned to state and national standards.

Educators have access to 250 searchable lessons and 5,000 inventions to promote  students' exploration of STEAM using littleBits assortment of modular snap-together Bits. Students can create hands-on projects with coding applications using logic and functions, bring a favorite story book to life, explore geometry and algebraic thinking, or study sound frequencies.

littleBits also announces BitStar Expert Educators, inviting applications for a team of educators who will take lessons a step further by sharing their approach with peers and engaging with littleBits at a variety of events.

KinderLab Robotics today announced that KIBO‘s newest product, the Advanced Coding Extension Set, and an accompanying curriculum guide, Ask and Imagine, are now shipping. The Advanced Coding Extension Set supports children who are experienced with KIBO's core concepts and offers them the next step along their computer science pathways. The Advanced Coding Extension Set creates a bridge between KIBO's core pre-K to 2nd-grade curriculum and the computer science and engineering work students will do in upper elementary and beyond. Children can explore advanced computer science concepts such as subroutines, randomness, and conditionals, while staying rooted in KIBO’s familiar screen-free, hands-on coding environment.

KIBO™ is a robot kit designed for children ages 4–7 years old. KIBO is entirely screen-free, as children program their robots with “tangible code” made of wooden programming blocks. Through these physical materials, children engage with a range of powerful ideas found in STEAM, computer science, and design thinking, all while integrating directly with literacy and art curricula.

The new Advanced Coding Extension Set unlocks three new programming options:

Subroutines: A subroutine is like a miniature program within a program. With KIBO’s subroutines, children create their own programming block by defining a sequence of commands then assigning that sequence to a subroutine block. To personalize their creation, children can even use an included erasable marker to draw their own icon right onto the programming block sticker. The set includes multiple blocks to call the subroutines, allowing students to dive into the powerful ideas of modularity and reusability.

Random Parameter: This new card makes KIBO’s repeat loop run a random number of times. Kids can teach KIBO to play “Duck, Duck, Goose”—spin KIBO a random number of times, and who knows who will be “it”?

If Not: Children can already design programs that respond to light, sound, and distance using KIBO’s conditional programming. The new “If Not” block lets children tell KIBO to do one thing if a sensor is triggered, and something else if it’s not. This foundational concept in computer science expands the expressive possibilities for KIBO while deepening students’ understanding of conditional programming.

 XYZprinting will invest over $1,000,000 into the XYZprinting STEAM 3D Education Program, which will will put over 300 3D printers into the classroom within the continental US. 

The Stockbridge InvenTeam, from Stockbridge High School, Michigan, which has over 10 XYZprinting 3D printers, is just one example of a school that's using 3D printing to create problem-solvers of the future. “The team aims to inspire, engage, and educate the endless possibilities with 3D printing while leaving a positive impact in the world.” said Bob Richards, Technology Teacher who leads the Stockbridge InvenTeam. One of the team’s latest projects is The Ezra Project. Inspired by a previous 3D printed prosthetic hands project, Chelsey Asquith, a freshman, decided to make a 3D printed fishing pole adaptor for Ezra, a 7-year-old boy who has little use of his hands due to a stroke he suffered from a young age. The prototyping process took the team numerous trials and errors, but with the right mindset for success, the team eventually created a 3D printed fishing pole adaptor that fits on Ezra’s hands. 

Schools that are selected into the STEAM 3D Education Program will be receiving one XYZprinting 3D printer, the da Vinci Jr 1.0 (valued at $199.95) and a FREE one-year Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) NGSS-based curriculum for teachers to utilize in the classroom. The program is divided into 3 categories and schools will be selected based on grade levels:

• 80 schools within Grades K-5
• 100 schools within Grades 6-8
• 120 schools within Grades 9-12

Applications for selections in the program will be accepted until September 5, 2019. 

Schools interested in the program may complete the application from here. For more information, visit the XYZprinting STEAM 3D Education Program website.

Visit booth #1959 at ISTE 2019, Pennsylvania Convention Center, to find out more about STEAM 3D Education Program as well as our newest da Vinci Color mini, the 2nd generation FFF full-color 3D printer that uses new inkjet technology to print 3D objects in millions of color combination. Read about the da Vinci Color mini. 

Color Uncovered

Engaging ebook combines art with science in playful ways 

Pros: Cool optical illusions and surprising facts.

Cons: Could use links to web resources or other experiments on their site.

Bottom Line: Color Uncovered is a great way to enhance an art curriculum or to bring a more playful and artistic side to science. 

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

According to a new study, “STEM/STEAMFormula for Success,” released today by The Toy Association, great STEM/STEAM toys encourage open-ended play and trial-and-error exploration, teach problem-solving, and allow children to lead the play experience, among other attributes.

The report provides:

• 14 unifying characteristics of STEM/STEAM toys, based on in-depth interviews with toy experts;
• Insights from a survey of 2,000 parents who shared their perspectives on STEM/STEAM careers and toys as they relate to their children;
• Examples of enriching STEM/STEAM toys garnered from input from more than 100 Toy Association member companies; and
• A worksheet that can be used as a framework when evaluating toys and games.  

“STEM/STEAM Formula for Success” complements The Toy Association’s previous report, “Decoding STEM/STEAM,“ completed in 2018. The first study shed light on the meaning of and history of STEM/STEAM education, highlighted challenges, stigmas, and myths related to STEM/STEAM learning, and defined the role of toys in STEAM/STEAM education.

The full reports are available at ToyAssociation.org/ReadingRoom. 

In the Innovation Lab, my makerspace for 4th and 5th graders, I see students once a week for the entire school year. To help students focus on the process of creation and iteration, I changed the way I assess their work. 

First, I assess students on their use of our design process rather than being graded on final products. I also got rid of due dates. Students can work on their products until they think they are done. The downside to this process is that students take longer to finish projects. To help motivate students to work through our design process but still finish their projects in a timely fashion, I use the following tricks: 

Have a Mantra: “Done is better than perfect” is the mantra of the Innovation Lab. I say it all the time. Now my kids say it, too. It is our way of saying that what we do in the Innovation Lab is a process. We hurry up to get our products done so we can start our design process over again and make our products even better. By embracing the “done is better than perfect” mentality, I’m giving students permission to iterate. I am letting them know their first effort is not the only effort they’ll be graded on because they can repeat our design process over and over again until they are happy with the results. By removing the stigma of perfection, my students are inspired to create again and again.

Collect Digital Evidence: I require students to capture digital evidence like pictures and videos as they work in the Innovation Lab. Collecting digital evidence as they work through each stage of our design process helps students to think and reflect on what they were doing, how they were doing it, and how far they’ve come. Digital evidence helps students stay present and focused as they work through a design.

Use Checkpoints: There’s a recording studio in the Innovation Lab. As you can imagine, it is a popular destination for many students. To keep things orderly, and to help students move forward in a design, students must complete certain checkpoints before they can use the recording studio. Whether making a podcast or a video, students can’t enter the recording studio without having a script or storyboard. When creating music, students must have arranged it before they are allowed to record. Just like a more traditional class uses scaffolding to break learning objectives into more manageable chunks, instituting a checkpoint system as a means to guide students through their design process in a makerspace is a great way to keep students moving forward toward a final product while keeping focus on the process.

Push Work to a Larger Audience: Pushing student work to a larger audience can be motivating. Students often will never work harder than if they know the whole world might see their creations. This is one way that social media can be a game changer in the classroom. I use social media in the Lab to capture the great things students are making. Students are excited to see their efforts pop-up on the class Instagram feed. Students love to know how many views they have, and often start to speak directly to their “fans” by dictating what I write in the captions. Pushing student work to a larger audience through social media can be a big motivator for students. 

By changing the way you assess student work, you can motivate even reluctant learners to succeed. 

Chris Aviles is a teacher at Knollwood middle school in the Fair Haven school district in Fair Haven, New Jersey. There he runs the Fair Haven Innovates program he created in 2015. Read more with Chris’s work on his blog TechedUpTeacher.com. 

Click here to read the first post in this blog series.

Today at the FIRST® Championship,  LEGO® Education and FIRST unveiled two new, exclusive LEGO sets created specifically for the  2019-2020 FIRST®  LEGO® League Jr. and FIRST® LEGO® League season. LEGO Education also announced today that its newly released LEGO Education SPIKE™ Prime with the new SPIKE™ Prime Competition Expansion Set can be used along with LEGO®MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 in FIRST LEGO League. LEGO Education SPIKE Prime and the SPIKE Prime Expansion Set can be pre-ordered todayin the U.S. and will be available around the world in August 2019.

The new sets for the 2019-2020 FIRST LEGO League season are based on the theme of architecture and are titled BOOMTOWN BUILD℠” and CITY SHAPER℠. The 2019-2020 FIRST LEGO League Jr. BOOMTOWN BUILD Inspire set will reach more than 130,000 children, ages 6 to 10* from 41 countries and the 2019-2020 FIRST LEGO League CITY SHAPER Challenge set, which includes a new competition mat, will reach more than 320,000 children, ages 9 to 16*, from nearly 90 countries. Students are tasked with completing a challenge designed in partnership with architects and engineers and use a variety of LEGO Education products, including LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 and the newly announced LEGO Education SPIKE Prime and SPIKE Prime Expansion set.

One of the best things about teaching very young learners is that they are super excited to learn! They also love technology, but we must ensure that children learn early on balance and digital safety. When a child begins to use technology, especially technology connected to the Internet, they must also learn how to protect themselves and learn wellness. For the past 20 years, I have used technology to teach children all over the world! Currently, I am the Computer and Technology Teacher for over 450 elementary students at a STEM Charter School. I also have an energetic and enthusiastic 2 year-old daughter who loves technology, but enjoys playing and exploring more. Below I am sharing my tips and resources that I feel are especially enjoyable and safe for young learners (toddlers to 6th grade). For a quick view of my top tips download my slide presentation free, Teaching the “T” in STEM! Using Technology with Young Learners. All resources mentioned have a free version or trial for educators and many are registration and ad free so that students don’t have to give their private information. Remember to ask parent permission and have a Digital Use Policy signed by parents and students when integrating technology. 

Top Tools and Apps

• Buncee to create digital stories, digital posters, and more! COPPA Compliant! Students enter codes given by the teacher. Find over 20 activities and examples here.
  My Story Book is an easy to use web tool for students to create digital story books,  no registration required and ad free.
• Make Beliefs Comix is a website and app to create comics, no registration required.
  TinyTap is a wonderful iOS app for even preschool children to create their own games and quizzes.  You can click the website to play vocabulary games designed by others.
• ZimmerTwins is a fun way to animate a movie, no registration required.
• ABCYA animator to create a movie or gif, no registration required.
• Sketch.io is to create a digital poster with gifs and paint tools, no registration required.
• Voki is a website for creating talking avatars. The free version only provides limited options.
• Bubbl.us is a website for creating colorful concept maps, no registration required.
• Class Dojo and Seesaw are my favorite web tools and apps for communicating with parents and creating student digital portfolios.
• Read, Write, Think has several interactives for children of various ages to learn to read and write.
• Brain Pop has awesome videos, learning games, and other resources.
• National Geographic for Kids is a great website to research countries and animals.
• Common Sense has a digital citizenship curriculum for K-2 and 3rd-5th with videos, printables, and engaging activities.
• GSUITE Edu tools and apps offer children and teachers so many awesome ways to create, design, and learn!
• Edublogs is a safe way for students to create blogs. 

STEAM Tools and Apps

•  Find typing tips for children in this post I wrote for ESL Library which includes awesome websites, such as Typetastic, Keyboard Climber 1 and Keyboard Climber 2, Dance Mat Typing, Typing Town, and Mouse Practice.
• Teaching coding? 1st to 5th graders at my school enjoy Kodable, Tynker, and Lightbot. Upper elementary and older enjoy Code.org and Made With Code. Find more coding apps and web tools for any age group here!
• 3D printing with elementary students? TinkerCad has 5 minute super easy tutorials and designs children can easily edit to design rings, figurines, name tags, and more!
• The Draw and Tell iOS app is a wonderful design and blueprint tool. Children draw on different paper, including graph paper and add stickers. Students also get to record themselves. Discover more ideas in the Teach Outside the Box blog.
• Conduct safe web searches with Duckster, Kiddle, Fact Monster, and KidzSearch.
• Art For Kids Hub is a website where students learn art and how to draw from listening to instructions from a video. My students love the videos. I love that the artist reinforces literacy and math. His instructions include steps like draw an oval or a backwards letter U.
• Quiver Vision combines coloring and augmented reality. I use this for children to see vocabulary come to life. 

Literacy Websites

• I highly recommend Wordsmyth’s Children’s Dictionary and Picture Dictionary!
• Alphabetimals is a website and app (iOS, Android) to learn the alphabet in fun ways.
• Starfall​ has interactive stories and games.
• Learn English Kids is full of interactive games, songs, stories, and videos.
• Storyline Online is a website with videos of celebrities reading children’s books.
• My students love John Spencer’s Video Writing Prompts!
• Novel Effect is an iOS app that uses voice recognition technology to add sound effects, character voices, and music while you read aloud popular books. 

Slide Presentations

• Using Games to Teach Young Learners
• Classroom Management Tips for Young Learners and Adolescents
• Engaging Parents with Technology
• Ways to Visualize Vocabulary
• I’m Invincible! Superhero Activities for Young Learners
• Monstrous Learning! Monster Themed Websites and Apps
• Classroom Games for Young Learners
• Using Cell Phones with YLs: 10+ tips 
• Once Upon a Time! Fairy Tale Resources and Ideas
• Chants & Rhyming Games
• Cooking Up Some Good CLIL
• Fun with Flashcards
• Kids Sharing Stories: Mobile Learning
• Making Reading Fun for YLs
• Visualizing Vocabulary
• Digital Storytelling 

Other Posts and Resources

• Check out these young language learner and technology articles I wrote for Sprout English for several apps, web tools, and lesson ideas.
• Find more resources in Adam Welcome’s post, The 19 Best Teacher Websites That Help You Be Awesome for Kids
• Engaging Parents with Technology
• Survival Tips for Teaching Kids English: 30 Tips & Resources
• Several Young Learners Posts from Various Teachers!
• Let’s Play! 20+ Sites for YLs
• Engaging Learners through Digital Storytelling: 40+ Resources & Tips
• 10+ Getting to Know You Activities for Kids
• Mobile Learning E-Book: 50+ Effective Tips & Resources
• Magical Moments in Mobile Learning: 20+ Tips & Resources
• 20+ Fun Free Apps that Promote Student Centered Learning & Literacy
• 10+ Ideas for Using Cell Phones with Young Learners
• 30+ Apps for Creativity & Learning
• Mobile Motivation: 17 Digital Storytelling & Literacy Apps/Resources for Kids
• Getting Children Involved with Edtech 

Challenge: Try any of these resources to engage your young learners with technology!  

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

April is National Poetry Month, but it also brings Earth Day and to celebrate we make sure our students understand the concept of an Eco footprint through the use of Digital Footprint activities.

Do your students know their Digital Footprint?

Earth Day, Monday, April 22, 2019, is the perfect day for students to discover what their footprint shows.  Choose Your Digital Footprint Adventure: Select a scenario, Make choices along the way and then Read how your choices affect your digital footprint and your career.

Digital Baseball Cards

Yep. 2019 is the 150th anniversary of professional baseball and opening day was March 28th.  The earliest it has ever been! Baseball trading cards were first printed in the late 1860s.  Today, there is also a category called non-sports trading cards.  The ReadWriteThink Trading Card interactive tool gives students an alternative way to demonstrate their knowledge and skill when writing about anything.  It even gives a place for sources. Students can create trading cards about Artists, Coders, Scientists, Writers or their favorite Superhero.  

81st International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Annual Conference

While at the conference, we saw some really cool things including some activities from NASA, college robot competitions and a mobile zSpace AR/VR learning experience, which was a bus full of computers using 3D technology to create experiences with everything to demonstrate virtual and augmented reality.  We dissected a brain, did some virtual welding and left with lots of great ideas and advice for creating STEM/STEAM programs. All information about the conference is posted on the ITEEA website. As part of the STEM Showcase we exchanged information with people from all over the United States and the world such as Hangzou, China; Hong Kong, Hong Kong; and Taiwan.

cross posted at collaborationsdigitalandotherwise.weebly.com

Deborah Marshall is the Department Chair of Career & Technical Education and Lisa McKnight Ward is the librarian at Granby High School in Norfolk,   Virginia. Both are Nationally Board Certified, former Teachers of the Year, who have taught multiple subjects including AP and IB courses. They   have over a decade of experience collaborating on technology-based learning. Read more at collaborationsdigitalandotherwise.weebly.com/

Today, LEGO® Education announced LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime, the newest product in the LEGO Education hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) learning portfolio. SPIKE Prime brings together LEGO bricks, a programmable, multi-port Hub, sensors and motors, powered by the SPIKE app based on the Scratch coding language. The SPIKE app includes lessons aligned to certain standards and many being able to be completed within a 45-minute class.

Each SPIKE Prime set has 523 pieces which can be used to build many different creations including corresponding STEAM lesson plans that were created by and for educators.

LEGO Education is providing a Confidence in Learning toolkit and workshops to schools around the world with its continuum of hands-on learning products, including SPIKE Prime. LEGO Education learning experts will help teachers incorporate hands-on STEAM learning into the classroom to engage all students and promote building their confidence in learning.

LEGO Education and the LEGO Group have also created 11 new elements for the LEGO System in Play, which will be first seen with SPIKE Prime. These new elements include an integrator brick, which allows for building together with both the LEGO Technic and the LEGO system platforms.

The new product will be ready for purchase in all markets in August 2019. Learn more at https://education.lego.com/en-us.

 “The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.”  

 Valentine’s Day is around the corner! This holiday is a great time for students to be creative and share how much they appreciate and care for others. You can also get students to think and problem solve with the fabulous STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) activities and resources below. All are free! You can also download the slides from my webinar, Valentine’s Day Activities Students of All Ages Will Love! (Download as a pdf). 

Valentine’s Day Activities Students Will Love from Shelly Sanchez Terrell

• Get students learning about their hearts! The Science Museum of Minnesota has an awesome website with interactive ways for students to learn about their hearts. Students see the heart labeled, can move a stethoscope around to find the heartbeat, can see videos and other interactives. 
• Complete Heart is an incredible free app for your iPad. Students can see a 3D version of a heart, trace an artery to its origin, travel throughout the layers of a heart, and use augmented reality to view the heart to scale on a table.
• Find free heart lesson plans and printables by the Texas Heart Institute for K to 6th here.
  Students can create their own pixel art using Google Spreadsheets and send to friends and family. Find an easy free template to use with students on Alice Keeler’s blog. I’ve tweaked the lesson for my elementary students who are learning about spreadsheets. Students 1st create their own pixel art using the template then must write down the cell addresses they used and the numbers they clicked for a peer to follow to reveal the pixel art.
• Here is an awesome free printable for elementary students to learn about math and color in the numbers to reveal a mystery picture (a heart owl). This heart owl is great since it appeals to both genders. My elementary students, 1st to 4th, really enjoyed this activity!
• My students love Tynker! Tynker helps your students learn about coding, algorithms, problem solving, and game design for free with no registration required. Check out these 3 Valentine’s Day activities:
       Students can use Tynker to code a personalized Valentine. No registration is
       required, but this is an intermediate level coding activity.
       Check out this awesome coding activity and game where students help a monster
       reach another to send a Valentine’s Day message.
       Students can also begin learning about block coding by helping a monster collect
       candy. This is a great starter coding activity and teachers don’t need to know about
       coding to do it. Students click on Candy Quest to get started.
• If you can get access to a 3D printer then students can quickly and easily learn how to design 3D charms, rings, ring pops, boxes for messages, and more using Tinkercad. Students register free and take the short tutorials and lessons to begin. Each lesson takes 5 minutes or less and teaches design, math, scaling, and more! Afterwards, students tweak a 3D template to quickly design a 3D printed object. You could complete a lesson in an hour or less if you have access to computers, but remember the objects may take an hour or more to print depending on how big they are and the design. Do this early and print on another day while working on something else!
• Students can send free digital greetings to their loved ones, peers, another class, nursing homes, cancer wards, orphanages, the fire department, or the military with Buncee, Chatterpix Kids app, Ink Cards, Canva, Magisto, Pic-Collage, 123Greetings, or Red Stamp. First, allow them to create their messages or poems on paper and have their peers edit for grammar errors. Students can add drawings or photos to many of these web tools and apps.
• Get your students to send their digital greetings to students worldwide by joining the Virtual Valentines global project. Your students can just send their Valentines or also Skype with the other class.
• Candy and sweets are especially popular during Valentine’s Day, which makes it a perfect time to learn math and science by making candy. Find several recipes that I’ve bookmarked here.
• I’ve created this free writing activity for students in which they work in pairs to create a recipe for a love potion. After the pairs write down the ingredients, they can learn math and science with these recipes for making a fizzy potion they can drink.
• Add fun science learning to Valentine’s Day greetings by getting students to write their messages in invisible ink.
• Students can create love poems with the free digital Love Magnetic Poetry Kit.
• Students can learn about concrete poetry here (shape poetry) and create their own heart shaped poem using the Neoformix Word Hearts generator.
• Use Tagxedo to create Valentine’s Day inspired word clouds with adjectives to describe their loved ones. Tagxedo lets you create word clouds in the shape of hearts or with the profile of the person.
• Very young learners will enjoy learning words, spelling, and phonics by creating digital greetings on Starfall to send to fun characters. My young students love the Math Journey Valentine’s game which is free and requires no registration. 

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Catapult X, founder of STEMREPORTS.COM, along with MCH Strategic Data, set out to determine where product and market opportunities are in STEAM education through the latest national survey, “National Survey on STEAM Education: Emerging Technology Edition.”

The media version of this report is available for free download at www.stemreports.com while a business and industry edition of the report is available for purchase from Catapult X.

The report highlights findings from almost 3,000 educators and administrators who answered questions about their projected needs for science and STEM education. Educators were able to draw on their knowledge of content, standards, and pedagogy to report which emerging technologies have the most promise and opportunity for them.

Notably, the majority of respondents (61%) noted that STEAM in elementary classrooms is growing – they are either currently implementing or plan to grow its implementation during the next school year.

Another key finding was that a majority of science and STEM educators (74.9%) reported they collaborate with business or industry partners. Most had guest speakers present on science and STEAM careers in their schools, and many work on grants, donations, and sponsorships based on their collaborations with their business or industry partners.

When asked about future innovations, respondents named virtual reality/augmented reality (28%), coding (23%), and biotechnology (16%) as areas where they saw the most promise for student instruction. The following best represents educators’ current implementation of STEAM in the core curriculum: computer science courses (75.9%), project-based learning (75.2%), intro to technology (72.3%), robotics (70.7%), and career and technical education (69.4%).

Skriware educational startup will be showcasing its learn-through-play ecosystem for students at Bett Show 2019, booth no. B56. 

Their hands-on learning experience for students uses technologies such as 3D-printed, programmable robots to teach coding engineering and design. The solution also includes 3D printers and online learning platform. 

Skriware Academy, the online STEAM platform uses teaching methods that have been developed in cooperation with experts in the field of education. The startup worked with the faculties from Dartmouth College, Astro Center at Texas A&M University and Harvard Graduate School of Education to create its courses. It has also recently partnered up with Microsoft as a Global Education Partner to tackle challenges in education.

As Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. became CEO of IBM in April,1993 he faced an existential decision: break up the company or keep it whole. Before deciding, Mr. Gerstner asked employees and customers for advice. The overture, however, was prefaced with this caveat: “no credit will be given for predicting the rain, only for building arks.” Mr. Gerstner wanted solutions. Not blame.

Juxtapose 11.2 million unemployed/underemployed and 10.2 million disenfranchised youths in the U.S. workforce against 7 million “open” jobs and a three-pronged workforce forecast becomes clear: more “rain” is expected, more “arks” are needed and the rapid adoption of new technology means “it is not clear where humans will fit in” warns Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. 

Dr. Klaus Schwab, co-founder of the World Economic Forum, knows precisely where humans fit in. “Talentism is the new capitalism”, he says. For a proof point on the relevancy of Dr. Schwab’s theory, ask Amazon executives how important talent availability was in the firm’s recent search for a second headquarters.

Most companies ignore Dr. Schwab’s advice. Jake Schwartz, CEO at General Assembly, offers two reasons why: “a surprising lack of visibility and long-term planning around skill/talent needs and recruitment strategies that look for new skills in conventional places.”  Jon Reed, co-founder of Diginomica, a digital strategy firm, adds “the real problem is a lack of imagination in skills development, retraining and sourcing”.

Since 2007, I have focused on talent and reskilling issues, including writing a book about the topic entitled The U.S. Technology Skills Gap. While more work must be done, including the creation of a long-term national education strategy grounded to career success rather than test scores, I am impressed with the armada of “arks” being imaginatively built by companies large and small. 

Since 2001, the Ford Motor Company’s Next Generation Learning initiative has created 541 academies in 307 high schools that have changed the lives of nearly 20,000 young people preparing them for college, careers, lifelong learning and leadership by honing their “STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) skills. 

Have you heard of “new collar” jobs which require more than a high school degree, but not necessarily a college degree? In 2011, IBM partnered with the New York City Department of Education to create a grade 9-14 “school within a high school” called “Pathways in Technology Early College High School.” After six years, and often sooner, “P-TECH” students earn associate degrees in applied science, engineering and computer science at 100 schools around the world. 

LinkedIn claims most tech jobs are located on the coasts. That creates a talent problem for millions of firms located in “fly over” regions of America. Employers in Kansas City, Missouri met that challenge by forming a regional talent co-op (www.kcrising.com) that recruits job candidates to the area by first promoting it as a great place to work and live. Once attracted to the region, candidates and co-op members compete aggressively for the best jobs.

A reskilling handbook for every CES 2019 attendee is a report from The Business Roundtable entitled, “Work in Progress, How CEOs Are Helping to Close America’s Skills Gap. It recaps what 61 companies are doing to solve the skills enigma.

Paraphrasing a witticism from 20th century commentator Will Rogers, “Technology don’t mean nuthin, it’s people that count.” Firms that embrace the reskilling of human talent will thrive and prosper in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Those that don’t will become irrelevant to their employees — and their customers. 

The holidays are a combination of stress and joy. Stress in making sure all the lights work around my Griswoldian-like household to the joy of seeing my kids’ faces on Christmas morning. Being a tech guy, I also get an added layer of stress in that many friends and family ask me for advice on buying whatever tech gadget of the month is out there. Since it’s hard to keep up with everything, I decided to phone some friends (actually text them I should say) to crowdsource some holiday techno-gadget ideas. 

Here are the top 5 suggestions (not all are for kids): 

1. Bloxels Build Your Own Video Game - ($40 for kids) - This kit allows you to physically build your video game world and then make it come to life on the accompanying app.

2. Sphero Bolt - ($149 for kids) - The latest edition of Sphero comes with a fully programmable 8X8 LED matrix and audio components. Program it using Scratch!

3. Chibitronics - ($30 for kids) - The Chibitronics kit is the perfect blend of art and engineering. Draw and design, then light up with circuits!

4. Ring Door Bell camera - ($100 for adults) - Either the Ring or Nest options are good. One word of advice, get the extra solar power mount unless you don’t mind changing batteries every couple of months

5. Nebula Capsule Smart Mini-projector - ($300 for family) - I absolutely love my Nebula Capsule. It’s got a built-in OS, HDMI connector, and Airplay capability. All this with a great image and sound that lasts for 2.5 hours on a single charge.

Happy shopping!

Carl Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration since becoming an educator. As Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Eanes ISD, he has helped spearhead the LEAP program, which put one-to-one iPads in the hands of all K-12 students in his 8000-student district. He is also the founder of “iPadpalooza”- a three-day “learning festival” held in Austin annually. He's also the author of the six-book series titled Mobile Learning Mindset, a guide for teachers, administrators, parents and others to support and embrace mobile learning in our schools. Read more at Hooked on Innovation. 

When we talk about collaboration in schools, we often default to thinking about collaboration within an individual classroom, but schools are made up of many classrooms and libraries and lunchrooms—and even non-spaces, like the technological infrastructure and the communication tools we use to address students, teachers, and parents. At Humble Independent School District, when it came time to build a new middle school, we took the opportunity to put this broader understanding of collaboration into practice.

Our new school, West Lake Middle School, is a STEAM-focused school with an emphasis on project-based learning. The first thing that means is that we are not, as a school, afraid of technology. All of our teachers have laptops to enable them to move around the room with their computers as they teach and facilitate learning. We’re working on raising funds to launch a 1:1 computing initiative, but in the meantime, we are at about one device for every four students. We also allow students to bring their own devices.

Designing Spaces for STEAM

As a STEAM school, part of our goal is working to develop students who are excited about technology and using it in creative and imaginative ways. That’s easy enough to say, but designing a school that enables it is both an opportunity and a challenge.

The first step in unleashing student creativity is providing the right environment. In the past, schools have tried to force learners to conform to the design of the classroom. That seemed backwards to us, and so we took flexible design as our first guiding principle in creating a school that would conform to our learners.

Inside the classroom, we use furniture provided by Hon and Mien via School Specialty, who took care of ordering, check-in and assembly of everything. Students can choose to sit on exercise balls or tall café-style chairs. Our movable desks can easily be arranged together in multiple configurations for group work or used separately for individual study.

In keeping with our belief that collaboration should not end at the edge of the classroom, we also included collapsible walls for the option to extend some classes and glass walls to eliminate the barriers where others ended, along with an open-air environment for Socratic seminars on the first floor. On the second floor, we included another open-air environment for conducting science experiments and other learning activities that require more space and freedom. The third floor also includes an open-air learning environment for activities such as an egg drop to study physics concepts like velocity.

Connecting Students, Teachers, and Classrooms

In keeping with our vision of flexible design and extending collaboration beyond the classroom, we wanted an AV tool that would operate across spaces without wires, and that worked with any device our teachers and students happened to be using

The solution we found, Vivi, quickly became a key piece of our whole-school collaboration model. In addition to allowing students and teachers to wirelessly present from any device they have on hand, it allows us to make announcements to the whole school or select classrooms. We’ve tied it into our public-address tool and it’s even replaced our bell system. Before Halloween, to signal the transition between classes, instead of a bell we played songs like “Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” and the Scooby Doo and Addams Family theme songs.

Finding Risk-Taking Teachers

The last, but certainly not least, piece of a collaborative school environment, is of course the teachers. I was lucky in that our district is growing so fast that I had the pick of the litter when making staffing decisions for our school. In my staffing search, I was able to begin the conversation by explaining the vision and asking what applicants thought of it and how they could contribute to it. There are no right answers to those questions, but they did help to reveal the one characteristic that is vital to developing self-directed and creative learners: a willingness to take risks.

Today we have a school in which the teachers are able to model that willingness, and in which the students are able to do the same for one another, whether it’s by sharing their work on a screen, looking from one classroom to another to see their peers diligently at work, or by watching a classmate run an experiment over and over in one of our open-air learning spaces.

Dr. Ken Hodgkinson is the principal at West Lake Middle School. With more than two decades of school administrative experience, Dr. Hodgkinson has presided over the opening of two new schools. He can be reached at Kenneth.Hodgkinson@humbleisd.net.