35 teacher participants enjoyed learning by doing experience with Nerdy Derby Racing in the biggest Education Expo in Bangkok, Thailand. This expo is an annual expo on education that provided workshops and seminars for teachers from all schools throughout Thailand. Darunsikkhalai School for Innovative Learning (DSIL) provided a 3 hours workshop in this event. The workshop aimed to give… Read more »

I recently helped to coordinate a “hackathon” with the Rockefeller University Science Outreach Program in part to address these questions: How can “making” or “STEAM” play out in the Life Sciences classroom? What role can digital design and fabrication tools have in the Life Sciences Classroom? How can physical computing tools and creative coding contribute… Read more »

I have some trouble thinking about the 1970s as far back in history, but the White House History twitter feed gave us this gem last week: Betty Ford’s holiday card from 1975 included a pattern for a home made holiday orniment, the Clothespin Cardinal. So, as a historian and a fan of making, I sewed… Read more »

“…in the real story of the Trojan horse, it wasn’t the horse that was effective, it was the soldiers inside the horse. And the technology is only going to be effective in changing education if you put an army inside it which is determined to make that change once it gets through the barrier.”  … Read more »

Let me let you in on a little secret… that ugly sweater from the Part 1 guide was my sweater from last year.  Yup, that right. I’ve had a year to refine, learn and hack a new sweater.  And I have to say that I’m pretty proud of this little project. And, I want you… Read more »

Ugly sweaters seem to be pretty hip these days. Wal-Mart sells them, Target sells them.  There‘s even a shop in my town where you can “uglify” your very own Christmas sweater.  And yes, we have an ugly sweater contest at our school (that I plan on winning by the way). Last year I made a… Read more »

While I realize the “hot off the presses” is not an accurate metaphor these days, it seems appropriate! The recent FabLearn Fellow blog posts have created a lot of room for discussion around the topics of fabrication, making, and design in museums and classrooms. Please comment and add your voice! A brief overview of recent… Read more »

Every teacher in every classroom contemplating a project plan faces the question of how much guidance, how many constraints, how much help to give students. I have been thinking about this problem in particular for history projects where the content is specific, for example the invention of the telegraph and its effects on American society. … Read more »

Making can be a highly differentiated learning process for students. At times, the adult in the room may feel pulled in 10-20 different directions, if instruction needs to be one-on-one. Rather than viewing the individual learning needs and passions of my students as too daunting of a task to undertake in my curriculum, or an… Read more »

by Keith Ostfeld Last week, I helped fill in on the floor in one of our making spaces – the Inventors Workshop. When I arrived, the staff member I was relieving was helping a girl to build a small, tabletop catapult (our theme for the week was the Turkey-pult in honor of Thanksgiving). But, I… Read more »