Will coding and programming become a part of the public school curriculum in the near future? Or will the students with access to better resources get a much greater head start when it comes to learning about computer science? The Rasberry Pi Foundation, as well as The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition, have specifically designed programs that reflect an emerging trend toward exposing children and adolescents to the world of coding. Minecraft Pi Edition is a virtual block-builder game where kids use text commands to shape their virtual worlds and CodeHS is an online program designed to teach highs school students how to code. The creators of CodeHS note the high dropout rates of online programs similar to theirs and explain the importance of “giving students the right bump, or the right explanation at the right time”. While this seems to be a step in the right direction, only time will tell whether the accessibility of these programs will provide the right student with the right bump at the right time.
Being the beacon of innovation that it is, Stanford University is offering free classes this fall. The selection of course center around entrepreneurship, creativity, techonology,etc. that can help you grow a business or simply scratch that learning itch. Stanford has partnered with Coursera to bring free online education across the country. An amazing initiative. Find out more here and get a full list of the available classes.
The Tiny House movement is a newer and smaller way of life. Check out all the types of small-living out there. Come learn about this innovative and sustainable philosophy here at The LAB Miami this Wednesday. Register here.
Free class at The LAB! Improve your customer service and engagement. Find out more and register here or visit our classes section. Taught by Tito Lauro of MacWorksInc.
Have you seen what the new Museum of Science will look like? It is set to open in early 2015. Looks like it will be worth the wait. The building will include a planetarium, aquarium, educational facilities, and plenty of indoor and outdoor flexible space.
They just announced that they are looking for a design firm to develop their brand and are accepting proposals. To find out more and keep up with the building progress visit the Miami Science Museum blog.
So it rained books last night. We stumbled upon Miami’s first ever World Book Night event at Lester’s Cafe in Wynwood. Allography and Cabinet Beer Baseball Club partnered to throw the event. This map shows all the places around the country that gave away free books last night, and thanks to them, Miami is on the map. Never heard of World Book Night? It’s pretty simple and awesome. Lovers of literature give away special edition books chosen from a list of 30, check it out here.
Educational games built by students, for students. A blended learning platform and game-making curriculum, Globaloria is on a mission to empower students and power up classrooms. Students create games using a real-world design process, thus training them to be the next generation of gaming architects.
Happy Digital Learning Day! Today, millions of students and thousands of teachers across the country will welcome innovative technologies into their learning experiences. The main goal of this initiative is to find effective ways of using technology to improve student outcomes. It is a day to experiment in the classroom, test out new methods, push project-based learning and most importantly, have fun with cool digital tools.
The Alliance for Excellent Education is organizing a National Town Hall Meeting today, a live event featuring students and teachers from around the country as well as participation from Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.
Check out all of the events and discussions on DigitalLearningDay.org
New Classrooms has set out to truly disrupt the classroom. Driven by the leadership of Joel Rose, founder of School of One, this new non-profit organization is on a mission to change the way we teach our students Math.
The New Classrooms model allows for multiple skills to be taught simultaneously while accounting for the individual academic needs of each and every student. A mix of small group teaching, collaborative learning, virtual instruction and independent practice are the key components of the NC approach. Keep an eye on this personalized learning platform, as we hope to see a fundamental shift in how classrooms are structured.
Are you more left brain or right brain? Not so simple of a question, given how complex our noggin’ really is. How do empathy and deception trace back to our neural functions? How do we reconcile an embodied world versus a concrete world? This insightful #TED talk demonstrates how the interplay and collaboration between both hemispheres produce reason and imagination.
MindShift has released their 2012 projections for trends to watch in the #EdTech realm.
