Constructionism 2014

Institution

by Sylvia Martinez - Fri, 09/12/2014 - 18:25

Hi all,

I just left Vienna after the very successful Constructionism 2014 conference. There were a few hundred educators and researchers from around the world talking about Constructionism, programming, and making. Up until a few years ago, the conference had been called the Eurologo conference, but they changed it to reflect a wider range of how constructionist ideas could be implemented. It was really amazing to hear how people are using all kinds of programming languages to teach students. There were a lot of Scratch sessions, but also some interesting variations of Logo for special purposes - network analysis, Snap!, 3D logo, and more.

But the biggest applause was for the session from Thailand featuring our own FabLearn Fellow Nalin Tutiyaphuengprasert who delivered a really inspiring session about what is happening in the Thai constructionist community. She was one of 17 members of the Thai delegation, by far the largest cohort there. In fact, the planning committee members were so impressed by their presentation that they unanimously voted to hold the next conference, Constructionism 2016 in Thailand. (it's held every two years)

There is a YouTube channel with some of the plenary sessions (more may still be added) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUldl-JvVdukFpWdImz3NDCA

Highlights:

Constructionism in Thailand and its Transformative Effect on the Lifelong Learning Process

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK6jZBJ7PXU&index=11&list=UUldl-JvVdukFpWdImz3NDCA

This is Our Moment - Gary Stager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpVofXEMAQc&index=12&list=UUldl-JvVdukFpWdImz3NDCA

Give P's a chance: Projects, Peers, Passion, Play - Mitchell Resnick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuDRojVe2o8&index=17&list=UUldl-JvVdukFpWdImz3NDCA

And if you really want something to think about, watch this one ... (plus IF YOU TEACH PHYSICS.... at least watch the first 7 minutes... (but the rest is great too))

Deconstructionism in Education - A Personal Wandering Towards Constructionism - Pavel Boytchev

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpty4v7c8IE&list=UUldl-JvVdukFpWdImz3NDCA&index=5

Category:

Pedagogy and Theory

Making it real - constructionism comes to life

Institution

by Sylvia Martinez - Tue, 06/16/2015 - 23:39

The 2014/2015 FabLearn Fellows are a diverse group of 18 educators and makers. They represent eight states and five countries, and work with a wide range of ages at schools, museums, universities and non-profits. Throughout the course of the year, they will develop curriculum and resources, as well as contribute to current research projects. Their blogs represent their diverse experience and interests in creating better educational oportunities for all.

Category:

Lessons Learned

Tags:

fablearn

makered

blog

curriculum

What does making in the classroom look like?

Institution

by Sylvia Martinez - Tue, 05/12/2015 - 02:53

The 2014/2015 FabLearn Fellows cohort is a diverse group of 18 educators and makers. They represent eight states and five countries, and work with a wide range of ages at schools, museums, universities and non-profits. Throughout the course of the year, they will develop curriculum and resources, as well as contribute to current research projects. Their blogs represent their diverse experience and interests in creating better educational oportunities for all.

Category:

Tags:

Maker research: instruments for efficacy and visual spatial skills

Institution

by Sylvia Martinez - Thu, 04/23/2015 - 21:48

Shaunna Smith, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at Texas State University who I met at the Maker Ed Summit in Arizona last fall. She has been facilitating art + math makercamps for middle school girls with a focus on impacts to their efficacy and visual spatial skills. They use the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R), which can be viewed here (she had to email them directly to request a free copy from the author).

Category:

Research