Learning to Program with Kodable

Of the six strands in a Technology Skills Curriculum (Online Safety/Digital Citizenship; Programming; Digital Storytelling; Office Tools; Research; Basic Technology Concepts and Operations), the strand of Programming can easily be the most difficult to teach - especially to younger children.  When people learn that my profession involves working with computers, they automatically assume that I have a background in programming.  To their dismay, programming would be the last field that I would choose as a focus.  I once took a computer science course in college and most of the focus was on programming.  Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the course as I found the specifics of programming and coding to be so abstract that I just could not relate to it.

It's so important that when teaching students skills such as computer programming, that it's done in a concrete manner.  They need to learn the content and skills in a way that is engaging as well as relevant to their own lives.  As much as we think that the technology skills are important to learn, we need to remember that the technology is a tool and it's all about the education and skills that students will gain from learning the those skills.

Towards the end of the school year, the first grade students at my school were fortunate to have a visit from Neal Rooney and Gretchen Huebner, the developers of the educational curriculum Kodable.  Kodable is an award winning game that is designed to teach the basics of computer coding to children ages five and up.  Kodable is available in both the iTunes App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices.  It works on any web enabled device.

In addition, Kodable is aligned to the Common Core and has an accompanying curriculum through which students learn the fundamentals of every modern programming language in a fun and inviting way.  This includes but is not limited to the following skills and concepts:

• Sequence/ Order of operations
• Algorithmic operations
• Conditional logic statements
• Problem solving skills 
• Higher level thinking skills 
• Collaboration skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Common Core Standards
• CSTA Standards
• English Computing Targets and Programs of Study

As mentioned above, many of the skills above are more abstract rather than concrete.  Second, some of the skills cannot be taught; rather they must be modeled or learned through experiences that are provided to the children.

With that in mind, Neal and Gretchen first provided the children with activities to help them understand the background of computer programming.  They taught them that computer programmers use combining languages to program computers.  The language of code is made of numbers and is known as Binary Coding.  Although the children were familiar with the word "program," they did not understand what the word meant.  In order to make the learning concrete, engaging, and relevant to the children's lives, the developers selected one of the students to act as a robot which the students in the class would program without the use of technology.  Programming the "robot" was easier said than done.  Not only did the students have to be well versed in their directions, but they also had to apply their knowledge when they programmed the "robot" to move in different directions and angles not necessarily at the same direction where the students were facing.

After the class participated in this activity, it was time for them to apply these skills by doing some programming on their own using the Kodable game.  The objective is for the students to program the furry alien Fuzz to reach the end of each maze.   Aside from being child friendly, the game is engaging, attractive, and very easy to follow.  This is great way to teach students how to follow directions as it must be completed within a specific sequence.  Those students who have difficulty with following directions will have a bit more difficulty with the game.  This is a perfect way to teach them how to read the step by step directions and take their time in order that they will be able to succeed at the game.

We were so fortunate to have the Kodable app developers visit our school.  The students were able to connect with them and learn more about computer programming and why it is important to learn how to do it.  The students love using the Kodable game and I look forward to using it with more students at my school next year.  Grechen and Neal, thanks for visiting us.  You definitely impressed our students and instilled a love of computer science within them!

First Graders Can Conduct Research Too!

When I was in first grade and had computer class, we spent time playing games on our Apple II-E computers;  games such as Space Invaders, Monopoly, and my favorite, Mickey's Space Adventure.  Of course, our sessions were fun, but there was no carryover to what we were learning in our other classes.  Fortunately, times have changed.  Instead of students visiting the computer room, devices are used in their own classrooms so technology skills can be integrated in their learning to redefine instruction.  One of the strands that is taught is research.  Ordinarily, I think of research being taught in middle school.  However, this past year, I had the pleasure of working with the first grade teachers and students in my school to learn how to conduct research on a specific topic.

In a first grade classroom, the skills that are important to teach students include:

• What is research?
• Why do people research?
• Using a website to learn about a topic.
• Finding information about a topic on a website.
• Communicating findings orally or in writing.

As I mentioned above, never in a million years would I expect first graders to know how to research topic using books or the Internet.  One class is researching the seven continents and the other two classes are researching animals.  At first, I had no idea how to help these teachers and students conduct research and report their findings.  The teachers grouped the students and each member of the group will be researching a subtopic of the main topic.  In order to be successful at this endeavor, I needed to accomplish the following tasks:

• Find a tool that would enable the groups to collaborate and communicate with each other, as well as work independently
• Find a tool that is child friendly and safe online
• Find a tool that is cloud based so that students can use on any device and therefore they are not limited to using the same device each session
• Find a tool that can incorporate child friendly websites for conducting research.

After conducting much research myself, I decided to use SMART amp.  Winner of recent awards including 2015 Bett Awards, 2014 eSchool News Top Education Products,  and a finalist for the 2015 SIIA Education CODIE Awards, SMART amp was designed with the purpose to be used on any device, anywhere, at any time.  I am fortunate to be a SMART amp Champ and therefore I received advanced training from SMART Technologies enabling me to mentor other teachers in using this software with their students.  

Now that I knew what tool we would use to conduct the research project, it was time to train both the teachers and their students in using SMART amp so they would be comfortable in using the software independently.  Instead of the students visiting the computer lab, I bring devices - either Chromebooks or iPads into the classrooms.  This way, the students are using the devices as a part of their learning experience in their own classroom setting.  With all tools, practice makes perfect, so it did take some time for everyone to learn how to use the software.  Once the students learned how to use the software, they were very comfortable using it and enjoyed using it to learn.  In addition, I teach the students while the teachers are in the classroom.  This way, I can collaborate with the classroom teachers while modeling it for the students.  Our students need to learn how to collaborate with each other and the best ways to teach them are by modeling the skills as well as providing them with opportunities through which they can do so.

Now that the students are broken up into their respective groups, it's time for them to conduct their research.  Each group will be responsible for conducting research and communicating their data on a continent or an animal.  Within each group, each member will be responsible for specific subtopics of their continent or animal.  For instance, if a group is researching the Continent of North America, each member in the group will be responsible for researching specific attributes about North America.  The students will use a combination of books and a child friendly research website, Ducksters to research their information.  Since SMART amp enables web content to be integrated and embedded within the workspace, the students do not need to browse the web externally.  They will report their findings within their very own SMART amp workspace.  They will collaborate with each other on their findings.  At the end of the research project, they will present their findings and what they have learned to the class.  

Below are examples of what the students will be researching for the topic of continents.  

I am so amazed by what the first grade teachers and students are doing.  Through collaborating, communicating, creating, and thinking critically, we are preparing our students for a better world.  

Using Educational Technology to Improve the School-Home Learning Connection While Strengthening Parental Involvement

Parent engagement in the school . . . is defined as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning and development of students. Research has shown that the education benefits of parent engagement have: better behavior, better school attendance, higher academic performance, high school completion rates and enhanced social skills.  We know parents are busy; many homes now have two full-time working parents instead of just one.  Other homes just have one parent who might be working full time.  As educators, we need to think of creative ways to engage parents in their students' education.  Fortunately, the use of Educational Technology can most definitely assist with that, making the job somewhat easier.  Therefore, many schools have adopted a LMS (Learning Management Systems) such as Google Classroom, Edmodo, or Haiku, to help keep the lines of communication open between teachers, students, and parents.

                               

At the same time, educators are using technology not only to engage their students, but to enhance and extend student learning.  There are great things happening in your classroom, but do your students' parents know about it?  You probably send a newsletter, an email, or post a blog on your school's website, but do you ever give your student's parents a chance to experience what and how your class is learning at home?

Introducing SMART amp.  Winner of recent awards including 2015 Bett Awards, 2014 eSchool News Top Education Products,  and a finalist for the 2015 SIIA Education CODIE Awards, SMART amp was designed with the purpose to be used on any device, anywhere, at any time.  Because students can learn anywhere on just about any device that has an Internet connection, learning can extend to their homes affording parents the ability to be actively involved with their children's learning.  Parents will be able to see what their children are doing with SMART amp and how they are using it to learn in ways that they could not do beforehand.  When using SMART amp, the possibilities are infinite as the learning extends beyond the walls of the classroom as doors open up to the outside world.  The concepts that students are learning are presented in a workspace that is easy to navigate.  Whether it's collaborating with peers, teachers, or researching information, students will have a richer, more meaningful experience on their devices. In addition, there is an assessment component that teachers can add into their workspaces; parents can receive automatic feedback on whether their children have demonstrated mastery of the material in the workspace.

Because SMART amp is Google Apps for Education (GAFE) based, parents simply need to login to SMART amp with their children's GAFE accounts and then they will be able to access their children's workspaces.  They will be amazed at all of the features that are available as the workspace is like one big canvas that can be filled with their children's creativity.  One of the many features is the ability to insert images into the workspace.  They do not need to be concerned with their children searching for images in the workspace since SMART has set Microsoft Bing's Safe Search to conduct the search - and this filtering will be applied wherever the students use SMART amp. However, it is still advisable that parents supervise their (younger) children using the Internet on devices and they should not be left unattended.  There is also a YouTube search feature which can be used to search for videos and embed them into the workspace.  It is important for parents to recognize that YouTube should be set with safety on and/or they should use another filter to block inappropriate content.  There are many web filters available, such as K9 Web Protection which is even free.

With that mind, we know how important it is for our students to learn digital literacy skills in school to be proper digital citizens.  SMART amp helps them to accomplish this.  Parents need to remember that they themselves are "digital immigrants," while their children are "digital natives as they are growing up in a digital, media-saturated world and require a media-rich learning environment to hold their attention." (Marc Prensky, 2001)  In addition, parents will learn that by using SMART amp, the students are being prepared for the future. They are learning how to collaborate with each other as well as work independently, which are crucial in today's world.

A SMART amp workspace with activities that children can use to learn at home.

And SMART amp just keeps getting better and better.....during the past year, significant improvements have been made to the software in the areas of technical aspects as well as user ability.  The SMART Technologies Team is in constant touch with SMART Exemplary Educators (SEEs) to inquire how to continue improving the product.  After all, at SMART Technologies, education comes first!

After educators provide parents with the opportunity of using SMART amp at home with their children,  they can ask parents to visit classrooms in action to observe the class using SMART amp as a learning tool.  Parents can also serve as school volunteers for the library or lunchroom, or as classroom aides, which affords them with a greater amount of "hands-on" time with their children's learning.  Further, when a class is conducting a PBL (Project Based Learning/Problem Based Learning) unit, educators can inspire collaboration by inviting a parent who is an expert in that field to come and speak to the class either face to face or virtually.

Many parents at are on their school's Executive Board and therefore they are involved in decisions related to the school's operating budget.  Parents want to do what is best for their children.  They also want to know where their tuition dollars - or tax dollars - are going.  If educators would like parents to help them in soliciting funds for Educational Technology, then they need to make sure that the parents know about what they are using as learning tools in their classroom and how it benefits the students.

SMART kapp - The Reinvention of the Dry Erase Board

"You mean I actually don't have to take notes?  You're going to do it for me?  Wow, that's so cool!"  Those have been the responses I have been receiving from both teachers and students alike whom I teach at my school using SMART kapp, the new Digital Capture Board developed by SMART Technologies.  SMART kapp makes it easier for them to focus on the learning by not having to write everything down.  And using it could not be any easier since no installation is required.

Robin Gossett, a PE teacher in my school, uses SMART kapp to take notes on a collaborative project using SMART amp software. 

I first learned about SMART kapp when I saw it being used at SMART Technologies' headquarters in Calgary this past summer.  Knowing that it was developed for the business world, I still thought that there would be ways it could be used to benefit the education world.  As an innovative educator, I am always eager to learn and try new things.  I therefore approached Warren Barkley, the Chief Technology Officer at SMART, and inquired about the possibility of piloting SMART kapp at my school.  Several months later, I was thrilled to discover that I would have the chance to do so.

SMART kapp is not an interactive whiteboard and was therefore not designed to replace the SMART Board.  Rather, it captures digital notes that one writes on the board.  I vividly remember my days in middle school and high school, specifically in classes such as algebra, chemistry, and physics, that the professor would speak so quickly and would expect me to take notes just as fast.  I dreaded the classes since not only could I not keep up, but I couldn't relate to the content being taught.  One of two scenarios happened during each class.  Either I would copy the notes from the board and I wouldn't be able to process everything the professor was saying, or I would listen to the professor's lecture, try to understand it, and then copy the notes from the board.  However, by the time I would start copying the notes from the board, the professor would be erasing them.  It was a Catch-22 and there was just no way out.  I wished things could have been easier and that I would be able to pay attention to the lecture and not have to worry about taking the notes.  SMART kapp now makes this possible.

There is clearly a need for SMART kapp in the K-12 education world and even beyond.  For students who have special needs, Executive Functioning disorder, and difficulty with taking notes due to delayed fine motor skills, SMART kapp can help both the teachers and students tremendously.  The device is not limited to the classroom.   The device is perfect for small classes, small group meetings, and for the Teacher's Lounge.

Using SMART kapp could not be any easier.  Just plug it in, download the free app in iTunes or Google Play, then capture, save, and share.  Notes can be saved as snapshots on a mobile device and to your Evernote™, Google Drive™, Dropbox™ or other storage accounts for easy sharing.

This blogpost has been cross posted at edcompassblog.smarttech.com.

If Change is So Good, Then Why Do So Many Resist It?

There have been many instances in my professional career when my colleagues, superiors, and I have been faced with the opportunity to change and try something new.  This change could be a new method in teaching, or simply a change to a school program or calendar.  In any case, I am usually open to change that will enable me to grow professionally.  I have found that at many times when I was enthusiastic about change, specifically opportunities that would foster my academic and professional growth, others were resistant.  If change is a good thing, then why are others resistant to it?

It's all about vulnerability.  When I take on a new a challenge - specifically one that is innovative and has not been accomplished by many, I am forced to step outside of my own comfort zone.  When I do this, I am faced with many unknowns; what do I need to do in order to be successful with this challenge, what is considered success in this challenge, and what will be if I am not successful with this challenge?  Further,if I  am not successful the first time, can I try again?  How many times can I try until I have tried enough?

In my position which is a Middle Leadership role, I am constantly interacting and trying to build positive relationships with many educators at my school.   At times, I need to step out of my comfort zone and become vulnerable.  Becoming vulnerable leads me to trusting my colleagues as well as teaching them that they can trust me.  Sometimes, due to lack of confidence, this might be difficult for me. Being vulnerable can easily lead me to taking things personally when my colleagues are resistant to me bringing about change.  However, being a reflective practitioner, I must remember that I am working towards a goal of improving the quality of learning for both educators and their students.

I honestly have not thought about all of this now.  I have learned that becoming vulnerable can be a positive trait; if it is done for the right reasons.  Becoming vulnerable enables me to try new things and learning from them.  After all, it's not about the outcome of the challenge.  Rather, it's about the learning process and taking what I have learned and applying it in the future.

Confessions of an EdTech Coach: Lessons Learned During the First Year

I am now in my second year working in the field of Educational Technology at my current school. Originally hired as an EdTech Coach, I was quickly promoted to the position of Director of EdTech as I was already performing the following duties:

1) Training teachers in use and integration of educational technology in their instruction
2) Teaching students technology skills to support curriculum and instruction
3) Managing the educational technology in our school

For the purpose of this blog, I am going to focus on my role as an EdTech Coach.  By training teachers in proper educational technology integration, I can have an impact on a greater amount of students than by  teaching a class myself.  This blog post focuses on what I have learned since I have been working in the Educational Technology field.  I hope that by sharing my experiences, others will be able to learn from them.

So here I go....

Before coming to my school, I was aware that my school had much educational technologies in place.  This includes but is not limited to: SMART Boards in almost all of the classrooms, a SMART Response system, document cameras, slates, and Mac and Dell laptops.  Because there was so much technology available here, I made the assumption that my school was at the forefront of technology integration.  I quickly learned a lesson; never assume anything.  Just because a school has the technologies available, it does not mean that the technologies are integrated well into instruction.

So because my school was in the "dark ages," in terms of educational technology integration, I knew that my job was cut out for me.  I was so fortunate to work for a Head of School who I knew had the same thoughts and feelings as I did regarding EdTech integration.  Another lesson I learned  - make sure you are working in an environment where you have a principal who is supporting you and your vision.

I knew that through doing my job successfully, not only would I become a part of the school culture, but I would also have the ability to transform it into something else.  I pride myself on being a dynamic educator who constantly reflects on teaching practices and strives to improve.  Improving requires that one believes in him or herself and the ability to change.  Some people get scared by change - they are enveloped by fear.  Hence, when some teachers in my school heard that an EdTech Coach was hired to train teachers, they became scared.  There was even a teacher who would not even talk to me; she would look the other way.  Another lesson I learned - not to take things personally.  Just keep smiling!

Many schools have an IT Director on staff, employed by the school full time.  My school does not.  Rather, we contract out to a firm and the IT support comes to resolve any issues we are having.  Unfortunately, there are times we expect him to come and he does not show up because he might have gotten stuck at another location.  There are times we do not expect him to come and he shows up.  During my first year, I became very frustrated with this situation.  Therefore, I had a meeting along with my school administration with the President of the consulting firm.  Though it took some time, I learned to do my very best to stay on good terms with our IT support.  His job is to support us in times of need - so I highly recommend to communicate with your IT support daily and work together collaboratively.  We need to work together to support our teachers and students.

Unfortunately, many people - including myself, are under the notion that younger educators are more open to integrating technology in their classrooms than older educators.  We could not be more wrong.  Age has nothing to do with being open to integrating educational technology in the classroom.  During the first week of school last year, a teacher who had been teaching over 30 years, entered my Head of School's office while I was meeting with my Head of School.  The teacher, who was about to retire, was proud to tell us that she just purchased a tablet.  The tablet was not one that I was familiar with.  I said to myself, "This is the last teacher I will be working with."  Low and behold, I was completely wrong.  In the middle of the school year, I learned that I was a recipient of grant for a SMART Board.  I was debating where to install the SMART Board.  Which teacher could use it to enhance and support student learning?  I wanted to make sure that this teacher would work with me to have a proper vision as to how this technology would be integrated in student learning and would work to implement our plan.  After some consideration, I decided to give the SMART Board to the teacher who I mentioned above.  As a SMART Exemplary Educator, I was given the opportunity to pilot SMART amp.  I decided to pilot this software in this teacher's kindergarten classroom.  Because of our dedication, persistence, and open mindedness to try new things, the pilot was a huge success. (You can read about my experience here: Kindergarteners Collaborating? Yes They Can, With SMART amp!)  I am now working with other teachers in my school to train them in using this software to benefit their students' learning.  I learned that age has nothing to do with the goal of being a dynamic teacher who is open to new ideas.

And last but not least - there were times (and there still are) that I would want to just give up.  I realize I could not do everything.  I felt like I was being held back from moving forward.  I can sometimes be competitive and compare myself to my colleagues as to how much I am doing in my school and I often feel like I never accomplish enough. There are two important lessons that I learned here:  1) I am not superwoman.  I simply cannot do everything.  It is better that I accomplish goals at the level of mastery than half way; this means it is better for me in the long run to take on a number of challenges or goals that are actually realistic for me to succeed at.  2)  I need to take that lesson and apply it to my students, who are the teachers at my school.  As an educator, I realize that I need to challenge my students by giving them tasks they can complete at mastery level.  If I give them too many tasks or tasks that are too difficult for them to achieve, it is very likely that they will give up.  The teachers at my school are my students.  By giving them expectations and challenges that are realistic, I am setting them up success.  Of course, I need to be there to support them in their goals.  However, if I set the goals too high, I am setting them up for failure.

I have learned a lot during the past year and a half.  As I grow in my position as an EdTech Coach and as a school leader, I hope to continue to learn more and grow professionally.  Looking back and reflecting, I have definitely accomplished a lot in just a short amount of time.  It is important for me to take pride in all that I have accomplished and build on that success.

Making, Tinkering, and Innovating at Full #STEAM Ahead!

It's an astounding thing how our minds can change based on our personal experiences.  Our experiences change our perceptions of the world around us.  When it comes to emotions, we learn them by watching others and how they react to certain situations; we trust those whom we look up to and respect.  All of the above applies to teaching our students.  If we are excited about what we are teaching and present the content in a creative and engaging way - if we exhibit excitement ourselves, then most likely our students will be excited to learn.  As I write this blog post, I am reflecting on my positive experiences leading a Maker Space, incorporating a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Program.

During recent years, the United States Federal Government has been strongly encouraging schools to offer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related courses.

“One of the things that I’ve been focused on as President is how we create an all-hands-on-deck approach to science, technology, engineering, and math… We need to make this a priority to train an army of new teachers in these subject areas, and to make sure that all of us as a country are lifting up these subjects for the respect that they deserve.”

President Barack Obama

Third Annual White House Science Fair, April 2013

The Obama Administration stands committed to providing students at every level with the skills they need to excel in the high-paid, highly-rewarding fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/k-12/educate-innovate  

Personally, I had no interest whatsoever in teaching a course with a STEM/STEAM course, I will honestly admit.  When I hear the word "STEM," the word "boring" is the first word that pops into my mind.  Again, this is all based on my prior experiences with these subjects.  Science? Boring.  Technology?  I am an Educational Technology enthusiast - not a computer programmer.  I hated my computer programming course in college.  Engineering?  No thank you.  Math?  It's been years since I have reviewed algebra, so don't even bother trying to ask me.  And Calculus?  Well, let's not even go there.  Like I said, STEM is boring.  However, it does not have to be.  My thoughts on STEM/STEAM programs changed during the past year.  I will now explain why.

There is a technological and creative revolution underway - you don't want to miss it!  I am referring to none other than the Maker Movement.  If you are not familiar with the Maker Movement, you can learn more about it by reading a great blog post written by Daniel Winkler (@dan_winkler) which you can find here. http://blog.mimio.com/the-maker-movement-in-education?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Running a Maker Space is a great way to teach the concepts of STEM/STEAM to your students. We all know that the way educators present content to their students can have a great impact on their interest in learning.  However, running a Maker Space works differently.  Through running a Maker Space, not only are we presenting content to our students in a meaningful and interactive way, but we are also giving students the opportunity to create their own engaging activities and the ability to be in control of their own learning.  Where their imagination will take them is up to them to decide; the more effort they put into their learning, they more they will learn.  We merely are creating the environment and offering the tools that they will need to foster these skills.

Last year, I read the book "Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, Engineering in the Classroom"  by Sylvia Libow Martinez (@smartinez) and Gary Stager (@garystager). (http://www.inventtolearn.com/)  "This book helps educators bring the exciting opportunities of the maker movement to every classroom.  Amazing new tools, materials and skills turn us all into makers. Using technology to make, repair or customize the things we need brings engineering, design and computer science to the masses. Fortunately for educators, this maker movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. The active learner is at the center of the learning process, amplifying the best traditions of progressive education."  I found this book to be very inspiring, as it presented the concepts of STEAM in a new light.  As I mentioned above, it's all about the presentation."  I was very excited and interested in running a Maker Space program on my own, yet I was not expecting the opportunity to be able to do so anytime in the near future.

This past April, my Head of School, Dr. Shira Leibowitz (@shiraleibowitz), thought of an incredible idea.  Dr. Leibowitz suggested that for the coming school year, we offer elective courses to our seventh and eighth grade students that would be career relevant.  One of the courses offered would be a Technology focused course.  Dr. Leibowitz approached me and asked me about my interest in teaching a Technology elective focused on programming skills.  Since I am not a computer programmer, I had no interest.  I then thought of the Maker Movement and I requested to run a Maker Space in our school.  Fortunately, my request was approved.  I began to contact others in the New York area who were well versed in the Maker Movement.  

The first resource I always turn to professional growth is Twitter.  Through Twitter, I connected with other Directors of Educational Technology who run Maker Spaces and/Fab Labs in their school.  These included but were not limited to: Jaymes Dec (@jaymesdec), James Tiffin, Jr. (@JimTiffinJr), and Jeremy Sambuca (@jsambuca).  I also contacted Sylvia Libow Martinez to get her support as well.  

I knew I would be able to run a Maker Space in my school, yet I also knew that it would take a considerable amount of time to develop a curriculum and research for many different supplies at reasonable costs.  Through Twitter, I was fortunate to discover the organization Maker State (@MakerState) (http://www.maker-state.com) under the leadership of Stephen Gilman (@StephenGilman).  Maker State is an organization which provides Maker Spaces to After School programs, Homeschoolers, and now, courses held as part of the school day.  In May, I contacted Stephen Gilman and met with him in Manhattan.  I explained to him what the goals were in my course and how I was inspired by the book "Invent to Learn."  He was very knowledgeable of the book, the vision and goals of a Maker Space, and how to properly run a Maker Space to ensure student success.  

I have been in contact with Stephen Gilman and his Maker State team since May on a regular basis.  As I mentioned above, our minds can change based on our personal experiences.  The way that Maker State has not only developed a curriculum but has given me support as well, has turned my fears of running a STEAM program to feelings of excitement.  In fact, I will be learning how to use Minecraft next week; not for playing games in virtual worlds, but for purposes of programming.  As the year progresses, I will continue to post on my experiences in running a Maker Space.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding starting a Maker Space program.  This is your chance to offer your students - and yourselves - the chance to be Makers as well as letting their imagination and creativity run wild.  I guarantee that if you have an open mind, you will love it just as I do.  

So when will you start your Maker Space?